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For many test-takers considering sitting for the GMAT Focus Edition for business school, preparing for the Verbal Reasoning section inspires stress, anxiety, and confusion. Maybe they’re worried about their ability to understand the notoriously tricky Verbal questions the GMAT Focus presents. Maybe they use their math and data analysis skills often in their jobs, but their verbal skills are rusty.
Whatever the reason, I’ve got good news: the Verbal Reasoning section of the GMAT is nothing to fear! This article is a quick but essential Verbal primer for anyone starting GMAT Focus prep. In it, I’ll explain what the GMAT Verbal question types are, with examples, and give you key tips for mastering each type.
Here are the topics we’ll cover:
How Many Verbal Questions Are on GMAT Focus?
The Verbal section of the GMAT Focus presents 23 multiple-choice questions that you have 45 minutes to answer.
So, you have an average of 1 minute and 57 seconds to answer each Verbal question. However, the time you’ll actually need to answer each question will vary, since different question types present different challenges.
KEY FACT:
The Verbal section of the GMAT Focus presents 23 multiple-choice questions that you have 45 minutes to answer.
With that in mind, let’s get into what the GMAT Verbal question types are and what they test.
The GMAT Verbal Question Types
Broadly speaking, the Verbal section of the GMAT Focus is a test of:
- your ability to understand and interpret texts
- your skill in noticing detail
- your logical reasoning and critical thinking skills
GMAT Verbal tests those skills using 2 main types of questions: Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension.
KEY FACT:
There are 2 main types of GMAT Focus Verbal questions: Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension.
Let’s explore each of these question types.
Critical Reasoning Questions
Of the 23 Verbal questions on the GMAT Focus, approximately 9 or 10 are Critical Reasoning questions.
Each Critical Reasoning question begins with a passage that is typically fewer than 100 words and that presents an argument or scenario. Following the passage is a question asking you to determine which of 5 answer choices is logically related to the passage in a particular way.
For example, you may be asked to identify which answer:
- is an inference you can logically draw based on the passage
- resolves an apparent paradox presented in the passage
- is a flaw in the logic of the argument the passage presents
- is an assumption on which the presented argument depends
- weakens or strengthens the presented argument
and so on.
What all of these CR questions have in common is that they require you to understand the implications of the presented argument or scenario and evaluate it in some way.
The good news is that you don’t need specialized subject matter knowledge to understand CR passages or answer CR questions.
KEY FACT:
Critical Reasoning questions present a short argument or scenario in passage form, and then ask you to evaluate the logic or implications of the passage in a particular way.
To see how GMAT Focus Critical Reasoning questions work, let’s consider an example.
Critical Reasoning Example
Recently, sales of figs have dramatically increased in many areas of the country. Just before the increases in fig sales began, a new video game was released in which characters become powerful by eating figs. Clearly, the reason for the increases in fig sales is the video game’s portrayal of figs as a source of power.
Which of the following if true provides the most additional support for the conclusion of the argument?
- Because fig trees can thrive in a range of climates, it is possible to grow figs in many areas of the country.
- Sales of blueberries also have increased recently.
- Sales of both fresh figs and dried figs have increased recently.
- Sales of figs have increased only in areas of the country where the new video game is popular.
- Figs are sources of important nutrients and antioxidants.
This is a typical CR Strengthen the Argument question. It starts off with a passage, which presents an argument about why fig sales have increased. The argument’s conclusion is as follows:
the reason for the increases in fig sales is the video game’s portrayal of figs as a source of power.
The question following the passage asks us which answer provides the most additional support for the conclusion of the argument. To correctly answer the question, we need to identify the answer choice that most supports the argument’s conclusion. In other words, it asks us which choice most strengthens the argument made.
Let’s take each choice one by one to see which gets the job done.
(A) Incorrect. This choice presents some general information about growing figs. However, it does not help us connect the increases in fig sales to the new video game. Thus, this choice does not provide additional support to the argument’s conclusion.
(B) Incorrect. This choice provides irrelevant information. To support the conclusion, we need information about figs, not blueberries.
(C) Incorrect. This choice provides additional details about the increases in fig sales. However, those details do not connect the increases to the new video game. The conclusion specifically relates to the video game’s impact on fig sales. So, this choice does not provide more support to the conclusion.
(D) Correct. This choice connects the increases in fig sales to the new video game and thus provides additional support to the conclusion.
The passage tells us that the increases occurred after the release of the video game. So, it could be that the two events are coincidental, and some third event caused the increases.
The new information in this choice tells us that the increases occurred only in areas where the video game is popular. Thus, we have more reason to believe that the release of the video game caused the increased sales. The argument’s conclusion is strengthened.
(E) Incorrect. This choice provides an alternative explanation for the increases in fig sales: perhaps more people learned about the nutritional benefits of figs and are thus now purchasing them.
But we’re not looking for an alternative explanation for the sales increases. We’re looking for support for the explanation the argument gives. So, we need an answer choice that connects the increases to the new video game, and this choice does not do that.
Now that we’ve seen what a typical CR question looks like, let’s discuss a couple of key tips for mastering Critical Reasoning.
Top 2 Tips for Mastering Critical Reasoning
Mastering Critical Reasoning takes time and practice. These 2 tips will help you avoid a couple of common pitfalls that stall many GMAT students’ progress in CR.
- GMAT CR is not a word-matching game.
It’s easy to get the impression that the path to correct answers to CR questions is to look for the answer that matches something the passage says. For instance, many GMAT students focus on finding an answer that uses exact wording from a passage. Others look for an answer that mentions only things mentioned in the passage.
The thing is, a correct CR answer often uses wording that is different from the passage wording or brings up something not mentioned in the passage.
So, the only sure path to correct answers in CR is to pay attention and use logic to determine which choice actually answers the question!
- Don’t go with your gut.
Picking apart the logic and nuances of CR answer choices can be a painstaking and at times frustrating process—particularly at the beginning of your Verbal prep. So, it’s easy for students to fall into the habit of “going with their gut” in selecting answers in CR.
Unfortunately, what “seems like it makes sense” or “just seems right” in GMAT CR is often a trap answer. So, to perform well in Critical Reasoning, you must avoid the tempting “easy out” of going with your gut.
Instead, train yourself to identify concrete, specific reasons why each answer choice is correct or incorrect. This work may feel uncomfortable and tedious at first, but it will pay huge dividends on test day!
TTP PRO TIP:
To master Critical Reasoning, remember that you’re not playing a word-matching game and that “going with your gut” could lead you right into a trap.
Reading Comprehension Questions
Of the 23 Verbal questions on the GMAT Focus, approximately 13 or 14 are Reading Comprehension questions.
A Reading Comprehension passage may be up to 350 words and generally has 3 or 4 multiple-choice questions associated with it. Those questions may ask you to:
- identify the main idea of a passage
- draw inferences based on statements in a passage
- understand the meaning and purpose of specific details in a passage
- understand how a passage is organized
- identify the author’s tone in the passage
and so on.
Overall, RC questions test your ability to understand what you read, read carefully and critically, make logical connections between different ideas, and draw logical conclusions based on given information.
While RC passages cover a range of topics in the sciences, arts, and humanities, as with CR, you do not need any specialized subject knowledge to understand the passages or answer RC questions. All of the information you need to answer RC questions will be contained within the associated passages.
KEY FACT:
A Reading Comprehension passage may be up to 350 words and generally has 3 or 4 multiple-choice questions associated with it.
To get a better sense of what Reading Comprehension questions look like, let’s consider an example.
Reading Comprehension Example
In the early 20th century, Leslie County, Kentucky had very few physicians and poor roads, and thus it was extremely difficult for people living there to access medical care. To address this issue, Mary Breckenridge, a certified nurse midwife, founded in 1925 the Frontier Nursing Service (FNS), which employed nurse midwives and grew to include several clinics. While nurse midwives were not licensed to prescribe medicine, the FNS worked with an advisory group of physicians who set up guidelines for the nurses to follow in situations in which a physician was not present. Under this framework, the nurses were able to legally provide treatment and medication to patients who would not otherwise have received them, with the result that, according to multiple measures, average health outcomes in Leslie County were better than those in the U.S. as a whole.
The success of the FNS is just one example of what can be achieved when nurses are able to work to the full extent of their training. Nevertheless, in the current regulatory environment, nurses are restricted from providing many of the types of services that the nurses of the FNS provided. Meanwhile, in many ways, the current strains on the healthcare system resemble the reasons why the FNS was created. Therefore, a review and adjustment of regulations that constrain nursing should be undertaken to make it possible for nurses to play a greater role in healthcare and meet needs that are currently going unmet.
The passage suggests that which of the following was true of the Frontier Nursing Service?
- Its nurses were licensed to prescribe medication to patients.
- It was the first nursing service founded in the U.S.
- Its nurses knew more about medication than most physicians.
- Its nurses were successful because they enjoyed their work.
- Its activities in Leslie County were beneficial to the health of people who lived there.
This is a typical RC Inference question in that we’re asked what the passage “suggests” is true. So, we shouldn’t expect the passage to explicitly state exactly what the correct answer says. Rather, something stated in the passage—some information given—will support what the correct answer says.
In going through the answer choices, we see that only one choice is supported by what the passage says, choice (E). After all, the last sentence of the passage’s first paragraph states that the activities of the FNS brought about:
… the result that, according to multiple measures, average health outcomes in Leslie County were better than those in the U.S. as a whole.
So, based on that statement, we can logically draw the conclusion that the FNS’s “activities in Leslie County were beneficial to the health of people who lived there,” as choice (E) says.
Notice that we cannot find any such support in the passage for any of the other answer choices:
Choice (A): This choice contradicts the passage statement that the nurses “were not licensed to prescribe medicine,” and thus is not supported.
Choice (B): The passage mentions that the FNS was founded in 1925 but says nothing about its being the first nursing service founded in the U.S. So, this choice goes beyond what is supported by the passage.
Choice (C): This choice distorts what the passage says about the relationship between the nurses and physicians.
Choice (D): This choice is a half-right trap. While we could reasonably infer that the nurses were “successful,” the passage says nothing about whether they “enjoyed their work.”
Now that we’ve seen what a typical RC question looks like, let’s discuss a couple of key tips for mastering Reading Comprehension.
Top 2 Tips for Mastering Reading Comprehension
It’s easy to lose your way when dealing with long, dry, or dense passages in GMAT RC. The following 2 tips will help keep you on track:
- Read for overall understanding, not detail.
When initially reading an RC passage, GMAT students sometimes make the mistake of trying to fully analyze—or even memorize—every detail. This is a losing game. For one, we can’t predict which details the questions will ask us about. So, we may waste time focusing on things that don’t end up mattering.
Moreover, RC passages simply contain more detail than we can reasonably process in the amount of time the GMAT Focus allows. So, when you initially read through a passage, read for basic, overall understanding instead of for detail. If you come away with a solid sense of what the point of the passage is and generally where different discussions take place, then you’ve set yourself up well to be able to answer whatever questions follow.
- Return to the passage as necessary.
Many GMAT students are under the false impression that returning to the passage when answering RC questions “wastes time.” On the contrary, relying on memory instead of returning to the passage is a highly risky strategy that most often fails.
Remember, the information you need to answer any RC question is right there in the passage. Take advantage of having that information available to you! And keep in mind, if you’ve followed tip 1, you’ll be able to locate the information you need fairly quickly.
In fact, you’re likely to spend more time on an RC question if you don’t return to the passage than if you do.
TTP PRO TIP:
To master Reading Comprehension, read for overall understanding and return to the passage as necessary when answering questions.
Key Takeaways
The Verbal section of the GMAT Focus is a test of your ability to understand and interpret texts, your skill in noticing detail, and your logical reasoning and critical thinking skills.
The GMAT tests those skills using 2 types of Verbal questions: Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension.
There are 9-10 CR questions and 13-14 RC questions, for a total of 23 Verbal questions, on the GMAT Focus. You have 45 minutes to answer those questions.
Critical Reasoning questions require you to understand the implications or logic of an argument or scenario presented in a short passage and to evaluate the argument or scenario in a particular way.
To master Critical Reasoning:
- Remember that Critical Reasoning is not a word-matching game.
- Don’t rely on your gut to select answers.
Reading Comprehension questions require you to understand what you read, read carefully and critically, make logical connections between different ideas, and draw logical conclusions based on given information.
To master Reading Comprehension:
- Read for basic, overall understanding instead of for detail.
- Return to the passage as necessary when answering questions.
What’s Next?
For more expert tips for mastering GMAT Focus Verbal, check out our guide to scoring high on the Verbal section and these 3 essential tips for maximizing the results you get from your Verbal practice.
