What does GRE Verbal Reasoning test?
According to ETS, the section tests three skills: analyzing and evaluating written passages and synthesizing information from them; analyzing relationships among parts of a sentence; and recognizing relationships among words and concepts. Verbal Reasoning question types (opens in a new tab)
About half of the section consists of reading passages; the rest is sentence completion. Its two sections contribute to a single score. Verbal Reasoning question types (opens in a new tab)
Two sections, one score
The first section is medium difficulty; the second section’s difficulty depends on your performance on the first. Both contribute to a score from 130 to 170, separate from the Quantitative Reasoning score. Test structure (opens in a new tab)
The score calculation, in the GRE guideWhat are the three question types?
Three question types, as described by ETS.
Type 1
Reading Comprehension
One- or multi-paragraph passages, each followed by one to six questions: choose one answer, select multiple answers, or identify a sentence in the passage.
This page’s example
Text Completion
A passage of one to five sentences with one to three blanks: three choices per blank when there is more than one, and five choices when there is only one.
Type 3
Sentence Equivalence
One sentence, one blank, and six choices: select two that produce sentences with the same meaning.
Within a section, you can skip a question, return to it, and change your answer using the Mark and Review features. Test structure (opens in a new tab)
No partial credit
ETS does not award partial credit: every blank in a Text Completion and both choices in a Sentence Equivalence must be correct. Verbal Reasoning question types (opens in a new tab)
A worked Text Completion example
An Upsilar-written two-blank Text Completion in ETS format. Choose one answer for each blank, then check your work: the explanation follows the strategy below.
The director’s early films were largely (i) by critics, who found them self-indulgent; audiences, however, less troubled by their rough edges than moved by their sincerity, (ii) them from the start.
Choose a word for each blank.
The solution, step by step
Correct answers: (i) dismissed, (ii) embraced — B and F.
The method in action
- Predict before looking at the choices. Critics found the films self-indulgent: the first blank calls for a negative word, something like “dismissed.”
- Follow the structure words. “However” contrasts the audience with the critics, and “moved by their sincerity” signals their approval: the second blank is positive. Start with the easiest blank, which is the first one here.
- Reread the completed sentence. “largely dismissed by critics… audiences, however… embraced them”: the sentence works. Both B and F are correct, since ETS does not award partial credit.
The pitfall
A, “celebrated”: a director who is discussed may seem celebrated, but critics found his films self-indulgent. D, “derided,” ignores “however,” which contrasts audiences with critics.
Key takeaways
Signal words — however, although, yet, moreover — tell you which way each blank goes.
What strategy should you use for Verbal Reasoning?
Three steps, based on ETS’s advice for completion questions.
Predict before looking at the choices.
Read the full sentence, identify clues to its meaning, predict the missing word, then look for a similar choice, as ETS recommends. Choices should confirm your thinking, not inspire it.
Follow the structure words.
Although, moreover, however: ETS recommends noticing these transitions because they show whether a sentence extends or contradicts an idea. Start with the easiest blank, not necessarily the first.
Reread the completed sentence.
Once the blanks are filled, the sentence should work logically, grammatically, and stylistically. In Sentence Equivalence, the two completed sentences must mean the same thing.
The pitfall to avoid
Looking for a pair of synonyms in Sentence Equivalence. Two similar words are not enough: the completed sentences must have the same meaning. A classic trap is two synonyms that both contradict the rest of the sentence.
How should you practice each of the three formats?
Upsilar wrote this short practice set to work on three different decisions: infer a word from context, preserve the same meaning with two choices, and justify an inference. It extends the earlier example without reproducing an official prompt. Try each question first, then state a reason before reading the explanations.
The board’s approval was _____ : funding would be released only after the safety inspection had been completed.
Choose a word for each blank.
The solution, step by step
Correct answer: B — conditional.
The method in action
- Identify the condition. “Only after” makes funding conditional on completing an inspection: the agreement depends on a condition.
- Eliminate unsupported dimensions. “Unanimous” would refer to how many members agree; “accidental” to chance; “irrelevant” to relevance. The passage establishes none of these. “Unconditional” directly contradicts the restriction.
Key takeaways
The decisive clue may come after the blank. Read the entire sentence before choosing a word.
To practice passages with multiple blanks, work through the whole passage rather than treating each word in isolation. GRE Text Completion: solve a passage with one, two, or three blanks
- Adetailed
- Bcryptic
- Cvague
- Dthorough
- Ehasty
- Fambiguous
Explanation: A and D. Reproducing each step without clarification requires detailed, complete notes. Cryptic, vague, and ambiguous would make the instructions less clear; hasty describes speed, not the precision needed. Reread the sentence with detailed, then with thorough: the meaning remains the same.
This second explanation is not based only on two similar words: the context requires a shared quality. GRE Sentence Equivalence: choose two answers that preserve meaning
Practice passage · fictional scenario
At the first screening, viewers described a short silent film as unsettling. At a second screening, the same images were accompanied by playful music, and viewers described the film as humorous. The researcher cautioned that the second response could not be attributed to the images alone.
Choose an answer.
The solution, step by step
Correct answer: C.
The method in action
- Follow both versions. The first audience sees images alone; the second sees the same images accompanied by music. The conditions differ.
- Limit the inference. The reaction to the second version does not let us attribute that emotion to the images alone. C preserves this limitation without inventing the filmmaker’s intent or the audience sizes.
The pitfall
A and E invent observations; B generalizes to all films; D attributes an intent that is not mentioned.
Key takeaways
An inference must remain tied to the information in the passage, even if another conclusion seems plausible.
After this practice set, choose the next one based on your error: sentence logic, the nuance of a pair, or the scope of an inference. Three questions do not produce a score or official diagnosis; they help identify what to work on next. GRE Reading Comprehension: distinguish main idea, function, and inference
How much time do you have per Verbal Reasoning question?
Average per question
1 min 31 sec
41 minutes ÷ 27 questions, according to ETS figures
By section: 18 minutes for 12 questions, or 1 minute 30 seconds each, then 23 minutes for 15 questions, or 1 minute 32 seconds each. One passage can support up to six questions, so that is where your time matters. ETS also notes that questions within a section are weighted equally; there is no need to dwell on a difficult one. Test-taking tips (opens in a new tab)
Errors
There is no penalty for a wrong answer. Each correct answer contributes to your raw score. There is no penalty for an incorrect guess. Test-taking tips (opens in a new tab)
The score calculation, in the GRE guideCan you read, infer, and complete without falling for the traps?
Three Upsilar-written questions in ETS format: two Reading Comprehension questions, each based on its own passage, followed by a one-blank Text Completion. These are not official questions.
Practice passage · fictional scenario
For decades, ecologists assumed that cities were hostile to wild bees: pavement replaces flowering meadows, and pesticides are sprayed in parks and gardens. Recent surveys in several European cities, however, have recorded more species of wild bees in urban gardens than in the intensively farmed land around those cities, and some researchers now describe cities as refuges for pollinators.
Others urge caution. The surveys counted species, not individuals, and a garden visited by many species may still support only small populations of each. Moreover, most surveys were conducted in summer, when gardens are in bloom; whether urban bees find enough food in early spring, when few ornamental plants flower, remains largely unstudied.
Choose an answer.
The solution, step by step
Correct answer: B — a finding about urban bees, followed by the limits of what it shows.
The method in action
- Follow how the passage develops. The first paragraph reports a result: more species in urban gardens than on intensively farmed land. The second, which begins “Others urge caution,” points out its limitations.
- Look for an answer that covers both. B states both the result and its limited scope. An answer that describes only one paragraph cannot be the purpose of the whole passage.
- Rule out partial or overstated readings. C and D repeat a detail or invent a method; E turns an open question into a recommendation that the passage does not make.
The pitfall
A, “than any rural area”: the passage compares cities only with intensively farmed land, and the second paragraph limits what can be concluded from the species survey. An absolute term in a purpose answer is a warning sign.
Key takeaways
A passage’s purpose covers all its paragraphs: when the second qualifies the first, the correct answer preserves that nuance.
Practice passage · fictional scenario
When the city of Lindmark replaced its printed bus timetables with a smartphone application, officials expected ridership among older residents to fall. Instead, ridership in that group rose slightly the following year. A survey found that many older riders had never opened the application; they relied on the electronic displays installed at major stops at the same time, which show when the next bus will actually arrive.
Choose an answer.
The solution, step by step
Correct answer: C — another change made at the same time could explain the increase.
The method in action
- Notice the unexpected result. A decrease was expected among older users, but a slight increase was observed. The passage then gives a clue: many had never opened the app.
- Connect the clue to the question. These users relied on displays installed “at the same time.” C puts it cautiously: this simultaneous change may help explain the increase.
- Reject what the passage does not say. A and E discuss things the passage does not measure; D compares an accuracy that the passage does not evaluate for printed schedules.
The pitfall
B attributes the increase to the app, even though many older users had never opened it. The passage does not establish that cause; instead, it points to the possible role of the displays installed at stops.
Key takeaways
Keep an inference close to the passage: “may help explain” is better than asserting a cause without evidence.
Choose an answer.
The solution, step by step
Correct answer: A — equivocal, ambiguous.
The method in action
- Find the clue. The end of the sentence describes the effect: no readers agree on what the committee wants. The recommendations are therefore ambiguous.
- Read the linking word. “Although” contrasts a praised quality—the report’s thoroughness—with a flaw, so the missing word should be negative.
- Choose the word that produces the effect. Only “equivocal,” or ambiguous, explains why readers understand different things. “Radical” or “popular” would not create disagreement about meaning.
The pitfall
B, “meticulous,” repeats the idea of “thoroughness.” But “Although” signals a contrast, and a meticulous report is not necessarily hard to understand.
Key takeaways
Predict the word before reading the choices: here, “ambiguous.” Then look for its equivalent, not a word already present in the sentence.
Verbal Reasoning FAQs
Is partial credit available?
No. ETS does not award partial credit: every blank in a Text Completion and both choices in a Sentence Equivalence must be correct.
The Verbal Reasoning: is it adaptive?
Yes, section by section: the first is medium difficulty, and the second section’s difficulty depends on your performance on the first, according to ETS.
Can you go back to a question?
Yes, within the current section: ETS lets you skip a question, return to it, and change your answer using the Mark and Review features.
How long does Verbal Reasoning last?
41 minutes total: 18 minutes for the first section of 12 questions, then 23 minutes for the second section of 15 questions.