When approaching short Reading Comprehension passages on the GRE, you may ask yourself a very common question. “Should I read the question stem before reading the passage itself?” The answer is an emphatic, “no.” Let’s take a moment to explain the reasoning behind this recommendation. Wasting Time on Passages Understanding the passage is the key […]
Holiday Vocabulary and the GRE
Happy Holidays! PowerScore will be closed on December 25, but we know that for some of you, GRE prep never stops. Check out twenty commonly-occurring vocabulary words used in sentences about our favorite holiday classics. In Eight Crazy Nights, Davey Stone spends most of the movie obstreperously objecting to the austere judge’s sentencing—he even defies […]
The Importance of Argumentation on the GRE
GRE Verbal comprises three distinct question types: Text Completion Sentence Equivalence Reading Comprehension Preparation for Text Completion and Sentence Correction problems tends to be centered on studying vocabulary and on learning how to extract context clues and predict the meanings of the blanks accurately. However, you might wonder how to effectively prepare for Reading Comp. […]
Sentence Equivalence and Secondary Definitions
A Rose by Any Other Name Attempt the question; then read the explanation below. A GRE Favorite Is this answer choice “appropriate?” What if we “appropriated” it? Where did you “obtain” those ideas? Do those ideas still “obtain?” The “wag” sang a “rag” just as my energy began to “flag.” hom·o·nym noun each of two […]
GRE Short Passage Questions and LSAT Logical Reasoning
Question Task Patterns Last week, in response to the news that the ABA approved a proposal that formally removes the requirement that the LSAT be used for admissions purposes we discussed overall structural similarities between GRE and LSAT Reading Comprehension. This week we will compare in more detail similar question tasks on the GRE and the LSAT, […]
GRE vs LSAT: Reading Comprehension
Multiple Options to Consider Among those working in test preparation or law school admissions, news of law schools’ expanding adoption of the GRE has been a seismic shift in the last two years. The latest news is that the American Bar Association council approved a proposal that formally removes the requirement that the LSAT be used […]
Evaluate the Argument in This Increasingly Common Reading Comprehension Task
Attempt the question; then read the explanation below. To Help or to Hurt, that is the Question GRE Verbal sections include, on average, ten Reading Comprehension questions. Several of these Reading Comprehension questions include principles of argumentation, critical reasoning skills that test your ability to identify conclusions, premises, and the structure and strength of different […]
Reading Comprehension Strategy
The Goldilocks Passage Several weeks ago we analyzed the contents of the new PowerPrep Plus practice tests, their composition, question types, concepts tested, etc. This week, I’d like to focus on the Reading Comprehension portion of GRE Verbal, specifically, what kinds of questions to expect and how to shift your approach depending on whether you […]
Master this Challenge to Succeed on GRE Verbal
Long Passage GRE Reading Comp Deconstructed Did you try the long passage challenge set? Ready for some explanations? Read on for a complete breakdown of how to tear through a difficult passage like this (note: images of the entire passage set are also appended at the end of this post for reference). Question 9 This […]
Verbal Challenge: Another Text Completion
More Problems, Please! One frequent student complaint about GRE preparation is the lack of available, current material to work with. Yes, there are big books of “GRE” problems, except that they’re not; they are problems developed by third parties to approximate GRE questions. Available, current ETS material is as follows: Practice Book for the PBT […]