I have been really struggling with CR. Mostly the 600 level

Question

I have been really struggling with CR. 
Mostly the 600 level + Questions. 
But overall my timing is rarely under the 2 Min Mark ( Not Good )

I just purchased the PowerScore CR book and received it in the mail today. I have been using the MGMAT CR book but wanted to try a new approach. I read in PowerScore that they reccommend NOT reading the question stem first and provided several reasons why. I am curious what people think about this?

From all the strategies I have read about everyone says to read the stem first so that you can have an idea what you are looking for while you read the stimulus. Has anyone found that NOT reading the question FIRST can actuall be beneficial?

suchoudh · Answer

I for one, do not like to read the question stem first. I think reading the question confuses one more with the jargon (used in the stem) the reader is still not familiar with. I don't think the reason given by test prep companies - reading the question allows people to recognize the question type - carries much merit.

jscott319 · Answer

Interesting, thanks for your input, at this point i might as well try it by not reading the question first and see what happens. ..

hemanthp · Answer

I tried both the approaches. I found that reading the stem first is useful. It definitely is a personal choice. See what works for you? For some very specific cases reading the stem won't help a lot but for the general cases like weaken, strengthen, flaw, assumption; i find reading the stem useful. It helps me read it in that manner.

So for example, if I have to find an assumption and I know that I need to find one, I found that I read the text more actively after knowing what to find in it than when I read it before I knew what I had to find in it. And more often than not, if I did not read the stem first then I usually read the passage first, read the stem and then again read the passage.

I feel reading the stem helps. It definitely did help me on GMAT.

jscott319 · Answer

Hemanthp-

Do you use you strategy along with diagramming? I feel as if reading the pasage, the question, the passage again along with diagramming could take a long time...

Posted from my mobile device

hemanthp · Answer

No, I am not a fan of diagramming as I feel it takes a lot more time. But for starters till you find your way around in CR, diagramming can be helpful. Slowly you can avoid drawing it physically and can start picturing it in your head. 
Most important is to understand the assumptions, premises and conclusion. Once you start doing it.. you will be fine.
So to start off... do not time the questions. Aim at getting as many as possible correct (wherever you are practicing). Around 100 questions into this exercise you will start gaining speed.
All the best.

M23A · Answer

I have completed about 2/3 section of PS:CR. So far, I feel PS does a better job of helping me understand CR than Mgmat CR. Thus, I'm trying to follow the approach discuss in the PS as closely as possible.

How many time do you read the stimulus? When I read it once, I feel that I might miss some important information, thus I would read it again after I read the question stem. Is this a good approach?

Posted from my mobile device

hemanthp · Answer

The approach is good or bad depending on how it works for you. If it is a easier question I don't need to read the stimulus more than once. If it is a trickier assumption or bold faced, I do end up reading it twice. Just to make sure I don't miss any finer points.

You should stick to one approach. PS is well followed, so you should be good.

I have been really struggling with CR. Mostly the 600 level

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