What to read to improve RC as a non-native speaker?

Question

For me RC is the hardest section on Verbal Part. And I am wondering where I can find some material with gmat-like language. I usually read a lot of junk on the internet, not high-level english :/.

samusa · Answer

hi I recommend from my experience that the two best sources are- Economist and Wall Street Journal. Read regularly and buy a 3 month subscription of the above two. Make sure you read a variety of articles from the above. Don't just stick to your favorite topics .Read topics that you are least interested in. Read at least 5 different articles and for a minimum of 1.5 hours. Don't worry about speed .Initially, one must concentrate on comprehension , understanding sentence structure and overall structure and message of the article. Hope the above helps . :-D

GMATPill · Answer

Harvard Magazine often has research articles in 3 major disciplines that get covered on the exam. Humanities, in particular, is a tough area to find decent articles to practice reading on - so this is a great source. Remember, not all articles are going to gmat-type passages. But you might come across some articles that could make for good practice, so just browse around and practice casually reading, casually breakding down articles into passage structures, and soon breaking down GMAT RC passages will become second nature to you.

https://harvardmagazine.com/topic/social-sciences

This is one of the many resources we recommend to GMAT PILL students.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Olivia700,

Before you focus this energy on one subject, I'd like to know how you're performing overall. There might be other issues that are MORE important to your overall score than becoming stronger at dealing with RC.

1) What is your goal score?
2) How long have you been studying?
3) What materials have you been using?
4) How have you been scoring on your practice CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?

5) Do you have a pacing problem in the Verbal section? Do you have to guess on a bunch of questions just to finish at the end (and how many?)?
6) When are you planning to take the GMAT?

Even though RC can be 'tough', the design of RC passages and the accompanying questions (and even the answers) fall into predictable patterns, so you CAN train, improve and score at a higher level.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

JTuquero · Answer

Hi Olivia,

Reading definitely helps, and you got some great suggestions on what to read already. As you read, be sure to read actively instead of passively. Most of the time, we're passive readers - we read simply to absorb the information. But as you begin to read actively, ask yourself the following questions:

What is the main idea of this passage?
What is the author's position and tone (neutral? critical? etc.)?
What is the structure of the argument (e.g. two opposing sides vs. one sided, informational vs. author's opinion)?

This will help train you to read for the GMAT RC passages.

Best of luck, and keep us posted on your progress!

Jessica

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

If you're looking for an alternative to online junk, try Arts & Letters Daily. https://www.aldaily.com/ For science, New Scientist is excellent. You can also follow various science publications on Facebook/Twitter: Scientific American (&/or Scientific American Mind) and Science are both good. (Such creative names!) There's also plenty of great material on nytimes.com.

Of course, you still need the practice of answering actual GMAT q's, so if you're low on passages, you may want to get an old 10th edition OG or buy pdfs of the old paper tests from mba.com. However, a little outside reading won't do you any harm. The exposure to more academic writing may even help to build up your ear for SC.

Olivia700 · Answer

Thanks for the recommendations. I've just subscribed to Economist.

Olivia700 · Answer

1) My goal is to break 650. But I'm being ambitious and secretly aiming for 700. 
2) I've been studying for exactly half a year every almost single day (with few cheat days) for 5-7 hours a day. And I am still stuck!
3) I'm using Kaplan on demand, CR bible, SC Aristotle, Magoosh Idiom book and gmatclub. 
4) My CATs are horrible. I started off with 440 Q33 V17 and was scoring in the late 400s. Yesterday I took another CAT and my score was 510 Q37 V21. 
It is weird that my verbal score is embarrassingly low. Actually I'm very interested in English and try to use it as much as possible. Plus I'm not a math person at all.
5) I do not have pacing problem I think. But I get distracted very easily and sometimes when I come across new vocabulary I tend to make a guess.
6) I am planning to take the GMAT in September.

Olivia700 · Answer

Thank you Jessica. My main problem is new vocabulary. When I came across the words I've never seen before I freak out and get really anxious. I hope if practice will not make it perfect, at least will make it better.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Olivia700,

With these CAT scores, "your way" of doing things doesn't seem to be getting you close to your goals, so some serious adjustments will need to be made to how you're studying. You're working from a variety of sources right now, so that might be an 'issue.' To score 650+, you're going to need to improve in both the Quant and Verbal sections (not just RC specifically).

Thankfully, with a September Test Date you have plenty of time to study. With the resources that you currently have, are there any parts that you have not used yet?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Olivia700 · Answer

I've basically completed everything. And I am just reviewing old stuff. I did hundreds of tests on Kaplan's quiz bank but I see no results in my CAT. I don't know the 'right way' of doing all these things. I am very disappointed in my verbal score since I review the strategies, grammar, 'difficult' exercises every single day. Can you suggest me 'a right study plan'?

zero722 · Answer

I would read any good quality newspaper like New York Times or business mag such as Harvard Business Review.

You can even try to read some of the Mckinsey, BCG point of views as well

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Olivia700,

From all of the information that you've provided, it sounds like you've attempted to "patch together" a study plan from a variety of resources. Unfortunately, what you've tried just hasn't helped you to hit your goals. The good news is that you still have plenty of time to improve, so we need to get you on a specific Study Plan that you can stick to.

For your situation, I would want you to have the necessary "buffer" to work a little slower and have the freedom to take the GMAT more than once (if needed). I think that the EMPOWERgmat Total Score Booster Study Plan would be perfect for you. Since you're already familiar with a good deal of the content and format of the GMAT, you don't have to start 'from scratch.' Many of our clients can finish the Total Score Booster Plan in around 6 weeks, but you can set your own pace to make sure that you're absorbing the lessons and focusing on the tactics. We have a variety of free resources that you can 'test out' on our website (www.empowergmat.com).

If you have any additional questions, then you can feel free to contact me directly.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

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