One of the smartest strategies for tackling GRE Sentence Equivalence questions is to begin by grouping answer choices with similar meanings.

This approach speeds things up because Sentence Equivalence is not about finding a single word that fits—it’s about finding two words that lead to the same sentence meaning. So even if a word seems like it could work in context, it’s automatically wrong if it doesn’t have a matching partner among the choices.

By identifying and removing words that don’t form synonym pairs right away, you reduce the number of options that require deeper analysis. That means you spend less time wrestling with context and nuance and more time making efficient decisions.

Another advantage is that you can assess the remaining options in pairs rather than individually. Evaluating two synonym pairs at once is far more efficient than testing four separate words one by one.

In short, to move faster and more accurately through Sentence Equivalence questions, your first step should always be to match up words with similar meanings and discard any stand-alone options. Sometimes, that step alone leaves you with just one viable pair, and the correct answer becomes obvious.

Warmest regards,

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder & CEO, Target Test Prep