SHOPPING MALL FOR STUDENTS

Reading Comprehension Tips and Strategies

Tip 1: Use your scrap paper. Since these passages can be rather long and present difficult sentence and paragraph structures, you may want to use your scrap paper to take very brief notes on the main ideas of each paragraph. Because the GMAT is now computer adaptive, you will not be able to mark up the passages on your monitor.

Taking brief notes is particularly useful for remembering where to find factual information in the science passages. When we say very brief notes, what we have in mind is something along the lines of "Paragraph 1: The different types of butterflies, Paragraph 2: How their nervous systems work, Paragraph 3: Why pesticide A is killing too many of them," etc. Use abbreviations liberally. Using scrap paper in this fashion can also help you outline passages and identify their main arguments for main idea questions.

Of course, you can also use your scrap paper as you go along, to keep track of the answer choices you are able to eliminate as incorrect.

Tip 2: Read the first question before the you read the passage. As we stated earlier, the new CAT structure of the GMAT prevents you from seeing all of the questions about a reading passage at the same time. Nonetheless, you will gain a slight advantage by reading the first question before you read the passage for the first time. This will give you a better idea of what you should be focusing on as you read, in order to answer that question.

Tip 3: Identify the type of passage you are reading. Memorize the 3 common passages types that we outlined above and remember that each one should be treated differently in order to optimize your score on this section.

Tip 4: When answering a fact question, read both the passage providing the data – and several lines before it – carefully. When a fact question directs you to look at a particular line of text for information, you will often find that one of the answer choices is a deceptive one, taken directly from that line number. More likely than not, there will be something in the sentence or two before the referenced line number that will give you the proper frame for interpreting the data – and hence direct you to the right answer to the fact question.

Tip 5: Don't jump to conclusions with fact questions using Roman numerals to identify answer choices. You will recognize this style of question as soon as you see it:

1. I only
2. II only
3. III only
4. I and II only
5. II and III only

The catch is that, oftentimes, facts I and II will be presented very close to each other in the passage, but fact III will be buried much further in the text. Take the time to review and consider each fact on its own merits.

Tip 6: Eliminate the "oohs and ahhs" answer choices. When consultants refer to "oohs and aahs," they are talking about interesting factoids that spice up presentations without adding anything of real value to the analysis. The GMAT also contains these types of answer choices. An 'ooh and ahh' choice will refer to a fact in the passage ... but just not to one that answers the question being asked.

Tip 7: Practice, practice, practice. We just want to say this one last time. You can't expect to become a scratch golfer just by reading a few magazine articles and watching a few golf tournaments on TV. Likewise, you can't expect to become an expert at taking the GMAT just by reading some tips and advice. You also need to work through many practice questions and learn to put tips and strategies like the ones we have presented to use.

SOURCE:www.admissionsconsultants.com

posted by ritz @ 8:03 AM