What topics are covered in the Verbal section of the GMAT Focus Edition?

Asked by Mathew Godnis 11 months ago

7 Answers

The Verbal section of the GMAT Focus Edition is a critical component that evaluates your reading, reasoning, and writing skills.

Here’s a breakdown of the topics covered:

1. Reading Comprehension

This topic tests your ability to read and comprehend written material. You'll encounter passages on various topics and be required to answer questions about the main idea, supporting details, inferences, and the logical structure of the passage.

2. Critical Reasoning

These questions measure your skills in reasoning and argumentation. You'll be presented with arguments that you need to analyze, strengthen or weaken, identify assumptions, and draw logical conclusions. This part is crucial for assessing your ability to think critically and make decisions based on complex information.

3. Sentence Correction

This section focuses on your understanding of English grammar and effective communication. You'll be given sentences with underlined portions and asked to choose the best grammatical and stylistic version. Key areas include subject-verb agreement, parallelism, modifiers, and sentence structure.

To excel in the Verbal section, it’s essential to develop a strong foundation in grammar and critical reading skills. Regular practice with diverse reading materials and timed exercises can significantly enhance your performance. Consider using official GMAT prep materials and practice tests to familiarize yourself with the question types and timing.


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XAVIAR X

XAVIAR X

Study abroad expert

The topics covered in the Verbal section of the GMAT Focus Edition are a common concern for students preparing for this exam.

The Verbal section of the GMAT Focus Edition is designed to assess your ability to understand and analyze written texts and arguments. This section consists of 23 multiple-choice questions and takes 45 minutes to complete.

Reading Comprehension (RC)
The Reading Comprehension questions in the Verbal section are based on passages of varying lengths. These passages cover topics such as economics, science, art, or history. You'll need to understand the main ideas, identify the purpose, and draw logical conclusions from the text. This type of question is crucial for evaluating your ability to comprehend and analyze written information.

Critical Reasoning (CR)
Critical Reasoning questions present a short passage that presents an argument. After reading the passage, you'll need to evaluate the logic and implications of the argument. This involves tasks like identifying assumptions, resolving paradoxes, and evaluating the strength or weakness of the argument. These questions are essential for assessing your ability to analyze and evaluate arguments logically.

The Verbal section of the GMAT Focus Edition is crucial for demonstrating your ability to understand and analyze written texts and arguments. By focusing on these core skills, you can better prepare for the exam and demonstrate your readiness for graduate-level business programs.

It's important to note that the Verbal section no longer includes Sentence Correction questions, which were a staple of the previous GMAT format. This change reflects the evolving focus of the exam and the growing importance of critical reasoning and reading comprehension skills in the modern business landscape.

As you prepare for the GMAT Focus Edition, make sure to practice a wide range of Verbal questions and familiarize yourself with the exam's format and question types. This will help you develop the necessary skills and confidence to excel in the Verbal section.


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Neema Nigam

Neema Nigam

Sr. Consultant

The Verbal section of the GMAT Focus Edition is designed to evaluate your reading, comprehension, and critical thinking abilities. This section includes two main types of questions: Reading Comprehension (RC) and Critical Reasoning (CR).

Reading Comprehension (RC): In the Reading Comprehension part, you will encounter passages that cover a range of topics, including humanities, social sciences, and business-related subjects. Each passage is followed by multiple questions that test your ability to understand the main idea, identify supporting details, infer meanings, and analyze the author's tone and purpose. Typically, you can expect to see 3 to 4 passages, with about 3 to 4 questions per passage​.

Critical Reasoning (CR): The Critical Reasoning questions assess your ability to evaluate arguments and formulate coherent responses. You will be presented with short arguments or statements and asked to identify assumptions, strengthen or weaken arguments, draw conclusions, and evaluate the logic of the given arguments. There are usually 10 to 13 Critical Reasoning questions in this section​.

The Verbal section comprises 23 multiple-choice questions, and you have 45 minutes to complete it. The focus is on your ability to read and comprehend complex texts and to think critically about the information presented. Unlike the previous versions of the GMAT, the Focus Edition has removed Sentence Correction questions from the Verbal section.

To get ready for the GMAT Verbal section, read different types of materials and think about what you read. Use official GMAT practice questions to know what to expect and take practice tests to get better at answering questions quickly and correctly.


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Manisha Rani

Manisha Rani

Student of MBA from Oxford University

The Verbal section of the GMAT Focus Edition covers a range of topics designed to test your reading and comprehension skills, as well as your ability to analyze arguments and correct sentences. This section is crucial because it evaluates how well you can understand and use standard written English.

Firstly, you will encounter Reading Comprehension questions. These questions present a passage and ask you to understand, analyze, and interpret the information. You’ll need to grasp the main idea, pick out details, understand logical structures, and draw inferences. It's like understanding the plot and characters of a story in detail, except it can be about a variety of subjects such as social sciences, business, or natural sciences.

Secondly, there are Critical Reasoning questions. These are designed to test your ability to make and evaluate arguments. You'll read a short argument or a series of statements and then answer questions about it. You might need to strengthen or weaken an argument, identify assumptions, or evaluate a plan. It's similar to figuring out if a friend's reasoning for making a decision is sound or flawed.

Lastly, Sentence Correction questions focus on your ability to identify and correct grammatical errors and improve sentence structure. These questions present a sentence, part of which is underlined, and you have to choose the best version of the underlined section from the given options. This tests your knowledge of grammar rules and stylistic norms in English. It’s like editing a piece of writing to make sure it’s clear and correct.

To prepare for the Verbal section, it's helpful to read widely and critically, practice identifying the main ideas and arguments in what you read, and work on understanding complex sentence structures. There are many resources available, including GMAT prep books and online courses, which provide practice questions and strategies.

Understanding the topics covered in the Verbal section can significantly enhance your preparation and boost your confidence on test day. It’s important to practice regularly and seek help if you find certain areas challenging. You might consider joining a study group or finding a tutor to strengthen your skills further.

By focusing on these areas and practicing consistently, you can improve your performance in the Verbal section of the GMAT Focus Edition. Remember, the key is to understand the material and develop the ability to think critically and communicate effectively. Good luck with your studies and test preparation.


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Tarun Mathur

Tarun Mathur

Sr. Consultant

The Verbal section of the GMAT Focus Edition tests your ability to read and comprehend written material, reason and evaluate arguments, and correct written material to conform to standard written English.

Here are the main topics covered in this section:

  • Reading Comprehension: This topic involves understanding and interpreting information from written passages. You'll need to identify the main idea, supporting details, and the logical structure of the passage. It also tests your ability to make inferences and understand the author's tone and purpose.
  • Critical Reasoning: This area tests your ability to analyze arguments and formulate a logical response. You'll be given short arguments or statements and asked to identify assumptions, evaluate arguments, and determine the strength of evidence. Questions might ask you to weaken or strengthen an argument or find a conclusion that logically follows from the given statements.
  • Sentence Correction: This topic focuses on grammar and effective communication. You'll be presented with sentences that contain errors and asked to choose the best version of the sentence from the options provided. This section tests your knowledge of standard English grammar, including subject-verb agreement, verb tenses, modifiers, parallelism, and proper sentence structure.

Understanding these topics is crucial as they collectively assess your ability to think critically, understand and analyze written material, and communicate effectively. Practicing each of these areas can help you perform better in the Verbal section of the GMAT Focus Edition.

To prepare effectively, consider using official GMAT practice materials and taking practice tests to familiarize yourself with the question types and timing. Remember, improving your verbal skills takes time and practice, so be consistent in your preparation.

Focusing on these key areas will help you build the skills needed to excel in the Verbal section of the GMAT Focus Edition.


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