Skip to main content

GMAT Verbal

“The difference between good and great is just a little extra effort”.*

  • Duffy Daugherty.*

For the rest of the book, we will look at the different sections to help you learn how to score high marks. We will try to understand how the test works and clarify what you need to watch out for.

In this section, you will learn how to prepare for the verbal portion of the exam. We will be looking at the fundamentals, so the examples are basic and simple. Understanding the fundamentals will help you answer more complex question based on the same rules.

This is not a guide that lists the answers to questions, nor is it designed to make the test a piece of cake without having to study. It is a guide designed to aid your study process - showing you how to pass the GMAT with flying colors. We focus on studying smart but you will still have to study hard (though only for 30 days and then you can have your social life back!)

First things first. There are many ways that you can take the verbal test to make things easier on you as a whole. The following are just a few of the strategies that will help you:

1.         Organization is the key to passing the verbal portion of the GMAT. You are starting the test with the harder questions; this is where you need to shine, so work systematically to ensure that you put forth your best answers. Do not be afraid to scratch down thoughts to keep them organized during the test. Scratch paper is available for this purpose. If you keep your thoughts written down, you are less likely to make a careless mistake. Look at the question with a rational mind and determine the answers that simply cannot fit. The first 15 questions on the GMAT verbal portion are the most important, as they will determine the overall flow and score of your test, so take your time with them. If you answer several of these questions in a row wrongly, your score will start plummeting, so don’t rush.

2.         Use the process of elimination. This is one of the most important techniques for taking the GMAT! By using this process, you will be surprised at how easy it is to eliminate the answer options that just “don’t belong.” Instead of looking for the “right” answer, eliminate the wrong answers from the choices and narrow down your options. Even if you can only eliminate one or two choices, your chance of guessing the right answer improves. So identify what’s wrong with a choice, cross it off on your scratch paper or white board, and do this for all of the answer choices to increase your chance of choosing the right answer.

3.         Don’t rush. Rushing is one of the worst things that you can do to hurt your score. “Driving” the GMAT is like driving too fast down a road, trying to steer and navigate obstacles. It just won’t work – you’ll make mistakes. If you race through the test the same applies. As “they” say, slow and steady wins the race!

4.         Don’t waste time. Even though you don’t want to rush, you also don’t want to waste too much time on the hard questions. There will be questions that you will have trouble answering, so just answer them as best as you can. You have a 20% chance of answering them correctly, so always give them a shot. Remember that the next question may be one you understand better, so you’ll want to have enough time to answer it without rushing.

5.         Don’t let the clock distract you. Some people find clocks distracting, especially during a test. The GMAT has a clock that you can turn off if you need to, so that you can focus on the test at hand. But if you turn the timer off, be careful not to run out of time. You must answer all the questions in each section to do well. Remember:

WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT LEAVE A QUESTION

UNANSWERED!

Brandon's Tip

Also realize that some of the hard questions that you see on the tests are experimental and do not count towards your final scores. Keeping this in mind can help you stay calm and focused even when faced with the most difficult of questions.

6.          Stay calm. This test is only a test and if you have studied hard, you will do fine. Do not get stressed out about it - stress will have a negative impact on your performance. If you feel yourself starting to panic, just sit back, breathe, and take a moment—even a minute or two—to relax and refocus on the test. Remember:

STRESS IS THE ENEMY!