Learning from RC and CR questions

Question

Situation - Suppose I do a SC/Quant question incorrectly, When I look for solution I learn a new concept/rule. Assuming it is not a silly mistake.

I want to know what should I focus on while checking answers to a RC or CR question which is answered incorrectly.

For example - If I incorrectly solve a CR question, I check the answer and learn the one time usable assumption/funda.

Can somebody please guide me as to what should I focus on when I check answers to RC and CR questions

Regards
Yash

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Yash,

Many GMAT questions can be approached in a variety of ways, so while reading an explanation will show you ONE approach to answering the question, doing so probably won't show you all of the options. Certain question types (including CR and RC) are more about the patterns in logic than anything else - in that way, you can learn to see those question types in a more 'formulaic' way, but you have to train to learn the proper Tactics.

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)?

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

KarishmaB · Answer

The takeaways on RC and CR are all about "how to handle this type of question in future", "what to focus on when you are asked to do this" etc. For example, say you have a weaken question. You know that you need to weaken the conclusion. You answered the question incorrectly. Try to attempt it again without looking at the solution and the clock. Identify the conclusion and see if your chosen option weakens it. Find out the flaw in your strategy and then ensure that next time you do not repeat it.

othersGOT · Answer

Thanks Rich for the tip, though I do not yet understand how to make use of it.

I have been studying for approx 2 months.
I am using OG and Kaplan
I score almost 50-51 in Quant, approx. 30 - 33 in Verbal section.

The reason I asked this question is I am making random mistakes in verbal. I am solving lot of CR/RC questions but in the end I am not learning much.

othersGOT · Answer

Thanks Karishma, 
will try this, only after doing certain amount of questions, will I understand the benefit.

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi Yash,

Verbal questions on the GMAT require a certain amount of 'procedure' to get to the correct answer (there are consistent 'steps' that you can work through, on each type of question, that can help you to greatly improve your accuracy). Based on what you describe, it does not seem like you have a consistent set of Tactics that you use (you likely read the prompt, then choose the answer that "sounds good" - and that's not particularly strategic).

Many Test Takers spend 3 months (or more) of consistent study time before they hit their 'peak' scores, so it's also likely that you haven't put in enough time and effort yet.

1) What is your goal score?
2) When are you planning to take the GMAT?
3) When are you planning to apply to Business School?

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

JenniferAtKaplan · Answer

Hi Yash,

When you answer a CR or RC question incorrectly, you have actually made two errors. First, you selected one of the wrong answer traps, and second, you eliminated the correct answer. In order to learn from reviewing these question types, try asking yourself 1) What was it about the wrong answer that tricked me? and 2) What was it about the correct answer that I failed to identify? This can help you identify the reasoning adjustments that you need to make on these questions. Sometimes there are particular types of wrong answers that individuals find more tempting, and you can learn to avoid those through practice.

Best,
Jennifer Kindy

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

Most of the work you do to solve a CR or RC problems should happen up front. Do you understand the passage/argument? Do you know clearly what it is asking you for? Have you tried to predict an answer? (You should be able to predict, at least in rough terms, on the majority of CR/RC problems. If that's not happening, you are moving to the answer choices too soon.)

I also strongly suggest that you avoid focusing too much on incorrect answers. Sure, it's important to learn from your mistakes, but if you simply focus on the little wording difference or loophole you missed, you may fail to see the overall point. You should review  every  problem you do to see if you could have solved more efficiently. There are four parts of your process to review:

1) The initial read of the argument or passage. Did you read efficiently and accurately? Are there important elements you missed or (especially in RC) areas where you spent too much time reading?
2) Interpretation of the question. Were you able to quickly identify what the question was asking for? Did you know what to do to find an answer?
3) Prediction. For an Assumption Family CR, were you able to identify one or more flaws in the argument and make a prediction that matched the specific task (e.g. Weaken, Evaluate)? For RC, did you identify the right part of the text to draw from? Could you have found this faster? Did you have a strong sense of what the answer should look like? Did your prediction match the right answer? If not, is it because you were wrong or because there were multiple possibilities and the correct answer went another way? If you didn't predict the answer, would it have been possible to predict? How?
4) Answer choice analysis. What makes each of the four wrong answers wrong? How is the right answer different from the others? Is there a subtle difference, or is there some very clear difference that makes the right answer right? Were there traps that pulled you in the wrong direction? For instance, maybe a few of the wrong answers seemed relevant when they weren't, or maybe there was a subtle term switch you missed, or maybe the right answer seemed flawed in some way? How could you have bypassed these problems more efficiently?

This is just a sampling of the work you can do on a problem. If this seems time-consuming, it should be. You should spend far longer reviewing problems than you spend doing them! That's how you learn to do things differently. Good luck!

HanoiGMATtutor · Answer

I agree with RichC that you have not learned to apply a set of tactics to solving problems consistently. Also, what DmitryFarber said above and is quoted below is an excellent set of guidelines to follow in not only your review but also your practice.

Posted from my mobile device

othersGOT · Answer

Thank you guys, working on it.

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

It's one thing to understand an explanation after the fact and quite another to incorporate that into your approach for future questions. I would recommend thinking about not only while you chose the wrong answer but more importantly why you overlooked the right answer. What was it about the right answer that was not appealing to you? Take the new information and redo the question, writing out your process.

Farrell Dyan Hehn, MBA
Admissions Consultant & Verbal Tutor MBAPrepCoach.com

Farrell Dyan Hehn, MBA
Admissions Consultant & Verbal Tutor MBAPrepCoach.com

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