What’s the best strategy to score 160+ in GRE Verbal?

Question

S Raghav · Accepted Answer

Most people who score above 160 don&rsquo;t just have strong vocab&mdash;they&rsquo;ve trained their brain to read the test like a pattern. Once that shift happens, accuracy goes up fast.
&bull; Group your prep by question type for the first two weeks. Focus on 1&ndash;2 types per day rather than jumping across. This locks in patterns. &bull; Read one passage daily and try to explain the main idea in one sentence. If it&rsquo;s longer, you&rsquo;re not ready for GRE timing. &bull; After every 10 SE/TC questions, review why the wrong options are wrong. Half the battle is learning what traps look like. &bull; Keep a &ldquo;mistake notebook&rdquo; and revisit it weekly. Look for repeat issues&mdash;tense shifts, contrast words, extreme answer choices. &bull; One underrated trick: practice 5&ndash;10 verbal questions standing up, just before a workout or walk. It mimics pressure and keeps your mind alert.
Locking in pacing and logic under stress is what separates a 157 from a 163.
For more details you can read this blog on "GRE Test Verbal Reasoning"

V Gupta · Answer

The best strategy to score 160+ in GRE Verbal is to train for logic, not just language. GRE Verbal rewards test-takers who can spot trap answers, follow argument flow, and eliminate choices that almost fit but miss the core idea.
Start by building accuracy in each question type. For RC, focus on small details: contrast words, paragraph shifts, and question phrasing. Misreading tone or missing a &ldquo;however&rdquo; can cost points. For vocab, don&rsquo;t just memorize words&mdash;practice SE and TC questions in sets of 10 under time pressure and review every single wrong option.
Use a mix of full verbal sections and topic-specific drills. Label each question you miss: was it a misread, vocab gap, or logic error? This kind of mistake mapping builds faster improvement. Also, mix in 30 minutes of high-level reading daily&mdash;essays from Aeon or Arts & Letters Daily work well. Not for vocab, but to train your brain to process dense writing quickly.