GRE Verbal Reasoning Strategy
The GRE consists of five sections: one Analytical Writing section, two Quantitative Reasoning sections, and two Verbal Reasoning sections. Verbal Reasoning questions either ask students to analyze and answer questions about a passage of text (Reading Comprehension), or to fill in the blanks of a sentence or paragraph using a selection of provided vocabulary words (Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence).
The GRE Verbal Reasoning sections tend to be especially difficult for non-native speakers of English, because it is important to know what words mean in a given context, rather than simply memorizing their definition. Think of words as the paints on your palette: you must be able to not only name the different colors, but also to blend them to create new and unique colors. That is the level at which the GRE demands you understand English in order to achieve a top score.
How can you learn to perform at such a high level? Through dedicated, methodical, and consistent study, perhaps with additional help from an instructor or tutor if there are particular areas that trouble you.
GRE Vocabulary Builder
One of the most challenging aspects of earning a top GRE score is absorbing enough vocabulary to excel at the Sentence Equivalence and Text Completion questions in the Verbal Reasoning sections. For students who obtained an undergraduate degree in the arts, humanities, social sciences, or related fields, some of these vocabulary words may be familiar, allowing you to build on an already solid foundation. For students who earned an undergraduate degree in mathematics, physics, biology, or other physical sciences, the vocabulary of the GRE may be more foreign than familiar.
While your academic background may give you some advantage when it comes to this part of Verbal Reasoning, effective vocabulary building takes time, which means you should begin working to expand your vocabular very early in your GRE preparation process. The first step to studying vocabulary is to find a list of vocabulary words to review. Manhattan Review maintains a proprietary list of vocabular words that we use with our students, but there are numerous free lists available on the internet. One of the best free options for GRE students is the Magoosh GRE Vocabulary Flashcards, which contain numerous vocabulary lists separated by difficulty level and presented in a format that makes it easy to identify words that you do not fully understand.
Once you have identified words that you need to pay special attention to, start by looking the words up in a dictionary, or multiple dictionaries, paying special attention to how the word is used in various contexts or how its usage has evolved over time. Search the word on the internet and try to find some usage of the word that you can use to remember it by. For some words, you may remember a particularly exemplary usage from classic literature; for others, you may remember them because they describe one of your friends, family members, or pets. The specific association does not matter; you are simply working to form connections that are meaningful to you, as these connections are how you will build and expand your vocabulary to the level of the GRE.
GRE Reading Comprehension
At Manhattan Review, we offer several reading strategies to help you approach verbal reasoning questions in a way designed to maximize your chances of success.
Firstly, try to fall in love with each reading passage. Whether you like the passage or hate it, you cannot ignore it, so you may as well sugar-coat your experience by pretending to find the material interesting and doing your best to learn from it. If you are not a native English speaker or not fond of reading, you can improve your reading speed and your ability to comprehend complex material by reading a diverse selection of articles from publicatiosn such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, American Scientist, Popular Science, The Economist, and other magazines that contain GRE-level content. A top GRE score is not something that can be achieved overnight; it must be worked towards over the course of weeks or months, depending on the amount of time you are able to devote to test preparation.
A second useful strategy for the Verbal Reasoning sections is to summarize the passage as you are reading. GRE passages are deliberately drafted with clever and convoluted language to make the overall gist or meaning difficult to understand. Simple notes can help immensely. Note-taking style is extremely subjective, and it is important to find and use a style that can help you efficiently extract and remember the information contained in your reading passage. Abbreviate technical and difficult terms where possible and infer the meanings of unfamiliar words. Learn how to skim a passage, identifying the details and ignoring extraneous information. The more you practice this type of active reading, the better you will become at remembering and keeping track of what is truly important in the Reading Comprehension passage.
Preparation Materials
Manhattan Review is proud to offer three preparation guides for the Verbal Reasoning sections of the GRE: The GRE Reading Comprehension guide, the GRE Sentence Equivalence & Text Completion guide, and the GRE Vocabulary Builder. Taking a practice test to evaluate your strenths and weaknesses can help you determine what preparation materials are right for you. If you enroll in a course, you will receive comprehensive instruction on all parts of the GRE. If you prefer to work one-on-one with a tutor, your instructor will work with you to customize your curriculum, tailoring their instruction to your needs and interests. Most students find a combination of workbooks and professional instruction to be the most effective method of preparing for the Verbal Reasoning of the GRE, and the experts at Manhattan Review know just how to help you obtain your own high score.