RC Strategy Question

[mickgreen58]

Do you all read the entire passage or do you just look at the answer and try to find the answer?

Some of the RC passages are long, so I am not sure what to do.

[sahilshah1987]

Hi If the rc comes within first 15 questions I read the passage and then answer the questions..if its too long u can use frc technique...for next questions after 15th looking for the questions first is more feasible...what say?

[Jive Miguel]

Kaplan says read the passage first then answer the questions.

Barons says do the opposite.

I've decided Kaplan's four point method works best for me. Read the passage first (especially the first third carefully), and then read and answer questions later. My first goal is to "find the main idea" -- even if they want me to make an inference or go to the passage or do something different than find the main idea. Priority number one is to read the passage and to figure out the main idea.

The first automatic question I ask is -- what's this all about and what point is the author trying to make? To think beyond that is more distraction than anything else. If you answer this right on a "main idea" passage you should be in pretty good shape for the oncoming inference questions later.

Also, reading the questions first, imo, is a waste of time, especially if it's a long winded one which works as a trap. I have tried this method and I have found my self too focused on what the question asks and where to locate it, then what the passage is actually about. Part of the game of the GRE is to avoid wordy distraction and to know what to look for -- so the more you can go in with your own set method, the better off you are than winging it.

The only thing I'd add is that if you're good at picking out "types of questions" then you can quickly glance at the question to see the type, but I wouldn't spend much time at all reading or analyzing the question before reading the passage.

No more than 5 seconds.