11 mins too long for a (long) RC passage?

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melguy: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 335; Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2011 11:31 pmFollowed by: 2 members; Location: Australia / India; Thanked: 37 times

by melguy » Tue Jul 23, 2013 6:21 am

Hello

I recently did a (long?) passage 350 words, 3 paragraphs with 4 questions. It took me overall 11 mins to read the passage and answer all 4 questions.

I would like to seek some advise on the timings of RC. Is 11 mins too long? Also, please advise what is the maximum time limits after which I should let go of an RC passage (short and long).

Thanks

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Reading Comprehension | Tue Jul 23, 2013 6:21 am

Jim@StratusPrep: MBA Admissions Consultant; Posts: 2279; Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2011 7:51 amFollowed by: 266 members; Location: New York; Thanked: 660 times; GMAT Score:770

by Jim@StratusPrep » Tue Jul 23, 2013 9:39 am

Yes. Think of your target time as 2 minutes per question. This means you were 3 minutes over the total amount of time for 4 questions.

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[email protected]: Elite Legendary Member; Posts: 10392; Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pmFollowed by: 511 members; Location: Palo Alto, CA; Thanked: 2867 times; GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Tue Jul 23, 2013 2:00 pm

Hi melguy,

Since RC passages require some time to read and take notes, the recommended time for an RC passage and its questions will vary.

The general advice is 4-5 minutes to read the prompt and take notes, then 1-2 minutes to answer each question. These numbers are just general guidelines though. Sometimes an RC prompt is really short, so you'll only need 2 minutes to read it. Sometimes RC questions are really long or complex, which might require a bit more time to answer them.

Based on the general info that you described, I'd assume 5 minutes to read and take notes, then 4 x (1.5 minutes per question) for a total of 11 minutes. So, your pacing on this is fine. The GMAT tends to "balance out" it's RC passages, so if you see one that's longer than average, then you'll take longer to deal with it, BUT it will be offset by one that's shorter than average, and that one will require less time.

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Rich

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jimenezca: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 11; Joined: Tue Jul 23, 2013 9:41 pmFollowed by: 2 members; Location: Los Angeles; Thanked: 3 times

by jimenezca » Tue Jul 23, 2013 10:20 pm

melguy,

It seems that you may not be reading strategically. It is necessary to learn how to effectively take notes so that you are able to quickly locate relevant information. This means that you should have a complete or nearly complete passage map by the time you have answered the second question distinguishing supporting ideas from main ideas. Having an accurate and concise passage map can really help to cut down on the time it takes to answer a question even if it takes a little more than 5 minutes to read the passage.

The time it takes to read a passage really depends on the complexity of the information, but so long as you are able to paraphrase accurately and in a concise and organized manner, you should find that the time it takes to answer each question will radically reduce.

Albert

www.gmatquestions.org (with over 200 free practice questions and video tutorials, launching 7/29/13)

Last edited by jimenezca on Wed Jul 24, 2013 8:55 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Brent@GMATPrepNow: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 16207; Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:26 pmFollowed by: 1268 members; Location: Vancouver, BC; Thanked: 5254 times; GMAT Score:770

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Wed Jul 24, 2013 8:40 am

For long passages, we (at GMAT Prep Now) recommend that you spend about 4 minutes reading the passage (and summarizing key info such as paragraph theme, conflicting points of view, and main idea) and 4 minutes answering the 4 questions. So, we're looking at a total of about 8 minutes to read the passage and answer 4 questions.

Of course, for students who aren't native English speakers, these timeframes may be unrealistic. So, rather than read faster (and drastically reduce your comprehension), you may need to spend some time experimenting with different strategies to see which one best suits your memory, reading speed and English proficiency. For example, you may need to look for questions in the Verbal section where you immediately guess and then use that extra time to ensure better RC accuracy. For example, some CR questions have incredibly long passages and very long answer choices. This might be an excellent candidate for guessing.
Keep in mind that this is a Plan B strategy. Of course, it's best to answer every question. I'm just talking about situations in which it's really hard for students to complete the Verbal section in 75 minutes.

If you're interested, we have a free set of videos that cover all sorts of Reading Comprehension strategies: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gmat- ... prehension

Cheers,
Brent

Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com

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