Preparing for the GRE can pose significant challenges, especially if you feel that verbal reasoning is your weak point. It’s no secret that verbal improvement can take a lot of time and often happens at a slower rate than improvement in Quant (math). It’s simply the nature of the Verbal beast. Thus, while many study plans emphasize dividing your focus pretty evenly between quantitative and verbal, you might find that focusing more effort on verbal concepts is necessary for you to achieve your target score. In this article, we’ll guide you through how to modify a 1 week, 1 month, 3 month, or 6 month Magoosh GRE study guide as a test taker who needs to spend more time on the verbal side of the aisle.
Before diving into the specifics, it’s important to understand the key elements that contribute to success in the GRE verbal section. Here are some strategies to keep in mind as you adjust your study plan:
We cannot emphasize strongly enough that it takes a lot of time to realize a significant improvement in Verbal performance. Building vocabulary and increasing reading speed and retention is no easy feat. Many students who are weaker in verbal, or are non-native English speakers, might give themselves up to a year to prepare for the exam. So, if you know that Verbal concepts pose a challenge for you, give yourself adequate study time. The earlier you start building more dedicated Verbal practice into your schedule, the better.
The GRE verbal section tests your ability to understand complex texts, which often includes a range of advanced vocabulary. Increase the amount of time you spend studying vocabulary each day. Use flashcards, read challenging materials, and incorporate new words into your speech and writing to reinforce retention. For a more in-depth look at how to ramp up your vocabulary study, check out our How to Study GRE Vocabulary post.
Reading comprehension is a critical component of the verbal section. Focus on understanding the main ideas, identifying authors’ arguments, and recognizing underlying assumptions in passages. Practice active reading by summarizing paragraphs and anticipating where questions might come. Unfortunately, there isn’t a great “quick fix” here. Improving your reading comprehension takes dedicated practice, a substantial time investment, and a whole lot of patience. One of the main components of tailoring a verbal-focused schedule is carving out A LOT more time for RC practice–up to an hour or more each day.
It’s important to read materials that are similar to what you’ll encounter come test day. Consider such tired and true publications as The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Economist, and Arts & Letters Daily. Take a look at our post on reading comprehension practice , which focuses on using some of those publications. Or, if you prefer reading books, check out our recommended fiction & non-fiction .
The GRE is largely template-based. The test writers follow particular patterns and structures when designing questions. Therefore, the more familiar you are with the elements of a passage that test writers use to build questions and the more familiar you are with their question type and trap answer phrasing, the easier it will be for you to navigate the twists and turns of the exam–both in Verbal and Quant. The ability to think like a test writer is a large step towards becoming fluent in the language of the GRE.
These question types require not only a robust vocabulary but also a deep understanding of sentence structure and the logical connections therein. Regular practice with these questions will help you develop the ability to quickly identify essential clues and eliminate incorrect answers.
Keep an error log to track the types of mistakes you make in verbal practice. Review this log regularly to identify patterns and target areas for improvement.
Note: We’ve based these modifications on our 3-Month schedule for beginners, but these substitutions can be applied to any study schedule. Ultimately, your goal is to scale back on Quant and replace that time with Verbal.
Something to ask yourself: When navigating difficult texts, are you starting to be able to use context to navigate around the bits that are confusing or that introduce an unfamiliar word? The goal should be the ability to understand the general makeup of the forest, not every single tree.
By tailoring your GRE study schedule to prioritize verbal concepts, you can significantly improve your performance. Remember, consistency and focused practice are key.
Good luck with your GRE preparation—you’re well on your way to achieving your target score!
After graduating from CU Boulder with degrees in Literature and Women’s Studies, Linnea stumbled into the world of test prep and admissions consulting and never looked back. Over the years, she has worked with students in the U.S. and abroad, trained new teachers for the classroom, and written curricula for various test types. Her experience includes teaching the GRE, ACT, SAT, LSAT, and GMAT for The Princeton Review and working as the Director of Instruction Management for The Princeton Review Taipei. Looking for a way to help more students, especially those who were unable to afford access to expensive test prep programs, Linnea joined Magoosh in 2019. She is a content creator who connects with students as a blog contributor and through various lessons and practice on the Magoosh platform.