RC Passage Strategist: Approach Any Exam Passage Like a Top Scorer
Pattern recognition beats reading speed. This prompt teaches you to see a passage’s structure in seconds, predict what questions will target, and recognise trap answers before they trap you.
Why Most RC Strategies Fail (And What Actually Works)
Here’s what most test-prep advice gets wrong about reading comprehension: it treats every passage the same way. “Read carefully.” “Underline key points.” “Eliminate wrong answers.” This advice isn’t wrong — it’s just useless. It’s like telling a chess player to “make good moves.”
What separates a 90th-percentile RC scorer from an average one isn’t reading speed or vocabulary. It’s pattern recognition — the ability to see a passage’s structure in seconds, predict what questions will target, and recognise trap answers before they trap you. That’s the RC passage strategy this guide teaches, and it works across CAT, GMAT, and GRE formats.
Step 1: Extract the Main Idea (60 Seconds)
Every RC passage has one central claim. Your first job is to find it — not to understand every detail, but to know what the passage is fundamentally about.
The main idea usually lives in one of three places: the first paragraph’s last sentence, the second paragraph’s opening, or the final paragraph’s conclusion. Skim for it during your first read.
The main idea is almost never a detail or an example. If your “main idea” includes a specific name, date, or statistic, you’ve latched onto a supporting detail, not the central argument. Zoom out one level.
Step 2: Map the Structure (30 Seconds)
Exam passages follow predictable structures. The four you’ll encounter:
Argument — The author defends a position. Look for thesis, evidence, and concessions.
Compare/Contrast — Two viewpoints are presented. Questions ask you to distinguish them.
Cause-Effect — Something happened, and the passage explains why.
Chronological — Events unfold over time. Questions test sequencing.
Step 3: Read the Author’s Tone
The key is to find evaluative language — words like “unfortunately,” “promising,” “merely,” “however,” “despite” — that reveal the author’s attitude beneath the factual surface.
The most common tones on competitive exams: cautiously optimistic, analytically neutral, mildly critical, and skeptically receptive. Extreme tones are almost never correct.
Step 4: Predict What Questions Will Target
Questions consistently target: the main idea, contrasts and transitions, qualified statements, cause-effect relationships, and the purpose of specific details.
Continue to Question Types (C068) for the next step in the RC Exam Prep sequence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Strategy Without Practice Is Theory
365 passages with 1,098 questions. Drill this strategy until pattern recognition becomes automatic.
Start Learning →5 More RC Exam Prep Guides Await
You’ve learned passage strategy. Next, master question types, trap answers, inference questions, timed practice, and difficulty calibration.
All RC Exam Prep Guides
