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FAQ: How do I improve on the Reading Comprehension?

By on March 18, 2011 in FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about the GRE, Reading Comprehension Strategies, Verbal

Typically when I have a student who is struggling with the reading comprehension I have them do a little exercise. I give them two minutes to read an entire passage (yes, you should always read the passage first before attempting the questions.)

After this time, I have them immediately close the book and have them tell me what the passage is about.
Some students will give me a vague answer. Say the passage was about three competing theories on dinosaur extinction. The author endorsed a meteorite impact theory because it could account for the uneven dispersal of iridium.

Know the Passage
If a student is struggling with the passage they will say it was about dinosaurs. They may throw in the word meteorite, maybe even mention something about iridium. What they will not provide me is a unified synopsis such as the one I provided above. Essentially their understanding is fragmented.
Understanding the passage in your own words is essential to getting the questions right. If you approach the questions without an integrated understanding of the passage you will fall for the traps the GRE has deftly arranged in the four wrong answer choices.

Slow Down
So what should you do? Learn to read passages, slowly even, to make sure you can accurately paraphrase what the passage is talking about. In fact, you shouldn’t even worry about the questions until you are able to do so.

Don’t Trust the Gut

Many students balk, saying that slowing down to read the whole passage eats up time. The truth is most time is wasted on questions that students don’t know the answers to because they have an incomplete understanding of the passage. They will vacillate between two answer choices and pick one based not on logic but on gut-feeling.

So the key is to slow down and really understand the passage. One way to make sure you are doing so is to write down the three main points after you’re done reading the passage. Once you get in the habit of doing this it will come more naturally and you won’t have to spend time writing down bullet points.

About the Author

Chris Lele has been helping students excel on the GRE, GMAT, and SAT for the last 10 years. He is the Lead Content Developer and Tutor for Magoosh. His favorite food is wasabi-flavored almonds.

9 Responses to FAQ: How do I improve on the Reading Comprehension?

  1. Ashish July 8, 2012 at 10:47 am #

    hi cris i m very weak in RC.i read the passages.and out of 4 sometimes i got 0,1 or maximum 2.i find passages very diffucult because from passage there are many words that i dont know thats y i hv to look at dictionary.after knowing also meaning to words i cant give a proper ans. so can u suggest me how can i improve my RC?

    Reply
    • Chris July 9, 2012 at 3:53 pm #

      Tackling RC will definitely take awhile. You are on the right path. Look up unfamiliar words and make a note of them. The truth is GRE RC success will not happen overnight. It will take months. Improving your general reading by reading in context is a good way to start. That means reading sources such as NYtimes. etc.

      To learn more, check out our ebook on learning vocabulary. Though RC isn’t quite the same as vocabulary (SE/TC), by doing more reading you will improve not only your reading comprehension but your vocabulary too.

      http://magoosh.com/gre/2012/gre-vocabulary-ebook/

      Reply
  2. julius June 26, 2012 at 8:54 pm #

    This is a well-illustrated point. Rephrasing is essentially how to check if we truly understand the passage we just read. I really enjoy this blog, because it adds some more fun to my GRE preparation. Thanks for the awesome posts

    Reply
    • Chris June 27, 2012 at 2:24 pm #

      You are very welcome :) ‘Rephrasing’ is one of the most oft-looked strategies to Reading Comprehension.

      Reply
  3. shabnam February 25, 2012 at 11:37 pm #

    Hi chris
    you are a genius
    your strategies are very helpful and you have comprehensive knowledge
    I enjoy your posts
    good luck and thank you so much

    Reply
    • Chris February 27, 2012 at 1:24 pm #

      Thanks for very much! I’m always glad to be able to share my tips! Let me know if you have any questions :)

      Reply
  4. Silver89 December 24, 2011 at 9:39 pm #

    Hi,
    I’m an international student who faces a big problems in RC.
    I don’t know lots of the vocab in the passage, and even after translation them, I still can’t get the big picture of the passage.

    Should I work on my vocab first then go for RC ? or i should work on both at the same time even I’m too weak on RC and can’t answer the majority of question.

    Thank you in advance

    Reply
    • Chris December 27, 2011 at 3:52 pm #

      I would definitely work on vocabulary first. I would also start reading – not from GRE prep books, but from English magazines and periodicals. Your goal should be to develop your vocabulary by reading and understanding words in context.

      You may find this post very helpful:

      http://magoosh.com/gre/2011/reading-vocabulary-in-context-where-should-i-start/

      Hope that helps!

      Reply
      • Silver89 December 27, 2011 at 9:23 pm #

        I highly admire your advices
        I’ll be working on that , thanks

        Reply


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