Reading Comprehension

3 years ago

Reading Comprehension: Tips, Questions And Preparation

Preparing for Reading Comprehension (RC) is one of the most challenging aspects of MBA exam preparation. Unlike Quantitative Aptitude or Data Interpretation, Reading Comprehension cannot be prepared by memorizing formulae or practicing questions. Reading Comprehension is a skill to be acquired and it can be acquired only over a period of time.

Reading Comprehension section of CAT, XAT, GMAT, SNAP, IIFT, NMAT, CMAT, etc. carry significant weightage and can make or break your overall performance. Good Reading Comprehension skill is not only crucial to entrance exams but also to the overall MBA admission process.

Having good communication skill is the most desirable skill in post-MBA life. To be a good business manager one not only needs to be a good leader but also a good communicator. That forms the basis of candidate’s selection for MBA admission. In the Group Discussion (GD), Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI), candidates are judged on how well and lucidly they can present their point of view. The hard work done during Reading Comprehension preparation will be immensely useful in GD/WAT and PI.

Reading Comprehension for CAT and other MBA Exams

Let’s look at the weightage of Reading Comprehension in some of the top MBA entrance exams. The number of questions presented in the table below is basis the question papers of previous year. This should be seen as reference as in the upcoming exams, the number of Reading Comprehension section could be higher or lower.

MBA Entrance Exam	Verbal Ability Weightage
CAT	18/26 questions
XAT	12/26 questions
MAT	20/40 questions
CMAT	6/25 questions
SNAP	8/34 questions
IIFT	16/35 questions
MAH CET	15/50 questions

How to Prepare for Reading Comprehension

The only way to crack Reading Comprehension section of any exam is by developing the habit of reading. Put in 1.5 to 2 hours a day in reading.
In most probability, the exam will have passages you would not have read before. For that scenario, the best option is to read on a variety of topics.
Choose variety of topics to read because the passages can be from Economics, Philosophy, History, Sociology, Politics, Literature, Science, Arts, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Biographies, Psychology or other fields.
Don’t do speed reading in the exam. Take your time and read the passage paying attention to details. If you do this, you’ll be able to answer all the questions in one go. You won’t have to go back and forth between questions and the passage to find the answers.
However, you cannot take too much time in reading passages on the exam day. So, the solution here is to develop the habit of fast reading but without missing important points. Those who are avid readers, need not worry. Those who are not, start reading from the early stage of MBA preparation.
You may adopt the strategy of reading the questions before the passage, but remember this strategy works on fact based passages. CAT Reading Comprehension passages are inference-based so don’t apply this strategy in CAT exam. Similarly, in XAT, the RC section has boring and dense passages from Psychology, Philosophy, Art or Research paper or sometimes even poems. Thus, the wise thing to do is read the passage first and then the questions.
In CAT, Reading Comprehension dominates the VARC section, thus there is no running away from it. The option to prepare better in VA and leave out RC is not there in CAT. In fact, even in other MBA entrance exams, it is advisable not to skip RC passages as it can directly affect your sectional score, which in turn may impact the overall score/percentile.
There is no formula, no theorem to crack a Reading Comprehension passage. So, all that you can do is practice. Practice adequate number of sample RC passages of different variety and time yourself. After every practice session, assess your performance. Take the test again to see whether you can crack the same passage in lesser time. Your should aim at more accuracy in lesser time.
Having a good reading habit will also help you in improving Vocabulary and Grammar. Note down unfamiliar words, phrases and idioms you come across while reading. Check their meaning and origin to build your vocabulary.

CAT Reading Comprehension Passages

Check out the topics of CAT Reading Comprehension passages of last two years. CAT Reading Comprehension section is considered the toughest among all MBA entrance exams. It you can crack it, you can crack Reading Comprehension section of any exam.

CAT 2021 RC topics
SLOT 1	SLOT 2	SLOT 3
Mayan Civilization Utopia and Dystopia Marshmallow Experiment Evolution of Tea as a Drink	Language/ Indigenous People Why Fiction Trumps Truth Colonialism/Nationalism Knowledge and Problems of Knowledge is a Scandal to Philosophy	Nanotechnology Language Instinct Time Accuracy Entropy Unconscious and Psychoanalysis

CAT 2020 RC Topics
Slot 1	Slot 2	Slot 3
Anarchism	Investing in renewable energy technologies	Travel writing and feminism during colonial times
Migration of Northern Seals	Piracy in international trade	The need for economic literacy in the general population
Currency of Tang Dynasty	Freudian models of aggression	Screen time and undercurrents of social class
Grammar/Vocabulary	A study of visualization	An analysis of human nature

CAT 2019	CAT 2018
Slot 1
British Folk Music	Genetics
Topophilia	India’s view on its legacy of Second World War
Emperor Penguins	Plastic Pollution
Internet Shopping and Choice Anxiety	Elephant society
Origin of Story of Alladin	Consumer behaviour studies
Slot 2
Dense Cities	Grover snails
Google and archaeology	Meritocracy and diversified teams
Distributing Bureaucracy	Use of technology in essential services
Language & Culture	Rings of Saturn and their age
Passage on British Colonial Policy	Human resource and learning

Best Books for Reading Comprehension

Listed below are some of the popular books and novels for Reading Comprehension preparation recommended by MBA experts:

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
Cosmos by Carl Sagan
An Illustrated Retelling of Mahabharata – Jaya by Devdutt Patnaik
India in Slow Motions by Mark Tully
Capitalism & Freedom by Milton Friedman
Maximum City by Suketu Mehta
Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
Wings of Fire by APJ Abdul Kalam
Shantaram by David Gregory Roberts
Around the world in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
The Time Machine by HG Wells
Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome
Something Fresh by P G Wodehouse
Where Eagles Dare by Alistair McLean

News and Journals to read for Reading Comprehension section for CAT and other MBA entrance exams are listed below:

The Hindu
Time
Business Week
Newsweek
The Economist
National Geographic
Fortune
Business World

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