GMAT Update: RC

So in my last post, I was lamenting about how tough RC is and also having thoughts that I'll never improve! How wrong was I!

Thanks to suggestions by folks who left comments here and a bit of googling for more strategies, in the past week, I've noticed a marked improvement in my RC timing (I average ~ <12 minutes with 5-7 questions per passage and have a decent hit-rate (80% ish).

I also felt that I was getting a bit too intimidated by the passage. Even before starting to read, I'd be so stressed and in the back of my mind have thoughts about it being tough and how much it matters to me to get into business school. Needless to say, I'd never really read the passage, which means I fumbled with the questions.

Last week something inside of me clicked. Since then, I've been treating RC with confidence. To be honest, I actually find these passages quite interesting (OK, fine. The biology ones are soooo damn boring - no offense to bio-majors and any of my pre-med cousins who may read this, but everything else is interesting). Also, I just do not thing of it as tough anymore. Complex, yes. But that's fun. Tough - no. This attitude has made a HUGE difference.

Now, when I solve a passage, I just read it as if I'm lapping up information, and have simply learned to note the authors tone and structure as he goes through the passage. I'm also picking up some new words to add to my vocabulary and am going to try it out on everyone I encounter.


Ah, finally I get the feeling that I am going to be able to conquer RC!