General sentence correction tips

Hi dsaporu,

You ask a "big" question, which can't really be answered with one post. The best approach to GMAT SCs is in knowing the grammar rules/idioms that the GMAT tests and then practicing enough so that those rules become second nature. To that end, there are some general tactics that you might find useful:

1) Use the answer choices to your advantage. On many SCs, the answers can be sub-divided into groups based on a grammar issue (e.g.: singular vs. plural pronouns). This will allow you to focus on a particular rule - once you deal with that rule, you can eliminate some of the possibilities.

2) SCs are usually based on 2-4 grammar rules per question. You can deal with the rules in whatever order you choose, so your ability to find a rule that you're most familiar with can make the work easier.

3) Grammar is a fixed set of rules. If you get an SC wrong, then you can read the explanation and learn the rules behind the prompt. Your ability to memorize these rules, and learn to use them when they apply, will lead to improvement.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

dsaporu wrote:Hi All,

I have been studying sentence correction for about a month and have to say it has been tough. My main issue isn't the rules or corrections but knowing which ones are relevant for each question. My questions to the experts out there is are there any tips or tricks to use to know what a questions is asking? I.E parallelism, grammatical structure, idioms, Any suggestions or resources would help

thanks

Hello @dsaporu

We at e-GMAT believe that the meaning-based approach is the best way to go for GMAT SC. The e-GMAT process has three steps:

Step 1: Meaning Analysis: Always read the original sentence carefully and understand the meaning. Grammar issues are secondary at this point. Keep in mind that the primary purpose of the GMAT is to test your logical abilities! In fact if you understand the meaning of the sentence properly, you can identify the grammatical issues very well. In addition, there are several instances in official questions when incorrect answer choices are grammatically correct but convey the wrong meaning. Such options can be eliminated only if you have first understood the intended meaning of the sentence. So don’t take this step lightly: it makes all the difference, especially in 700+ level questions.

Step 2: Error Analysis: After you have understood the meaning, identify ALL the errors (if any) in the original version of the sentence. Note that we haven’t proceeded to the options yet! Identifying ALL the errors in the original sentence greatly cuts down the time that you need to take to analyze the options.

Step 3: Process of Elimination: Finally, look at options B through E. Eliminate options that repeat the errors from the original sentence as well as options that introduce new errors.

So, in my opinion, there are two things that you need to do: first, master the meaning-based approach. Second, learn the grammar concepts that you need to know. You can register for a free trial at e-GMAT and access some of our audio-visual concept files. Also, here’s a recording of our live session that introduces the e-GMAT approach to solving SC. I’m sure you’ll find both these resources very useful.

I hope this helps, and good luck with your preparation!

Regards,
Meghna