Tips

1. Always read the First and Last sentence more carefully no matter what.
GMAT passages are very structured and the first stence will always contain the
main idea and set the tone.
2. Watch for trigger words such as "but, however, still, regardless,
nevertheless, although" and others
3. Always ask yourself why the author put this example here
4. Pretend that you are very interested in the reading material or another
option is to play a game with the author and try to prove the author wrong -
pick at every word
5. Always know what the main idea of the passage is, even if the questions are
not asking for it
6. It helps to know the vocabulary but you can make it - as long as you know
all of the tone and general words, you will be able to tell author's direction.
Specifics may not matter, though again, I have found that good vocabulary
helps on RC
7. Do whatever it takes to help you read/remember the passage better - write
summary notes (even if you never go back to them), paraphrase each
paragraph or even sentence, etc.
Common Pitfalls:
 More often than not, the most typical second best answer choice on the RC will
be out of scope. I found it quite amusing and made a game out of it (I know, I
am a bit over the top with RC but it was the hardest section for me to master).
After a while, I can very quickly (i.e. immediately) pick out an answer choice
that goes outside of the scope of the passage as a general question
(purpose/title/etc) or even a more specific one.
 Another catch/trap you will see quite a bit is reliance on "trigger" words. For
example, the passage will spend 2-3 sentences on one point and then at the
end will flip it with a "but", "however", or another "trigger" word. This is
designed to catch those who skim/skip or don't read attentively and is really a
big reason to read the passage attentively (in my view) vs. just rushing through
it. For example, a passage may talk about how the number of accidents has
been growing and that many people have been injured in the last year in car
accidents and at the end, say "but death rates have declined" and an example
of a trap would be an answer choice that would say "Injuries and fatalities are
rising as the result of car accidents."
 Finally a more subtle way to get many of us to pick the wrong answer choice is
making the text very heavy fact-based with long complex words and
terminology, which distracts from the simple task of analyzing the passage and
asking why each sentence is put where it is put. Sometimes, you can get to the
answer by just looking at why a certain sentence is in a certain spot. However,
most focus on facts, understanding/remembering which minerals or microbes
live in which environment, etc. The facts and dry details are there not to test
your memory/knowledge of the subject but rather to distract and not let you
see the passage structure clearly.