Are you planning to take the GMAT to get into business school? These days, many schools are looking for a well-rounded candidate. One who is able to score well on both the verbal and the quantitative sections of the test.

There are many tips, tricks, and strategies you can use to improve your GMAT score.

If you need to improve your GMAT verbal score, this article will offer insights and strategies to help you get the best possible score.

How Is The GMAT Verbal Section Scored?

The GMAT verbal section is scored on a scale from 0 to 60. The average (mean) score is a 27.

In order to score in the top 10% of test-takers for the GMAT verbal section, you would need to receive a score of at least 40.

What Topics Are Covered On The Verbal GMAT Exam?

The verbal portion of the GMAT is broken up into three sections: reading comprehension, critical reasoning, and sentence correction.

There are a total of 41 questions for the verbal test, and students are allotted 75 minutes in which to complete the questions.

Reading comprehension questions ask test-takers to read a passage, and answer questions based on the information contained within the passage.

Critical reasoning questions ask test-takers to read a short passage, then choose an answer choice which analyzes, supports, or weakens the passage’s argument.

Sentence correction questions ask test-takers to determine the most efficient and grammatically correct choice within a given sentence.

How Can I Improve My GMAT Verbal Score?

Each of the question types on the GMAT verbal test requires different skills and should be approached in different ways.

Taking timed practice tests is the best way to get a baseline for your skills and to determine the areas where you need the most work.

Once you’ve determined your weaknesses and decided on a GMAT study schedule, you can look at specific strategies for the three question types:

Reading Comprehension

– Don’t try to save time by reading the questions before looking at the passage. This is a common, and effective, strategy for the quantitative GMAT, but it will context is vital on the verbal GMAT.

– Looking at the questions first will only slow you down. Instead, practice skimming passages so that you can summarize & convey the main point in one or two sentences.

– Use your overall understanding of the passage’s tone and main point to help you eliminate answer choices and check for supporting information in the passage. This will allow you to answer questions quickly and correctly.

– If you are not a strong reader or English is not your first language, consider devoting some of your study time to increasing your reading speed and comprehension. This will help you on every area of the test. The more time you can spend calmly evaluating answer choices, the better your score will be.

Critical Reasoning

– Keep in mind that the GMAT critical reasoning questions are testing the skills you will need in business school: the ability to distill complex information, eliminate the extraneous, and make decisions.

– Don’t be fooled by answer choices which seem to include relevant keywords, but don’t actually address the subject of the argument you’re being asked to evaluate.

Sentence Correction

– It’s easy to get bogged down in sentence correction questions if you spend too much time focusing on minor details.

To succeed in business school, you’ll need to be able to see the big picture and use the most important information to make a decision. Those are the skills the GMAT is testing for, as well.

– Before looking at the answer choices, read through the sentences in the question stem.

Don’t just look at the underlined portion – context is vital to most grammar questions, whether it’s tense agreement or subject/verb agreement.

– Use process of elimination to get rid of answers that are obviously wrong, and evaluate the differences in the remaining choices.

– If you have a strong “ear” for the English language, you may be able to get many questions right just by trusting your instincts.

– If you need to refresh your grammar skills, focus on pronouns, verbs, and modifier rules. Those will address the largest number of questions without getting overwhelmed by small details.

Your Turn

There are many tips, tricks, and strategies you can use to improve your GMAT score. But the best strategy of all is to devise a good study plan and to follow it diligently.

Have you been struggling to improve your GMAT verbal score? What’s been your biggest problem so far?