How to Study for GMAT Reading Comprehension
Updated for the new GMAT in 2024
Congratulations! You’ve found a page of magic formulas that will catapult you to a perfect score on GMAT Reading Comprehension questions.
Just kidding. There are no magic formulas for GMAT Reading Comprehension. But if you practice enough and adhere to some basic principles for strong GMAT test-taking, we promise that you’ll improve.
Start by developing a consistent approach to GMAT Reading Comprehension questions
In our decades as GMAT tutors, we’ve met countless test-takers who are perfectly capable readers, but still perform poorly on Reading Comprehension. Most of these underperforming test-takers lack a consistent, repeatable approach to GMAT Reading Comprehension questions.
As a broad generalization, these students are guilty of either reading too hastily -- which leads to a failure to grasp the overall purpose of the passage -- or too deliberately, which can cause both inefficiency and an inability to comprehend RC passages as anything more than a jumble of details.
Here are three principles to keep in mind when reading a GMAT Reading Comprehension passage for the first time:
Don’t skim any part of the passage. If you do, you’ll inevitably miss nuances of the passage that are essential for grasping the author’s main ideas.
Think deliberately about purpose. Why did the author write each paragraph, and how does each paragraph connect to the previous paragraphs?
Don’t obsess over details. Often, GMAT RC passages will include small details that you won’t remember, and certainly don’t need to memorize. Instead, focus on why the author included those details. If you only understand the passage as an endless collection of facts and details, you’ll struggle to understand the overall purpose and main ideas of the passage.
For a deeper dive on how to improve your reading habits, read our article on How To Approach GMAT Reading Comprehension Questions.
Practice with only the best GMAT Reading Comprehension study materials
The creators of the GMAT exam spend several thousand dollars developing each individual test question, and even the very best test-prep companies can’t possibly spend more than a tiny fraction of that amount. On GMAT Reading Comprehension, the difference between a right and wrong answer might be a tiny nuance of language, and it’s unreasonable to expect non-official verbal questions to nail those nuances.
Put another way: using non-official GMAT Reading Comprehension questions can do more harm than good.
So without exception, we strongly encourage you to use official practice questions from a resource such as the GMAT Official Guide. If you’re worried about running out of official GMAT Reading Comprehension questions, we strongly recommend official LSAT® questions as an alternative.
Should you take notes during the GMAT Reading Comprehension section?
There’s no universally “correct” way to take notes on GMAT Reading Comprehension, because every test-taker is different. Some people -- especially test-takers who are kinesthetic learners -- engage more deeply in passages when they take notes. Other test-takers get distracted when they take notes, and they’ll actually perform worse on GMAT Reading Comprehension if they do so.
If you decide to take notes on reading passages, make sure that your notes focus on the big picture of the passage. Consider why the author has written each paragraph, and how each paragraph’s purpose connects to the rest of the passage. If you just write down an avalanche of details, you’ll waste time and potentially miss the author’s most important ideas.
Additional GMAT Reading Comprehension tips & resources
For more tips on how to improve your GMAT Reading Comprehension score, check out these articles:
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