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ruturaj
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Reading comprehension strategies 23 Apr 2011, 06:26
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RC is the section where I am getting most of the questions wrong in tests.
Please let me know the effective strategies that can help me solve them in less time because this is the section I am taking too much off time that too they are not coming correct.
The score in this section is inconsistent and time consuming too.
I need some knack to crack these kind of problems
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gmatprep2011
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Reading comprehension strategies 23 Apr 2011, 07:26
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I am facing issues with RC too... Was thinking of Gmatpill for RC... Any reviews for RC from gmatpill?

The free videos were impressive... Dont know how is the complete course for RC?
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Reading comprehension strategies 23 Apr 2011, 09:08
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It may sound a little bit odd but for the preparation for RC I like to use mock IELTS tests and read as many in English as I can (currently I'm reading a book of Ken Kesey). The first thing helps to get used to reading short passages as intensely as needed and the second thing improves overall understanding of written texts. It's hard to think of an effective strategy in my opinion, you just need to stay concentrated and find key words that help you answer the question.
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gmatprep2011
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Reading comprehension strategies 23 Apr 2011, 09:13
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The actual problem with RC is that you can zero down to 2 options but then selection becomes difficult...
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gmatprep2011
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Reading comprehension strategies 23 Apr 2011, 09:30
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Found RC strategy here...

-post-your-strategies-or-provide-feedback-plz-81234.html#p610060



Quote:
Reading Comprehension - Active Reading

One of the biggest complaints people have coming out of a conversation: the person didn't listen to me (i.e. the other person is not an active listener). The same rule applies for reading comprehension, you need to become an active reader to do well on the GMAT.

Rehashing what you just read to someone else is one way of improving your active reading skills. It can be done using any publication.

Example: After reading the newspaper, try to remember some of the headlines.
Example: Two weeks after finishing a book, explain to someone else in 20 words or less what the book is about.
Example: After reading a thesis or research paper, recall both the things you liked about the paper and the things you disliked about the paper.

The question writers on the GMAT ALWAYS have answers that play with your mind. An answer might be verbatim from the passagevand you might think the answer is too obvious. An answer might say all the correct things, but it throws in an "always" or "never" (it's rare that a CR or RC correct option uses extreme words).

Remember, your goal here is to find the "best" answer. It might not be the right answer you thought of, but it's still the best answer.

Something else that works for some people:

Taking notes while reading passages works for some people. The goal behind taking notes is to help you retain key points from the passage and know what information is where (avoid re-reading the entire passage).

The goal is to have one to three sentences per paragraph, with the number of sentences depending on how long each paragraph is and how much information is in each paragraph. The sentences should be high level points (don't write down specific details. i.e. how do you summarize the paragraph into one or two sentences.). This requires a bit of practice, but it also helps you become an active reader.

Another point is taking notes while reading helps some people retain information. By actually writing things down, you can force yourself to process process the information over a longer period of time.

I don't buy into the strategies of:
Skimming, short reading, hunting for key words, etc.

What it boils down to is retaining key information after completing a passage. This will help you answer easier questions, while providing you enough detail to know where to find answer to more difficult question. Best of all, you avoid re-reading the entire passage.

When analyzing the answers, the same strategy used for CR can be used here:


Quote:
On your testing center provided pad - list out the answer choices. Next, as you read the answer choices, list how the answer choice addresses the question at hand. Use some form of shorthand to get your notes down quick.

i.e.
+ - na - na
A B C D E

The short hand here might mean something else. + might support the author's main point, and - might counter it. Just as with CR questions, make sure the answer selection is actually answering the question at hand.



Time management is key throughout the entire exam. Other questions you may have more flexibility with (length of argument stem, short SC problem, etc.), but with reading comprehension, you still need to average 2 mins/problem including reading the passage.


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Reading comprehension strategies 23 Apr 2011, 12:05
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If you are very weak in RC, then a guidebook is a decent option. Although an LSAT book, the Powerscore RC Bible can help. But it's expensive and not exciting to read. Nevertheless, it helped me to become a more active and aware RC reader. Another option is to practice with lots of LSAT RC passages. These are generally longer and more challenging than GMAT RC passages.

Also consider some GMAT Fiction. This is a relatively light and enjoyable way to improve one's reading skills.
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