GRE Verbal Hub: Reading Comprehension, Text Completion, Sentence Equivalence + Vocab

The GRE is now a shorter, tighter exam. Verbal still tests the same skills and question types, but you’ll see fewer questions in less time. There are two Verbal sections: the first has 12 questions in 18 minutes, the second has 15 questions in 23 minutes, for a total of 27 questions in 41 minutes. Plan around an average of roughly 90 seconds per question. You can skip within a section, return, and change answers. There’s no scheduled break, and official scores arrive faster than before. The roadmap below gives you repeatable methods, drill recipes, and clear metrics to track so you improve deliberately—not by doing random sets.

Verbal has three question types: Reading Comprehension (about half the measure), Text Completion, and Sentence Equivalence. Reading Comprehension includes single-answer multiple choice, multi-select (choose one or more), and select-in-passage (click a sentence). Text Completion presents short passages with one to three blanks; Sentence Equivalence presents one sentence with a single blank and asks you to choose the two answers that yield sentences with the same meaning. The scoring scale (130–170) and the logic of what counts as correct have not changed.

Use these time caps to keep control of each section’s clock.

• Sentence Equivalence: 45–60 seconds
• Text Completion: 60–75 seconds for 1-blank; 75–90 seconds for 2–3 blanks
• Reading Comprehension: 30–45 seconds to map a short passage; 60–90 seconds for longer ones; then ~60 seconds per question Triage in this order: quick SE wins → straightforward 1-blank TC → short RC questions → longer TC/RC → any stubborn inference/function RC last. Flag anything past your cap and move; time you save early fuels tougher questions later.

Build a tiny map before touching the choices. MAPS = Main idea, Attitude, Purpose, Structure.

1. Read the passage actively and mark signposts (although, therefore, for example). 2) Write a 6–10 word paraphrase: topic + author’s claim. 3) Note the author’s attitude (neutral, skeptical, cautiously supportive, critical). 4) Identify purpose (to explain, to argue, to evaluate, to compare) and structure (setup → evidence → counterpoint → conclusion). This 30–90 second investment makes every question faster and safer.

Primary purpose/main idea: Predict in your own words first; correct answers are broad, neutral in tone, and mention both the topic and the author’s action (e.g., argues that… compares… evaluates…). Detail/specific reference: Go back to the exact lines; match meaning, not wording. If you can’t underline evidence, the choice is wrong. Inference: Start from what’s stated and take a small, necessary step; avoid answers that introduce new claims or go beyond the text. Function/role: Ask what that paragraph/sentence is doing in the author’s argument (introducing a counterexample, defining a key term, presenting evidence). Vocab-in-context: Replace the word with a simpler synonym that fits this passage’s usage, not its most common meaning. Multi-select: Treat each option as true/false from the passage; select all and only those supported. No partial credit. Select-in-passage: The right sentence will fully meet the description and require the least inference.

10-minute microdrill (daily): 2 short passages + 1 longer passage, 6–8 questions total, hard cap 10 minutes. Goal: clean MAPS notes and evidence for every answer. 25-minute focused set (3–4 times/week): 2 long and 2 short passages, 12–14 questions. Track accuracy by family (main idea, detail, inference, function, multi-select, select-in-passage). Section simulation (weekly): 18 minutes, 12 questions; later 23 minutes, 15 questions. Record first-pass accuracy, average time per question, and how many you flagged and later converted to correct.

Solve for meaning before you touch the answer choices. 1) Read the whole mini-passage. 2) Find the skeleton: subject, core claim, and signposts that control logic (although/while = contrast; because/therefore = cause-effect; not only…but also = continuation). 3) Paraphrase the blank(s) with your own simple words. 4) Match choices to your paraphrase and the passage’s tone and grammar. For 2–3 blank items, start with the blank most constrained by the sentence, then check how the choices interact. You’re building a coherent whole, not picking words you merely like.

• Right word, wrong relationship: a word that fits the topic but contradicts the logical signpost.
• Near-synonym decoys: plausible tone but mismatched nuance.
• Pairing traps in multi-blank items: one correct-sounding blank paired with a partner that breaks the sentence logic.
• Grammar mismatches: singular/plural, verb form, or idiom arguments quietly eliminate contenders.
• Polarity mistakes: the sentence implies positive or negative charge; choices with the wrong charge won’t fit.

7-minute sprint (daily): 6 questions mixed; cap yourself at 75–90 seconds each and move on at the buzzer. Targeted logic set (3 times/week): 10 questions, all contrast/shift signposts one day, all cause-effect another day, then all continuation/definition clues. Purpose: wire your brain to follow structure, not memorize word lists. Multi-blank builder (weekly): 8 questions with 2–3 blanks. Work blank-by-blank, then full-sentence coherence checks. Track how often your first blank locks the rest into place.

SE is about sentence meaning equivalence, not dictionary sameness. 1) Read the sentence, mark the pivot or core idea. 2) Paraphrase the blank. 3) Predict possible words. 4) Hunt for two answers that produce the same completed meaning. 5) Check both finished sentences for identical thrust and tone; if they diverge, it’s not a true pair. Eliminate look‑alike but non-equivalent options.

5-minute warmup (daily): 6 SE questions. Goal: under 50 seconds each with 80%+ accuracy. Pattern practice (2–3 times/week): Build sets around common structures—contrast pivots, cause-effect, and appositive definitions. Pair-hunting review (weekly): For every missed SE, write the paraphrase you should have made and list two acceptable synonyms you’d choose next time.

Focus on high-utility academic vocabulary and words that interact with common GRE structures (concession, causation, comparison). Learn families, not isolates: misanthrope → misanthropic → misanthropy; magnanimity → magnanimous. Tie every word to a short, personal example sentence so you own the connotation. Space reviews aggressively and mix recall types: definition → example, example → word, and cloze-in-context. Resist “word-of-the-day” drift—mastery comes from retrieval in varied contexts.

• Set a weekly word budget you can truly maintain; mastery beats volume.
• Group words by function and tone (approval/critique, strengthen/weaken, hedge/qualify) so they plug directly into RC and TC logic.
• Track easy/medium/hard bins and retire words only after three clean recalls across different days and contexts.
• Create synonym clusters and antonym anchors; test yourself by generating one tight example sentence that uses a cluster correctly.

Use four numbers each time you practice.

1. Accuracy by type: RC main idea/detail/inference/function, TC 1‑blank/2‑3 blank, SE. You need type-level trends, not a blended percent.
2. Average time per question by type: Are you inside the caps? If not, drill that type in isolation.
3. First-pass vs. after‑review: The conversion rate shows whether your triage is working.
4. Error codes: Misread pivot (PIV), scope too broad/narrow (SCO), tone mismatch (TON), unsupported inference (INF), vocabulary recall (VOC), rushing past the cap (TIM). Aim to shrink one error code at a time.

• Open with your fastest wins: SE and 1‑blank TC.
• For RC, answer the lowest‑inference questions first; leave function/inference if your map isn’t solid.
• Use the flag to protect the clock; any item at 90 seconds with no path forward gets parked.
• Leave 60–90 seconds at the end for quick reviews of flagged questions that are closest to solved (narrowed to two choices).

Week 1: Learn methods. Do daily 5–10 minute SE/TC sprints and one 25-minute RC set. Build your MAPS notes habit and start your personal lexicon. Week 2: Add pacing. Two full Verbal section simulations split across the week; enforce time caps. Continue daily vocab and 7-minute TC sprints. Week 3: Mix and raise difficulty. Alternate “RC-heavy” and “TC/SE-heavy” days. Run post-drill reviews with error codes and rewrite better predictions. Week 4: Stabilize. Two full Verbal simulations under test conditions. Focus on triage discipline, conversion of flagged items, and vocabulary consolidation.

Start with Exambank’s diagnostic to see your Verbal baseline by type and your average time per question. Then use Learn → Solve Together → Test Yourself:

• Learn: Short lessons teach MAPS, the equation‑of‑meaning, and the twin test with examples.
• Solve Together: Step-by-step walkthroughs of GRE-style questions show how to map passages, spot pivots, and eliminate traps.
• Test Yourself: Adaptive sets generate fresh RC/TC/SE items at your level and adjust difficulty as you improve. Between sessions, Exambank’s analytics track accuracy, timing, first‑pass vs after‑review, and your top error codes. The platform also builds personal review sets and flashcards from your misses, so your next 20 minutes target exactly what moves your score.

• Reading to memorize facts instead of mapping argument structure. Fix: 10-passages-in-10-days MAPS challenge; write the main claim and purpose every time.
• Letting answer choices think for you. Fix: Always predict or paraphrase first; only then compare.
• Treating multi-select like standard multiple choice. Fix: Evaluate each option independently as supported or not supported; select all that are supported.
• Overinvesting in one hard inference question. Fix: Obey the cap and flag. You gain more points by finishing the section than by wrestling one item.

• Preview the section quickly and grab early wins.
• Map every RC passage; your notes take less time than re-reading.
• Respect time caps and protect the final minute for conversions.
• When torn between two choices, ask which one must be true given the text and which only could be true—choose the must.
• Keep your error-code awareness in mind; it stops repeat mistakes.

Verbal success on the shorter GRE is about structure-first reading, controlled pacing, and targeted vocabulary—not more hours. Use the methods here, drill deliberately, and let your metrics confirm you’re improving. If you want these steps organized for you—and an AI tutor that turns every session into measurable gains—sign up to Exambank today.