Last Updated on April 29, 2023
Many test-takers embark on their GRE preparation expecting GRE math to be difficult and are surprised to find that they struggle more to make headway in the Verbal section of the exam. Furthermore, they struggle to determine what is causing them to keep getting GRE questions wrong in their Verbal practice.
The fact is, mistakes in GRE Verbal can be difficult to root out because they’re often more related to strategy and technique than students realize. So, simply learning more vocabulary words or doing more practice questions doesn’t reliably lead to more correct answers. Thus, these students don’t consistently perform better when practicing with Verbal questions or score higher in Verbal on mock tests.
If any of this sounds familiar, you may be dealing with one (or a few) of the common pitfalls of GRE Verbal — those mistakes that students often make in either their study strategy or question-answering technique for Verbal. So, in this article, we’ll discuss 6 common mistakes that may be holding back your GRE score in Verbal, and how to correct them.
Here are the common pitfalls we’ll explore:
- #1: You Choose Answers Based on Outside Knowledge Instead of Context
- #2: You Pre-Think Answers
- #3: Your Reading Strategy Is Imbalanced
- #4: You Focus Too Much Verbal Study Time on Memorizing Vocab
- #5: You Do All Your Verbal Practice Timed
- #6: You Haven’t Given Yourself Enough Time to Prepare
- Key Takeaways
- What’s Next?
Get ready to score higher on the Verbal section!
#1: You Choose Answers Based on Outside Knowledge Instead of Context
Incorrect answer choices in GRE Verbal questions play on our cognitive biases in all sorts of ways. They employ “realistic” or common scenarios, stereotypes, word associations, and other bits of real-world knowledge or ideas we have in order to tempt us into thinking an incorrect choice must be correct.
When we see an idea or story we recognize from real life in an answer choice, we may gravitate toward that choice or assume it’s correct. The choice has an air of plausibility.
Unfortunately, we may not always realize we’re prone to making this mistake. We may even think that because something is or seems true in the real world, it must be true for the GRE question at hand.
Choosing answers based on “what you know” rather than what a passage says is a recipe for falling for trap answers to Verbal questions. For example, Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence answer choices may present words and concepts that people naturally associate but that aren’t actually related to each other in the particular context presented. Similarly, Reading Comprehension answer choices may present information that is true in real life but completely unsupported by the passage.
All of the information you need to answer any Verbal question is contained within the given context. Yes, we have to bring our logical reasoning skills, vocabulary knowledge, and sentence-analysis skills to the text in order to properly interpret the information we’re given. However, we do not need to bring in any outside knowledge of the subject matter discussed. And if we do, we will almost certainly fall for a trap answer.
TTP PRO TIP:
Base your answers to GRE Verbal questions on the context presented rather than on outside knowledge or ideas.
#2: You Pre-Think Answers
The idea of “pre-thinking” answers to Text Completion, Sentence Equivalence, and Critical Reasoning questions is rampant in the GRE world. In fact, if you’ve spent any time looking online for tips and advice for mastering these question types, I’d be surprised if you hadn’t come across GRE tutors and test prep companies recommending this strategy.
“Pre-thinking” involves seeking to guess the answers to questions before you actually look at the answer choices. So, in the case of a Text Completion or Sentence Equivalence question, you’d seek to fill in the blank(s) as you initially read the sentence(s) presented. In the case of a Critical Reasoning question, you’d read the passage and question stem and attempt to think of a “logical” answer before evaluating the answer choices.
There are a couple of reasons why pre-thinking is not a reliable strategy for efficiently finding correct answers. Let’s discuss.
Pre-Thinking Is a Trap-Answer Magnet
Just like using outside knowledge to select answers, pre-thinking makes us prone to falling for trap answers.
Remember, Verbal questions often use our cognitive biases and real-world knowledge against us to make wrong answers look attractive. When we pre-think answers, we often rely on outside ideas to guide us. We say to ourselves, “this seems likely” or “this seems as if it will be correct.”
The thing is, the correct answer often isn’t the first thing that someone would think of. If it were, then Verbal questions would be pretty darn easy, right? And if we start evaluating the answer choices with an idea in our minds of what the answer should be, we could end up selecting an answer that fits with our idea but doesn’t actually fit the context.
Pre-thinking gives us an excuse to not deeply analyze how various answer choices relate to the given context. However, deep analysis is precisely what the GRE requires of us.
We May Pre-Think Answers That Aren’t There
It’s quite possible that we could comprehend a given context well and pre-think an answer that really would make sense. Nonetheless, that answer may not be an option. And herein lies the other problem with pre-thinking.
Many people employ pre-thinking because they think it saves time. However, because the GRE question-writers want Verbal questions to be challenging, they don’t always make the answers the first and most obvious thing that would pop into people’s minds. Thus, you’re likely to find that the answers you pre-think are often not even among the choices! In those cases, have you really saved any time by trying to guess the answers instead of just evaluating them?
Additionally, when we pre-think an answer that isn’t among the choices, we may end up feeling discouraged. We may get consciously or unconsciously hung up on the fact that our answer isn’t there. Those feelings of disappointment and worry can cloud our focus. They can get in the way of efficiently determining what the correct answer actually is.
Here is the great news: the answers are right there for you in the question. Why not save time by evaluating what is actually there instead of imagining what “would make sense”? Unlike the tutors and others using practice questions to demonstrate how well pre-thinking works, on the GRE, you won’t have the benefit of already having seen the questions you’re answering, and thus being able to so consistently “guess” exactly what the answers will be.
Sure, every so often you may guess correctly; your instinct could pay off. But solving GRE questions based on instinct, rather than the cold hard facts, is simply not a reliable strategy for getting consistent results.
Solving GRE questions based on instinct, rather than the cold hard facts, is simply not a reliable strategy.
#3: Your Reading Strategy Is Imbalanced
Many GRE test-takers perform poorly or make limited progress in Reading Comprehension because their reading strategy is imbalanced. In other words, they make one of two common mistakes. Some attempt to process every single detail when they first read a passage. Others don’t even bother to read the passage before trying to answer questions. Neither of these strategies allows for optimal efficiency and comprehension in RC.
TTP PRO TIP:
Neither reading for detail nor not reading the passage results in optimal efficiency and comprehension in RC.
Let’s delve a little deeper into each of these flawed reading strategies.
You Read for Detail
Very few of us have photographic memories. So, poring over every detail as we read a passage, to fully absorb or remember everything, is a fruitless endeavor. Moreover, it’s inefficient, a) because it slows us down and b) because we don’t know which details we’ll actually need to answer the questions. Additionally, reading for detail is unnecessary. After all, the passage is right there for us to refer back to as we answer questions.
Reading Comprehension tests comprehension, not memorization skills. One of the worst things about trying to process every little detail when we first read a passage is that doing so gets in the way of our understanding the overall context. We can’t see the forest for the trees.
When we instead start off by reading through a passage for basic, overall understanding, we’re much better positioned to answer questions about the main idea, structure, and tone of the passage, and how different parts of the passage and ideas in the passage relate to each other. And when a question asks about a specific detail from the passage, we can simply return to the part of the passage where that detail is mentioned. Then, we can more closely evaluate that part.
You Don’t Read the Passage
Some people start by reading the questions associated with a passage. Then, they scan for areas of the passage that appear relevant. Thus, they never actually read the full passage. This strategy is flawed for a couple of key reasons.
For one, it’s actually less efficient than just reading the passage for basic comprehension first. When you read for basic comprehension first, you attack the questions armed with a sense of where different discussions take place in the passage. Thus, instead of starting from zero, you can use your general knowledge of the passage to quickly return to relevant areas. In doing so, you’re likely to spend less time scanning for specific discussions and less (if any) time rereading the same sentences over and over.
Secondly, we know that many RC questions test your comprehension of overall context. If you’ve only ever read a passage piecemeal, then you’ve created an added barrier to answering those questions. On the other hand, when you start off by reading the passage from start to finish, you’re more likely to be able to immediately spot answer choices that are clearly incorrect in questions dealing with the overall context. Thus, you’ll be able to narrow down answer choices much more quickly.
Of course, if you haven’t already read through the passage to gain that baseline knowledge, then every answer choice in those questions initially looks equally plausible to you.
Additionally, if you’ve only read a passage in random pieces, then you could miss important connections between ideas in the passage, key details, or errors in the logic of certain answer choices.
To avoid all these pitfalls, read the passage first, in order and in full, for basic comprehension.
TTP PRO TIP:
Read the full passage for basic comprehension first.
#4: You Focus Too Much Verbal Study Time on Memorizing Vocab
A very common mistake among students studying for the GRE is focusing most or all of one’s Verbal study time on memorizing vocabulary words.
Now, it’s true that learning GRE vocab words is an important aspect of GRE preparation. Plus, learning vocab is a fairly straightforward process — certainly more so than closely analyzing the logic and meaning of TC and SE sentences, learning to distinguish between trap answers and correct ones, and so on. So, when it comes to studying GRE Verbal, it can be very tempting to simply run through vocab flashcards for a while and call it a day.
However, there are many concepts that have nothing to do with vocab that test-takers need to master in order to perform well on the Verbal section — even on “vocab-focused” questions. Additionally, you must learn how to apply your vocab knowledge in Verbal questions, how to understand the logic of Verbal questions, and how to efficiently deploy specific strategies for answering the various types of Verbal questions. None of these skills and this knowledge will be acquired through memorizing word definitions.
Also, students who focus too heavily on studying vocab may find that they’ve seriously neglected their RC study. Remember, roughly half of the questions you see in the Verbal sections are Reading Comprehension questions. Adequately preparing for all the different passages and question types that RC can throw at you can take significant time and effort. An overemphasis on vocab study tends to get in the way of that work.
TTP PRO TIP:
Relying on vocab memorization alone is a flawed strategy for earning a high Verbal score.
#5: You Do All Your Verbal Practice Timed
One of the most common reasons why people have trouble increasing their GRE Verbal scores is that they do all practice questions timed. In other words, when practicing, they give themselves the same amount of time per question that they’ll have when taking the GRE. Here’s why doing all your practice timed doesn’t work.
To master GRE Verbal, you need to learn to take a number of different steps to answer each question type. For example, to answer a Text Completion question, you need to read the entire sentence, identify words that signal contrast or agreement, find the known information, and more. Meanwhile, to become skilled in consistently answering questions correctly, you have to learn to execute these steps well, without making careless mistakes.
If you take all those steps at test pace when you’re just beginning to practice them, you’ll likely have difficulty learning to execute them well. You’ll likely rush through them, miss a high percentage of the questions you see, and struggle to improve. Many people preparing for the GRE have such an experience.
So, what’s the answer? The answer is to do much of your GRE Verbal practice untimed. By taking as much time as you need to fully understand each question and get it correct, you’ll learn to go through the motions that lead to success. Then, once you’re skilled in answering questions untimed and you’re getting a high percentage of them correct, you can work on speeding up to test pace while maintaining high accuracy.
TTP PRO TIP:
To master GRE Verbal, do much of your practice untimed, shooting for complete understanding of questions and high accuracy.
#6: You Haven’t Given Yourself Enough Time to Prepare
Probably the most common mistake that students make in studying GRE Verbal is that they don’t give themselves enough time to effectively prepare for test day. I can’t tell you how many times a GRE student with a full-time job and a Verbal score around 150 has come to me wanting to score 165, with a scheduled test date in 3 weeks. The problem is, it’s very difficult (if not nearly impossible) to make that kind of score jump in such a short time frame.
Even students with longer study timelines may implement “shortcuts” to get through all the GRE material by a certain date. Of course, simply getting through the material is not the same as mastering it. Thus, these students often find that they don’t perform as expected on mock tests in the weeks leading up to their exam.
Let’s examine some common “shortcuts” that GRE students implement that ultimately stall their progress and hold back their Verbal scores.
Faulty Shortcut 1: Leaving the “Learning Phase” Too Quickly
There are two major phases of GRE preparation. The first phase is the learning phase, in which you systematically learn and practice GRE topics, concepts, skills, and strategies. This phase should make up the bulk of your prep. The second phase is the practice-test phase, in which you sit for full-length, official GRE practice tests in the weeks leading up to your exam.
MANY students move on from the learning phase to the practice-test phase before they’re actually ready to. They may have set an unrealistic deadline for their GRE preparation, or they may be preparing in a disorganized fashion. Either way, they need more time to master concepts, learn to apply strategies, build up their speed, and so on, before they can perform well on full-length practice tests.
If you don’t have evidence that you consistently perform well on practice questions in all of the topics you need to learn for GRE Verbal — for example, evidence of consistent high accuracy on timed, mixed-problem practice sets — then don’t be surprised if your Verbal performance on mock tests is underwhelming. Chances are, you need to spend some more time with your study materials.
TTP PRO TIP:
Make sure you have evidence that you consistently perform well on timed practice questions on all Verbal topics before you sit for full-length practice tests.
Faulty Shortcut 2: Not Mastering a Topic Before Moving On
One mistake that GRE students frequently make within the learning phase of their prep is that they don’t actually master a Verbal topic before they move on to the next one. Some students even start off doing mixed sets of Verbal practice questions, not having learned much about any of the question types they’re practicing with.
The most effective way to master GRE Verbal is to learn each topic individually, and then practice each topic until you’ve gained mastery. Although this method of study takes time, it’s a rock-solid approach that ensures you methodically improve your Verbal skills in all question types.
When you attempt to randomly learn and practice the various Verbal question types, making significant progress in any one type is much more difficult. You’re likely to end up with knowledge gaps or struggle with harder-level Verbal questions of all types.
So, give yourself the time you need to master a particular Verbal topic before you move on to the next one.
If you follow this approach and find that a particular concept or topic still isn’t clicking for you, you might consider seeking more robust study materials or working with a GRE tutor on that specific area of difficulty.
TTP PRO TIP:
Give yourself the time you need to master a particular Verbal topic before you move on to the next one.
Faulty Shortcut 3: Cramming Vocab
It’s the classic mistake among students studying for the GRE Verbal section: cramming a huge number of vocab words in a short amount of time. I’ve seen many students try and fail to learn hundreds of new words in a matter of a couple of weeks. And I understand it! There is a TON of vocab to learn for GRE Verbal, and people want to learn as many words as possible.
The hard reality about building your GRE vocabulary knowledge is that it is a cumulative process. Because learning vocab is primarily a memorization task, there is only so much new information we can absorb before our brains start to get confused or overloaded. If we try to learn too many new words in a day or a week, etc., we’re likely to retain less of what we’ve studied, or to start mixing up the definitions of words. The law of diminishing returns kicks in.
So, rather than try to cram in as many vocab words as possible in as little time as possible, your goal should be steady, continuous progress. Study some vocab every day, in relatively short bursts. Don’t add new words to your study list until you’re sure you’ve learned previously studied words. Furthermore, periodically review old words to ensure they haven’t slipped through the cracks as time has passed.
TTP PRO TIP:
Your goal in learning GRE vocab should be steady, continuous progress.
Key Takeaways
As you prepare for the Verbal section of your GRE exam, take care to avoid the following common pitfalls:
- Choosing answers based on outside knowledge instead of context
- Pre-thinking answers
- Using an imbalanced reading strategy
- Focusing most or all of your Verbal study time on memorizing vocab
- Doing all your Verbal practice timed
- Not giving yourself enough time to prepare
- Leaving the “learning phase” too quickly
- Not mastering a topic before moving on to the next one
- Cramming vocab
What’s Next?
Now that you know the most common pitfalls of GRE Verbal, you may be wondering, how do you avoid mistakes in the GRE Quant section? This guide to improving your GRE accuracy has plenty of useful tips to help you avoid silly mistakes that can erode your Quant score.
If you’ve already taken the GRE and scored lower than you did on your practice tests, check out this article on the top 10 causes of a score drop on test day.
Remember, you haven’t failed if you haven’t stopped trying!
