GMAT Quick Tips — Verbal Ability, Sentence Correction

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GMAT Quick Tips —  Verbal Ability, Sentence Correction

1.  Don't bother to read answer choice (A). It simply repeats the underlined part of the sentence.

2. Don't worry about punctuation; it's not tested in GMAT Sentence Correction.

3. Test-takers have a natural tendency to hyper-correct—to find fault with the original version (the first answer choice). Keep in mind that, on average, in 1 out of 5 Sentence Correction questions the original version (the first answer choice) is the best among the five choices.

4. Trust your ear. If an answer choice sounds awkward in the context of a sentence, don't bother to analyze it—eliminate it and move on.

5. Eliminate any answer choice that distorts the intended meaning of the sentence.

6. Some answer choices might contain internal grammatical errors (they're grammatically improper, even apart from the sentence). Eliminate them right away to narrow down the viable choices.

7. You'll always encounter a second-best answer choice as well. Resolve close judgment calls in favor of the version that most effectively and concisely expresses the intended meaning of the sentence.

8. Just because an answer choice is a bit wordy or awkward (read: there's room for improvement), don't assume it's a wrong choice. If it contains no grammatical errors, while each of the other choices do, then it's nevertheless the best of the five choices.

9. Just because an answer choice is grammatically correct, don't assume it's the best choice. It might be a bit wordy or awkward; or it might contain a redundancy; or it might employ the passive voice. Another choice might be better overall.

10. Just because an answer choice corrects every problem in the original sentence, don't assume that it is the best answer choice. It might contain a new grammatical error, diction error or word usage problem, or it might be wordy or awkward.

11. Before confirming your response, be sure to read the entire sentence—from beginning to end—with your answer choice. If it sounds proper to your mind's ear, go with it and move on to the next question.