GRE Verbal Practice Papers

Start with the question type that gives you the most trouble. Reading Comprehension tests how well you follow an argument. Text Completion asks you to fill gaps using the surrounding clues. Sentence Equivalence requires two choices that give the sentence the same meaning.

The Reading Comprehension paper has six questions on a passage about schooling and inequality. It includes the main idea, an analogy, the author's tone and the purpose of a statement. The Text Completion paper has two single-blank, two double-blank and two triple-blank questions. Sentence Equivalence has 10 questions, each with six choices.

For passage questions, a familiar topic can still have difficult answer choices. In the schooling passage, you need to separate the author's criticism of an argument from the argument itself. For the sentence questions, words such as “but” and “paradoxical” can change which meaning fits. These are useful skills to practise before moving to a timed test.

Current GRE Verbal Timing

GRE Verbal Reasoning has 27 questions across two sections.

The second section's difficulty depends on performance in the first. You can move between questions and change answers within the current section.

Before 22 September 2023, the two Verbal sections each had 20 questions and 30 minutes. Older books can still supply individual questions, but their section lengths do not match a current timed mock.

Reading Comprehension Practice

Reading Comprehension includes single-answer, multiple-answer and sentence-selection questions. For multiple-answer items, select every correct option; partial selections earn no credit.

Original practice question

After a town restricted cars on one shopping street, pedestrian visits increased. During the same month, a new bus route began stopping beside that street. The council credited the entire increase to the car restriction.

Which statement best evaluates the council's conclusion?

• A. It overlooks another change that may have increased visits.
• B. It proves that car restrictions never benefit shops.
• C. It establishes that every visitor arrived by bus.
• D. It shows that pedestrian visits were counted incorrectly.
• E. It proves the new bus route had no effect.

Answer: A. The passage gives two simultaneous changes, so it does not isolate the effect of the restriction. B, C and E claim more than the passage supports; D introduces a counting problem that was never mentioned.

When reviewing an inference error, compare the strength of the option with the evidence. Here, “may have increased” is supported; “every visitor” is not.

Text Completion Practice

Text Completion uses one to three blanks. A one-blank item offers five choices; multi-blank items offer three choices per blank. Every blank must be correct for credit.

Original practice question

Although the early reviews were enthusiastic, the author remained ______ about the manuscript and revised it twice before publication.

• A. celebratory
• B. uncertain
• C. indifferent
• D. nostalgic
• E. boastful

Answer: B, uncertain. The contrast after “although” separates the reviewers' enthusiasm from the author's doubts. Revising twice supports uncertainty. Indifference would not explain the sustained effort to revise.

A useful review note names the relationship you missed: contrast, cause, continuation or qualification. Writing only “new vocabulary” misses errors caused by sentence logic.

The GRE Text Completion guide covers blank types and sentence clues. In a three-blank question, start with the blank whose clue is clearest, then check whether all three choices fit together.

Sentence Equivalence Practice

Sentence Equivalence has one blank and six choices. Select two options that create sentences with equivalent meanings. Both selections must be correct.

Original practice question

Because the trial involved only a few volunteers, the researcher described the conclusion as ______.

• A. conclusive
• B. tentative
• C. immutable
• D. provisional
• E. irrelevant
• F. derivative

Answer: B and D. Both words describe a conclusion that remains open to revision. Conclusive and immutable suggest certainty, which conflicts with the small trial. Irrelevant and derivative do not express the required caution.

Test each word in the complete sentence. A pair of synonyms elsewhere in the options can still be wrong if neither fits the stated relationship.

The GRE Sentence Equivalence guide includes more examples of word pairs. Two similar words are not enough: each must fit the sentence, and the completed meanings must agree.

Free GRE Practice Tests and Answer Explanations

POWERPREP 1 does not give Verbal or Quantitative scaled scores when taken untimed. The free tests provide correct answers; detailed explanations are a feature of POWERPREP PLUS.

For additional question collections, compare the editions in the GRE preparation books guide. Use an older edition for its questions, while keeping current section timing for a mock.

How to Review a GRE Verbal Practice Set

Separate an error in understanding a word from an error in following the argument. They need different follow-up work.

For a timed set, also mark correct answers that were guesses. A result of eight correct answers with four confident explanations needs different work from eight correct answers backed by clear reasoning.

Can a PDF Predict Your GRE Verbal Score?

GRE Verbal is reported on a 130–170 scale. A standalone PDF does not reproduce the adaptive selection and equating used in the examination.

Getting 8 of 10 drill questions right means 80% accuracy on that particular set. It cannot be converted into a reliable score of 160 or another fixed scaled result.

Wrong answers do not attract a score deduction. In multi-answer or multi-blank questions, however, a partially correct response still earns no credit. During review, score the whole question rather than counting each correct blank as a separate success.