GMAT Delhi

Introduction

GMAT reading comprehension questions are meant to test your understanding of the implications, meanings, and structures presented in the passages. You can expect to see 2 to 4 passages of 200 to 400 words each, in the verbal section of the GMAT exam. Each passage will be followed by 4 questions. Because the GMAT is now a computer-adaptive test, you will only see 1 question at a time. The passage, however, will remain on your computer screen until you have answered all of the questions related to it.

The 3 Most Common Types of Reading Comprehension Passages

The passages you will encounter on the GMAT will most likely address one of the 3 topics described below. Each type of passage calls for a slightly different optimum test-taking strategy. Regardless of what topic you encounter, you can rest assured that everything you need to know will be included in the passage. GMAT test writers intentionally pick obscure topics for comprehension passages. They do this to minimize the chances of giving someone with previous exposure to a particular topic an unfair advantage over others taking the same version of the test.

1. Science Passages.  These passages deal with topics including biology, chemistry, and medicine. You should approach them by doing an initial speed reading/skimming of the text. Your goal in this first review is simply to understand how the passage is structured and to analyze its outline.

Although they are often quite boring (no joke!), science passages are also very factual and straightforward. Hence, they will likely provide the easiest reading comprehension questions you will encounter on the GMAT exam. You are not likely to see any inference questions drawing on a science passage. You are much more likely to see several factual questions that can be answered directly from the passage. Science passages will likely be the easiest reading comprehension questions you encounter!

2. Social science passages.  Typically, these passages deal with topics such as history, politics, and geography. They will probably be the most enjoyable reading comprehension passages you will read. This is fortunate, because you must read these passages slowly in order to answer the many inference questions they are sure to present.

3. Business passages.  Business passages involve very difficult structures, and present questions that require you to infer information and even to determine the authors' moods and opinions. They need to be read slowly and carefully.

Frequently, business passages also include compound words that few people have ever heard before, and that even fewer people use in ordinary conversation. Don't feel bad when you run into such terms. They are not very difficult to decipher if you break them down and examine each of their parts.

The 4 Most Common Types of GMAT Reading Comprehension Questions

1. Factual Questions. You will likely find these questions the easiest ones to answer, but also the most time consuming. You need to be careful because they often contain "curveballs" such as those described below, in the strategies and tips section. However, these curveballs are also relatively easy to recognize and overcome.

2. Inference Questions.  Inference questions do not test your knowledge of explicitly-cited facts, but rather your ability to draw conclusions from other information. These questions may even ask you to make a judgment about the author's opinions, or to guess what further conclusions the author might draw. They are usually the most difficult questions for test takers.

3. Main Idea Questions.  Main idea questions ask the test taker to identify the passage's overall theme, as opposed to supporting facts and arguments. Many clients have told us that they thought these questions were exceptionally difficult. Our advice is to accept that just because all of the answer choices have been discussed in the passage, it does not mean that every one of them can be called the passage's central theme.

In main idea questions, answer choices that emphasize factual information can usually be eliminated. Answer choices that are too narrow or too broad also tend to be incorrect. Those answer choices that contain key words and concepts from the main idea presented by the passage are more likely to be correct.

4. Tone Questions.  You will often be asked to describe the passage's tone. The same general rule about negativity applies here. The tone is much more likely to be positive or neutral than it is to be negative. For a science passage, the tone is most likely neutral.