Today’s GMAT tip comes from Kaplan. In this article, Kaplan GMAT instructor Jen Kedrowski discusses how doing more reading prior to test day can help your GMAT score:
There’s so much to do as you prep for the GMAT….review math formulas, remind yourself of grammar rules from way back when, take practice tests, learn this whole new world of data sufficiency…there are endless tips on how to improve your score, and most people find the need to spend 2-3 months or so preparing. In addition to the study-prep tips that are already top of mind, such as working through all of the practice problems in your test-prep books, there are other things that you can do during your preparation period that can indirectly help you improve your GMAT score, outside of your study time. One of these is to READ as much as possible between now and Test Day.
So what exactly is meant by reading more– are we talking reading GMAT material, or just reading in general? While it IS important to do a lot of GMAT reading (i.e. from your practice materials) as frequently as possible, ANY increased reading you do, of virtually any content, has the potential to improve your test-day mindset and performance. So when you take your study breaks, while you ride the bus or subway if applicable, or while you walk that treadmill you got as part of your new year’s resolutions, fit in some reading whenever possible—choose reading over watching TV or playing video games when you can, for example; it may just help you get an extra edge.
How exactly can reading more help your GMAT score? Reading more can:
Improve your reading SPEED
We all know how time-pressured the GMAT experience is, so wouldn’t you give anything to have a bit more time on test day? Improving your overall reading speed can help with ALL types of test questions, verbal and math, saving you time on Test Day.
Improve your reading COMPREHENSION
While many people focus less on the reading comprehension portion of the exam, because they feel it is straightforward, reading comp can actually become many test-takers’ downfall if they are not careful. The more you read, the more you improve your comprehension skills, helping you with Reading Comp questions, along with most other GMAT question types.
Improve your GRAMMAR skills
The more you read, the more you will naturally improve your familiarity with commonly accepted grammar usage and style, helping you with some of the nuances on GMAT sentence correction questions.
So what should you read then? First of all, let me remind any non-native English speakers out there—whatever reading you are doing, make sure it is in ENGLISH! That might sound like common sense, but I have tutored many international students who, when I ask them what they are reading during their down times, are doing all of their reading in their native language. Reading more in English is crucial if English isn’t your native language. Also, if you aren’t as used to reading on the computer, you may want to try to do that as much as possible too, in preparation for your GMAT experience which will be all on the computer.
As far as exact content, besides your GMAT practice materials, if you’d like to stick closer to GMAT-style tone and content, you might read scholarly journals or news publications. Articles in publications such as The Economist, and Scientific American come close to the GMAT style, for example. But ANYTHING you read, compared with not reading, can still help you in some way, so as a supplement to your test prep plan, be sure you increase your time spent reading for an extra boost in test-taking ability.
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Read the full article: GMAT Tip: How reading more helps your GMAT score