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Reading Comprehension Question Types, Strategies, Books, and Samples

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Sayantani Barman

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Reading Comprehension is part of the GMAT Verbal section which consists of a total of 36 questions. There are three to four passages in GMAT Reading Comprehension which have multiple choice questions. Each Reading Comprehension consists of 9-16 comprehension questions. For attempting GMAT reading comprehension, candidates can improve through practice. Any improvement in GMAT reading comprehension is going to require a lot of hours of work. GMAT Passage would include three short passages and one long passage in general. The GMAT Syllabus can be distributed roughly into three common categories including Business, Science, and History. GMAT Online is available for candidates to take GMAT from home for safety measures.

GMAT Reading Comprehension Overview 

Reading Comprehension passages take advantage when students encounter unfamiliar words. It can be a real blow to confidence, making them question whether they can complete the task at hand. Practice can help candidates learn some of the jargon associated with weaker areas. Candidates can also go through GMAT Syllabus to help them understand the exam better. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions. Reading Comprehension passage would require you to do the following:

  1. Understanding the words and statements
  2. Identify the relationships between ideas and concepts logically
  3. Drawing inferences
  4. Pointing out flaws in assumptions and reasoning
  5. Understanding the concepts of quant and follow it in writing

Reading Comprehension Question Types 

GMAT Comprehension questions requires candidates to understand the given passage and encounter certain questions. The questions are of the following types which candidates would find while attempting this section:

  1. Main Idea
  2. Supporting ideas and details
  3. Inferences
  4. Out-of-Context
  5. Logical structure and organization
  6. Style and tone

GMAT Reading Comprehension Strategies 

The reading comprehension questions on the GMAT are designed to understand, analyze, and apply information and concepts presented in written form. Candidates can follow the below GMAT reading comprehension tips:

  • Understand words and statements provided - Candidates need to summarize the given passage or evaluate the overall purpose in the given passage. Candidates’ response is analyzed in terms of recognising whether they have been able to identify the central theme or idea of the passage without getting into details of the subject.
  • Identify logical relationships between ideas and concepts - The supporting ideas and details in the GMAT reading comprehension passage requires candidates to focus on facts of the passage. The candidates are required to notice the explicit ideas and details within the passage. These questions focus on analyzing how much the candidate is able to understand the words and statements given in the passage.
  • Draw inferences from the passage - GMAT Comprehension based on inference is typically an unwritten conclusion that needs to be true and relevant to the given passage. The inference question type does not require to state explicitly something from the passage. It requires the candidates to answer about what is implied through the statement. Candidates must learn how to derive inference from the passage before answering the question. There are GMAT reading comprehension free pdf download available online for candidates to practise.
  • Point out flaws in assumption and reasoning - Out-of-context questions ask candidates to apply information from the passage to a different context. They often ask to identify a parallel situation or analogous example. These types of GMAT Reading Comprehension examples includes a question type where candidates need to apply information that is not from the passage. Accordingly, from the given passage, candidates need to identify relationships of ideas and find similarity with information that is not in the passage.

The following examples of the GMAT reading comprehension question could be found in the exam:

  1. The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements about…
  2. The author of the passage would be most likely to disagree with which of the following statements about…
  3. The relationship between…is most similar to which of the following?
  • GMAT RC Logical structure and organization - GMAT Reading Comprehension passages include questions based on the logical structure. Candidates need to analyze the function and purpose of the key elements. These are based on evaluating the purpose of the information given in the passage based on a sentence, a term or a paragraph. The questions which are included in the GMAT RC passage for logical structure type of questions are the following:
  1. The purpose of the last paragraph of the passage is to
  2. Which of the following best describes the purpose of the highlighted sentence?
  3. Which of the following, if true, would most clearly undermine…
  • GMAT Reading Comprehension Style and tone - GMAT Passage includes style questions which require candidates to choose an answer which best suits the author’s opinion from the passage. Candidates need to identify the tone of the author in the passage and accordingly, determine the correct choice of answers. This implies the ability of the candidate to decode the attitude or emotions of the author in the passage.

Best Book for GMAT Reading Comprehension

GMAT Reading Comprehension books are considered the best study material for GMAT RC strategy. The following are the best GMAT preparation books for practicing different GMAT passages. These books contains GMAT reading comprehension passages with answers, RC strategy GMAT, and more. 

There are several books containing GMAT Reading Comprehension questions that the candidates can use like:

  • Manhattan Reading Comprehension GMAT
  • Reading Comprehension GMAT Preparation Guide Manhattan Prep
  • Aristotle GMAT Reading Comprehension
  • GMAT Official Guide 2021 – Check PDF
  • Manhattan Prep GMAT – All the Verbal – Check PDF
  • Kaplan GMAT Prep Plus – Check PDF
  • McGraw Hill’s GMAT Practice Test – Check PDF

Approach to GMAT Reading Comprehension Questions

Considering that there are several types of RC questions GMAT which candidates need to answer for which it is important for them to follow effective strategies. Effectively, approaching the GMAT RC passage should include active planning and certain strategies which could be undertaken by the candidates for attempting this section. GMAT Reading Comprehension strategies would help students to enhance their GMAT Preparation. The following GMAT RC strategy can be considered effectively by the candidates:

  1. GMAT Reading Comprehension practise: Considering that GMAT RC passages in which candidates require a bit longer time. Accordingly, candidates need to ensure that they are able to undertake active practice for their GMAT Reading Comprehension
  2. Watch for transition Words and Phrases: candidates can consider focusing on the transition words including cause and effect, agreeing upon the same argument, adding evidence, contrast or opposition, conclusion.
  3. Abbreviate jargon: it is important that candidates are able to abbreviate jargon and make a mental map of their technical term.
  4. Make a Mental Summary: While reading the passages it is important to make a mental summary. Candidates must consider the important points in GMAT RC questions notice the key ideas and find relationships and concepts.

Read More Reading Comprehension Passage Samples

GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Papers 

In order to ace their GMAT Reading Comprehension and achieve a higher GMAT Score, it is important for candidates to undertake that GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice. GMAT RC practice is important for candidates to enhance their abilities in successfully attempting the GMAT RC passages. With the help of the 1000 GMAT RC practice papers it is possible for the candidates to actively prepare for the exam.

A few GMAT reading comprehension practice free PDFs are given provided below:

The way to make the most possible improvement in GMAT Reading Comprehension is to use these categories. Candidates can use them to recognize and break down the sources of your current errors and try to continually address those issues. Above all, the most important strategy for approaching the passages is to always read with the main idea in mind. Whether the author is making an argument or simply laying out information, there will always be a main idea that governs the passage’s content and organization. Candidates should use GMAT Practice papers to improve their possibility of a much higher score.

*The article might have information for the previous academic years, which will be updated soon subject to the notification issued by the University/College.

GMAT 2023 : 27 answered questions

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Ques. MBA Preparation: What GMAT score can be considered good for applying to ISB Hyderabad with an average academic profile?

● Top Answer By Uday Pawar on 30 Jan 23

Generally speaking anything above 750 is a good score for admission to IBS Hyderabad. But even a high GMAT score does not guarantee admission to IBS Hyderabad because the shortlisting is profile-based. GMAT score is just a part of the entire selection process. You need to improvise your profile by working on other aspects also like  essays profile academics extracurricular activities Academics: Your 12th class marks graduation grades, post-graduation, and certification scores along with the GMAT cutoff is considered in your academic profile. Leadership: The leadership skills of the aspirants are tested on the basis of their prior achievements and roles. Personal attributes: This comprises your personal qualities like hobbies, talents, and extracurricular skills. Aspirants from diverse work experiences, cultures, and educational backgrounds are welcomed at IBS Hyderabad. So along with preparing well for GMAT, give importance to these parameters as well to increase your chances of admission....Read more

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Ques. What is the percentile required to get into ISB Hyderabad?

● Top Answer By Akanksha Sharma on 30 Jan 23

In case you are enquiring about the CAT percentile let me clarify that ISB Hyderabad does not take into consideration CAT scores. It accepts GMAT/GRE scores only. Most importantly, the ISB Shortlisting process is profile-based. This means even with a lower percentile you can manage to get shortlisted provided you have an excellent profile. There is no fixed cutoff for GMAT. However, a 700+ GMAT score isn't a must-have for ISB if your application is strong in other areas. According to an ISB spokesperson, candidates were admitted to the 2021 cohort with scores as low as 580, and as high as 780. So the GMAT score range for ISB is 580-780....Read more

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Ques. Is it worth spending 30k to join GMAT coaching at Crack ISB Hyderabad?

● Top Answer By Yash Bhati on 30 Jan 23

Yes, it certainly is worth paying a hefty fee of 30k for GMAT coaching at Crack ISB Hyderabad. The quality of trainers and the certainty of admission is what draw the candidates here. While there are many institutes that specialize in training for the CAT, very few institutes offer training for GMAT.  Crack ISB Hyderabad has many features that have made it so popular and demanding among GMAT aspirants The peer group is a productive and effective group discussion is possible The institute gives the admission essay reviews free of cost while most institutes charge around 20-25k The quality of editing is much better at this Institute mainly because the faculty comprises alumni of top B Schools  So it’s better to pay more for quality education than pay less or the same for substandard education. But remember an Institute can just prepare you for your entrance exam. It’s upon you to put in maximum effort and achieve your goals....Read more

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Ques. Why do students go for CAT, XAT, SNAP etc when almost all the B-Schools in India accept GMAT scores for the full time MBA?

● Top Answer By Nia Malhotra on 17 May 21

There is hardly any B-school in India that accepts GMAT scores for full-time MBA. IIMs, FMS, XLRI, JBIMS, IIFT, MDI, etc. are some of the institutions that accept GMAT scores.  However, students applying through a foreign national quota or NRI quota are eligible for GMAT score. ISB on the other hand accepts the GMAT for its full-time program MBA program. Here is the list of some B-Schools that accepts GMAT scores in India XLRI, Jamshedpur XIM, Bhubaneswar VIT Business School TISS, Mumbai TERI School of Advanced Sciences, TERI University TASMAC, Pune TAPMI, Manipal School of Management, Udaipur School of Management, NMIMS, Mumbai School of Management, International Institute of Management This is why most students go for CAT, XAT, SNAP, and other management exams for admission in MBA. Only foreign nationals or students with NRI Quota can apply through GMAT....Read more

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Ques. Does ISB Hyderabad need work experience apart from the GMAT score?

● Top Answer By Bejoy John on 30 Jan 23

Yes, ISB Hyderabad’s PGP program requires a minimum of 2 years of full-time paid work experience. This criteria came into force on 31st March 2016 and is still a necessity. For candidates who lack in this aspect, there is a back door entry called the Early Entry Option or the EEOs. Under this, you can apply right away, go through the selection process, and receive the admission offer but join only after working for 2 years. This can also be referred to as Deferred admission.  ...Read more

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