Let me say this upfront: GMAT Verbal isn’t a traditional English test. It’s a logic test.

As I mentioned in the title of this series, I’m what you’d call “Korean-born and raised.” I had never lived or studied in an English-speaking country before my MBA. No study abroad, no exchange programs, nothing. And yet, I scored 720 on the GMAT. That wasn’t because I had native-level fluency. It was because the GMAT isn’t measuring how fancy your English is. It’s measuring how well you can think — logically, critically, and under pressure.

Sure, if you’ve lived in an English-speaking country, you’ll probably read questions a bit faster. But even native speakers struggle with GMAT Verbal. And many non-native speakers, like me, do just fine because we’ve trained ourselves to read between the lines and think clearly.

Before we dive into how GMAT Verbal is structured, let’s talk about why it exists in the first place and how the skills it tests show up in real life.

Why Verbal Skills Matter in an MBA

If you’ve heard anything about MBA programs, you probably know they rely heavily on case studies. These aren’t just textbooks. They’re detailed business scenarios that mimic real-world decision-making.

Cases can be anywhere from 5 to 50 pages long, often packed with company profiles, industry overviews, competitor analysis, consumer behavior, and supporting data like financial statements. But the structure isn’t always clean or clear. One case might start with a simple industry overview. Another might open mid-scene—like someone recalling a merger while driving down a highway.

At schools like UCLA Anderson, where I studied, we also used news articles, analyst reports, and market trend summaries. In fast-moving sectors like tech and entertainment, our “case materials” often weren’t even traditional cases—they were live issues, presented by guest speakers from industry.

And the key skill in all of this?

Being able to quickly identify the problem, the assumptions behind it, and the evidence supporting each potential decision.

That’s exactly what GMAT Verbal tests but just in a mini version. Especially in Reading Comprehension (RC) and Critical Reasoning (CR). When you train for those sections, imagine yourself already in class at a top MBA, breaking down a case in real time.

Suddenly, studying for GMAT Verbal feels less like test prep and more like previewing your future (hopefully?).

These Skills Show Up at Work, Too

The same logic shows up in the workplace, actually more often than you’d think.

In meetings, you’ll need to understand how others arrive at their conclusions. That means listening for tone, watching how arguments are built, and picking up on subtle shifts in reasoning. When writing reports, it’s about checking whether your insights are backed by solid data or just assumptions.

Even when reading a blog post or article, these habits stick.

You ask:

• Is this information fact-based or opinion-based?

• What’s being implied but not said?

• Could there be bias behind this interpretation?

Sound familiar? That’s CR(Critical Reasoning) and RC(Reading Comprehension). And you’ve probably been building those muscles without realizing it.

GMAT Verbal: New Format

In the updated GMAT (as of 2024), Sentence Correction (SC) has been removed.

That’s good news for most international applicants, especially those like me, who didn’t grow up fine-tuning what “natural English” sounds like. Now, the Verbal section is entirely focused on:

• Critical Reasoning (CR): understanding and evaluating arguments

• Reading Comprehension (RC): analyzing dense, unfamiliar texts

No specific industry knowledge is needed. All questions are answerable using only the information given.

How CR (Critical Reasoning) Works

Each CR question includes:

• A short passage (an argument or set of facts)

• A question asking you to evaluate or manipulate the logic

• Five answer choices

Start by identifying the conclusion and the assumptions holding the argument together. When reviewing the answer choices, eliminate those that don’t logically connect.

Here’s a personal tip: I liked reading the question stem first to understand what type of reasoning it required. That way, I knew how to treat the information in the passage—whether to strengthen it, weaken it, find a flaw, or spot an assumption. Try it and see if it works for you.

How RC (Reading Comprehension) Works

RC gives you:

• A passage (often long enough to require scrolling)

• 3–4 follow-up questions

• One question at a time (you can’t preview them all at once)

Some passages are argumentative; others are just informative. It’s not always obvious at first which is which.

When reading, focus on:

• The first sentence of each paragraph—it often signals the main idea.

• Any shifts in direction (e.g. “however,” “on the other hand”)

• Key conclusions or surprising claims

Ask yourself:

• Is this sentence confirming, contrasting, or questioning the previous point?

• Is this idea supported by evidence or assumption?

• Is it answering a question—or raising a new one?

Use shorthand symbols or personal annotations. Even messy notes are fine—as long as they help you remember what matters. Read actively, like you’re having a back-and-forth with the author. Get curious.

Don’t worry about understanding every detail on your first pass. When a question points you to a specific line, you can always go back and reread that part more carefully.

Also, signal words help. Words like although, because, in contrast, and for example often clue you in on logical structure.

You don’t need to memorize them all, but recognizing them helps.

Time Strategy: Verbal Section

Because GMAT is adaptive, early questions carry more weight. If you get the first 12 questions right, your score potential rises. But if you miss too many early on, it can be tough to recover even if you ace the rest.

On average, you’ll have about 2 minutes per question. But use that time flexibly. If one question takes you 30 seconds, use the extra time later.

If a question takes more than 3 minutes, it’s time to make a judgment call. Starting in 2024, you can flag up to 3 questions and revisit them at the end of the section. However, even if you revise a wrong answer, the system won’t readjust difficulty, so your first attempt still matters most.

Unanswered questions come with a penalty. So always finish. If you’re running out of time, make educated guesses (ideally on the last 3–4).

With enough practice tests, you’ll find your pacing rhythm. Until then, experiment, review, adjust. This is where your strategy becomes personal.

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This is my name card from class. Professors would cold call using these.

A quick story: when I started my MBA, I was terrified of speaking up in class. I used to sit in corners where I thought I’d be less visible. But a year in, even though my English hadn’t changed that much, my mindset had. I stopped waiting for cold calls. I raised my hand first.

I may not have had the most detailed case notes, but I understood the big picture and key decision points. That alone was enough to speak up and contribute meaningfully. Just because my English was weaker didn’t mean my ideas were.

In the next post, I’ll dive into GMAT Quant — what it tests, how to approach it, and why it’s more about logic than math formulas.