虽然每年的考题不同，但是纵使千变万变，题型归纳起来就是那么几种常见的类型：
从宏观上把握文章，抓住文章的“主体结构”是关键。 GRE阅读文章的常见“主体结构”有三种：
1. 结论-解释型(也叫论点-解释型)
首先是“结论-解释型”文章。这类文章在开始有一个判断句，一般是文章的结论，也是文章的主题。这个判断句的谓语部分通常包含系动词(is, remain, prove, turn out, appear等)或情态动词(can, may, should, must等)，而且含有表示态度的词汇(如形容词等)。例如，
Because of its accuracy in outlining the Earth's subsurface, the seismic-reflection method remains the most important tool in the search for petroleum reserves. In field practice, a subsurface is mapped by arranging a series of wave-train sources, such as small dynamite explosions, in a grid pattern…
文章首句指出：“由于‘地震反射法’(sr)在勾划地球的地下层面这方面的准确性，该方法一直是探寻石油储备的最重要的工具。”这是一个判断句，为结论。其中remains为系动词，而most important为态度词，表示作者对“地震反射法”持非常正面的评价。后文应解释“地震反射法”的具体过程。 第二句话对解释进行总的说明：“在实地作业中，通过将一系列波列源，诸如小规模炸药爆炸，排列成一个网格模式，从而将地下层面标绘出来。”接下来是“地震反射法”的详细过程。
2. 新老观点对比型
GRE阅读文章的第二种常见结构是“新老观点对比型”。 这类文章在开始提出老观点，然后提出新观点并进行论述。通常新观点是文章的主题。老观点出现的标志词有：
1. 传统观点： has been, traditionally, until recently等
2. 大众观点：frequently, widely, many等
新观点出现的标志词有：however, recently, now等。
例如，
Traditionally, pollination by wind has been viewed as a reproductive process marked by random events in which the vagaries of the wind are compensated for by the generation of vast quantities of pollen, so that the ultimate production of new seeds is assured at the expense of producing much more pollen than is actually used.
However, a number of features that are characteristic of wind-pollinated plants reduce pollen waste…
