The GRE Companion

GRE Verbal is a reasoning test that uses precise vocabulary; Analytical Writing asks for one clear, well-supported position under time. The Companion teaches both, one skill at a time, with practice and review built in.

• 13 strategy chapters
• 16 lessons
• Learning Logs + Vocabulary Log
• a Mini Diagnostic and five practice tests
• Free sample: a chapter + Lesson 1

One document: a Google Doc with a tab for every part — strategy, lessons, practice tests, trackers — plus a bookmarked PDF. Yours to keep.Already purchased? Sign in to the Hub

Strategy chapters

Read these first. They explain what the test measures, how it is built, and the routine to use on every question.

1. 01About the strategy chapters
2. 02What GRE Verbal & Analytical Writing measure
3. 03Format at a glance
4. 04Verbal question types
5. 05Reading Comprehension strategy
6. 06Text Completion strategy
7. 07Sentence Equivalence strategy
8. 08Vocabulary in context
9. 09Analytical Writing: Analyze an Issue
10. 10Common mistakes
11. 11Practice priorities
12. 12Test-day habits
13. 13What to do next

Lessons

Each lesson teaches one transferable skill: instruction, a worked model, a practice set, and an answer key that explains the trap behind each wrong answer.

GRE Verbal lessons

8 lessons, in order. Lesson 1 is in the free sample.

Free

Lesson 1

How to read a GRE Verbal question

GRE Verbal is not a vocabulary quiz. It measures how carefully a reader tracks sentence logic, evidence, and the relationships among ideas in a sentence or passage.

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Lesson 2

Text Completion I — sentence logic

Single-blank Text Completion is decided by sentence logic, not word familiarity. Find the relationship, predict your own word, then test each choice against it.

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Lesson 3

Sentence Equivalence

Sentence Equivalence items are decided by sentence meaning, not by abstract synonymy. Two words that look like synonyms in a dictionary may produce different meanings when placed in the same sentence.

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Lesson 4

Text Completion II — multi-blank

Multi-blank Text Completion items are not solved one blank at a time in isolation. Each blank has a role in the sentence, and the completed sentence must work as a whole.

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Lesson 5

Reading Comprehension I — central idea and structure

Reading Comprehension items reward careful reading of the passage first. This lesson teaches the passage map: a short reading of central claim, how the claim is supported, how the passage is structured, and one-line author purpose.

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Lesson 6

Reading Comprehension II — inference and evidence

Reading Comprehension items that test inference, function, or specific evidence are decided by the passage just as central-idea items are. The difference is that the support may be indirect, functional, or tied to a specific line.

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Lesson 7

Vocabulary in context

Vocabulary in context is decided by reading, not by memorization. A familiar word can carry an unfamiliar academic sense; a connector can shape what a word must mean; the sentence’s tone or register can rule a candidate in or out.

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Lesson 8

Mixed Verbal set with review

This is the closing GRE Verbal lesson. It does not introduce new content. Instead, it asks one question of every item before you answer it: what kind of Verbal work does this item require?

GRE Analytical Writing lessons

8 lessons, in order. Lesson 1 is in the free sample.

Free

Lesson 1

Reading the task — Issue vs Argument

What the Issue task asks, how it is scored, and how to read a prompt for the claim, its scope, and the position you are being asked to take.

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Lesson 2

Issue I — building a clear position

Turn a prompt into a clear, defensible position: a thesis that takes a side, names its grounds, and sets up the paragraphs to come.

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Lesson 3

Issue II — reason paragraphs and examples

Build reason paragraphs that prove the thesis: one reason per paragraph, a specific example, and a sentence that ties the example back to the claim.

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Lesson 4

Issue III — complexity concession and qualification

A strong Issue essay does not flatten the question. It names limits, exceptions, and the strongest reasonable objection — and then defends the thesis after acknowledging them. This lesson teaches that work.

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Lesson 5

Argument I — finding assumptions

Argument analysis as reasoning practice: name the conclusion, the evidence, the assumptions the argument depends on, and what would strengthen or weaken each.

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Lesson 6

Argument II — organizing the critique

Organize a critique: order the assumptions by how much the argument depends on them, and write paragraphs that explain the gap rather than list it.

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Lesson 7

Style clarity and timed execution

Execution under time: a plan you can write in three minutes, sentence-level clarity, and the small style choices that keep a reader with you.

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Lesson 8

Mixed writing practice and revision review

Mixed timed practice with a revision review: score each essay against the rubric, name the pattern in your misses, and set the next practice move.

Practice tests

The Mini Diagnostic for a baseline, then every full practice test — each followed by its answer key with a full explanation for every question. Take them under time; the Assessment Tracker has a row ready for each one.

• GRE Verbal Mini DiagnosticA short baseline in one sitting, with its own answer key — take it before Lesson 1
• GRE Verbal Practice Test 1Section 1 · 12 questions · 18 min — Section 2 · 15 questions · 23 min
• GRE Verbal Practice Test 2Section 1 · 12 questions · 18 min — Section 2 · 15 questions · 23 min
• GRE Verbal Practice Test 3Section 1 · 12 questions · 18 min — Section 2 · 15 questions · 23 min
• GRE Analytical Writing Practice Test 1Analyze an Issue · one task · 30 min, with a scoring guide and response notes
• GRE Analytical Writing Practice Test 2Analyze an Issue · one task · 30 min, with a scoring guide and response notes

Built-in review tools

Work it online in the Hearn Learning Hub

Every lesson in the Companion also runs on the site. Answer inside the lesson, get graded on the spot, and the Learning Log builds itself. Hub access is a separate one-time purchase and covers ACT, SAT, and GRE.

Pricing

After checkout you land on a page with your links, and the same links arrive by email. The Companion is also included with eligible 1:1 support — contact me to talk it through.