The Verbal and Quantitative Sections of the GRE consist of multiple-choice questions. While we detail specific strategies for each section below, there is one strategy common to both sections: Never make a selection until you have read all of the choices available!
The Verbal Section asks multiple-choice questions related to the following topics: analogies, antonyms, sentence completions and reading comprehension. It takes 30 minutes to complete.
Analogies
This section requires you to understand the nature of relationships between words. The sorts of relationships you might find between the words are relationships of kind, size or degree. Choose the word pair from among the choices presented that fits the best.
- Create a sentence using the two words presented. This may give you a clue as to the nature of the words' relationship to each other. For instance, your sentence may be: "(Word 1) forms a series of (Word 2)." It doesn't really matter what the actual words are, the important thing is that you know that "Word 1" forms a series of the "Word 2." According to this example, you would want to find a match related to parts of a series.
- Challenge yourself to find the most distinctive relationship between words. At first blush, it may appear that two or more answers are analogous and thus, correct. However, only one choice is correct; your sentence may need to be more specific than: "Word 1" forms a series of "Word 2." What kind of series is it? Does order matter? Is it a series that ascends or descends? Is every part of the series equal? These are the sorts of distinctions you'll have to make if two or more answers appear to be correct.
Antonyms
This section tests your ability to understand a single word or a phrase and identify its most exact opposite. It tests your vocabulary more than any other. Besides knowing the general definition of a word, it may be necessary to identify slightly different meanings between words that have similar definitions.
- Choose the most exact opposite, not the exact opposite. The true exact opposite may not even be a choice. Rather, choose the word or concept that is most nearly opposite.
- Challenge yourself to find distinct definitions: Maybe you can make an argument that two of the choices are right, but only one choice will be scored as correct. Use the words in a sentence to get a better feel for the most precise meaning of the word.
- Split the word into prefix, suffix and/or root. Breaking the word into smaller segments might give some clue as to its meaning if you aren't sure of the exact definition.
- Do not select a synonym. A common mental mistake.
Sentence Completions
Identifying cues in syntax and grammar are the central elements in this section. Each question asks you to read a sentence that has one or two blanks, then choose which word or words best and most logically completes the sentence. The final choice must befit the sentence's contextual meaning.
- Pay attention to the meaning and the ideas the sentence expresses, even with those key words missing. What can you decipher about the overall tone of the sentence?
- Fill in the blanks with words you think would make the most sense in completing the sentence. Do this before reading over the answers. Do any of the choices match your best educated guess?
- For sentences with two blanks, reread the sentence to verify that both of the word choices make sense. The entire sentence must make logical and syntactical sense.
- Once you've made your selection, read the sentence again to verify that you've made the most logical, best-fitting choice. Precision matters. More than one answer might fit generally, but only one is the most precise match.
Reading Comprehension
In the same way that you had to identify information, assumptions and explanations for the purposes of writing an essay in the Analytical Writing section, those same tools come into play for the Reading Comprehension section. The difference here is that you are asked to apply them to another author's work. The section presents at least three passages; you must answer two or more questions about each of them. There are six types of questions in this section:
- What is the main idea?
- What information is presented explicitly in the passage?
- What information is not explicitly stated, but implied by the passage?
- To what other ideas or situations could the passage be applied?
- Is the author's logic and reasoning sound?
- What is the tone of the passage?
Use the following strategies when it comes time to answer the questions:
- Don't concern yourself about expanding your knowledge of academic subjects prior to the test. Anything you need to know about the topic to answer the questions (including facts and evidence) is present in the passage. In conjunction, do not rely on outside knowledge when making your choice.
- In order to best analyze the passage closely and carefully:
- Identify the main idea from supporting ideas.
- Examine the logical connections the author makes and judge whether they make sense.
- Separate the author's opinions and assumptions from evidence and fact.
- Define the nature of the relationship of different sections or ideas in the passage.
- Select the choice that fits best, not just the one that is technically correct. Similar to other answers on the GRE, an answer may be true according to the passage. Choose the best answer that most precisely fits the question.
For more tips and tutorials across each section of the GRE check out GRE.org. Get more GRE Strategies:
- GRE Overview
- Analytical Writing Section
- Verbal Section
- Analogies
- Antonyms
- Sentence Completions
- Reading Comprehension
- Quantitative Section
- Quantitative Comparison
- Problem Solving
GRE Prep Books
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