General strategies for reading comprehension
Last updated: 13 Oct 2008
Reading comprehension questions consist of short passages (maximum 350 words) that are given on the left-hand half of the computer screen. During your GMAT you should expect to receive, you from 3 to 5 separate passages to read.
All of the passages are based in one of three areas: humanities and the social sciences, business and economics, or science and nature. No expertise or prior knowledge is expected of you for any of the passages.
The questions for a passage usually come in groups of 3 to 5 at a time. The passage on the left remains the same, so once you finish the first question, on the right-hand half of the screen another question will appear, until you have answered all the questions for that particular passage.
Not all of the reading comprehension passages fit on the computer screen, so you may probably have to scroll up and down to read the whole text.
General strategies
The following strategies apply to all the different types of reading comprehension questions.
- Try to read the whole text of the passage once, if possible.
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Many people think you should just skim the passage or read the first lines of every paragraph, and not to read the passage.
We believe this is an error: if you misunderstand the main idea of the passage, you will certainly get at least some of the questions wrong.
Give the passage one good read, taking no more than 3 minutes to read all of the text.
Do not read the passage more than once - that wastes too much time. If you have not understood it completely, try to answer the questions anyway.
Note: this point of reading the whole passage is particularly important for test-takers whose first language is not English, provided that they can read the passage in 3 minutes or less.
- Make brief notes on the text on your scrap paper.
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As we will see below in greater detail, you should write down a couple of words on
- The Main Idea or Primary Purpose
- Organization/Structure of the passage
- The Tone or Attitude of the author (if applicable)
You just need a few words for each of these areas, and altogether it should not take longer than 30 seconds to write down.
- Remember that the tone or attitude of the passage is usually respectful and moderate, never going to extremes of praise nor criticism.
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The reading comprehension passages from real articles about real academics and professionals.
So the tone of the articles, even when there is criticism in the passage toward an academic or her work, is always balanced and moderate. In the same vein, articles that deal with minorities or ethnic groups are almost always positive and sympathetic.
- Look out for structural words that tell you the important ideas or transitions in a passage.
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Continue the Idea Words
- Similarly
- Moreover
- Additionally
- In the same way
- Likewise
Conclusion Words
- Thus
- Therefore
- Hence
- So
- In summary
- In conclusion
Contradiction or Contrast Words
- Neverthless
- Nonetheless
- However
- But
- Although
- Though
- Even though
- Notwithstanding
- Yet
- Despite
- In spite of
- On the one hand...on the other hand
- While
- Unlike
- Go back to the text of the passage for the answers.
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Many test-takers fail to return to the text of the passage to look for the correct answers. They rely solely on their memories and understanding of the passage after having read or skimmed it. Wrong. This is what the question writers expect you to do.
You should go back to the text to look for information to answer the questions. Nine times out of ten, the answer lies within the passage.
