Reading Comprehension on the GRE is the most difficult section on the test with respect to raising the overall score. Many students find it hard to raise their score above a certain margin and feel that they may not advance any further. The truth is that GRE preparation is not an easy game. It takes time and tenacity to help you improve your reading comprehension skills. Following a few simple yet critical strategies can help you cross the hunch.
Structure of Passages:
The most important thing to bear in mind while preparing for the GRE is to understand the general structure of each passage. Nearly every passage on the GRE introduces a theory or a concept. The theory is usually backed up by evidences. Then, an opposing idea is introduced and analysed. Lastly, the passage will be concluded by addressing the inferences that can be drawn from the arguments mentioned. After analysing the passage with respect to the general structure, GRE students will be able to understand the main idea of the passage. In this way, students preparing for GRE will identify the function of each sentence individually and how it can serve as the pith of the author’s claim, a background information or an evidence, an opposition, or a conclusion.
Identifying Wrong Answer Choices:
What is more important while prepping up for GRE is not in finding the right answer choices but in understanding why the other choices are wrong. This is yet another key step that can help any test-taker to improve his or her score. Students must understand the fact that GRE is trying to test your ability to understand the nuances between two closely-related answer choices. It is important to understand which choice is almost correct and which is absolutely correct. So, you must aim to figure this difference while eliminating the common trap answers on the test. A GRE question can be mastered only if you have clearly understood why the right answer is right and why the wrong answer is wrong.
REPEAT/REDO:
While teaching the GRE test-takers, I have come across many a times a phrase used commonly by my students, “We have already done this passage before.” As a trainer, I stress the importance of revisiting the passages only for the sole reason of exercising the analytical skills the students must develop in order to ace the test. Reattempting the passage is especially critical in recalling the nuances between the two closely-related answer choices. This is essential to attain a higher score on the GRE.
Understanding your Mistakes:
No one is born perfect. We are all humans are prone to make mistakes. What makes a GRE student different from others is that he or she re-evaluates the mistake and rectifies a misconception. Making a note of the regular mistakes and trying to work on it can help students not to repeat the mistakes. There are few common mistakes that every GRE student tends to make. These include making extreme inferences, wrong interpretation of connotations in the answer choice, or focusing on a single word that can change the meaning as a whole.Dive into these aspects and see yourself breaking the hump and advancing further on the GRE reading comprehensions.
GRE Preparation is not a nightmare anymore! Start now , Be the next Top Scorer!!
*Sourced from: https://magoosh.com/gre/2017/improve-gre-reading-comprehension/