Zollege is here for to help you!!
Need Counselling
GRE logo

GRE Verbal Reasoning 2023: Syllabus, Score, Sample Questions, Books, Tips

Participating CollegesGRE Verbal SyllabusApplication Process EsOverviewResults Es 2Selection ProcessMock TestCutoffPreparation TipsPractice PapersNews
Sayantani Barman's profile photo

Sayantani Barman

Experta en el extranjero | Updated On - Jan 8, 2024

GRE verbal reasoning questions ask the candidates to analyze and answer about the passage or fill in the blanks on a sentence or a paragraph by using appropriate words provided as options. In the Verbal Reasoning test of GRE, you need to read passages, understand the meanings of words and phrases, perceive the author’s perspective and synthesize information accordingly. There are three types of GRE Verbal Reasoning questions you need to answer, which require analytical and interpretative reasoning. Check out official GRE verbal practice questions available online, which will help you get a high GRE Verbal Reasoning score.

GRE Verbal Reasoning Pattern

GRE verbal has 40 questions to attempt in 60 minutes. There are three types of questions in the GRE verbal reasoning section: reading comprehension, sentence equivalence, and text completion. Each GRE verbal section contains 5-7 reading passages of different lengths with 10-13 related questions. Solve GRE Verbal Reasoning practice tests to get accustomed to the question patterns. Proper GRE Verbal 10 days preparation plan can land you in scoring 150+.In comparison with GRE quant, this section requires rigorous practice. 

GRE Verbal Reasoning Syllabus

GRE Verbal Reasoning syllabus involves three questions:

  • Reading Comprehension
  • Sentence Equivalence
  • Text Completion

GRE Verbal Topics

You must follow the online websites for GRE verbal topics 2023. You will get various GRE verbal reasoning practice questions available online. GRE verbal type of questions are usually on the following topics:

  • Modifiers and Parallelism
  • Verbs and Tenses
  • Subject-Verb Agreement
  • Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions
  • Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives
  • Pronoun Agreement

GRE Verbal Questions

The three types of GRE Verbal questions are reading comprehension, text completion, and sentence equivalence. Half of the questions need you to read and comprehend and answer the attached questions. The other half of the questions require you to read and interpret the given passage to complete sentences or paragraphs.

GRE Reading Comprehension

Reading comprehension of GRE verbal section contains mainly three types of questions:

  • Multiple choice questions with five options and only one correct answer. You need to find information from the passage.
  • Multiple choice questions with three options where you need to select all the correct answers. You will need to compare thoughts and ideas and draw conclusions.
  • Select the correct sentence within the passage which matches the given description
  • Find out the connection between the highlighted sentence and the given options.
  • Find out how the bolded and un-bolded parts of the passage are related.
GRE Reading sample question

Answer Key: Question 1- (E), Question 2- (A) and (C), and Question 3- (the last sentence of the passage)

GRE Text Completion

  • The reading passage of GRE text completion of the verbal section contains one to five sentences.
  • Single blanked questions contain 5 answer choices
  • Double blanked questions contain 3 answer choice
  • Triple blanked questions contain 3 answer choices
  • Only one answer is correct for each blank.
  • You may select the same answer for multiple blanks.
GRE Text sample question

Answer Key: Option A (i), Option E (ii), and Option I (iii).

GRE Sentence Equivalence

  • Sentence Equivalence of GRE Verbal Reasoning comprises only one sentence and one blank.
  • There are six answer options given and you need to select two.
  • If only one option is chosen, you are not given any marks.
GRE sentence equivalence sample question

Answer Key: Choice D and F

GRE Verbal Score

GRE verbal score is reported on a scale of 130-170 with 1 point increment. The average score in GRE verbal is 149.97. In terms of percentile, 80-90% or higher score in GRE verbal is helpful for admission in the renowned colleges in the world.

In the following table check the GMAT score and their equivalent percentiles:

Verbal Score Percentile
130
135 3
140 12
145 27
150 48
155 69
160 86
165 96
170 99

Above 160 GRE verbal scores happens to be the most acceptable scores for the world’s top B-Schools.

How GRE Verbal Score is Calculated?

GRE verbal reasoning is section-level adaptive and the score of verbal contributes equally towards the final GRE score like the score of GRE quant section. To calculate the GRE verbal score, the raw score is the score is first calculated. Raw points are based on the number of correct answers.

This raw score is converted into a scaled score with the help of the ‘equating’ process where the total number of questions, number of correct answers, difficulty level, and accuracy levels are considered.

Obtaining a good score in GRE verbal is necessary for admission to the best B-schools in the world. For this, strong GRE vocabulary strategies will be needed. Along with this, GRE Verbal practice is necessary for in-depth preparation. Along with these, GRE verbal preparation tips can help the candidates to stay one step ahead.

How to score 160 in GRE Verbal Reasoning

GRE Verbal Reasoning Section of GRE General test contributes to half of the total GRE score. GRE Verbal score around 160 is equivalent to 90-95 percentile. You will need to solve GRE verbal practice questions every day to reach your goal. The following are a few GRE Verbal Reasoning techniques:

  • When weighing your options for answer follow the elimination process
  • Solve GRE verbal practice questions rigorously.
  • Increase your GRE vocabulary
  • In text completion, questions do not jump to conclusions just because the words match.
  • When answering GRE sentence equivalence questions, do not assume that synonyms are correct answers because the meaning needs to be the same.
  • When answering reading comprehension, multiple-choice questions, choose your options carefully. Paraphrasing will help you in this part.

GRE Verbal Preparation 

Solving GRE verbal practice tests online helps you in preparation for GRE Verbal. Consult GRE verbal books too. Here are a few GRE English preparation tips:

  • Read English magazines, newspaper articles, and practice paraphrasing.
  • Learn new words and phrases and their meanings every day.
  • Manage your time well: Solve the easy and known questions first.
  • Do not skip any part of the reading passage.
  • If one or more answers are correct in a question, remember to mark all possible answers.
  • After solving official GRE verbal reasoning practice questions, review your mistakes and work on them.
  • Avoid making the same mistakes every time, and you will be good to go.

*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.

Ask your question

Answered Questions

AS

Akanksha Sharma

30 Jan 23

In case you are enquiring about the CAT percentile let me clarify that ISB Hyderabad does not take into consideration CAT scores. It accepts GMAT/GRE scores only. Most importantly, the ISB Shortlisting process is profile-based. This means even with a lower percentile you can manage to get shortlisted provided you have an excellent profile.

There is no fixed cutoff for GMAT. However, a 700+ GMAT score isn't a must-have for ISB if your application is strong in other areas. According to an ISB spokesperson, candidates were admitted to the 2021 cohort with scores as low as 580, and as high as 780. So the GMAT score range for ISB is 580-780.

...Show More

Subscribe To Our News Letter

Get Latest Notification Of Colleges, Exams and News

© 2024 Zollege Internet Private Limited