Tackling the GMAT Verbal Section

The GMAT is one of the most sought after examinations in the world for all management aspirants. Students from across the continents appear for this examination in order to secure a berth in the best B-schools of the world. But GMAT is tough and can be really frightening to many. Cracking the GMAT is an uphill task and requires intelligence, aptitude, perseverance, diligence and presence of mind.

GMAT has three major sections – the Essay (known as the AWA), Verbal Ability and Quantitative Aptitude. As far as the Verbal section is concerned, there are three major categories of questions that come in GMAT namely, Sentence Correction, Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning. All questions are tough and the options are very close thereby increasing the level of difficulty. Regular practice and thorough knowledge of grammar is required. But then, with a sound knowledge of what is to be studied can make it a smart study regimen rather than a hard study regimen.

The Reading Comprehension covers about one third of the section and the passages can be on any subject under the sun. So students should develop a reading habit and be in the know of various subjects so as not to be flabbergasted just by the subject. The Sentence Correction questions test grammar and standard English usage and thus one should study grammar with special reference to a few chapters like Subject Verb Agreement, Parallelism, Modifiers, Prepositions, Cases of Nouns and Pronouns, Antecedents etc. The Critical Reasoning Section is yet another tough section that tests one’s ability to infer and reason. So one has to put in a lot of time and energy in understanding the nuances of various arguments, premises, assumptions and conclusions and drawing analogies based on the arguments. So students need to develop critical reading and reasoning skills as part of their preparation for GMAT. But then, however tough GMAT Verbal may be, as they say, where there is a will, there is a way!