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Question

Hi everybody,

I want your feedbacks concerning your pragmatic approach on CR Question step by step from Stimulus to Question.
Tell me with your own words( please don't copy and past from a book)

I need to know your vision.
Thank you to tell me your level

Ciao
Filipe

mikemcgarry · Answer

Dear Filipe, I'm happy to explain in my own words. :-)

My own words have already been posted in blog posts, so I will include a few links. Here's a post that summarizes GMAT CR strategy, and contains individual links to pages with strategies for the individual question types: https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/save-time- ... questions/ Part of making sense of GMAT CR question involves having a good grounding in real world issues. Here's the first in a series of articles designed to give you essential real-world background for the GMAT CR questions: https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/gmat-supply-and-demand/ The other articles in that series are included as links in that articles. Finally, I will say: one of the very best way to get better at understanding and analyzing arguments is to spend a great deal of time looking at real-world arguments. Presumably, you are studying for the GMAT because you plan to get a MBA. If that's your career route, then you probably should be reading the Wall Street Journal every day and the Economist magazine every week. Reading these regularly between now and the time you go to business school will give you invaluable perspective on how the business world works. Both of those publications are written at a high level, so reading them will benefit your GMAT Verbal performance in general. Both of those publications contain all sorts of sophisticated real world arguments. Sometimes, an article will present person #1 presenting an argument for a particular point, then person #2 objecting to that position and presenting an argument against. With all of these arguments, you can practice the GMAT CR skills --- what are the assumptions? what can you infer? what would be a strengthener or weakener? what role do difference sentences have in the argument? what further information would you need to evaluate the argument. See if you can start with real-world arguments you find in those sources and answer the typical GMAT CR questions about those arguments. If you find this hard, you could always type up the argument and post it in this forum with your questions, "how do I find the assumption? what would weaken this? etc." Feel free to send me a p.m. soliciting my input if you do that. Does all this make sense? Mike :-)

Teoh · Answer

Dear mikemcgarry

thank you for your post.

I think also it helps to know real situations to compare with CR Questions. I will try to continue to read the Economist which is my best newpaper. I have finished the FOuntainhead to book to improve my speed. Now I 'm facing a new difficulty, I realize that I'm writing too much in my notes trying to summarize the argument.

Here is my steps :

When Reading 1 CR sentence, I write the summary with notes

Exemple CR question :
n Asia, where palm trees are non-native, the trees' flowers have traditionally been pollinated by hand, which has kept palm fruit productivity unnaturally low. When weevils known to be efficient pollinators of palm flowers were introduced into Asia in 1980, palm fruit productivity increased -- by up to 50 percent in some areas -- but then decreased sharply in 1984.

Which of the following statements, if true, would best explain the 1984 decrease in productivity?

MY NOTES : 
- Where PT =not N, TF poll. by hand => prod low
- In 80, W=eff, prod ↑ <= 50 in area, but ↘ 84
I draw a line with dates : ----80 W----- 84 ↘ -------

It takes me almost 2 minutes to write this diagrams and understand the argument.

Do you have some advices to save times ?

Thank you
Teoh

mikemcgarry · Answer

Dear Teoh, I would say: diagramming is a wonderful skill-building exercise when you are starting out, but at some point, it becomes a crutch that you need to abandon. Now that you have some experience with GMAT CR, don't write any notes down at all. Completely stop all note-taking whatsoever on the GMAT CR. At this point, imagine that you will experience a painful electrical shock from a mad scientist somewhere if you ever dare to write down a single note for the CR every again. You must quit this habit cold turkey, and do absolutely everything in your head. This will be a challenge at first, but as you practice this, it will be much faster. Mike :-)

Teoh · Answer

Thank you for your answer.

I think I will continue diagramming to train my brain to shape my mind because sometimes I can't manage to decompose the argument mentally : diagramming helps me to focus on the scope, evidence and conclusion if any.

But you are right, afterwards, I will do CR exercise without any notes.

Teoh

VerbalBot · Answer

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