Preparing for the GMAT Verbal

Word challenged? Here are some tips for improving your score on the verbal portion of the Graduate Management Admissions Test

By Alina Dizik

As a microbiologist and a native Chinese speaker, Haidong Zheng realized early on his verbal GMAT preparation might need to go beyond the traditional test prep course he had signed up for. So in September, while taking the course, Zheng started a Google group, called i-GMAT study, with 10 other non-native English speakers who were also taking the test. There members discussed the assumption-based critical reasoning questions as well as tricky reading comprehension questions.

Zheng, who lives in the New York borough of Queens, says he knew he would need a boost: In practice exams, "I would do better on logic but do poorly on verbal and sometimes you need help." And while he hasn't taken an official GMAT yet, he's confident, with the practice he's been doing, he's going to do better on the verbal portion than he would have when he started.

Clearly, non-native speakers of English are at a disadvantage when it comes to the verbal portion of the GMAT. But even people who have grown up with the language don't have it easy. Experts suggest that while even the most proficient test takers polish their verbal skills to succeed, some test takers make the mistake of relying on their gut feelings instead of studying the material.

Questions Are Slow to Change

Unlike the quantitative portion (BusinessWeek.com, 9/30/07), which has definitive answers and techniques that can be studied and learned during a review period, when it comes to verbal, cramming doesn't quite work. "It's harder to increase your reading level at this age," explains Wendy Weiss, the assistant director of MBA admissions at Georgetown's McDonough School of Business, who took the exam herself several years ago. Even those verbal areas that can be studied for can take a longer time than math, Weiss says.

The approach most students take is to crack open a GMAT test book and sign up for a review course. There's no lack of material, because there are few surprises in the verbal section, explains Fanmin Guo, director of psychometric research at the Graduate Management Admission Council, which administers the GMAT, noting, "concepts have been very stable." However, he also warns that it doesn't make the verbal part any easier; the topics just evolve in a slower fashion.

Practice Tips

Beyond books and prep courses, here are some additional ways to practice for this part of the exam.

Practice Web-Reading: Any prep book about this computer-adaptive exam will recommend that you take practice versions online. But another simple thing to do is read anything you can in an online format, says the Kaplan test prep company's GMAT Program Manager, Jennifer Kedrowski. "Reading on the computer screen is different than reading a magazine or a newspaper—you can't underline or highlight and just have to scroll through," she says. She suggests those studying for the test make a habit of reading from the computer daily.

Download a Practice Test: Starting out a study regimen with a full three-hour exam can help identify the areas you need to concentrate on right away and help tailor the rest of your study course. But there's no need to buy a book or sign up for a class just yet. Instead, take a practice exam you can download for free from sites such as mba.com. Then pay special attention to the verbal portions.

Focus on Specifics: While many prep courses offer traditional help, it's also possible to seek out extra courses on supertargeted topics such as pronouns or subject-verb agreement after a diagnostic test indicates where you need extra help. Many short tutorials are offered online and will help you practice before the exam.