GMAT Reading Comprehension strategies
Reading Comprehension questions test whether you can understand a passage, identify its main idea, and answer questions about its details and inferences. Every RC passage is followed by 3 to 6 questions. These strategies cover how to read actively, how to find the main idea, and how to answer each question type without re-reading the whole passage.
The core principle: read for structure
Do not memorize the passage. You will not be asked to reproduce it. Read for structure: what is the main idea, what is the author's tone, and how is the argument organized. Note the topic sentence of each paragraph. Note any transitions: 'however', 'although', 'in contrast' signal a shift. Note any examples: they support the claim, they are not the claim itself. The goal of the first read is to understand the map of the passage well enough to find the right paragraph when a question asks about a specific detail.
Finding the main idea
The main idea is usually in the first or last sentence of the passage. It is the claim the author is making, not the topic. 'A study on climate change' is a topic. 'Recent evidence suggests that current climate models underestimate the rate of warming' is a main idea. The main idea is what the author wants you to believe after reading the passage.
The most common trap
Choosing an answer that is true but not supported by the passage
The GMAT includes answer choices that are factually correct in the real world but are not stated in or implied by the passage. The correct answer must be supported by the passage, not by your outside knowledge. If a choice is true but the passage does not say it, it is wrong.
Step-by-step strategy
When to use: every Reading Comprehension passage.
- 1Read the passage once, actively. Note the main idea, the author's tone, and the structure of each paragraph.
- 2Read the question stem. Know whether it asks for the main idea, a detail, or an inference.
- 3For detail questions, go back to the specific paragraph. Do not rely on memory alone.
- 4For inference questions, find the sentence the question refers to. The answer must follow directly from what the passage says.
Related pages
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