Help with Critical Reasoning - GMAT in 20 days

Question

Hi folks,

So, a bit about me. I joined the GMAT bandwagon a little less than 2 months before, as I had the idea of doing a PhD in Marketing for a long time, n got about doing it recently.

So, to cut a long story short. My GMAT Mock scores till date are -

GMAT Prep 1 (2nd week of Sept, with zero preparation) - 530 (Q37, V25)
Crack GMAT Mock (30th of Sept, Studied the basics, format of the exam ) - 620 (Q46, V29)
GMAT Prep 1 - Retake (28th of October, Exhaustive studies, 3-4 hours daily) - 690 (Q49, V35)

So, I have a decent hold of quants and am confident of raising my score till 51 with practice and some more practice.

Verbal, I have a decent hold of RC and SC, pretty decent in SC if I may boast a little.

But, CR is eating my head away. I have never managed to get an accuracy of more than 60-65% in any of my studying or practice sessions. I have read quite a few manuals and strategies from the gurus at GMATClub, but somehow, I seem to have developed a mental block against it.

Is there any trick, or any way I can possibly improve my accuracy. I wish to get around 720 in my GMAT, and I fear my poor CR skills might hinder me. The only material I use is the Original Guide. I have just about 20 days for my exam? Do you guys think I should buy an exclusive book for it now? Or, what should I do?

Someone, Help? :-D

Ameya85 · Answer

Go with Powerscore CR Bible! I have also used MGMAT CR Guide, but personally feel that CR Bible is to the point and precise. I guess you will be able to complete entire CR book within a week and you can then use rest of the time for practicing more questions based on learning.

Best,
Ameya

Best,
Ameya

JTuquero · Answer

Hi jegann 2388

The key to Critical Reasoning is reading to find the assumption or at least the missing links between the premise and the conclusion.

First, read actively by identifying the premises and conclusion(s). From there, you need to identify any missing links or leaps in logic between the two. These are usually subtle and difficult to spot, but it gets easier with practice. You can visit our blog for specific examples of assumptions in passages.

Hope this helps!

Jessica

arun@crackverbal · Answer

Firstly, (as unintuitive it may sound) STOP overthinking about CR. For SC you need to know the rules of grammar. For RC you need to know the right technique. But for CR you can just solve using common sense and logic. Here are a few reasons why you might be screwing up things:

1. Don't clutter your brain with a lot of theory. I am sorry but the Powerscore CR bible isn't great for the GMAT because it focuses a lot on REMEMBERING things. The only thing you need to "remember" is that GMAT is a thinker's test and not a doer's test. So stop trying to see if contra-positive or stuff like that applies to the question at hand. Just focus on what your brain tells you.

2. Stop using "out of scope" as a reason to eliminate the wrong answer. I have seen a LOT of students just look at answer and say "doesn't make sense" or "doesn't fit here". Here are some official questions that perhaps made you feel this way:  https://gmatclub.com/forum/roland-the-alarming-fact-is-that-90-percent-of-the-og10-9618.html  &  https://gmatclub.com/forum/guidebook-writer-i-have-visited-hotels-throughout-the-53053.html

3. Analyze the hell out of all CR questions. Infact go back and try to see WHY you eliminated the wrong answer - even for questions you got right. If you are not able to convince yourself - make sure you do! For every question, not only do you have 1 way in which GMAT answers it but 4 ways in which GMAT sets a trap for you. Typical traps - makes generalizations or on the other extreme makes specializations etc.

I hope this helps. If you have any specific query I would be glad to help.

Arun

Ameya85 · Answer

Hi Arun, I am not sure whether you remember me, but we have interacted before on PG.

psychodementia is your nick name on PG right! I am iim_maniac from PG. Anyway, personally I found Powerscore guide really useful. When I first appeared for GMAT in 2011, I had relied mostly on logic and common sense to be frank. But I wasn't able to get through anywhere. I might have made some mistake for sure. However, after powerscore, I am able to get accuracy levels of 85% on CR. I agree that initially guide asks you to remember a lot of stuff, but as you practice, it kind of becomes your second nature. Also, I don't remember anything else than whether can I bring in new info or not. I guess that helps. I'd love to hear your opinion though. I have my GMAT appointment on 22nd November 2014. Thanks again! best, Ameya

arun@crackverbal · Answer

Hi Ameya, I do remember you from the PG Forums

I am indeed the (in)famous Psychodementia

I am posting something I posted on quora earlier today (just being lazy - helps me save all the typing). Let me give you some specific points based on the brief details I can see from your post: 1. Go Official: I see you are using a lot of unofficial material to study. What you should do is shun ALL other material except the official ones i.e. OG, Verbal Review, GMAT Question Pack, and retired GMATPrep questions. You have to get inside the mind of the test-setter to know what / how he is trying to trick you. This requires a LOT of analysis. It is painful. It is difficult. But it is worth it. 2. GMAT is a THINKER'S test and not a DOER's test. For example it is is NOT knowing what a noun or an adverb but to know when to use what. Let us sample this official GMAT question (try solving without looking at the right answer): carbon-14-dating-reveals-that-the-megalithic-monuments-in-80506.html The right answer based purely on how to differentiate an adverb from an adjective. That's all! Elegant but tough. This is a test that is unkind to those who mindlessly solve questions without analyzing and applying themselves to the question. 3. Internalize the Problem: I see you have referred way too many books/courses. This is a typical symptom where a student tends of EXTERNALIZE the problem i.e. the problem lies outside in some book, with some tutor/course. People misunderstand the GMAT and think you need to remember bucketload of things. GMAT tests you on very finite concepts. Let me draw an analogy with Quant. How many formulae do you really have? 100? 200? Is that what is tested? Or is it HOW to apply that formula in a real-world scenario? This is what the GMAT tests. This is what Bschools want. This is what companies are going to hire you for. Whatever you need to solve the question is already inside your brain. You just need to find a way to get it out :-)

4. Test Scores are the symptom not the diagnosis. The 3-digit score you see at the end of the test is not the problem. It is just a reading on the thermometer. What is making you sick is what needs to be treated. The scores you have reported - are these your actual GMAT scores? Are these some prep tests? Which ones? If so, then did you take it with AWA/IR? Did you see repeats? If not, then what was your split? How did you manage your time? Did you guess where you needed to? How did you feel towards the end of the test? As you see a LOT of question for us to know better :-)

I would suggest you might need a personal tutor to help you analyze things better. However, make sure the tutor is someone who isn't going to waste your time TEACHING things you already know. I hope the above analysis helps! There are essentially 3 things that go right for people who manage to score in the 40s in Verbal. On the other hand, those who end up not scoring high seem to miss out on 1 of the aspects. I have written about it here: https://gmat.crackverbal.com/gmat-prep-methods-760/ Here is an interesting case of one of my students who got a V42 after being stuck on a V30s for a long time. He had written a pretty long post on GMATClub about this: long-journey-to-750-if-you-want-it-then-make-sure-you-get-it-176698.html That is a lot for you to think about :-)

HTH, Arun

jegan2388 · Answer

Hey Guys. 
THanks for the tips. So, I did go through the powerscore CR notes (Don't remember who, but someone had shared it somewhere on this forum), did quite a bit of practice. And I gave another mock. Veritas prep

I managed to crack the 700 mark, with a Q - 50 and V - 36.
But, my individual stats for each section was something like this.

- SC - Got 14 on 14 correct
- RC - Got 1 wrong
- CR - Got 5 wrong.

Now, this is getting kind of annoying for me. I almost always come down two 2 options, and choose the wrong one. With just 5 days left for my GMAT, I'm not sure if I can get any better with this. 
ANy last minute suggestions, tips, cheat codes (preferably)??

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