How do you get better at RC if youre not from an English-medium background?

Question

T Mehta · Accepted Answer

Coming from a non-English-medium background, GRE RC can often feel like decoding a puzzle in a different language. What makes the biggest difference is breaking the habit of translating and learning to think in English while reading.
&bull; Start with one long RC passage a day, read slowly&mdash;once for understanding, and again to map the structure of each paragraph.&bull; Watch GRE RC explanation videos with subtitles, then re-attempt the same questions while pausing between options to reflect.&bull; Record voice notes summarizing each passage, then listen back to spot gaps in understanding.&bull; Focus specifically on inference questions for a few days using ETS and Manhattan sets&mdash;they tend to be the trickiest.&bull; Skip high-level fiction or random blogs. Stick to material that closely mirrors GRE tone, density, and logic.
Improving RC has less to do with vocabulary and more to do with developing the right reading habits for the test format. For more details you can read this blog on "GRE Test Verbal Reasoning"

Divakshi Arora · Answer

To improve GRE Reading Comprehension without an English-medium background, the most effective strategy is daily exposure to dense, academic-style texts with active reading.
I started by reading one article every day from sites like Aeon, The Atlantic, or NYT Opinion. But I didn&rsquo;t just read I paused after each paragraph and wrote down the main idea in 1&ndash;2 lines. That helped me train my brain to spot the author&rsquo;s argument and structure. For practice, I used the official ETS RC sets and reviewed every mistake by asking myself, &ldquo;What made this option wrong?&rdquo;, not just why the right one worked.
It also helped to read aloud for 10&ndash;15 minutes a day to improve fluency and rhythm. After 2&ndash;3 weeks, I wasn&rsquo;t translating in my head anymore. That shift made RC questions feel less foreign and more logical.

Jayant M · Answer

Getting better at RC without an English-medium background is completely doable, and the progress usually comes from steady, simple practice rather than complex tricks. Reading a little every day helps far more than memorising rules. Start with lighter articles&mdash;BBC Kids News, TOI editorials, short blogs&mdash;and slowly move to tougher pieces once it stops feeling exhausting.
The goal is to understand the idea of each paragraph instead of translating every line. RC is about comprehension, not perfect vocabulary. If a sentence feels confusing, reread just that part instead of going back to the whole passage. With consistent practice, most students start seeing visible improvement within four to six weeks. That&rsquo;s a realistic timeline if you stick to short daily reading sessions.

Mansih K · Answer

A lot of students struggle with RC when English isn&rsquo;t their first medium, and the good thing is you don&rsquo;t need flawless English to get good at it. Here&rsquo;s what genuinely helps:
&bull; Read short articles daily instead of diving into dense material &bull; Break each paragraph into &ldquo;what is the author trying to say here?&rdquo; &bull; Don&rsquo;t chase every tough word&mdash;focus on the flow of ideas &bull; Practice timed RC only after basic reading feels natural &bull; Review wrong answers by understanding the logic, not just the explanation
The part that makes the biggest difference is consistency. Even on days when passages feel tough, stick to ten minutes of reading so the habit never breaks. Over time, RC feels less like a language challenge and more like a thinking exercise, which is where real improvement happens.

How do you get better at RC if you're not from an English-medium background?