Verbal Reasoning Skills tested on the GMAT

The goal of the Verbal Reasoning section of the GMAT is to accurately evaluate your ability to read a text, understand its content, and synthesize ideas from it. In comparison to the Quantitative Reasoning section, preparing for the Verbal Reasoning section can feel vague. Quantitative Reasoning accesses our high school math knowledge, so preparing for it begins with refreshing arithmetic skills and a handful of basic formulas. Verbal Reasoning, on the other hand, requires refreshing skills that are not quite as simple to nail down. 

You will want to start your preparation by taking a practice test. This will help you have a sense for the exam environment and your stamina. Looking over your score will also help you pinpoint weaknesses that need to be improved before exam day. The following skills to work on are listed in no particular order; what you choose to practice should depend on what you know you need to focus on. 

Recognizing Facts

To do well on the Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning questions, it is vital to be able to quickly recognize facts and distinguish them from opinions. Especially for Critical Reasoning questions in which arguments are being made, you'll need to remember that a fact is verifiable and objective, based on data, observations, and/or statistics. Conversely, opinions are subjective and unverifiable. Oftentimes, you will see opinions in a question that are supported with facts, but that does not mean they are strong arguments.

Practice Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is rephrasing something someone else wrote or said in your own words. This skill is important to aid in strengthening your comprehension—you cannot paraphrase something you've read or heard if you didn't understand it. To practice this, read a passage and then put it aside and imagine a friend who didn't do the reading asks you what it's about. You wouldn't pick up the passage and start reading it to them. Instead, you would try to tell your friend its main ideas and important facts or details to help them get a good idea of its content. This skill is especially important for Reading Comprehension questions because the test is not assessing your memory skills, but your understanding of the text. Generally, the answers will not be taken word for word from the passage; rather they will paraphrase some part of the text. While your paraphrase will be different from the test-maker's, if you have a paraphrase to start with, it will be easier to spot the correct answer. 

To practice paraphrasing, begin reading texts on topics you're familiar with, but quickly transition to articles and text on unfamiliar topics. Having to read and paraphrase text on topics you don't know much about will stretch your comprehension muscles. The added benefit of practicing paraphrasing is that it forces you to read more, which will help with reading comprehension and speed. 

Be Open to Skepticism

If you're the type of person who always wants to give the benefit of the doubt, now is not the time! GMAT questions and answer choices are written in a way that's intended to distinguish true comprehension and mastery of a skill from luck. Therefore, many of the answer questions are tricky. If something seems right, be sure to take an extra beat to really examine it for anything that doesn't quite work. Take note when new information is added in the questions—this often means that an assumption is being made. Also, be skeptical of extremes in language which signal overstatement, including the use of "always," "only," and "must."