GRE VERBAL REASONING
Verbal Reasoning Overview
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Draws heavily on Vocabulary & tests it Contextually
Detect Relationships among Words
Understand the Logic of sentences and paragraphs
Draw Inferences
Recognize Major, Minor, and Irrelevant points
Summarize Ideas
Understand Passage Structure
Recognize an author’s Tone, Purpose, and Perspective
Tests your Ability to Understand what you’re reading and Applying
Reasoning Skills to various question types
Verbal Reasoning Question Types
• Text Completion: 6 questions (spend about 1-1.5 minutes on each)
• Reading Comprehension: 10 questions (spend about 1-1.5 minutes on each)
• Sentence Equivalence: 4 questions ( spend about 1 minute on each)
Vocabulary Building Basics
• Flashcards: Record and define unfamiliar words
• Sentences: Use unfamiliar words in a sentence
• Word Groups: Create words groups by general meaning
• (GRE does not test if you know exact meaning)
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Greek and Latin Roots
Read Unfamiliar Words in Context (e.g. journal articles)
Learn Parts of Speech (e.g. nouns, adverbs, adjectives, verbs)
Remember: Words have more than one meaning and can also function as
more than one part of speech
Testmakers’ Favorite GRE Words
• Review Kaplan GRE Book
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GRE Testmaker’s Favorite Words: Page 35
Word Groups: Appendix A – Page 513
Root List: Appendix B – Page 517
Top GRE Words in Context: Appendix C – Page 547