The third and final section you will see on the GMAT is the Verbal Section, consisting of 41 multiple-choice questions which you must complete in 75 minutes. The question types are Critical Reasoning, Sentence Correction, and Reading Comprehension.
GMAT Critical Reasoning
Critical Reasoning tests your analytical skills. You will be presented with a short argument and a question relating to it. By "argument" we don't mean a verbal free-for-all, but rather a short piece of text where a writer makes an assertion or states a point of view and then tries to support it. You will be expected to find the answer choice that strengthens or weakens the argument. You may also be asked to find an assumption the argument makes or make an inference yourself.
To do well on these questions, you need to understand the structure of each argument. Identify what the writer's conclusion is, what evidence he or she presents to support it, and what assumptions are made to jump from evidence to conclusion. Think about this for each question before you look at the answer choices. Otherwise, the intentionally tricky wording of the answers may confuse you.
GMAT Sentence Correction
Sentence Correction tests your knowledge of standard written English. You will be shown a sentence, often very long and contorted. A part or all of the sentence is underlined. You will be asked to find the best version of the underlined section out of the original version or one of four alternatives.
For each question, it's important that you read the original sentence carefully before looking at the answers. If you spot an error, eliminate Choice (A) right away. It always restates the language of the original. You may very well be able to "hear" whether the original sentence is correct using the instinctive "ear" that you've developed by speaking and reading English.
GMAT Reading Comprehension
When reading a passage, remember that you're not trying to memorize all the information in it. Instead, first read through it quickly, trying to get an idea of the general topic, the author's purpose, his or her "voice," and the scope of the passage, i.e. how broadly or narrowly the writer treats a subject.
For instance, in a passage about industrial safety regulations, the writer may focus on a specific aspect of this general topic or may treat the topic with a broader scope; for instance, relating it to the history of regulations and perhaps also comparing safety regulations to other regulatory activities. Read through each passage before looking at the questions so you don't get unduly confused.
