GMAT is a test required for students who are applying for MBA courses. Most of the business schools require the GMAT score as it is an application requirement. GMAT is standardized that checks the abilities and skills that are necessary for the students of business programs. To test the overall abilities, the GMAT exam is divided into 4 sections.
These 4 sections are -
1. Analytical Writing Assessment
2. Integrated Reasoning
3. Quantitative Reasoning
4. Verbal Reasoning
The 4 test sections mentioned above further have multiple question types. These questions require a strategic preparation as the aspirant needs to use logic and critical thinking under restricted time. Having a test strategy will give you control and flexibility to focus on your strengths and weaknesses while you do your test preparation for GMAT.
In this article we will focus on Reading Comprehension which is part of Verbal Reasoning. Reading comprehension will check your ability to read and understand the given written material. Let us first know the Format of reading comprehension before we get on to knowing the dos and don’ts.
An Overview of GMAT Reading Comprehension
The GMAT verbal section is divided in 3 parts. They consist of Sentence Correction, Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension. The questions in the reading comprehension are 1/3rd of the questions asked in the verbal section. It is essential for the student to prepare well for the reading comprehension part. The reading comprehension part usually consists of one long passage and 3 short passages. The short passages can be anywhere from 150-300 words. You can be asked 3-4 questions per passage and these questions will be of MCQ type. The passages can be sourced from journals, scholarly articles, periodicals and textbooks. Some of the common topics that are covered in the passages are from social sciences, business, humanities and biological sciences.
After getting an overview of reading comprehension, we shall now proceed to the Dos and don’ts that you need to keep in mind to score good points in your reading comprehension part.
Dos and Don’ts of GMAT Reading Comprehension.
Dos
- Have a test strategy
Like every other test, preparing a test strategy will help you work towards your objective. The test strategy will help you prepare efficiently, covering all the weaknesses and strengths.
- Practice time management
Reading Comprehension can be a time-consuming section of the GMAT test. Having a time management strategy will help you overcome the time restriction. It will also help you attain the score that you need. You will get 65 minutes to solve 36 questions in the Verbal Reasoning part. Out of the 36 questions, 9-16 questions can roughly be for reading comprehension. Effective time management will help you solve the passages effectively.
- Read the passage and understand the main idea of the passage
Every passage usually has 3-4 questions. Reading the passage and understanding the main idea of the passage will convey you the central idea of the passage. Identify logical relationships between ideas and concepts of the passage.
Don’ts
- Don’t keep practice tests for last minute
As you proceed with your GMAT preparation, you should also solve practice tests. For reading comprehension, knowing the types of passages and practicing them can improve your score.
Multiple practice tests can determine where you stand in terms of your score. If you are aiming for 650 score and you r test score is 450, you will get to know the amount of extra efforts that is required in your preparation.
- Don’t blindly follow curriculum given by GMAT coaching, Reflect on your learning style
Every GMAT Coaching assists their students with study curriculum that covers all the sections of GMAT test. This study curriculum is a generalised one, you should make changes according to your area of need for reading comprehension.
- Don’t fall too much into the details of the passages
In reading comprehension, every passage has different types of questions. You should read and understand the main concept first. Not every question in the passage requires you to know all the details. Don’t invest a lot of your time into details. You can use your saved time for difficult question.
GMAT test preparation for reading comprehension can be critical but using the right strategy can help you reach you aimed score. Most of the Overseas Education Consultants in India offer GMAT preparation classes to improve your reading comprehension section through guidance and practice.
Understand the sections of the test and follow our dos and don’ts to Ace you GMAT reading comprehension test.
