So I've run into a bit of an issue with Verbal and it's weird.

[Technorino]

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I follow this guideline that someone posted somewhere:

53, 46, 39, 32, 25, 18, 11

Meaning 7 minutes per passage and +/- 15-30 seconds per passage (my own addition)

This leaves me with an average of about 6-10 minutes per verbal section I do. That is basically a WHOLE new passage I could read and take.

However, I seem to be getting an average of 2.5 wrong per passage so it puts my verbal score at the 8-9 range.

I really don't understand *how* I can fine tune it so I use that ample time left to go back and find what I've gotten wrong. Should I go back and look at the easy passages and make sure I got none wrong in those or the hard ones? Anyone in a similar situation?

 

[kmp0410]

I don't recommend much as far as going back after you've finished. Maybe a single question, and if you have for sure got the answer choices narrowed down.

But past that, there is too much reading (between passages and question/answers) you have to repeat. Also, you have probably been doing other passages with other themes/tones so it can be hard to immediately remember what the passage was about (especially if it was an early ones).

I would just say try taking everything a hair slower while your doing them.

 

[areserine]

I actually find going back, but not searching back in the text to be really helpful. After reaching the end of the section, or at least moving away from a passage for a while all I'm really left with are my impressions of it- the main idea, how the author felt about the main idea, and perhaps the tone. Most questions relate back to these, and by reviewing the questions with my memory of the main points of the text, I tend to catch a few careless mistakes usually made my overthinking my answers in the first place. I'm also a super fast reader and tend to naturally have at least 10 minutes left at the end though. I'm not sure that this will be a good strategy for those who are normally really tight on time.