Reading Comprehension pacing on the GMAT Focus Edition is a constant balancing act. Falling into a bad rhythm on a single dense passage can burn 8–10 minutes of your Verbal section.
Two completely opposite RC strategies dominate the forums:
Strategy 1: The "Slow & Thorough" First Read (2.5 to 3.5 Minutes)- The Logic: Invest heavily upfront to map paragraph transitions, catch the author’s stance, and grasp the core logic before looking at Q1.
- The Trade-off: Slower start, but you can often answer detail and main-idea questions in under 45 seconds without re-reading.
Strategy 2: The "Skim & Target" First Read (1 to 1.5 Minutes)- The Logic: Grab the main topic quickly and rely on the question prompts to guide your deep dives into specific lines.
- The Trade-off: Preserves time upfront, but risks falling into trap answer choices if you misinterpret the context when jumping back and forth.
Which approach gave you higher accuracy under timed mock conditions? Do you switch strategies depending on whether it's a dense science vs. business passage?