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Evaluate the argument - professional success

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Evaluate the argument - professional success

by shailendra.sharma » Mon Jul 15, 2013 7:05 am
A new private college offers a course which prepares students for a career in which only 7% of the professionals are successful financially in the related industry. In a radio commercial, the course is presented as a guarantee to financial success based on that career. Clearly, such a guarantee warrants charges of false advertising.

The answer to which of the following would be most useful in evaluating the argument?

A) Is the percentage of professionals that did not take part in the course in the new private college lower than 93%?

B) Did any of the professionals included in the 7% not graduate from the course?

C) Did more than 50% of the professionals graduate from a similar course offered by another college?

D) How many students does the college accept into a single course?

E) What percentage of professionals have participated in a course that trains for this specific career?

OA - A

Why OA is right ?
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by luckypiscian » Fri Jul 19, 2013 4:56 am
private college X - prepares for career A
7% financially succeed in career A - irrespective of college
93% financially fail in career A
private college X guarantees (100%) financial success

If 100% from College X are a subset of (or lie within) 7% that financially succeeded in career A, then the advertisement is correct in its stats.
Or in other words, if more than 7% of total professionals in career A are from college X, then the advertisement is false.

Statement A
Is the percentage of professionals that did not take part in the course in the new private college lower than 93%?
If the % of total professionals in career A that are not from college X is less than 93, then the advertisement is false.
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by MzJavert » Sat Jul 20, 2013 9:13 pm
I don't like the OA. As this is a new private college, with no track record, the answer should related to what specifically about the program leads to financial success. For example the top instructors in the field have been recruited to teach the program. The teaching equivalent of a 3-time winning Super Bowl Coach. Maybe the program has been designed from the bottom up with input from the most successful professionals in the field. Or maybe the program has a certification from XYZ Education Certification, and these certified programs have consistently had high numbers of graduates achieve financial success in the industry.
shailendra.sharma wrote:A new private college offers a course which prepares students for a career in which only 7% of the professionals are successful financially in the related industry. In a radio commercial, the course is presented as a guarantee to financial success based on that career. Clearly, such a guarantee warrants charges of false advertising.

The answer to which of the following would be most useful in evaluating the argument?

A) Is the percentage of professionals that did not take part in the course in the new private college lower than 93%? If the school is new, by definition less than 93% of professionals in the field did not take the course at the new private college. The only exception I can think of is if this is a brand new profession and the school has graduated one class from the program.

B) Did any of the professionals included in the 7% not graduate from the course? At the new private school? Or from a similar course at another school?

C) Did more than 50% of the professionals graduate from a similar course offered by another college? This is relevant to training courses for the profession in general. But not specifically for this course at this school.

D) How many students does the college accept into a single course? Irrelevant.

E) What percentage of professionals have participated in a course that trains for this specific career? Same as C, does not relate to training at this school.

OA - A

Why OA is right ?
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by GMATGuruNY » Mon Jul 22, 2013 4:05 am
shailendra.sharma wrote:A new private college offers a course which prepares students for a career in which only 7% of the professionals are successful financially in the related industry. In a radio commercial, the course is presented as a guarantee to financial success based on that career. Clearly, such a guarantee warrants charges of false advertising.

The answer to which of the following would be most useful in evaluating the argument?

A) Is the percentage of professionals that did not take part in the course in the new private college lower than 93%?

B) Did any of the professionals included in the 7% not graduate from the course?

C) Did more than 50% of the professionals graduate from a similar course offered by another college?

D) How many students does the college accept into a single course?

E) What percentage of professionals have participated in a course that trains for this specific career?
The answer choices are phrased as questions.
Rephrase the answer choices as STATEMENTS.
Rephrased as a statement, the correct answer choice will either STRENGTHEN or WEAKEN the conclusion.

The private college makes an extreme claim: that its course can GUARANTEE financial success.
The passage concludes that this claim is false.
Rephrased as a statement, the correct answer choice must strengthen or weaken the college's claim.

From the passage: A course that prepares students for a career in which ONLY 7% of the professionals ARE SUCCESSFUL FINANCIALLY in the related industry.

Answer choice A, rephrased as a statement: The percentage of professionals who did not take part in the course is lower than 93%.
Answer choice A, rephrased further: The percentage of professionals who DID take part in the course is HIGHER THAN 7%.

If MORE THAN 7% of the professionals took part in the course, but only 7% of the professionals are financially successful, then not everyone who took part in the course is financially successful -- WEAKENING the college's claim that the course can GUARANTEE financial success.

The correct answer is A.
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