10 Important Do’s and Don’ts for the Reading Comprehension Section in Banking Exams

Do’s and Don’ts for the Reading Comprehension : Reading Comprehension is one of the most scoring topics under the English Language section of major Banking exams, such as IBPS PO, IBPS Clerk, SBI PO and SBI Clerk. RC is very crucial if you want to clear your sectional cut off marks as it forms about 70% of the verbal ability section of this prestigious exam. The weightage of reading comprehension is expected to be the same for IBPS, and SBI exams as well. Hence, it is a very important topic if one wants to clear the Banking exam in 2022.

Reading comprehension tests your ability to read text, analyze it and understand it’s meaning. In this post, we bring to you the 10 most important things to keep in mind while attempting / preparing for the RC section.

DO’s for the Reading Comprehension :

1. Understanding is the Key

It is essential to remember that unless you understand what the passage is trying to convey, it becomes really difficult to solve the questions and thus, your accuracy suffers.

2. Speed Beats the Odds

Especially in case of CAT and Banking exam, where time is of the essence, a good reading speed gives you an edge to score well in the exam.

Read how to increase your reading speed here.

3. Know When to Let Go

It is important not to tussle with questions within an RC passage and thus, not compromise with the time in hand. Move on to the next question. You can always come back to it later if time permits.

4. Read Avidly and from a Variety of Sources

RC passages can range from a variety of topics such as: Philosophy, Psychology, Economics, Politics or even Science. We never know what might come our way. Hence, it is important that candidates establish a level of comfort with all such genres by reading from multiple sources. Newspapers, especially the editorials and the weekend specials are a good place to start. The Hindu is a popular newspaper among Banking aspirants.

Read how to read newspaper effectively here.

5. Practice to Win the Game

Nothing beats practice. The more the number of question you practice, the more comfortable you get with the different question types, difficulty levels and thus, develop a better understanding of how to tackle them.

6. Regularity beats Intensity

As an aspirant, it is imperative that you understand that being regular with reading and practice is way more important than just practicing a lot of questions in a single go. Regularity helps your brain to fall into a learning pattern and thus, helps you establish a stronghold on a particular topic.

DON’Ts for the Reading Comprehension :

1. Don’t Just Read; Understand

A major problem that all candidates face while solving RC questions is that they get confused between 2 options. This happens because we read to understand only what the statements say; whereas the RC question type  in the Banking exam demands us to understand the writer’s/author’s perspective as well (this is known as reading between the lines).

2. Don’t Compromise on Vocabulary

RC tests a candidate’s vocabulary both directly and indirectly. There might be difficult words in the passage that may make it difficult for you to understand what is being talked about (indirect testing of vocabulary). The passage may also consist of direct questions on synonyms, antonyms or even contextual meanings (direct testing of vocabulary). More often than not indirect testing of vocabulary is the case with Banking Exams. Hence, reading from a variety of sources is a must.

3. Don’t Assume Anything

More often than not, students get carried away and tend to apply their assumptions of general world scenarios into RC questions. This is by far the biggest mistake made in reading comprehension questions. Remember, it is important to strictly stick to what is given in the passage and assume NOTHING else; even if it is true in day today situations.

4. Don’t Tip the Balance of Speed vs Accuracy

It is essential to balance speed and accuracy to score well in any competitive exam. The best way in which you can gauge this is via practicing multiple mock tests. Mock tests not only condition you for the real time exam but also help you analyze your areas of strength and weaknesses.

This is all from our side in this blog “Do’s and Don’ts for the Reading Comprehension ”  Hope this blog helps you to effectively tackle the RC section in your exam. All the best