I improved my GMAT verbal score by changing my process, not studying longer. At first, I figured verbal would be the easiest part of GMAT prep. In my job as an IT professional — primarily focused on a variety of areas (cloud systems, documentation, troubleshooting, structured problem solving, etc.) — reading carefully and identifying faulty logic and processing large amounts of information through the course of my job already felt fairly normal to me.
Then I started doing actual practice; and my initial assumptions were quickly proven wrong.
One of the main points I learned quickly is that GMAT is a test of your performance under time constraints; not if you have confident feelings about your abilities. Before I began to recognise the GMAT as the true test it is, as a structured test for entrance to graduate business schools, I did not start to see improvement in my results. In addition, the GMAT has defined time constraints; a score-based output; a defined type of skill for each portion of the exam; and very structured, formalized delivery. As an example, a current GMAT contains three separate sections: 2 hours, 15 minutes total test time with one optional break of 10 minutes, and 205 to 805 total score; and section score from 60-90.
Something I had to clarify
The GMAT test also confuses a lot of people online because of its name. There are no “GMAT-Verbal” tests; Verbal Reasoning is a section of the MBA GMAT with both other sections and is not a stand-alone test of Verbal reasoning abilities. The officially stated lifetime of the previous exam (10th Edition) has been replaced as of February 1, 2024; however, previous GMAT scores will remain valid five years from the test date.I've changed my preparation methods due to how this impacted my original way of preparing. This led me to stop using the given suggestions that corresponded with the previous version of the test and to start using the suggestions tailored to suit the new test format. Practicing under a false set of benchmarks can prevent an individual from performing up to their full potential, if even practicing at all. While this is often common knowledge, it can certainly have an effect on how you practice your skills, on your overall speed, and on what scores you may target for the exam.
Verbal Reasoning on the GMAT
The official GMAT website states that the Verbal Reasoning portion consists of 23 multiple-choice questions and must be completed in 45 minutes. Here are several examples of questions that could be found on the Verbal portion of the GMAT. They will measure your ability to read a document, draw conclusions based on what you read, and analyze and evaluate arguments.
The previous paragraphs' information proved to be very valuable. Learning new vocabulary and practicing grammar in isolation are not the only objectives when preparing for the GMAT section on Verbal Reasoning; They also include providing experience to track arguments accurately, eliminating distractions while reading lengthy and complex passages, and quickly making correct judgments. GMAC explains to prospective test-takers that Verbal Reasoning is divided into reading comprehension, critical reasoning, and English proficiency; This is analogous to analytic reading, rather than conventional language instruction methods.
I had an entirely new outlook on scoring
A critical flaw in my GMAT preparation was having a "pass/fail" mentality. The GMAT is not a pass/fail examination. GMAC provides detailed information on how total GMAT scores are calculated, including (3) individual scores (205-805) and (1)-final aggregate score (205-805). All individual component scores contribute equally to the total GMAT score.
The data contained herein has provided me with enhanced methods in evaluating any mistakes I made on the exam.Instead of focusing only on whether I was “good enough,” I began looking for what tendencies caused my score to drop; my review became more honest and useful after I began viewing verbal as a means of scoring rather than simply an abstract hurdle. Think in margins (not absolutes) about how you want to improve your score on a test that is based on a score, but not about needing a perfect score. There is only a need to progress at a steady rate in areas of the test that are scoring points against you.
The registration and scheduling processes, as well as the format of how the examination will be delivered (testing mode)
are provided to you by GMAC on its official website.
A more accurate and clearer description of the delivery methods used in both online and test center testing by GMAC is provided on the GMAC website. GMAC’s online test support states that individuals may take an online exam at virtually every location except for Mainland China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Sudan. At this time, proctoring support for online testing is offered only in the English language.
The reason that it matters is that the mode of delivery impacts preparation for taking the exam. If you take the exam online, you should have the appropriate equipment for testing (computer, internet connection, work space conditions and identification requirements). If you are taking the exam in a testing center, you will need to have all of your identifying information on hand during the check-in process (and to be familiar with the how/when your identification will be verified). My rationale for this statement is my own analytical conclusion based upon the GMAC separate guidance used for registration and for online support.
As confirmed by public records, the amount that you will pay for taking the GMAT varies by physical location and mode of delivery (e.g., online or in a testing center)
On GMAC’s website, there are payment options based on each location's actual price, which includes any local tax or regulation in each country. You can only accurately see what you'd pay for a GMAT at a test baby by choosing your country on this website. There are also examples within the USA for average prices for the GMAT: $275 at test centres and $300 online; these vary by country and according to the information posted on the mba.com website. Similarly, it seems from my European public documents that most of Europe would have a rate of €275 at test centres and €300 online; the United Kingdom would also have a rate of £250 at test centres and £275 online; and India, $275 at test centre and $300 online. All these rates provide you a general guideline, however, the total you might pay could change based on applicable local taxes/changes to policy due to country. Should you wish to know the individual country's rate, please refer to the official payment page as it will provide you with an accurate quote for payment.
The verbal section was harder for me than expected
I did not have difficulty with good basic reading ability; rather, my difficulty was making very quick, good decisions. On Critical Reasoning, I lost points when I incorrectly assumed I was well aware of the argument before accurately mapping it; on Reading Comprehension, again I lost points when I read for overall purpose instead of reading for how well the text performed its function or as written. I think this matches GMAC's description of Verbal Skills in the GMAT handbook.Verbal reasoning revolves around two major concepts: reading comprehension and evaluating arguments. The sample questions provided by the test maker illustrate the importance of being able to clearly identify sources of support, meaning, inference, and structure within each argument.
The difficult aspect of answering the questions is not that they are unanswerable. It is that when there are four choices provided for an answer, the answer choices that aren't correct can look very close to being correct. Usually, a poor response option will not be completely absurd; they will be off only slightly by being a little too broad, not quite specific enough, or somewhat unrelated to the argument as written. As such, just having casual reading skills will not be enough to help you with succeeding on this section of the GMAT. This is supported by my observations of the sample questions and the structure of the test as described within their official guidelines.
What I Did Not Do Correctly at First
In the beginning of my study process, I had a very disorganized routine. I combined random practice test questions with various other advice articles and way too many un-timed practices. Therefore, even though I was putting forth lots of effort, it was impossible to establish any type of feedback loop for myself.
The main approach I took instead was treating every incorrect answer the same way. Instead of establishing whether I did not identify a conclusion, misinterpreted an assumption, rushed through an answer choice, or incorrectly believed that there was a valid argument to support my answer; my performance for all four of those reasons improved immediately as soon as I developed an ability to separate out those areas. My experience is consistent with how GMAC defines the given section of Verbal Reasoning. In effect, this section tests your ability to read carefully and comprehend arguments while under pressure.
Why Certification Exam
What attracted me to the Certification Exam was the fact that I always wanted something I could use on an ongoing basis. I was looking for an opportunity to learn through repetition. I did not want another great study guide that I would look at once, then never touch again. I was in need of creating a repetition-based routine to use multiple times each week.
The reason was that my main concern was not not having information; rather it was being inconsistent in the steps I took (the way the question-centered workflow allowed me to continually review weak points, note the pattern of things I saw in a lesson, and repeatedly practice without turning every session into a complete formal lesson) and how Certification Exam currently frames all of their GMAT-verbal Dumps content as something to help you practice how to do, rather than something that is a credential.
Here’s how I ended up utilizing Certification Exam to achieve my goal
I established the following routine (4 part cycle):
Day 1: Critical Reasoning only
Day 2: Reading Comprehension only
Day 3: Timed Mixed Verbal
Day 4: Review Errors by Type
Once I started to categorize my errors into different types, it changed my overall mindset because I was not viewing the questions or sections as emotionally driven but viewed them as technical in nature. Instead of referring to myself as “bad at GMAT-Verbal”, I could identify if I was making the same type of errors with those types of questions and ultimately create a plan (that took longer than expected) based on real evidence to fix the issues.
My notebook changed from a log of random incorrect answers to a log of patterns of concepts that I had missed: Does the conclusion logically follow from the evidence? Was my assumption valid? What was the scope of the passage? Were my inferences valid? Was my tone what the author intended? Did I have enough time to complete the section? After identifying my weaknesses, they no longer felt like abstract concepts.
What helped me the most with Critical Reasoning
I improved my Critical Reasoning by treating each question as an argument map, rather than as a reading puzzle. GMAC has made it clear that the verbal section of the GMAT assesses your ability to think about and evaluate arguments, and thus, the questions function as such.
Most commonly, the traps that I kept falling into were the following: answer choices that used language repeated from the stimulus, but which did not address the actual gap in logic; choices that sounded equal but did not change the conclusion from the conclusion; and choices that were based on a side issue as opposed to the assumption made by the evidence. Once I learned to identify the conclusion, evidence, and logical gap before looking at the answer choices, my accuracy started to improve significantly. This is a summary of my own studies; it is reflective of the way GMAC describes this part of the exam.
What helped me the most with Reading Comprehension
I improved my Reading Comprehension by treating the reading passages as a structure, rather than an article. GMAC is clear about the fact that Reading Comprehension measures your ability to understand, analyse and apply the information written in a passage.
The greatest amount of improvement came through identifying function: why is this paragraph here, what function does this sentence have, and what is the author's position? Once I did that I became much better at eliminating the answer choices that were either too broad, too extreme, or only partially supported by the evidence presented. The reading was no longer simply recalling information; rather, it became controlled/analysed. This is my conclusion based on my study; it matches the framework of the sample questions provided by GMAC.
When the day of taking the exam comes around
I think we all feel some pressure as an examinee (even if we are unfamiliar with that kind of pressure) and that pressure will affect how successful we will ultimately be on test day. I had seen a number of verbal logical traps throughout my studies, so I felt very comfortable with respect to which items I could slow down & which I could not, as well as with being able to identify the various answer choices that would typically be attractive for the wrong reason when taking this type of test.
One of my biggest surprises while taking the test was that it was going to be much more difficult than I thought; however, once I realized that, the test became much easier than I ever could’ve imagined because the format was no longer new and was more consistent with the previous GMATs that I had taken previously. This is especially relevant with regards to GMAC allowing for section order selection and limited review/editing capabilities, therefore, modifying the overall exam rhythm from prior exams.
What the GMAT can and can’t do for your career/your future
I really want to be careful when I say this. While I agree that test scores are critical when applying for jobs, I can’t say that passing the GMAT will guarantee a higher salary than others who didn’t pass the GMAT or putting you in high demand by companies who hire new talent. What I can say (and what is going to be true for you) is that doing well on the GMAT helps you get in to a business school, and completing a business program can help impact where you will be in the career marketplace years from now. According to GMAC’s 2025 Corporate Recruiters Survey, approximately one-third of employers in the United States have seen an increase in the amount of entry-level graduates from U.S. degree-granting universities being hired by employers. Both MBA and business master's program graduates can count on statistically higher starting pay in 2025 than in 2024, however the statistics listed by business schools regarding their attained salaries should not be interpreted as "GMAT salaries." Therefore, while your request to break down data for salaries by USA, India and Europe may appear easier than it truly is via the GMAT versus salary method, I cannot establish a definitive relationship between GMAT scores and salaries within the aforementioned countries since the GMAT itself is not considered a professional credential.
Alternatives to a Certification Examination and direct comparison
I have been very deliberate with my selection process when reviewing various legitimate alternatives to assist me in finding out that they all stand out in difference from one another.
GMAC's official GMAT practice material
The most compelling source of 'official' material is GMAC's suite of preparation resources found at mba.com. GMAC provides free simplified starter kits with 2 full-length practice examinations and a large quantity of actual GMAT examination questions within the kit. Although different pages on one official material site state 70+ actual questions and 90 prior examination questions; how many actual questions will be found in the entire kit will simply be “two full-length practice examinations and a significant quantity of true GMAT questions”. GMAC’s preparation hub highlights, among others, the Official Guide and authenticated GMAT Examination questions.
The official GMAT Examination preparation resources are substantially anchored to realism whereas the Certification Examination is much less anchored than they are and also places a larger emphasis on continuing repetition usage to retain effectiveness. I would not say that either is authoritative as compared to each other since neither is however; I will assert that the GMAT examination material produced from official preparation resources represents a tremendous anchor of realism for the GMAT examination material over that provided through any certification preparation material provided from Certification body sources.
Magoosh
Magoosh is perhaps the closest representation of an alternative that I can compare to the two methodologies discussed above.The Magoosh website, priced at $349, provides 12 months of access to practice questions and exams, lessons via video, mobile device capability and text/video explanations.
Magoosh's pricing is in a fair comparison because they both offer self-paced, self-service options. Magoosh has the ability to confirm their price and features through differing public resources. I cannot verify that any competitor offers better pricing than Magoosh based on the sources I have used; however, I can determine Magoosh offers a viable option for students who are seeking structured, online self-study programs with video or video-supported goods.
The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review has the chance to be competitive for students looking for a wider range of preparation options. Publicly, people compare the Princeton Review to other options that are both live course-based and tutoring-based and consistently indicate the price of the Princeton Review is greater than Magoosh's published price.
This gives students who would prefer a structured learning environment and support the opportunity to explore their options prior to selecting Magoosh for their preparation. I did not need the added constraints of a structured course or program in my preparation. I wanted to develop an approach that I would use regularly.
PrepScholar
The PrepScholar program appears to have a more traditional-paced curriculum. Public sources showed that the program is much more structured with lesson-based structures than other question-based programs, but the sources were older and more disconnected than I would prefer for a complete feature comparison of programs. Therefore, I would consider PrepScholar a competitive option, but I would be careful not to assume there are other programs that are better based on the available information.While PrepScholar has a deeper curriculum than a lightweight question-first approach, they are both fitting solutions. Students who wish to be guided through a structured program can benefit from PrepScholar’s guiding and blueprinting of the study process as well as its structured program. Conversely, students who mainly require practice in order to gain familiarity with question formats will find success in the less complex rhythm of a lightweight question-first approach.
Manhattan Prep and e-GMAT
Manhattan Prep and e-GMAT are two other popular alternatives that are references of record competitors in currently available prep materials, but I do not have enough reference point data to support any definitive feature-to-feature analysis at this time, so I am considering them only to be mentioned as credible alternatives, and not total-to-total, or all-in comparisons.
My honest conclusion after comparing them
In conclusion, when comparing these types of prep options, the best way to get a definitive sense of the value of each to your prep program is to first include GMAC’s official prep content as part of your prep program, although not in and of themselves enough for you to have a reasonably successful experience on a GMAT scale. Second, for those students with more of an independent, self-paced, video-based prep approach, Magoosh is a very viable option. Finally, for those students wanting a broader scope of prep universe, the Princeton Review is a valid choice. For students who prefer a much more guided / structured curriculum, PrepScholar should be given due consideration; however, I would suggest that you confirm the most recent offerings directly from PrepScholar to ensure that you have the best terms and conditions before making an initial purchase decision.
I selected a question-driven approach because my previous problems were primarily due to inconsistency in my performance, but I did not feel I required more theory with which to practice since I primarily required a system to work with that would allow me to generate a realistic approximation of the verbal section of the GMAT test on an ongoing basis.
Advice for Other Students: Avoid These Common Pitfalls
- Don't confuse GMAT verbal with an English proficiency test. Verbal is timed reasoning that relies heavily on reading comprehension, but it is not an English proficiency test.
- Don't do too much untimed practice. Untimed practice will help you learn, but timed practice will help you learn to perform in the conditions of a timed 45 minute exam section.
- Don't fail to categorize your errors. If you don't know what type of error you are making (Structure of an argument, Evidence tracking, or Timing issues) your review will not be effective. This is a conclusion I reached through my own analysis based on the distinct measures of skill GMAC identifies in the section.
- Don't use too many different resources at once. Using more resources does not guarantee you will make more progress. For me, using too many resources resulted in distraction until I settled on one guiding w orkflow and went more in-depth in my review.
Preparing for the GMAT – My Checklist
- Familiarize yourself with the most current GMAT exam format before you begin serious test preparation.
- Establish a score goal for the GMAT; not a fake 'passing' goal. GMAT is a score based exam.
- You should integrate timed verbal practice into your plan early in your studies.
- Use official GMAT resources as your base resources for measurement of realism.
- Choose a single guiding workflow and use it long enough to develop sufficient examples of patterns to identify error type patterns.
- Check your test-day delivery rules early in your studies so there aren't any last minute surprises.
Final Thoughts
What finally changed my performance was not a 'trick.' It was precision.
Once I realized that GMAT verbal is actually the use of close reading; discipline in evaluating an argument; and making a timely decision; my preparation plan became much more realistic. And as I began to develop a consistent question based study plan that didn't have me wasting effort as a scattered effort; I was able to see my progress.
This worked for me because it reinforced my own study habits; it was aligned with the actual exam structure; and it allowed me to make use of following a repetitive pattern without being simply repetitive.
Top comments (0)