Don’t Guess Between the Last Two Verbal Choices

One of the most common pitfalls people encounter when preparing for GMAT Verbal is the urge to guess between the last two choices of a Verbal practice question. What happens is that a student eliminates three out of five answer choices relatively easily and is left with two that are harder to choose between. Then, having trouble deciding which is correct, the student basically gives up and guesses. Taking this approach can seriously undermine the effectiveness of our GMAT Verbal practice, and here’s why.

To get GMAT Verbal questions correct, we have to learn to choose between the last two choices. In fact, we could say that the GMAT Verbal game is all about choosing between the last two choices. After all, the other three choices are generally relatively easy to eliminate. So, most of what we do in answering Verbal questions is directed at choosing between the infamous last two choices.

Accordingly, if, when practicing GMAT Verbal, we guess between the last two choices, then we’re skipping what’s possibly the most important step in answering a Verbal question. In other words, if we guess between the last two choices, we’re almost not even practicing. We’re certainly not practicing doing what we need to do to master GMAT Verbal, and we’ll likely see little progress.

So, the next of my GMAT Verbal section tips is, don’t guess between the last two choices when practicing! Instead, expect it to be hard to choose between the last two choices, and stick with the question until you’ve figured out how to choose between them. By figuring that out, you’ll be learning to do what it takes to achieve your GMAT Verbal score goal.

Warmest regards,

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep