<h2>Why the GRE Verbal Section Is Different</h2> <p>Unlike SAT vocabulary questions that test whether you know a word's definition, GRE Verbal questions test your ability to understand precise relationships between ideas — and then select vocabulary that captures those relationships. A score of 165+ (96th percentile) requires both a large vocabulary and advanced reasoning skills.</p> <h2>Text Completion: The Logic-First Approach</h2> <p>The most common mistake on Text Completion is reading the sentence, getting a vague feeling for what should go in the blank, and then selecting the word that "sounds right." This approach caps your score at around 155. The 165+ approach is different:</p> <ol> <li><strong>Identify the logical structure first.</strong> Is this a contrast sentence? A cause-effect? A continuation? Signal words like "although," "because," "moreover," and "despite" tell you the logical relationship.</li> <li><strong>Generate your own word before looking at the choices.</strong> If the sentence says "Despite his reputation for _____, the politician's speech was surprisingly nuanced," you should think "harshness" or "simplicity" before you look at options. This prevents the choices from anchoring your thinking.</li> <li><strong>For triple-blank questions, work in order of logical dependency.</strong> Often one blank determines another. Find the easiest blank first and use it to constrain the others.</li> </ol> <h2>Sentence Equivalence: The Synonym Trap</h2> <p>Sentence Equivalence asks you to select TWO answers that both complete the sentence and produce sentences with equivalent meanings. The trap is that ETS often includes pairs of near-synonyms that do NOT produce equivalent sentences when inserted — they shift the emphasis or nuance. The correct answers must:</p> <ul> <li>Each make grammatical and logical sense in the sentence independently.</li> <li>Produce sentences that convey the same idea — same tone, same implication, same level of intensity.</li> </ul> <p>Strategy: Test each answer choice individually first. Eliminate ones that don't fit. Then look at the remaining options and pair them — the pair that produces truly equivalent sentences is correct.</p> <h2>The 500 GRE Vocabulary Words That Matter</h2> <p>You don't need to memorise 10,000 obscure words. Research on past GRE exams shows that approximately 500 high-frequency words appear disproportionately. Focus on words that have precise meanings distinguishable from synonyms: "equivocal" (deliberately ambiguous) vs. "ambiguous" (unclear for any reason); "diffident" (lacking self-confidence) vs. "reticent" (unwilling to speak).</p> <h2>Reading Comprehension at the 165+ Level</h2> <p>Hard RC passages are almost always about a controversy in an academic field. The passage structure is nearly always: Background → Established view → Challenge to that view → Evidence for the challenge → Implications or remaining questions. If you map this structure in the first 60 seconds of reading, you will know exactly where the answer to every question lives.</p> <p>For "primary purpose" questions: the answer mirrors the passage structure. Eliminate answers that are too narrow (focusing on a detail), too broad (beyond the scope), or mischaracterise the author's tone (neutral academic vs. strongly argumentative).</p> <h2>Score Breakdown and Study Plan</h2> <p>If you are currently scoring 155–159: focus 60% of study time on vocabulary acquisition and 40% on RC strategy. If you are scoring 160–163: the vocabulary gap is mostly closed — focus entirely on strategic approaches to hard questions. Work with a 165+ tutor to review mistakes systematically.</p>