Although the Verbal section may not strike terror into test-takers' hearts the way Math does, you can't afford to go into the GMAT CAT without knowing something about these questions either. Each verbal question type requires a different kind of skill--but they're skills you can master with some practice.
A BASIC STRATEGY
On the Verbal section, just like the math, remember that the early questions are worth more points than the later ones, so plan to devote more time to them. Be especially careful with the first five questions--they're critical to your overall verbal score!
THREE QUESTION TYPES
The Verbal section will contain forty-one questions--you'll have seventy-five minutes to answer them all. The three Verbal question types--Critical Reasoning, Sentence Correction, and Reading Comp--are randomly distributed throughout the section. You'll see about fourteen questions of each type on the test, but one type will have just thirteen.
CRITICAL REASONING
Critical Reasoning tests your analytical skills. You'll be presented with a short argument and a question relating to it. By "argument" we don't mean a verbal donnybrook--but rather just a short piece of text where a writer makes an assertion or states a point of view and then tries to support it. You'll be expected to find the answer choice that strengthens or weakens the argument. You may also be asked to find an assumption the argument makes or make an inference yourself.
To do well on these questions, be sure to understand the structure of each argument-identify what the writer's conclusion is, what evidence he/she presents to support the conclusion, and what assumptions are made to jump from evidence to conclusion. Think about this for each question before you look at the answer choices. Otherwise, the intentionally tricky wording of the answers may confuse you.
SENTENCE CORRECTION
Sentence Correction tests your knowledge of English grammar and style. You're shown a sentence--often a very long or contorted one. A part of the sentence is underlined, and you're asked to find the best version of the underlined section--the original version or one of four alternatives. These questions test what the test-makers call "standard written English." This isn't the language that you employ in everyday speech, or even writing, but rather the formal language that academic and scholarly books and periodicals--at least that's what the test-makers say.
For each question, it's again important that you read the original sentence through carefully before looking at the answers. If you spot and error, eliminate Choice (A) right away-it always restates the language of the original. You may very well be able to "hear" whether the original sentence if correct using the instinctive "ear" that you've develop by speaking and reading English.
READING COMP
Reading Comp a standardized test favorite, so you're probably pretty familiar with it. On GMAT CAT, you'll get 3 passages--one each on a business, social science, and natural science subject--with 3-4 questions to accompany each one. Reading Comp poses some particular problems in the CAT format. You'll have to scroll down to read the whole passage and you'll only see one question at a time.
When reading a passage, remember that you're not trying to memorize all the information in it. Instead, first read through it quickly, trying to get an idea of the general topic, the author's purpose in writing, his "voice" and the scope of the passage--how broadly or narrowly the writer treats a subject. For instance, in a passage about industrial safety regulations, the writer may focus on a specific aspect of this general topic or she may treat the topic with a broader scope, for instance relating it to the history of regulations and perhaps also comparing safety regulations to other regulatory activities. Read through each the passage, before looking at the questions so you don't get unduly confused.
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