A major GMAT mistake test-takers make when answering Verbal questions is using hacks instead of skill to find correct answers.
A couple of very common hacks include:
always choosing the shortest option among SC answer choices or assuming that the longest option can’t be right
automatically eliminating CR answer choices that use “extreme” words such as “only," “always,” or “none.”
These so-called hacks, and others like them, are not a reliable route to finding correct answers to GMAT Verbal questions. Sure, it could be the case that the shortest answer choice happens to be correct in a particular SC question, or a CR answer choice that uses the word “always” happens to be incorrect. And you could get an ace on 10 at the blackjack table.
OK, using hacks might be slightly more reliable that pure luck — at least on easy Verbal questions. But ask yourself, do you want your Verbal score to hinge on strategies that work only occasionally? Or, do you want to be able to implement strategies that you know will work time after time, on question after question?
So, realize that the GMAT can’t be gamed.
It’s understandable that GMAT students want to find shortcuts and hacks to make mastering the GMAT easier. But the sooner students realize that the GMAT can’t be gamed, the better off they are in their GMAT prep, because they can start doing the real work of building their GMAT Verbal skills.
GMAT writers don’t make answering Verbal questions as simple as memorizing a list of “bad” words or picking the shortest sentence out of a lineup. In general, we should be wary of GMAT Verbal “hacks” that don’t require any actual Verbal skill or knowledge — the things that the GMAT tests.
In general, gimmicky GMAT Verbal strategies may be able to take you from a very low Verbal score to a mediocre one. However, beyond that, these hacks are a gamble. So, don’t gamble with your GMAT score!
Warmest regards,
Scott
A couple of very common hacks include:
always choosing the shortest option among SC answer choices or assuming that the longest option can’t be right automatically eliminating CR answer choices that use “extreme” words such as “only," “always,” or “none.”These so-called hacks, and others like them, are not a reliable route to finding correct answers to GMAT Verbal questions. Sure, it could be the case that the shortest answer choice happens to be correct in a particular SC question, or a CR answer choice that uses the word “always” happens to be incorrect. And you could get an ace on 10 at the blackjack table.
OK, using hacks might be slightly more reliable that pure luck — at least on easy Verbal questions. But ask yourself, do you want your Verbal score to hinge on strategies that work only occasionally? Or, do you want to be able to implement strategies that you know will work time after time, on question after question?
So, realize that the GMAT can’t be gamed.
It’s understandable that GMAT students want to find shortcuts and hacks to make mastering the GMAT easier. But the sooner students realize that the GMAT can’t be gamed, the better off they are in their GMAT prep, because they can start doing the real work of building their GMAT Verbal skills.
GMAT writers don’t make answering Verbal questions as simple as memorizing a list of “bad” words or picking the shortest sentence out of a lineup. In general, we should be wary of GMAT Verbal “hacks” that don’t require any actual Verbal skill or knowledge — the things that the GMAT tests.
In general, gimmicky GMAT Verbal strategies may be able to take you from a very low Verbal score to a mediocre one. However, beyond that, these hacks are a gamble. So, don’t gamble with your GMAT score!
Warmest regards,
Scott
