How to score 160+ in GRE Verbal

Vocabulary on the GRE is not that important.

Shocked?

Fortunately this is true. Students wrongly overemphasize the significance of vocabulary on the GRE and start mugging up obscure words from all the possible lists; they can lay their hands on.

Result: They waste a lot of their valuable time on acquiring a skill that is not that significant on the Revised GRE.

This doesn�t at all mean that you should totally ignore it. It has to become a part of your learning process, whereby this is just the outcome of acquiring some more important skills.

So, what is the most important skill?

Critical Reading. This skill is paramount and all your learning process must revolve around acquiring this quintessential skill.

In a previous post, I suggested you some important reading resources that are of great help for any GRE aspirant. While you read from these resources, you imbibe the tone and tenor, which is common to the GRE style passages. Along with that you also encounter a plethora of High-Frequency GRE Words.

Sure-Shot success plan

GRE verbal is not like GRE Quant. Unlike GRE Quant, you need to give yourself as much time as possible to acquire the required reading skills.

Resources Required

• Access to reading resources mentioned above
• GRE Official Guide
• Subscription to TCYonline.com
• A notebook (Yes, you will need it)
• Some sticky notes

The plan

• Read an article every day from the opinion pages from the above mentioned resources

• Focus on the usage of support signals, contrast signals, causal signals, concession signal and expounding signals

• Make a list of all the signals you encounter and make notes on their usages

• Make logical predictions whenever you encounter these signals and read further to check if you were correct

• Make a note of all the words you encounter and learn their meanings as used in the context

• Write down the words (just the words) on sticky notes and stick them in your study area. These notes should remain posted till the time you are done with your GRE. When you see these words every day you recall the words and your familiarity with these words increases

• After you are almost 15 days through, start taking small Text Completion tests available on TCYonline.com

• Review your tests and understand your mistakes

• Once you feel that you are make good enough progress with the understanding of the text, you are in a position to take some Reading Comprehension practice tests on TCYonline.com

• Review your tests and understand your mistakes. Make a note of the same. Do not commit the same errors

• You must be taking a Reading Comprehension and Text Completion test every day. You must have developed ample reading skills by the end of 45 days

• Your vocabulary must have also strengthened by now

• Start practicing some Sentence Equivalence questions on TCYonline.com

• Review your tests and understand your mistakes. Make a note of the same. Do not commit the same errors

• You have done all the above and you have almost completed 60 days of your prep

• Now try your hand on the official content. Go through the Official Guide and finish all the practice questions

• Try those questions once again which you got wrong in the first attempt

• Note down all the words that you are not familiar with

• Keep working on all the words that you encounter in the Official Guide as these are the words that you will find on the GRE

• Take all GRE Verbal Sectional Tests available on TCYonline.com

• Take necessary corrective actions and practice those areas where you are unable to score

Follow this process religiously and give yourself almost 3 months; you will see that you are developing your skills and the most convoluted questions appear very easy.

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