GRE Prep – Secrets to Reading Comprehension

Generally there will be two to four unique reading passages on the GRE. There will be six to ten questions about each passage. These questions usually show up a bit later into the exam and rarely appear before question eight.

Reading comprehension problems will be displayed so that you can view the passage and the questions simultaneously. The passage will display on the left and you will be shown one question at a time on the right. Practicing on the computer is important for every kind of question on the GRE, but its especially important for RC questions because many people rely on written reading techniques such as underlining, bracketing, etc. Additionally, I find it much more difficult to read on a computer screen than on paper. Therefore during practice even if you’re using a paper based practice exam avoid writing on the actual passage.

There are three types of GRE reading passages:

Specific science passages are characterized by objective or neutral voice and hard scientific information. While some of the terms may seem intimidating the main ideas usually are not. The words used are much less important than the meaning that is conveyed, so do not worry if you don’t understand every word. Other people don’t either.

General science passages can be thought of as liberal arts based approach to science. They generally focus on historical development of discoveries or principals, adequacy of science as an explanation and other “soft” scientific ideas. They display a much stronger point of view and may be persuasive rather than objective in nature.

Non-science passages cover social studies or humanities related topics specifically including art, literature, history, sociology, or culture. Despite the dense language often used in these types of passages your best bet is to stick to what the text actually says and avoid excessive interpretation or analysis.

Usually you will encounter two question types in RC problems. The first are specific questions concerned with details in the passage. The second are general questions about the main idea, tone or theme of the passage.

Use the following tips to help guide you to the correct answer choice.

• Extreme statements are usually incorrect. In part because extreme statements are more difficult to defend as being indubitably correct. ETS is not interested in constantly disputing the validity of their answers.
• Do not pull outside knowledge into your answer. ETS will never ask you a question that requires information that is not directly present in the reading passage.
• Answers may require information from different parts of the passage. Be careful not to rely on your memory to answer just because you remember something sort of related from the passage.
• Remember that an answer must be completely right. There can be no part that is incorrect. If there is then the answer is wrong.