Master RC Speed Reading & Time Management

The target is 7-9 minutes per RC passage, broken down as 3-4 minutes for first read and 4-5 minutes for questions.

With 4 RC passages, that’s 28-36 minutes on RC, leaving 4-12 minutes for verbal ability questions. With 5 RC passages, you’re looking at 35-45 minutes—which likely exceeds your time budget and requires triage decisions.

Within questions, time varies by difficulty:

• Easy questions (main idea, clear details): 45-60 seconds
• Medium questions (inference, function): 60-90 seconds
• Hard questions (“all EXCEPT,” synthesis): 90-120 seconds

No. “Reading faster” typically means “comprehending less,” which creates more problems than it solves.

The speed trap math:

• Fast reading + poor comprehension = 2 min reading + 6 min confused re-reading + poor accuracy
• Efficient reading + good comprehension = 4 min reading + 4 min confident answering + good accuracy

Same total time, dramatically different results.

What you actually need:

• Reading EFFICIENTLY (not fast)
• Understanding CORRECTLY the first time
• Knowing WHERE to look for answers
• Eliminating options SYSTEMATICALLY

The one-read principle means reading each passage ONCE efficiently rather than skimming quickly and re-reading multiple times.

What one good read captures:

• The main idea/thesis
• The passage structure (what each paragraph does)
• The author’s position
• Key transitions
• A mental map of where information lives

Why this matters for time: If your first read was efficient, question-answering involves targeted returns to specific sections—not full re-reads. Each question might require checking 2-3 sentences, not re-processing the whole passage.

Not all questions are equally efficient. Strategic ordering maximizes points per minute.

Attempt first (usually easier):

• Main idea / Primary purpose — You should know this from your read
• Author’s tone / attitude — You should know this too
• Specific detail questions (if you noted where) — Quick targeted lookup
• Function questions (“Why mention X?”) — Usually clear from structure

Attempt second (moderate):

• Inference questions
• Strengthen / Weaken
• Vocabulary in context

Attempt last or consider skipping:

• “All of the following EXCEPT” — Require checking every option (3x the work)
• Synthesis across paragraphs — Time-intensive
• Obscure details you didn’t note — Searching wastes time

Trap 1: “All EXCEPT” questions
Require verifying every option against the passage—4+ lookups for one question. Worth the same as other questions but take 2-3x longer.
Avoidance: Save for last. If short on time, make educated guess.

Trap 2: Two close options
You’ve eliminated two but can’t decide between remaining two. Agonizing for 2 minutes rarely produces clarity.
Avoidance: Pick the more conservative option. Don’t overthink.

Trap 3: Detail questions about content you didn’t map
Searching for something you didn’t note during reading burns time.
Avoidance: If not found in 30 seconds, educated guess and move on.

Trap 4: Trying to fully understand a confusing passage
Some passages are genuinely difficult. Spending 15 minutes hoping it clicks is not strategic.
Avoidance: Answer what you can, accept lower accuracy, move on.

First, recognize the situation. You’re behind if:

• 12+ minutes passed without finishing passage 1
• 22+ minutes passed without finishing passage 2
• 10 minutes remaining with 2 full passages left

Recovery mode tactics:

1. Faster reading (with trade-offs)
Skim more aggressively. Focus ONLY on main idea, structure, author position. Accept that you’ll miss some details.

2. Aggressive question selection
Attempt only high-confidence questions. Skip “All EXCEPT,” synthesis questions, and obscure detail questions entirely.

3. Strategic guessing
For questions you’re skipping, spend 15 seconds eliminating 1-2 options, then guess. Don’t leave blanks.

4. Passage triage
If two passages remain with limited time, assess which is more accessible to you. Do the easier one properly rather than both poorly.

Efficiency is trained through specific practice drills:

Drill 1: Main Idea Capture
Read passage, immediately write main idea without looking back. If you can’t, your read wasn’t efficient. Target: accurate capture within 3-4 minute read.

Drill 2: Structure Mapping
After reading, write one sentence per paragraph describing its function (“P1 introduces problem, P2 discusses traditional solutions…”). If you can’t produce this map, you weren’t tracking structure.

Drill 3: No Re-Read Challenge
Answer all questions with maximum ONE targeted return per question. Forces efficient first reading. Track accuracy over time.

Drill 4: Timed Passage Sets
Do 4 passages in 32 minutes (8 minutes each strict). Track accuracy per passage—if later passages show degradation, build stamina.

Habit elimination also helps: Reduce subvocalization (read phrases, not words), eliminate regression (force forward momentum), adjust attention by content importance, and accept “good enough” understanding rather than perfectionism.