General Strategy to ace CR questions?

Question

https://gmatclub.com/forum/mod-nightbla ... l#p2272709 This post may help you ..

siddharthkapoor · Answer

challa  be resilient, practice more questions, and especially analyse each and every answer choice of the question to understand why wrong options are incorrect and why the right option is correct. I hope doing so will help you improve your hold over the CR.

monikakumar · Answer

Hi,

In the start, I was also in the same phase. What I would say is "powerscore bible" is actually "a bible". Read and solve all the examples and mini drills. Then solve CR gmat questions from sub 600, 600, 700 level questions.
But this requires a consistency. All the best for your preparation.

Thanks.

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi Challa,

Let me share a few tips here. To solve CR questions, one needs to have the ability to pre-think the answer. This ability comes when you  understand the framework  behind the question. And understanding the question stem is also equally important. The reason behind making mistakes in understanding the question stem might be because you are not able to  identify the individual components of the argument  or the stimulus. By individual components, I mean premises, conclusion, intermediate conclusion. If you end up making a mistake identifying the conclusion, there are high chances that you might be choosing the wrong answer choice.

Let me elaborate a bit on the framework involved in CR questions. To give you an example, there is one framework called Causal arguments. In this, an argument is given and the conclusion states a cause(X) and effect(Y) relationship. Based on the question stem, we have to identify a statement which either supports or weakens the conclusion. The three guidelines to follow in this framework are:

1. X happened before Y
2. No alternate cause
3. No reverse causality

By following the above guidelines, you can pre-think an answer based on the author’s line of reasoning and then move on to the answer choices. This is the best strategy to use while solving CR questions.

I’m sharing the link of a webinar which helps you get a gist of the framework. I recommend you to watch the webinar so that you can understand what actually goes behind the solving of CR questions. 
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qXMk8I4mr4

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi Challa,

To improve in Critical Reasoning, your first goal is to fully 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.

Another major mistake that people make when training for CR is that they do practice questions too fast. To get Critical Reasoning questions correct, you have to see exactly what is going on in the passages and answer choices, and you likely won't learn to do so by spending a few minutes per question. At this stage of your training, you may need to spend up to fifteen minutes per 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. So, what do you do? You do the job correctly, if not as quickly as those around you, and you make sure that you learn all the angles, so that you do the job well. Rushing through the job and doing it incorrectly would not make sense. 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 doing 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 should you work on speeding up. Remember, 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 crucial 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 they 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 find correct answers, learn to see the key differences between trap choices and correct answers.

Feel free to reach out with further questions. Good luck!

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi challa,

Just about every question that you will see on the GMAT (in both the Quant and Verbal sections) will be based on a pattern (and sometimes more than one) - and even the wrong answers choices to most questions are based on patterns. As such, learning those patterns and training to spot them in their various forms is one of the 'keys' to scoring at a high level on the GMAT. CR questions tend to be rather 'thin' when it comes to information, so you really have to focus-in on the specific details that the CR prompt discussions - and make sure that you are answering the question that is ASKED. Taking a reasonable amount of notes (so that you're clear on what to do with the information that you are given) and working through a few 'steps' BEFORE you look at the answer choices makes answering most CR questions a lot easier to deal with.

It's worth noting that your goal on Test Day should not be to "ace" any portion of the Exam (as that type of performance is NOT what's needed to hit your Score Goal). In addition, CR tends to show up less often than RC and SC, so I'd be interested to know how you are performing in those areas. Before I can offer you any additional advice for your studies, 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 in total? How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used so far?
3) On what dates did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?

Goals:
4) What is your overall goal score?
5) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
6) I noticed in some of your other posts that you are planning to apply for a PhD. That's a slightly more 'intense' process than applying for a Masters or MBA. What Programs are you planning to apply to and when are you planning to apply?

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

CAMANISHPARMAR · Answer

Yes, improving your reading skills will help you a lot. Keep practicing and make a note of your mistakes. Gradually you will improve.

All the best!

Jokovich · Answer

Your post has been so helpful because it was clear and concise writing made it easy to understand. Thank you!  192.168.1.1

vamshikaithi · Answer

Hi,
The right strategy of solving CR questions is to understand the components of the argument such as the premise and conclusion and then pre-think the missing link. This will help you eliminate the answer choices with ease.

Jokovich · Answer

Hi,
The right strategy of solving CR questions is to understand the components of the argument such as the premise and conclusion and then pre-think the missing link. This will help you eliminate the answer choices with ease.  192.168.1.1

I agree!

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

Consider regularly reading articles from The Economist.

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Bumping up the post for some helpful tips on CR.

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