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Low scorers receive short passages (<50 lines) that can be approached
with the standard mapping strategies we have discussed. High scorers,
however, will receive at least one longer passage (typically between
65 and 90 lines). Passages this long may contain 5 or more paragraphs.
They are unwieldy, and cannot be read or mapped in the typical fashion.
Your strategies will vary depending on the length of the essay:
SHORT ESSAYS
Reading:
Thorough Reading
Read (don’t skim) every sentence because there will
be a lot of info contained in a short space. (Exceptions
may be jargon, lengthy technical explanations, and details.
However, since you are a high scorer, you should attempt
to understand even the jargon and details. You may receive
a couple of questions that will rely on a detailed understanding.)
Mapping:
Paraphrase
Follow the mapping process. Understand what each paragraph
is about (tone, main idea, relation to preceding paragraph)
and jot down a very short (a few words) summary of the main
idea.
Big Picture
Pay particular attention to the tone and main idea of the first paragraph.
When you have finished the essay, you should have a good mental road map
from doing this process. In fact, it is possible to intuitively grasp the
structure of many short essays simply from reading the essay. |
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LONG ESSAYS (for high
scorers)
Reading:
Challenges
Longer essays (sometimes >85 lines) present two additional challenges.
1. They waste your time simply by taking so long to read.
2. They become much harder to map intuitively.
Skim
The most efficient way to read long essays is to read closely for main idea
but skim details. The amount you skim will depend on you, but you will hurt
yourself by treating each word as important. (Note the same principle could
apply to short essays, but because they are much shorter, it is just easier
to avoid thinking about importance and instead read every word.)
Prioritize
Read the paragraphs strategically.
1. Read the first paragraph the most closely
(usually every word), unless it is a “backgrounder”.
If it is a backgrounder, then the second paragraph takes
primary importance. Backgrounders will be common—that
is one way the GMAT writers make the essays longer.
2. Read the last paragraph with
second to highest priority.
3. Skim most of the content
of secondary paragraphs (all others).
Mapping:
Primary
Spend more time understanding the function of the first paragraph (or second
if first is backgrounder) and last paragraph.
Secondary
In skimming secondary paragraphs, you should focus entirely on understanding
tone, main idea, and relation to preceding paragraph. Yet another use of
the mapping system—you will find that this system keeps you focused
on getting the important secondary content without wasting time on details.
Remember to look for slam on the brakes language. In fact, look for any
conspicuous language.
For example, a science essay might have the format:
P1: Background
P2: Main idea: stem cell therapy faces many problems
P3: Problems in stem cell research
P4: More problems in stem cell research
P5: Conclusion about future |
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Summary
It is very important to understand the general structure
of the essay and the relationship between paragraphs. Make
a road map to get a handle on passages. |
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