Desperate about CR :( Recommended strategies

Question

Hi everybody,
After one month of studying from Manhattan CR, I have noticed that I am really really bad at CR and I am desperate. My quant is around %80-85, while my verbal is generally around %60-65 correct. CR is my weakness since I do not understand the logic.
I pick the right answer in %50 of the questions and still most of them are solved coincidently, which means they are not estimated exactly but chosen with the manner "ok, this answer may be the right one, I guess".

I am good at quant, which has basic rules. I guess I can not catch the same thinking process as GMAT do for CR. Sometimes over-think sometimes under-think.

I have 1 month to my GMAT exam. I am better at RC and SC (since it has rules like quant). What do you suggest me?

1- Improve your CR; if yes then please suggest tips. I tried solving more questions, but it did not help. Powerscore CR (similar to manhattan's one) didn't help. Because I don't get the logic of GMAT thinking.
2- Leave it and focus on SC and RC.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi chismooo,

Before I can offer you the specific advice that you’re looking for, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) How long have you studied?
2) What materials have you used?
3) How have you scored on each of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)?

Goals:
4) What is your goal score?
5) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
6) When are you planning to apply to Business School?
7) What Schools are you planning to apply to?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

zet · Answer

Hi, below you can find my answers Studies: 1) How long have you studied? 1 month full time 2) What materials have you used? Manhattan books and OG 3) How have you scored on each of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)? Around560-570. I only had 2 CATs. Goals: 4) What is your goal score? 700+ 5) When are you planning to take the GMAT? mid-December, it seems that I will postpone the date

6) When are you planning to apply to Business School? February 7) What Schools are you planning to apply to? Germany MBAs, Mannheim, ESMT, WHU, Leipzig

Konstantin1983 · Answer

Hi chismoo!
I think you should do 2 things. First, break down each argument, i.e find the premises and conclusion. Most correct answers attack conclusion. Second try to eliminate wrong answers, usually you can eliminate 2-3 evident wrong answers. Then you should select the correct answer between two. Remember a few things. Usually tempting answers come first, so read all answers to make sure that you didn't miss anything. Second, depending on the question (Assumption, Weaken, Strenghthen and so on) use different methods to check you answer. And second thing. After you made an answer analyse your choice - why was this answer correct or wrong, it is important since otherwise it doesn't make sense. Hope this helps!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi chismooo,

Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so it's likely that you just have not put in enough time and effort yet. This is meant to say that you would likely improve over time. However, with a mid-December Test Date, you have about 4-5 weeks of study time remaining, and raising a 570 to a 700+ in that time is likely not a reasonable goal. If you're not planning to apply to Business School until February though, then you still have plenty of time to continue studying and improve your scores. As such, I suggest that you plan to push back your Test Date.

I'd like to know more about the CATs that you've taken:
1) On what dates did you take each CAT?
2) How have you scored on each of your CATs (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores)? 
3) Did you take the FULL CAT each time (including the Essay and IR sections)?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

BrazilianPhD · Answer

See if this helps you: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gmat ... -reasoning

ccooley · Answer

If you already know that logic is the problem, then you're ahead of most people who struggle with CR. Just identifying what you ought to work on is a task in itself! For this issue, I'd recommend practicing diagramming arguments. Don't even use a timer, just sit down with some GMAT arguments and 'draw them out'. Think about creating flow charts with bubbles and arrows, or pro/con tables, or something along those lines. Come up with a way to diagram the arguments that you're comfortable with.

Another approach is to start by looking for  flaws  in arguments. You already do this in your day-to-day life, and GMAT argument structure isn't really different from the arguments you'd see in the news or hear from friends. When you read an argument, ask yourself if there's anything about it that seems 'off'. Can you come up with a counterargument? If you can do that, then that means you already understand the structure of the argument at some level. The next step is to figure out why your counterargument makes sense...

zet · Answer

Thanks ccooley, I will try this. I fall behind 2min. at CR and at SC also. Do you think I should ignore timing while practicing and focus on the content in the first place? I get excited, of course, when timer pops up on my screen. It is hard to focus when you have " I am late I am late" phase in your mind

zet · Answer

Hi Rich, I will probably reschedule my GMAT. I took 3 CATs; GMAC Software CAT1 - 31 Oct 2016 - 570 - Q 13 incorrect V 19 incorrect ( NO essay and IR) Economist GMAT CAT - 03 Nov 2016 - 590 - Q43 V29 ( No essay , IR was done) Manhattan CAT 1 - 11 Nov 2016 - 560 - Q40 V28 (I don't understand but all the Q questions were from 700-800, and half of the V was also from 700-800) (essay and IR included) On verbal, I follow the instructions as advised (question, de construct the argument, think and then go from wrong to right) I am behind the timing always

When I am in the middle of the answers ( around C) 2 min already passes. What do you recommend for speed? Should I focus on content and then speed or, should I work on content and speed together no matter what.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi chismooo,

Pacing issues do NOT exist on their own - they're the results of OTHER issues. You'll likely get faster as you become more familiar with the question types, patterns and logic that GMAT questions are 'built' on. In addition, you have to keep in mind that most GMAT questions can be solved in more than one way - and that "your way" of answering questions might be the 'long way.' Thus, there are likely other ways to approach the prompts that are ultimately faster (once you put in the proper practice time to learn/use them).

Given your recent CAT score, and your score goal, I highly recommend that you push back your Test Date. You might also find it worthwhile to invest in some new practice materials.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

arun@crackverbal · Answer

You have got some great advice here.

Let me add 1 more bit to this. CR is different from SC or Quant in that it doesn't take KNOWLEDGE to solve questions. For example you could ask a man on the streets to solve a SC question or a Quant question and chances are he might not know a formula or a grammatical rule. However, if you ask him a CR question - chances are that a smart person would be able to intelligently approach the question.

So why are we studying for CR on the GMAT? Can't we just wing it?

Nope!

We need to not only solve it accurately but also do so in time. Also, GMAT knows what anyone would commonly think - and that would be put as a trap in the answer choices. This is why you are playing this "hit and miss" game. This is where practice is going to help you.

Let me give a simple example. Here is a video from our online course that teaches you some basic traps on the GMAT. If you are aware of these traps and ensure you don't fall for it, you have already made progress: https://gmatonline.crackverbal.com/cours ... res/244298

Let me know if this makes sense,

Arun

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