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Heyoo again,
If CR was once my “unpredictable beast,” then RC (Reading Comprehension) was my slow, sneaky nemesis. No matter how much I read, I’d lose focus mid-passage, reread the same lines, and still miss the point of the author’s argument. I used to think RC was all about reading speed! haha turns out, it’s not. Over time, I built my own system that finally made RC feel manageable (and even kind of fun). Sharing my process in case someone else is struggling the way I did.
1. I stopped trying to “read fast”
In the beginning, I was obsessed with reading quickly because “time is precious on GMAT.” But speed without understanding is useless, yes absolutely!
So I flipped the approach: I started reading slowly but actively.
I’d pause every few sentences and ask myself:
👉 “What’s the author trying to say here?”
👉 “Why did they bring this up?”
This slowed me down at first, but the retention skyrocketed. Eventually, comprehension improved so much that my natural speed caught up.
2. I focused on structure, not details
Earlier, I used to underline facts, dates, examples : literally everything. Total chaos fr!
Now, I read with one goal: get the structure.
Every passage has:
This was a breakthrough. GMAT passages aren’t just information dumps oh they’re arguments in disguise.
I began looking for:
Inference, main idea, tone, detail ... they all come down to logic.
I’d ask myself before reading options :
👉 “What kind of answer would make sense here?”
That little pre-phrase saved me from getting trapped in long, wordy wrong answers.
Especially for inference questions : if it wasn’t 100% supported by the passage, I’d toss it.
5. I stopped fearing long passages
At one point, I dreaded 400-word passages. They looked endless.
So, I changed perspective — I stopped seeing them as reading tasks and started seeing them as pattern tasks. GMAT RC passages repeat the same kinds of arguments — historical shifts, scientific explanations, contrasting views, author evaluations.
Once I recognized these patterns, I could predict where the author was heading, and reading stopped feeling overwhelming.
6. My review process changed everything
After each RC set, I didn’t just check right or wrong — I asked:
7. My mindset shift
Earlier, RC passages felt dry and lifeless — art history, biology, obscure economics, ugh...
Then I decided: if the test-makers found it worth writing, there’s something interesting in it. I began approaching each passage with curiosity and askingg “What’s the argument here?” instead of “Ugh, more text.”
That single mental shift made me more alert, less fatigued, and more engaged.
Results
Once I built this rhythm, RC turned from my weakest to one of my most stable sections. My accuracy went from around 60% to a consistent 80%+.
On test day, I actually enjoyed RC because it became a calm, logical exercise rather than a reading race.
If CR was once my “unpredictable beast,” then RC (Reading Comprehension) was my slow, sneaky nemesis. No matter how much I read, I’d lose focus mid-passage, reread the same lines, and still miss the point of the author’s argument. I used to think RC was all about reading speed! haha turns out, it’s not. Over time, I built my own system that finally made RC feel manageable (and even kind of fun). Sharing my process in case someone else is struggling the way I did.
1. I stopped trying to “read fast”
In the beginning, I was obsessed with reading quickly because “time is precious on GMAT.” But speed without understanding is useless, yes absolutely!
So I flipped the approach: I started reading slowly but actively.
I’d pause every few sentences and ask myself:
👉 “What’s the author trying to say here?”
👉 “Why did they bring this up?”
This slowed me down at first, but the retention skyrocketed. Eventually, comprehension improved so much that my natural speed caught up.
2. I focused on structure, not details
Earlier, I used to underline facts, dates, examples : literally everything. Total chaos fr!
Now, I read with one goal: get the structure.
Every passage has:
- Main idea – what’s the author’s big message
- Paragraph roles – how each paragraph contributes
- Tone – supportive, skeptical, neutral, etc.
Quote:
3. I learned to spot the author’s voice
This was a breakthrough. GMAT passages aren’t just information dumps oh they’re arguments in disguise.
I began looking for:
- Contrast words: however, but, yet, although
- Author’s opinions: clearly, fortunately, importantly, crucially
That’s where the real testable material hides. Once I found the author’s stance, I could instantly eliminate half the wrong answers that went against it.
Inference, main idea, tone, detail ... they all come down to logic.
I’d ask myself before reading options :
👉 “What kind of answer would make sense here?”
That little pre-phrase saved me from getting trapped in long, wordy wrong answers.
Especially for inference questions : if it wasn’t 100% supported by the passage, I’d toss it.
5. I stopped fearing long passages
At one point, I dreaded 400-word passages. They looked endless.
So, I changed perspective — I stopped seeing them as reading tasks and started seeing them as pattern tasks. GMAT RC passages repeat the same kinds of arguments — historical shifts, scientific explanations, contrasting views, author evaluations.
Once I recognized these patterns, I could predict where the author was heading, and reading stopped feeling overwhelming.
6. My review process changed everything
After each RC set, I didn’t just check right or wrong — I asked:
- “Why did I misread this line?”
- “Was I tricked by tone or detail?”
- “Did I miss the paragraph’s purpose?”
By diagnosing the reason behind every wrong answer, I gradually became immune to those traps.
7. My mindset shift
Earlier, RC passages felt dry and lifeless — art history, biology, obscure economics, ugh...
Then I decided: if the test-makers found it worth writing, there’s something interesting in it. I began approaching each passage with curiosity and askingg “What’s the argument here?” instead of “Ugh, more text.”
That single mental shift made me more alert, less fatigued, and more engaged.
Results
Once I built this rhythm, RC turned from my weakest to one of my most stable sections. My accuracy went from around 60% to a consistent 80%+.
On test day, I actually enjoyed RC because it became a calm, logical exercise rather than a reading race.
Moderator:
