Reading comprehension when the clock is loud
Reading the questions first is not always right. It depends on the passage length — here is the threshold.
The threshold rule
Under 250 words: read the passage first, then answer — it fits in working memory and questions-first just doubles your reading. Over 400 words: skim the questions first so your reading has targets, then read for answers only. Between 250 and 400: either works, so use whichever you have drilled.
The threshold exists because working memory holds roughly one short passage intact. Longer than that and unguided reading decays before you reach the questions.
Answer from the passage, not the world
RC traps reuse your real-world knowledge against you. If the passage says a policy failed and you know it later succeeded, the passage wins — every time. Underline the sentence that justifies each answer; if you cannot point at one, the option is a trap.
Extreme options (always, never, completely) are wrong far more often than moderate ones. Inference questions ask what must follow, not what could follow.
Pace it like intervals
Budget 8 minutes per long passage set and 5 per short one, then stop. RC is where perfectionists bleed time that quant desperately needs. A attempted RC set at 80% accuracy beats a perfected one that costs you ten quant attempts.
What to do this week
Do four passages alternating the two orders and score inference questions separately. Keep whichever order scores higher on inferences — that is your personal threshold strategy.
Practise it
Reading is not training
Every idea above is a drill inside UNLOCK — timed questions, instant solutions, and XP for doing it daily.
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