What is your take on reading the question first in CR?

Question

So, the two most popular CR books on the forum seem to be either MGMATs CR or the Powerscore Bible. However, their approaches on how to tackle CR problem seem to be completely different.

MGMAT advocate "always read question first", whereas powerscore says not to.The forum however seems to favor MGMATs approach, but powerscore seems a tad more popular among the users. Why is this?

If this post belongs in the CR forum, feel free to move it..

KyleWiddison · Answer

I'm interested in hearing the responses from the group on this. Even before teaching with Manhattan, I used the "read question first" approach, so I really can't speak from personal experience about not starting with the question. I do know as a teacher I have seen plenty of students stumble on questions because they don't read the question first and therefore don't know what they should be looking for in the argument.

There are some rare times when students do get stuck by reading the question first because they don't understand completely what the question is saying without the context of the argument. This isn't usually a big deal because students usually start to recognize that they just need to read the argument before the question will make sense. Sometimes, however, student think incorrectly that they MUST understand the question before reading the argument, so they spend way to much time re-reading the question and end up going long on the question or just guessing and moving on.

As long as you can avoid getting trapped into those questions that require the context argument first, starting with the question first seems to be advantageous in all other cases.

KW

EMPOWERgmatVerbal · Answer

Hello erikvm,

It's a great question to ask. Firstly, the Manhattan GMAT books are arguably the most respected published GMAT books out there, and I also agree with Kyle's analysis.

There is an EXTREMELY important reason why reading the question first tends to pay off fare more than the alternative: by reading the question first, you're priming yourself for what to look for in the prompt. For example, in each of the following question types, getting the question right hinges on your ability to uncover the missing information (the assumptions):

Assumption
Strengthen
Weaken
Evaluate

Whereas, say in an  Inference  question, you're looking for something altogether different: an option that is 100% inferable on the basis of the info in the prompt.

Would knowing what type of information you're looking for improve your chances of finding that information? No question. Almost always, so we advocate ALWAYS reading the question first.

If you're looking for some efficiency, questions such as  Fill-In-The-Blank Inference , or  Bolded Statement  questions really don't need to be read first since the assignment is always the same in those particular question types.

VeritasPrepBrandon · Answer

I definitely also advocate reading the question stem first. As Kyle and Max both correctly pointed out, reading the question stem gives you the instructions for how to approach the argument. Not reading the question stem first is kind of like showing up to participate in a sporting event without knowing what sport you are going to be playing. You really want to have an idea of what your goal is prior to reading the argument.

Another reason to do this that has not yet been mentioned is that reading the question stem first is "habit forming." This means that as soon as you realize it is a strengthen question type, for example, you will begin approaching the question in the same manner that you have approached many other strengthen critical reasoning questions before. For this type of question Veritas recommends finding conclusion/premises, recognizing the gap, and then anticipating the correct answer (prior to reviewing the answer choices). If you read the question stem first, you will already be in the correct mindset and hunting for the correct data as soon as you start reading the argument, making your job not only easier but also much more efficient.

I hope this helps!

IanStewart · Answer

I'll be the dissenting voice here! I never read the question first in CR. For me, my first goal in any CR question is to understand the logic of the passage - the facts, the chain of reasoning, the conclusion. If I'm reading the passage critically, I'll already have a clear idea of any gaps or logical errors in the argument by the time I get to the question. So I'll generally have a good idea of the answer to the question no matter what it asks. If instead I read the question first, then read the passage, that distracts me from reading critically, because I'm trying to keep in mind two things simultaneously - the question, and the details of the argument.

But I'd never suggest that my approach is the best one for everybody. Everyone is different, and I think each test taker should determine on his or her own which approach works best for them, by trying both on roughly equivalent sets of questions. It's possible to be successful on CR using either, though, so don't feel you need to use one or the other only because a book recommends it.

But I'd never suggest that my approach is the best one for everybody. Everyone is different, and I think each test taker should determine on his or her own which approach works best for them, by trying both on roughly equivalent sets of questions. It's possible to be successful on CR using either, though, so don't feel you need to use one or the other only because a book recommends it.

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What is your take on reading the question first in CR?

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