How do I Score Well on the Verbal GMAT®?

A person can score well on the verbal Graduate Management Admission Test® (GMAT®) portion by taking multiple practice exams and studying college-level vocabulary words with flash cards. The GMAT® consists of a verbal section, a quantitative section and an essay portion. The exam scores are used by business school admissions officers to admit students and award scholarships and loans.

The verbal GMAT® portion of the exam is a standardized computer-based test that must be taken in conjunction with the essay and quantitative sections. A person may only take the exam in a designated testing center with a proctor. Testing centers are located in a vast number of locations throughout the United States, and many countries around the world have testing centers as well.

One tip for performing well on the verbal GMAT® is to take multiple practice exams. Test takers can see where they are weak and where they need to improve. These practice testing booklets are found in bookstores and online.

A test taker should always read the instructions and questions several times to make sure the passage is understood. One tip is to read the question first, before reading the passage. This way, the test taker will know what to remember in the passage.

If a test taker is having trouble choosing an answer, he or she should try to cross off the obviously wrong answers. This is the "deductive logic" method of answering questions. It will increase the chance of getting a correct answer. One also should look out for "red herrings," which are answers that seem logical but are not.

Students should also study GMAT® vocabulary words to increase their verbal acumen. The GMAT® exam verbal passages will contain many words that are at the college level. One way to increase vocabulary skill is to use flash cards and memorize definitions. A test taker should at least be able to use the new vocabulary word in a sentence.

When reading the verbal GMAT® reading passage, testers can also look for the concluding sentence, which is often found after the words "therefore," "as a result," or "consequently." The sentence after these words is usually factual and relevant to the answer.

One should start studying for the verbal GMAT® at least a month in advance of the actual exam. More practice time can be helpful in raising one's test score. The higher the score on the verbal portion, the higher the overall GMAT® score, which increases one's chance of getting into a top graduate school.