Help in RC

I agree with you Duttsit, members very rarely post RCs probably because of the huge intimidation factor- RCs are the most challenging component for most (especially non-native) test takers.

Coffeeloverfreak has got some great comments on how to "attack" RCs, so hopefully he/she can chime in on this topic.

Some key things to keep in mind to make RCs a little less burdensome:

1. Know the standard 4 themes- Physical Science, Social Science, Humanities, and (unbelievably) Business. Read from some old college core texts on these subjects half a page at a time and then try paraphrasing what you just read. ***This skill will also have an impact on SC and CR performance.

2. Use the scratch paper and make a passage map. Read the first few lines of each paragraph extra carefully to see which direction the author is going (compare/contrast, explain, advocate, critique, rebut) and use shorthand notes to save time.

3. Take special note when an author states his/her own opinion. Usually there is a question based on this.

4. When a question asks you to refer to line #... then go directly to that line and put your finger on the screen to mark the spot. Read the preceding line and even a few lines after and then put your finger on the answer choices and cross reference for the best restatement or appropriate answer choice. ETS will not scold you for touching the screen- we pay good money (Give Money And Time) to use their archaic facilities, so go ahead and smudge it up because the test is almost over at this post anyway.

5. Don`t worry so much about splittling hairs on RC timing. I sometimes take as much as 15 minutes to answer 5 difficult questions (including reading) but know that a few SCs will shortly follow and can use those to make up for a little lost time.

6. I can`t remember if the display informs you as to how many questions are allotted to each RC. Also, RCs tend get longer as you score higher, so 60-95 lines is not an impossibility if you are in the V38-42+ range.

Hope this helps!

Sorry, didn't look at the specifics the first time.



Total 10 mins.
Read and understand passage - 7 mins
Answer questions - 3 mins



Scanning the passage and then going back repeatedly to it for each question doesn't work for me. If you understood the passage, it will be a lot easier to go to the passage and get the answer quick for the 'specific' questions.



It depends on the question. Concentrate more in the area just above or below the line 'referenced' in the question. Most of the time, that should do the trick.



It is normally 4 or 5 questions. But don't focus on such things. Crave for more questions thru better understanding of the passage.

Well, the advice you posted is pretty good. But if you want some of my comments (thanks for the "great" endorsement), here's a thread with some RC tips:

https://www.gmatclub.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=146682#146682

P.S. I'm a she. Just so you know.

Thanks friends for your suggestions/tips. I will surely help me formulating strategy that fits me. The suggestion for "Active reading" from qsr seems pretty interesting. I generally read passage to understand it, as he suggested questioning/dialog during reading might give more insight.

GMATT73 advice on marking "what author says" rather than someone else author brings in neat. I will try.

Thansk Paul,Coffee for your wisdom words.

Can anyone please post the GMAT RC strategies of KAPLAN?

Hi dmetla,

You want to take notes as you go, focusing on main ideas and avoiding getting bogged down in detail; in our books and classes, we'll provide specific techniques and examples to help you take straightforward, effective notes. In addition to summarizing each paragraph, you want to be identifying the Topic, or big idea, Scope, or focus, and Purpose, or author's reason for writing; these will help you with Global questions and with some inference questions.

Once you've got a quick but solid summary of the passage to refer back to, you tackle the questions. There are four main question types, Global, Detail, Inference, and Logic, plus a few oddballs; each has it's own keywords to identify it and strategies for cracking it.

Unfortuantely, I can't go into much more detail than that, since it would require me to rewrite entire chapters of our books . But I'd be happy to address any specific questions about Kaplan's method here or in PM.

gmat-club-s-reading-comprehension-strategy-guide-83101.html