Trouble with Reading Comp and GMAT Stategy/Outline

Hi gcantre3

For RC, I will highly encourage you to look at this post- https://gmatclub.com/forum/experts-topi ... 41004.html . It will really help you improve and achieve a good accuracy in RC.

Further taking multiple mocks might help. Apart from the GMATPREP, Manhattan GMAT tests and Veritas Prep Tests in my experience have good verbal and Quant section and will certainly help you point out and improve your weak areas.

Further another advantage of taking many mocks is to build up your stamina. Apart from the GMATPREP tests, taking practise tests of any major GMATPREP company ought to do that.

I would also encourage you to purchase the GMATPREP QP 1 for some great additional practice. Here is a link that will help you with your decision.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/best-gmat-ve ... ml?fl=menu

Hope this helps. All the best.

There's a little bit of irony in what you wrote about "in detail" regarding a passage map. And I say that because one big point of a passage map is having a general idea of where to go when you do need to find the details, so passage maps should be pretty general. Details are only important if they as you about them! And with only 3-4 questions per passage there are only so many details they can ask you about, so most details in the passage won't end up mattering.

Here's what we recommend:

At the end of every paragraph, see if you can summarize in a few words "what was this about and why was it written?" (for example, "to introduce the old theory of immunology" or "to summarize the activities of early trading companies").

Within each paragraph, pause when you get to words that signal transitions ("however," "but," etc.), continuations ("furthermore," "also"), and conclusions ("therefore," "thus," etc.) and do the same as the above - for that portion of the paragraph, see if you can say what it was about and why it was written.

And then for both of those, write in quick shorthand (I aim for 3-5 words) a really brief summary of "what's it about / why it was written" and note any major transitions/conclusions you want to make sure you don't forget.

This should:

1) Help signal to you where you should go for details when you're asked about them

2) Guide your understanding of the primary purpose

3) Help you stay engaged and quickly realize if you've "checked out" (if you can't answer "what was it about / why was it written" then you need to reread that paragraph or portion up to the transition...you'll know well before you get to the end of the passage if you haven't focused, and that saves you time when you have to re-read and re-focus.