The GRE verbal reasoning section is an important component of the test that measures the ability of the candidates to read, analyse and comprehend the written texts in academic settings. Since the test takers are intended to take admissions in graduate, business, and law schools on the basis of GRE test scores, they must expect the difficulty level of this section to be moderately average.
In this blog, we have covered the important aspects of the GRE verbal section, including its question types, strategies to tackle them, and the scoring system.
Table of Contents
What is the GRE Verbal Reasoning Section?
The verbal reasoning section of the GRE general test measures the candidate’s ability to analyse the written material and articulate information from it, form relationships among words and concepts and recognise relationships among different parts of a sentence. This section comes after the analytical writing portion, along with quantitative reasoning in any order.
GRE Verbal Exam Pattern & Format
- The GRE verbal section consists of 2 sections
- Each section has a different number of questions to be answered
- Section 1 consists of 12 questions, which are required to be answered in 18 minutes.
- Section 2 consists of 15 questions, which are required to be answered in 23 minutes.
- Overall, test takers are required to answer 27 questions in 41 minutes.
| Section | GRE Verbal Reasoning Section |
|---|---|
| No. of Sections | 2 |
| No. of Questions | Section-1: 12 Section-2: 15 |
| Types of Questions | Reading Comprehension Text Completion Sentence Equivalence |
| Total Questions | 27 |
| Time Duration for each Section | Section-1: 18 Minutes Section-2: 23 Minutes |
| Total Time Duration | 41 Minutes |
Difficulty Level of GRE Verbal Reasoning Section
- The verbal reasoning section of the GRE general test is section-level adaptive, which means that the difficulty level of the questions in the second section adjusts itself depending on the test taker’s overall performance in the first section.
- The first section in the GRE verbal is of average difficulty level
- If the test taker has performed well in the first section, the second section will be at a higher level of difficulty.
What are the Types of GRE Verbal Questions?
The GRE verbal section (sections 1 & 2 ) consists of the following types of questions.
Reading Comprehension– It refers to reading and understanding the prose or paragraph commonly found in graduate schools. Based on the reading, the candidates have to answer the objective questions.
Text Completion– In these types of questions, candidates have to read and analyse the short passages to fill up the omitted words and form a meaningful and coherent picture of the scenario.
Sentence Equivalence– In this, candidates have to reach a conclusion based on the partial information to narrate how a passage should end.
Below, we have tabulated the types of questions along with their respective tasks and format.
| Types of Questions | Tasks/Structure | Question Format |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | Passage summarisation Drawing conclusion Meaning of words and sentences Infer missing information Identifying the author's assumptions Developing alternative explanations Understanding the structure of the text Distinguishing between major and minor points | Multiple Choice Questions Multiple Answers Questions Select-in Passage |
| Text Completion | Read given passages Each passage is composed of 1-5 sentences There are 1-3 blanks per sentence Selecting one answer choice per blank Each blank functions independently | Multiple Choice Questions |
| Sentence Equivalence | Each Question consists of a single sentence 1 blank per sentence 6 answer choices per blanks Selecting two of the answer choices | Multiple Answer Questions |
Now, let’s discuss each type of question one by one, along with the approach to answer them.
Reading Comprehension Questions in the GRE Verbal Section
Reading comprehension consists of 3-4 paragraphs or prose pieces, and each piece contains 3-4 questions. The reading comprehension questions in the GRE verbal reasoning section assess the wide range of skills required to read and understand the written academic prose and paragraphs. These skills include the following
- Interpreting the meaning of words and sentences
- Interpreting the meaning of paragraphs
- Distinguishing between major and minor points
- Passage summarisation
- Drawing conclusions
- Inferring missing information
- Understanding relationships between two or more parts of a sentences
- Identifying the author’s perspectives
- Developing alternative explanations
Approaches Required to Answer Reading Comprehension Questions
While answering the questions in the reading comprehension part, test takers can follow the below approaches to understand the context of the prose passage provided. It helps them find the best possible answers.
- They must engage with the passage actively.
- They must ask questions themselves while reading the passage and try to find its answers.
- They should formulate hypotheses and evaluate their validation
- They must reflect on the relationship between the particular text and other information provided in the passage.
Format of Questions in Reading Comprehension
There are 3 types of question formats in the reading comprehension part of the GRE verbal section.
- Select a single answer
- Select multiple correct answers
- Select a sentence from the passage
How to Answer Reading Comprehension Questions?
- It is true that the questions in the reading comprehension part of the GRE verbal section can be from unfamiliar sources, but test takers should not be discouraged from seeing them because the answers can be formulated on the basis of the information provided in those passages. There is no specialised knowledge required.
- After receiving a passage, test takers must read it carefully before attempting any answer.
- Now, they can proceed to the question part after ensuring that they have understood what exactly is being asked.
- Each question can be answered on the basis of information provided in the passage. For this, test takers must carefully consider the context provided by the passage.
Text Completion Questions in the GRE Verbal Section
- Text completion questions in the GRE verbal section consist of 3-4 paragraphs or prose pieces, and each piece contains 3-4 questions.
- It assesses the test taker’s ability to maintain a constant attitude of interpretation and evaluation, along with revising the picture that reshapes the story completely.
- In such types of questions, there are some blank spaces in the short passages and test takers are required to use the remaining information to choose the crucial omitted words, which ultimately create a cohesive picture.
Question Structure
- Each passage is composed of 1-5 sentences, with 1-3 blanks per sentence
- If there are 2-3 blank spaces, each blank has 3 answer choices
- If there is only 1 blank, there are 5 answer choices
- Each blank has 1 correct answer
- There is no credit for partially correct answers.
How to Answer Text Completion Questions?
- Test takers must read the passage carefully.
- They must identify the words or phrases that are missing from the surrounding lines and words.
- They can try to fill in the blanks with words or phrases that seem to complete the sentence.
- Finally, they must check that the passage is logically, grammatically, and stylistically correct.
Sentence Equivalence
- Sentence equivalence questions in the GRE verbal section consist of 3-4 paragraphs or prose pieces, and each piece contains 3-4 questions.
- Similar to text completion questions, sentence equivalence questions also evaluate the test taker’s ability to reach a conclusion about how a passage should be completed.
- The partial information forms the basis for completing the passage.
- It consists of a single sentence with one blank and asks test takers to identify the 2 choices that lead to a complete sentence
Question Structure
- Each question consists of a single sentence with 1 blank and 6 answer choices.
- Test takers have to choose 2 of the answer choices
- There is no credit for partially correct answers.
How to Answer Text Completion Questions?
- Test takers must read the sentence to get an overall picture.
- They should identify the words or phrases that seem significant to them.
- They must check that the passage is logically, grammatically, and stylistically correct.
GRE Verbal Syllabus
The passages are based on material found in books and periodicals, both academic and non-academic, such as
- Physical Sciences
- Biological Sciences
- Social Sciences
- Business
- Arts & Humanities
- Everyday Topics
GRE Verbal Section Scoring
- The GRE Verbal Reasoning section is scored on a scale of 130 to 170 in one-point increments. The score is determined through a two-step process.
- First, the total number of correct answers is calculated as the raw score, with no penalty for incorrect responses.
- This raw score is then converted to a scaled score using a process called equating.
- The final score reflects the test taker’s performance.
- The percentile rank indicates how they performed relative to other test takers.
- The scores on the verbal reasoning measures reflect the number of questions test takers answered correctly and the difficulty level of each section.
Key Takeaways by Smart Academy
The GRE General Verbal Reasoning section aims to evaluate the test taker’s ability to read and comprehend written academic content. This section consists of 3 types of questions, each requiring a different approach to answer.
However, test takers must understand that before attempting any question in this section, they should familiarise themselves with the pattern and format to have a clear idea of how to shape their approach.
FAQs
How many questions are in the GRE verbal section?
The GRE verbal section consists of a total of 27 questions. Part 1 consists of 12 questions, and part 2 consists of 15 questions.
How is the GRE verbal section graded?
The GRE Verbal Reasoning section is scored on a scale of 130 to 170 in one-point increments. The score is determined through a two-step process. First, the total number of correct answers is calculated as the raw score; then, this raw score is converted to a scaled score using a process called equating.
What to read for GRE verbal?
The best resource for studying for the GRE Verbal section is the official GRE test kit provided by ETS, the official agency that organises and administers the test.
What is the time duration of the verbal reasoning section in the GRE General test?
The total time duration of the verbal reasoning section in the GRE General test is 41 minutes.
What is a good GRE verbal score?
For most of the courses and universities, a GRE verbal score of 158 or higher is generally considered good.
