Always Read the GMAT Verbal Question Stem Fully and Carefully

Do yourself a favor and always read each Verbal question stem fully and carefully. Remind yourself that you’re not really saving any time by rushing through the stem. Not reading the question carefully is only going to make answering it more difficult and time-consuming. Moreover, the GMAT question-writer set traps specifically for test-takers who don’t read questions carefully! Not reading questions carefully is a very common error, and the GMAT writers know that.

So, make sure that you fully read and understand each Verbal question you see. Even if you don’t normally rush through reading questions during practice, be aware that this situation can occur for any number of reasons on test day. Maybe you’re behind on the clock, so you start to cut corners however you can to catch up on time. Maybe the pressure of the day causes you to fall back on bad habits you thought you’d eliminated early in your test prep. Maybe you’re just nervous.

Understanding that rushing is a common problem–and a score-killing one–can help you cut it off at the pass.

Warmest regards,

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep