The GMAT doesn't have to be a nail biter. (photo by c r i s)

Jen Rugani is one of Knewton’s top GMAT teachers.

Do you bite your nails? Chew on pencils? Forget to the check the subject and verb on sentence correction questions? All of these are bad habits, but only one will affect your GMAT score. Test-takers tend to make the same grammar mistakes over and over again; learn to recognize—and avoid—these common traps and pitfalls.

1) Ignoring the Subject and Verb

It’s one of the biggest, most basic rules of grammar: If it doesn’t have a main subject and main verb, it’s not a sentence. More importantly, the subject and verb are the potential home of numerous SC errors, including subject-verb agreement, sentence fragments, clause connection and more. Many test-takers head straight for more complicated issues and overlook an easy subject-verb mistake that can knock a few answer choices out of contention. In a gourmet meal, perfect side dishes don’t matter if the main course is burned. Think of the subject and verb as the meat (or vegan substitute) of a sentence, and check them first.

2) Overlooking Redundancy

The GMAT loves concision and clarity; it is a mistake to repeat yourself and say the same thing twice. Did you see the redundancy in the previous sentence? If so, you are ahead of the curve! The vast majority of test-takers miss simple redundancy errors, so be extra vigilant in watching out for them. Look for quantity words:

Redundant: The price dropped by a 30% decrease.

Awesomely concise: The price dropped by 30%.

Redundancy can also appear in cause and effect relationships:

Redundant: Because she is obsessed with Elvis, the result is that she eats only peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

Awesomely concise: Because she is obsessed with Elvis, she eats only peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

The moral of the story: Saying it twice? Not so nice.

3) Trusting Your Ear Too Much (or Not Enough)

Listen up, native English speakers: Your natural ear for grammar can be a hugely valuable tool. Use it, and trust it to help you eliminate obviously awkward answer choices. Don’t waste time analyzing sentences that you instinctively know sound wrong. However, trusting your ear is not a substitute for understanding the rules of grammar. This is especially true for GMAT idioms. Take a look at this sentence:

As puppies gnaw on their favorite bones, so I gnaw on this ear of corn.

This sentence might sound totally fine — in fact, it’s likely that many native English speakers would say this in everyday speech, especially when enjoying a delicious corn-on-the-cob. Unfortunately, “as…so” is NOT a valid comparison idiom. The correct sentence is:

Just as puppies gnaw on their favorite bones, so I gnaw on this ear of corn.

The GMAT test-makers understand that a natural ear for English is an advantage, so they will purposefully include sentences that sound wrong, but are actually correct.

4) Playing the “What If” Game

The “what if” game is one of the most dangerous habits on the SC section. You read an answer choice and think, “I see an error here. This is wrong. But what if it had a plural verb (or a comma, or a pronoun, or some other grammatical element)? Then would it be correct?” Do not fall into this trap! It doesn’t matter whether the answer choice would be correct if written differently; it’s not, and that’s the whole point. Answer choices on the GMAT are constructed deliberately and precisely, so don’t waste time with “what ifs.” If you see an error, simply eliminate the choice and move on.

5) Forgetting the Logic of a Sentence

There are so many grammar rules to remember that test-takers often forget that sentences have to make sense, too. If you’re stuck on a question, take a step back and do a quick logic check: What information is this sentence trying to convey, and what is the clearest, most straightforward way in which to convey it? Logic checks are particularly useful for modifier and verb tense errors. For modifiers, ask yourself: What is this phrase describing, and does the structure of the sentence make that clear? For verb tense, ask: In what order did these events occur, and do the tenses correctly express that relationship? Thinking about the meaning of a sentence can help pull the underlying grammar issues into sharper focus.

Ditch these bad habits and say hello to a higher verbal score. As for biting your nails… you’re on your own.

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If taking the GMAT is like running a marathon, then the Reading Comprehension passages are like a set of steep hills in mile 24. They’re dense, complicated, boring pieces of text that test your stamina and focus as much as your comprehension. After powering through the AWA and math sections, it’s easy to arrive at the first reading comp passage and start to zone out — your eyes are still on the screen, but you’re re-reading the same sentence over and over again without taking in any of the meaning. At Knewton, we call this “glazed eyes” syndrome, and it can be a major time-sucker on the verbal section.

So how do you make it up the hill and power through to the finish line? There are some concrete steps you can take both now and on test day to avoid glazed eyes and stay focused on the passage.

Start reading GMAT-like texts now

It’s obvious that a reading comp passage won’t be as thrilling as your favorite Dan Brown novel, but the GMAT actually makes RC passages boring on purpose.  The test-makers go out of their way to make the text complex, and they like to use natural science and social science topics with which potential business-school students may not be familiar. To prepare yourself, start reading real-world texts that mimic GMAT passage structures. The Economist, Scientific American, and The Wall Street Journal are good places to start, and magazines like Time and Newsweek feature editorial articles that can help you learn to recognize authorial arguments. Get comfortable with this type of writing now so that the passages on test day seem familiar and manageable.

Take notes

Writing quick notes will keep your brain naturally engaged and help you move through the passage deliberately (at Knewton, we call this process Active Reading). Jot down a quick summary for each paragraph and note the main ideas or theories mentioned in the passage. People often skip this note-taking step because they worry it takes too much time. But think about it this way: It’s much better to take a few extra seconds to jot down helpful notes than to waste potential minutes staring blankly at the screen. Plus, your notes will provide useful pre-phrases for some of the broader reading comprehension questions, which can actually help you save time in the long run.

Fast-forward to test day. What should you do if you’re in the middle of a reading comprehension passage and your brain is starting to wander?

Don’t panic

Try to stay calm; panicking about your lack of focus will only make it harder to come back to the passage. Be patient with your brain — it’s working hard! If you feel glazed eyes starting to set in, look away from the passage. This might sound counter-intuitive — why am I turning away from the thing I’m supposed to be reading? — but think of it as hitting a reset button on your brain. Look away from the screen, take a deep breath, and then return to the passage. You’ll be amazed at how much a few quick seconds of break time can center you back on the task at hand.

Return to something interesting

Once you’ve taken those deep breaths and are ready to come back to the passage, don’t start reading the same sentence that tripped you up the last time. Go back a few sentences, or even to the previous paragraph, to the most recent idea that interested you. Your brain will be much more likely to reengage on an interesting thought than on one that was difficult to understand. Then, you can use your note-taking skills and Active Reading to stay focused throughout the rest of the passage.

With these tips and tricks, you’ll be able to beat — or avoid — glazed eyes syndrome. Did you make it through this post without falling asleep? Then you’re well on your way to reading comprehension success!