Effective study plan for Critical Reasoning

Question

Can someone help me devise a effective day to day study plan for CR and also give an estimate of the number of days I should spend on it.

PS : I have the powerscore CR BIBLE as my study material.

DisciplinedPrep · Answer

SanjaySrini - Please take a moment to review the below thread. Critical Reasoning Megathread: https://gmatclub.com/forum/critical-rea ... 45178.html

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi SanjaySrini,

Back in late March, you posted that you had taken a practice CAT (at some earlier date) and scored 570/Q44/V26. Have you taken any additional practice CATs/mocks since then (and if you have, then how did you Score - including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores?)? In addition, how have you performed on CR on each of your CATs?

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

SanjaySrini · Answer

Hi Rich,

Thanks for the reply, I have taken 5 Gmatclub Quant tests since yesterday and had 44,50,50,50,50 respectively. In the first test I was not able to pace myself properly and had to guess the last 8 questions. But in the next four I didn't face problems with time.

I have not taken any verbal tests other than the diagnostic it took long ago and in that my CR accuracy was 75% which I suppose doesn't mean much as I only got a V26.

Posted from my mobile device

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi SanjaySrini,

To start, taking an individual section of the GMAT - outside of the context of taking the FULL Exam under realistic testing conditions - is not a great way to measure your GMAT skills (and how you might perform on the Official GMAT). Based on your last post, I assume that you have not taken any FULL-LENGTH CATs recently, so I strongly recommend that you take one sometime soon (in the next few days). That data will help to define how well you have improved overall and if there are any additional areas that you should be spending time on (besides CR). Once you have that next Score, you should post back here (or you can feel free to PM me directly) and we can discuss the results and how you might best proceed with your studies.

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

SanjaySrini · Answer

Thanks for the suggestion.

I'll try giving a mock and then will get back to you.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi SanjaySrini,

Would you actually like some general advice regarding how to improve your CR skills?

SanjaySrini · Answer

Sure, that would be very helpful. Thanks.

Posted from my mobile device

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

To improve in Critical Reasoning, you first need to master the individual Critical Reasoning topics: Strengthen the Argument, Weaken the Argument, Resolve the Paradox, etc. As you learn about each question type, do focused practice so you can track your skill in answering each type. If, for example, you get a weakening question wrong, ask yourself why. Did you make a careless mistake? Did you not recognize the specific question type? Were you doing too much analysis in your head? Did you skip over a keyword in an answer choice? You must thoroughly analyze your mistakes and seek to turn weaknesses into strengths by focusing on the question types you dread seeing and the questions you take a long time to answer correctly.

A major mistake that people make when training for CR, and for GMAT verbal in general, is that they do practice questions too fast. To get Critical Reasoning questions correct, you have to see exactly what's going on in the passages and answer choices, and it's likely that you won't learn to do so by spending a few minutes on each question. At this stage of your training, you may need to spend as many as 15 minutes on each question, learning to see what there is to see. Here is a way to look at this process: If you get a new job in a field in which you are not experienced, you may not be as fast as the other people working with you, but you know you have a job to do and you make sure you learn all the angles, so that you do the job well, if not as quickly as those around you. Rushing through the job and doing it incorrectly would not make sense. Then, as you gain more experience, you learn to do the same job more quickly. Think of Critical Reasoning questions similarly. Your job is to do what? To get through questions quickly? Not really. Your job is to get correct answers.

So, first you have to learn to get correct answers, generally at least 10 to 15 in a row consistently, and more in a row would be better. Doing so is your job, and if it takes you fifteen minutes per question to get correct answers consistently, then so be it. Only after you have learned to get correct answers consistently can you work on speeding up. Working quickly but not doing your job is useless. Better to work slowly and learn to do your job well. You can be sure that with experience, you will learn to speed up, and then you will still be doing your job well, i.e., getting correct answers consistently.

Finally, a key aspect of getting correct answers to Critical Reasoning questions is noticing the key differences between trap choices and correct answers. Trap choices can sound temptingly correct but don't get the job done. The logic of what a trap choice says simply doesn't fit what the question is asking you to find. So, to get better at your job, learn to see the key differences between trap choices and correct answers.

	Target Test Prep - Save up to $599 $400 Discount + $99 Bonus GMAT Club Tests
	e-GMAT: 60% Off on GMAT Focus Get to 735+ from any starting point
	Magoosh increases your score, guaranteed - 15% off ALL Magoosh GMAT plans with code GMATCLUB15 + Free GMAT Club Tests.
	Manhattan Prep: $99 Bonus Score Higher on Your GMAT Exam. Guaranteed.
	Experts' Global - ~~$1720~~ $960 End-to-End GMAT Prep + App Support: 150+ Videos, 2000+ Questions, 15 FLTs +
	GMATWhiz - $299 ~~$499~~ Experience the course through a free trial.
	GMAT Club Tests - Free Included with every course purchase of $149+ View all deals

Effective study plan for Critical Reasoning

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards