Making Notes while solving RC questions

Question

Hi All,

I read the Manhattan RC Guide 13th edition and noticed that it recommends students to make brief notes while reading the RC passage. The book doesn't want us to refer to these notes later. I have personally tried making notes but I noticed that it is slowing me down without significantly increasing my comprehension of the passage.

Can someone please suggest their experience of writing while solving RC Questions?

Thanks!

hacorus · Answer

Have a look at GMAT Ninja's video for gmatclub.com on YouTube https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn5y ... HjkFJFfnhq

TLDR: it's a personal preference, his way is to write the main idea and connection, not a summary.

Good luck

Posted from my mobile device

AnirudhaS · Answer

Hi Nishant, Different test-takers have different needs. Some prefer not to write anything, but for some it helps to write the summary for each paragraphs - this reinforces what has been read and improves comprehension. Personally I need a mind map, and I draw images while reading complicated RCs - this helps me not to get lost in the detailed passages. Please check my solution out in this RC - https://gmatclub.com/forum/p2670812 It is not one size fits for all, and you need to figure out what works for you. Let me know if this helps.

bb · Answer

To point out the obvious: 1. If MGMAT did not think it was valuable, they probably would not have included it in the strategy guide. 2. Taking notes does not help with the comprehension of the passage. It forces you to do several other things that tend to improve your answer accuracy. If you can't comprehend a passage, you need to slow down, summarize after each sentence, and also try to read a few hours a day. 3. It takes practice to do note-taking well 4. Yes, taking notes takes longer. Everyone knows it and no, you did not just discover an amazing hack how to save a bunch of time. Until you get a 99th percentile, I would not modify MGMAT's strategies. Keep in mind that the test-strategies work like furniture. If you follow 90% of the instructions and then invent something on your own, it may work but chances are, you won't be happy with it. Taking notes would be ideal. There are many reasons why and I would caution you from "value-engineering" yourself out of a GMAT score. There are many ways you can save time on the GMAT - you can skim the passage, only read the first sentence, or not do pre-thining on the CR. These all save time but at a pretty steep price. On the GMAT, slow is smooth, and smooth is fast. So there you go. I can't remember if I actually took notes on my GMAT but I have a feeling I did some minimal notes and summarized each of the paragraphs in my own mind for sure. I noticed an immediate increase in my hit rate on the RC's when I started taking notes and my success rate went up from 50-60% to about 80%, so I immediately gained 20-30%. I would recommend practicing with taking notes. You can always drop the note-taking if it is not helpful. But MGMAT, Kaplan, I and many other prep companies think it is. It is like training with a heavier weight. You can always go down and make it easier. You want to make your pratice hard. Then your score will be higher (test won't be easier unfortunately, as it is adaptive

)

Nishant1795 · Answer

Thanks for all the responses! I will try to follow the process religiously. Let's see how are the results in a couple of weeks.

Making Notes while solving RC questions

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