How to improve on GRE verbal according to Reddit (r/gre)

Related: a guide to studying for the GRE

Introduction

Studying for GRE Verbal is hard. There are a bunch of recommendations floating all over the Internet, and it’s not easy to sort through them.

That’s why I’ve decided to compile the Reddit experts’ opinions on the best GRE verbal materials.

Our experts are:

u/klevertree1 (me): 170V/166Q/6.0 AWA and a very experienced GRE tutor

u/gregmat: 170V/169Q/6.0 AWA and creator of some of Reddit’s favorite GRE videos

u/Vince_Kotchian: 170V/167Q and also a super experienced tutor (since 2008!)

u/Scott_TargetTestPrep: creator of Target Test Prep, a well-loved prep company

Materials

u/klevertree1: Official Guide to the GRE 2nd edition, GRE Verbal Supplement, Quizlet or Magoosh flashcards, my error log app

u/gregmat: Only ETS for verbal questions, Magoosh flashcards and, of course, his free videos for strategy

u/Vince_Kotchian: only ETS for verbal questions, his own vocab book, gregmat’s videos, an error log

u/Scott_TargetTestPrep: unclear

Strategies

Sentence Equivalence and Text Completion

u/klevertree1: your trick here is find two words that mean the same thing and fit in the sentence. You’ll have to practice first, at understanding the meaning of the sentence (paying attention to your conjunctions and transition words), and then you need to have a mastery of vocab to find synonyms.

u/gregmat: math strategy, meaning one part of the sentence has to balance out the other part. Pay attention to how one part can set another part up. Or, try the block of 4, in which you look for opposites.

u/Vince_Kotchian: get the gist of the sentence by picking out key words like this or despite, then use vocab to fill in the rest.

u/Scott_TargetTestPrep: flashcards and context clues

Reading Comprehension

u/klevertree1: skim through the text by reading the first sentence and last sentence of each paragraph. This should give you enough info to identify the topic of each paragraph, and answer a main idea.

Then, for each question, your task is to identify the key terms in the question that allow you to locate the appropriate paragraph and sentence(s). Read only the sentences you need, but read those carefully.

u/gregmat: simplify each sentence as you read it, identify important words as you read, understand simplified version of entire paragraph, then entire passage. Answer questions off of simplification.

u/Vince_Kotchian: read passage, summarize as you read and write notes. Then summarize paragraph when done, then passage when done. Use key terms in question to identify where you need to read more closely in passage.

u/Scott_TargetTestPrep: slow down and understand what you’re reading.

General GRE Verbal Studying Tips

u/klevertree1: put a lot of hours, use an error log, keep focusing on refining and reviewing your process.

u/gregmat: focus on the process, especially practicing your strategies. work easy to hard, and don’t be afraid to get frustrated.

u/Vince_Kotchian: put in the work, and review your strategies and techniques.

u/Scott_TargetTestPrep: be “present” while doing verbal questions. Don’t worry about anything else beyond the question.