The Importance of GRE Vocabulary

The words that we use to express ourselves and our ideas are incredibly important. For example, consider these two sentences:

1. You should have a good vocabulary because it is important and will help you at work.
2. A forward-thinking individual will set aside time to compile an expansive vocabulary because they are aware that doing so will prove advantageous to their professional pursuits.

Sure, they’re pretty extreme examples and the second is a bit pompous (an ability to “pull off” an attitude of pomposity is, of course, another benefit of an expansive vocabulary)…but you get the point, right? A few well-chosen words can lead you to a defining moment in life; they can also get you out of a difficult situation. When you know a selection of words that convey all of the nuances of “good”—from “acceptable” to “average” to “perfect”—you can express yourself with precision. An extensive mental lexicon allows you to both understand the erudite and communicate with confidence.

Let’s consider how having a strong vocabulary would help you answer this GRE Text Completion question:

Though the field of economics finds many diverse applications, the (i) __________ goal of economics is to develop tomorrow’s monetary policy. However, economists rely on oft-conflicting information from the past in (ii) ________________ their policy ideas for the future, thus causing critics to refer to economics as (iii) __________________ science.

Kaplan’s strategy for Text Completion questions is to read the sentence and look for clues, and then use those clues to predict what the missing words may be. Read the sentence again. How would you fill in the blanks?

Because the sentence begins with the word “though,” we know that a contrast is coming. Before the comma, we also have the word “diverse”—for that reason, we would expect whatever is after the comma to be unified or singular in some way…we expect the author to transition from “diverse applications” to “one goal.” A good prediction for the first blank (i) would be “primary” or even “most important.”

Now that we’ve made our prediction, we should look at the answer choices for that blank to see if any of them mean “primary” or “most important.” Those choices are:

iconoclastic

preeminent

circuitous

If you know which of these means “most important,” that’s great! If you don’t, though, you need to be able to use your knowledge of word roots, prefixes and suffixes to eliminate as many as possible. A well-developed vocabulary will help you there. For example, if you know that “icon” refers to a sacred image, you should be able to eliminate “iconoclastic” (which means “a destroyer of sacred images”). Also, if you know that “circuit” indicates going or moving around, then you can eliminate “circuitous.” Finally, knowing that “eminent” means “noteworthy” allows you to choose “preeminent” (which means “superior or surpassing”) as the correct answer.

That’s one blank down! On the GRE, you have to choose the correct answer for ALL of the blanks in order for a Text Completion question to be counted correct. Take a moment and predict the words you would use to complete blanks (ii) and (iii).

My predictions would be “forming” for blank (ii) and “an imperfect” for blank (iii). Let’s see what the answer choices are:

Wow. So, these words are a bit harder. A quick glance does not readily reveal a word that means “forming” or one that means “an imperfect.” This question is an excellent illustration of why you need to build a formidable vocabulary as you prepare for Test Day. I’m going to give you a minute to look up these words at www.dictionary.com. Go ahead. I’ll be right here, singing the Jeopardy theme song in my head.

Oh, you’re back? Great! Based on the definitions you looked up, which words would you choose to complete the sentence?

If you chose “excogitating” for blank (ii) and “incongruous” for blank (iii), you are correct! Notice our predictions were not absolutely perfect matches. The cases in which you predict the exact word or definition will be rare. Instead, you’re looking for the answer choice that best captures the nuances of your prediction. In this case, policy ideas would be “formed” (our prediction) via “considering deeply and thoughtfully” (the meaning of “excogitating”). Likewise, “an imperfect” science could also be described as “inconsistent” (the meaning of “incongruous”).

As you prepare for Test Day, keep a vocabulary notebook. Look up new words that you come across while you read, as you watch TV, or even through conversation. Write down the word, its definition and a sentence that uses it in context (preferably the sentence that you first heard or read). Start today to build a powerful vocabulary. It will greatly enhance your GRE Verbal score and will help you to express yourself fluently on the GRE essays. Even better, the vocabulary skills that you are building now will be helpful throughout your graduate school and professional careers!