Mastering Verbal Reasoning: Strategies for GRE Question Types
The Verbal Reasoning section of the GRE assesses your ability to analyze and evaluate written material, as well as your knowledge of vocabulary and relationships between words. Success hinges on understanding the nuances of different question types and employing targeted strategies for each.
Text Completion (TC)
Text Completion questions require you to fill in one, two, or three blanks in a sentence or passage with words that best fit the overall meaning and tone. These questions test your vocabulary, understanding of sentence structure, and ability to infer meaning from context.
Read the sentence carefully and identify context clues and transition words.
Sentence Equivalence (SE)
Sentence Equivalence questions present a single sentence with one blank. You must choose two words from the given options that, when inserted into the blank, produce sentences that are alike in meaning. This tests your vocabulary and your understanding of synonyms.
For both Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence, a strong vocabulary is crucial. Regularly learning new words and their usage in context will significantly improve your performance.
Reading Comprehension (RC)
Reading Comprehension questions assess your ability to understand, interpret, and analyze passages of varying lengths and complexity. You'll be asked to identify main ideas, understand details, infer meaning, and analyze the author's tone and purpose.
The structure of a typical GRE reading passage often follows a pattern. Understanding this pattern can help you anticipate the flow of information and locate key points more efficiently. A common structure involves an introduction of a topic or problem, followed by elaboration, examples, counterarguments, and a conclusion or summary. Visualizing this flow can aid comprehension.
Text-based content
Library pages focus on text content
To accurately understand, interpret, and analyze the provided passage.
General Strategies for Success
Beyond question-specific strategies, several overarching approaches can boost your Verbal Reasoning score.
Strategy | Description | Benefit |
---|---|---|
Vocabulary Building | Regularly learn new words, their meanings, and usage in context. | Improves performance on TC and SE questions, aids RC comprehension. |
Active Reading | Engage with passages by identifying main ideas, structure, and author's intent. | Enhances understanding and accuracy for RC questions. |
Contextual Clues | Utilize surrounding words and sentences to infer meaning. | Crucial for TC and SE, helps decipher unfamiliar words in RC. |
Process of Elimination | Systematically rule out incorrect answer choices. | Increases the probability of selecting the correct answer, especially when unsure. |
Time Management | Practice answering questions within the allotted time per section. | Ensures you can attempt all questions and avoid penalties for unanswered items. |
Practice Makes Perfect
Consistent practice with official GRE materials is the most effective way to internalize these strategies and build confidence. Analyze your mistakes to understand why you got a question wrong and refine your approach.
Learning Resources
Official guidance from ETS on Text Completion questions, including strategies and sample questions.
Official advice from ETS on how to approach Sentence Equivalence questions and understand their requirements.
ETS's official guide to Reading Comprehension questions, covering passage analysis and question types.
Access to official GRE practice questions for Verbal Reasoning to hone your skills.
A comprehensive blog post detailing effective strategies and common pitfalls for GRE Text Completion questions.
Expert tips and strategies from Kaplan for tackling the GRE Verbal Reasoning section, including all question types.
Free video lessons and practice exercises covering various aspects of GRE Verbal Reasoning.
In-depth articles and strategies for GRE Verbal Reasoning from Manhattan Prep's expert instructors.
A curated list of essential vocabulary words frequently tested on the GRE, with definitions and examples.
Practical strategies and techniques for improving performance on GRE Reading Comprehension passages.