Entrance Exams Decoded (Part 2) – Cracking the Verbal Section

The verbal ability section is based on English usage and tests students on areas such as verbal reasoning, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and other grammar-based sections such as sentence correction and sentence completion.

At a basic level, Verbal Reasoning tests aim to measure a person’s ability to use language and to comprehend the written word.

> Some verbal reasoning questions in such cases are based on spelling, grammar, and word-meaning. Such tests do not require you to ‘reason’ out the answer. You either know it or you don’t.

> Most verbal reasoning tests however challenge you to understand and think through a problem using concepts framed in words. A Verbal Reasoning test is thus more than a test of vocabulary as it assesses an individual’s ability to think, reason and solve problems in different ways.

Verbal Reasoning tests are very popular as entrance tests not just for educational and professional courses, but also for recruitment to jobs in the corporate world.

Types of Questions in Verbal Reasoning:

1. Simple Verbal Reasoning Questions

2. Logic Based Questions: Verbal Reasoning questions such as the one below require you to identify the rule (logic) and apply the same to arrive at the answer.

3. Syllogisms: In these questions, one proposition (conclusion) is inferred from two others (premises). Here is an example.

Important Tips to Improve Verbal Reasoning Skills

The key to developing a good Verbal Reasoning ability is to systematically and consistently work on it using the suggestions below. It is also important that you set realistic targets on the basis of your performance in the last practice test. Some specific suggestions are listed
below:

1. Remember to get enough practice and analyze your performance in the practice sessions. For instance, did you get most of your answers incorrect in the end when you were in a hurry or in the beginning of the test when you were nervous and not yet completely settled?

2. Make a habit of reading a variety of material. You may even have to ‘push’ yourself to read things that you have difficulty in coping with at first.

3. Become an active reader. Read to understand. Highlight, make notes, paraphrase etc. Do whatever it takes to help you understand what you are reading.

4. Ask questions as you read–What is the writer trying to say? Why is he/she saying so? Is it making sense? Is it logical? The more you ‘process’ what you read, the sharper your reasoning skills will become.

5. Play word-games and solve crossword puzzles.

6. Make a list of words that you tend to frequently miss-spell and learn how to spell them.

Tips for improving Reading Comprehension

Yet another area that is commonly seen in the Verbal section of any entrance exam is the Reading Comprehension section. Reading Comprehension or ‘RC’, as it is popularly known, involves reading an excerpt of a text and answering questions based on it that follow.

Reading Comprehension requires you to build mental frameworks for holding ideas, a good concentration level and a good studying technique. Building frameworks essentially involve connecting the ideas on the page with what you already know. Therefore, if what you are reading is familiar, understanding and storing information becomes easier.

Here are some suggestions to help improve comprehension.

1. Develop a broad background in reading – Read newspapers, magazines, books, anything that you can lay your hands on. Becoming interested in world events will help you make those connections as you read.

2. Follow the structure of the paragraphs – Often, the first sentence gives an overview and transitional words or phrases indicate a change in topic.

3. Anticipate and predict – Good readers constantly engage in the process of making predictions about thoughts, events, outcomes and conclusions. As you read, your predictions either get confirmed or denied. In some cases they are proved invalid, encouraging you to make new predictions. This continuous process helps keep you engaged and involved with the author’s thought process.

4. Highlight, summarize and review – Doing so helps you develop a deeper understanding and aids in remembering important ideas.

5. Build a good vocabulary – Read extensively and make a habit of looking up difficult words in the dictionary that you may encounter. Developing the habit of looking at roots, prefixes and suffixes of words also helps in expanding one’s vocabulary.

6. Remain alert as you read – While you are reading, it is important that you monitor your attention, concentration and effectiveness. If you find your concentration or attention wavering, you should consciously bring it back to the text and on realizing that you have missed an idea, you should go back to reading it once again.

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Pointers to keep in mind as you take an entrance exam

1. Understand the instructions before beginning the test even though you may feel that you are already familiar with them.

2. Work through the example so that you know exactly what to do before you start.

3. Work quickly and systematically through the items; if you get stuck at any question, move to the next one as you can always come back to it later.

4. If you are not too sure about any answer, write your best-reasoned choice. Avoid making blind
guesses as there may be negative marking for incorrect choices.

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