Critical Reasoning

ujjwal.dheer wrote:Hello Folks ,

I'm facing difficulty in solving CR questions with good pace. It's taking me an average of 2:40 seconds even after a huge amount of practice. I'm hardly improving on the speed front. Can someone recommend me a book or material that will act as good practice material and also help me with learning and practicing effective and strategic ways to solve the CR questions . Need urgent help on this as CR is damaging my verbal score.

Fortunately you don't have to learn a hundred things to do better on CR. It's all about a few things really and all based on logic.

In order for us to give you optimal suggestions, maybe you could tell a little more about what is going on.

For instance, what have you already used and what have you already done to get better at CR?

How long have you been working on this, and how long have you been preparing for the GMAT?

Are there particular types of CR questions with which you are more comfortable than you are with others?

Hello Marty ,

Really appreciate your help !

I have used The OG'12 , Magoosh GMAT online course and Kaplan 800 for CR.

The technique i'm using is basic.Read the prompt , figure out what is the conclusion , find the missing premise depending on the question type and choose the answer after thinking about a possible answer in my own words
I have been working on CR since July '14 and preparing for GMAT since June '14 but with a full time job.

The CR questions i'm comfortable with are STRENGTHEN , WEAKEN , ASSUMPTION. the questions that i find troubled by are EVALUATE , BOLDFACE , STRUCTURE, DRAWING A CONCLUSION.

Thanks for your help .
Ujjwal Dheer

Hi Ujjwal,

Increasing speed in GMAT is like increasing speed for running a marathon. Both require (1) slowing down to perfect form, and (2) regular pacing exercises.

How successful have you been at doing both?

In terms of "form" it doesn't sound like your strategy is as concrete as it could be. How well can you identify what type of CR question you're looking at from the question-stem and how well do you adjust your approach BASED on what is required for that Q-type? For example, the way we approach an Assumption question is very different from how we approach a Bolded Statement or a Paradox question. They're all super-different in what the JOB of the correct answer is!

For pacing exercises, I think you need to do CR pacing drills at least EVERY OTHER DAY. Do pacing drills within individual Q-types at first, so you can identify which types of CR problems slow you down. You might start with 3 minute/question, then start shaving 15 seconds off until you can comfortable do one in under 2 minutes. You can also do mixed CR drills once you feel like you've mastered strategy. For example, setting a timer for 20 minutes and doing 10 CR. Be sure to regularly check in with the clock!

For now, I'd suggest writing out your Step-by-Step approach for EACH of theses CR question-types. What do YOU need to do and how do you need to use your scratch paper to get the correct answer? What are the common wrong answer "traps" in each one?

"¢ CR: Bolded Statement
"¢ CR: Assumption
"¢ CR: Complete the Passage
"¢ CR: Argument Evaluation
"¢ CR: Flaw
"¢ CR: Numbers and Percentages
"¢ CR: Must Be True
"¢ CR: Cause and Effect
"¢ CR: Method of Reasoning
"¢ CR: Inference
"¢ CR: Resolve the Paradox
"¢ CR: Strengthen
"¢ CR: Weaken
CR: Conclusion

Hope this helps!

The other thing I am wondering is how your accuracy is. I mean, you are taking 2:40 to answer CR questions. Are you then getting them right?

Either way, in order to speed up, one thing to do is look at every move you make. Ask yourself questions like these. Are you rereading when you don't really have to? Are you organized about how you go over answer choices?

In some cases it may be that thinking up a possible answer is taking time that you don't need to spend, and in those cases you may be better off going straight to the answer choices and seeing what they have going on.

As Vivian Kerr basically said, just practicing does not seem to be doing the trick. You need be more aware of what you are doing, and how you can adjust it to make it more organized and efficient.

Maybe you could get the e-book version of the Critical Reasoning Bible. Before you do, maybe look over the preview on Google Books or Amazon. I have not used it, but it looks interesting.

For practice, another source of questions is the GMAC Question Pack add on to GMAT Prep. Also, I personally have gotten much use out of the Veritas question bank, but it's partly for their beta testing purposes, and the questions are not always tight. So that's something to check out, and use if you like it. For reference I tend to get almost all CR right on official tests and yet I get a little over 80 percent right on Veritas question bank CR. It's a nice interface though, with some good questions and explanations.

I actually use a pretty basic method myself, and I rarely worry about possible answers. I tend to go right to the choices. They have an answer. Have to be careful and organized though.

Boldface is my nemesis, but I am getting better.

Since Marty said Boldface is his enemy, I'll jump in with my approach!

Step 1 - Review Argument Structure

Arguments have a tendency to follow predictable patterns of organization and are always comprised of a conclusion, premise (or evidence), and assumptions. This is one of the core fundamentals in Critical Reasoning! If you need to go back to previous chapters and practice identifying evidence, assumptions, and conclusions, it would be best to do that before attempting these Bold Face questions.

Step 2 - Recognize the Question Stem

Bolded statement questions are the most easily recognizable Critical Reasoning question-type because have at least one and sometimes two bolded phrases or sentences. The question-stems usually take one of two forms:

"¢ In the argument given, the two portions in boldface play which of the following roles?
"¢ The first boldface statement has what relationship to the second boldface statement?

Step 3 - Use Symbols to Break Down the Argument

Since we don't have to summarize what the argument is actually saying, we only need to focus on the argument's structure. Identify whether each sentence or clause is a piece of evidence, a conclusion, or a stated assumption using these pre-determined set of symbols. They will help you move through the passage quickly and efficiently:

MC = Main Conclusion (the author's argument or position)
OC = Opposing Conclusion (an argument in opposition to the main conclusion)
F = Fact (basic given information, backstory, premise, etc.)
A = Stated Assumption (think of this as part of the passage that "links" given facts/evidence to stated conclusions)
E (+) MC = Evidence Supporting Main Conclusion (this is what the author cites to support his conclusion)
E (+) OC = Evidence Supporting Opposing Conclusion (this is evidence that is cited in support of the opposing conclusion; it undermines the author's conclusion and can also be expressed as E (-) MC).

Remember, not all of these will be present in every passage or in each answer choice! A passage may not even state its MC directly. It may simply be lingering unstated in the background. Ditto for the OC. Sometimes evidence will be given in support of an opposing viewpoint that is implied but never explicitly described.

Step 4 - Practice with Official Questions

There aren't very many "official" bolded statement questions from the GMAC's Official Guides and GMATPrep software, but here's one to try out:

One of the limiting factors in human physical performance is the amount of oxygen that is absorbed by the muscles from the bloodstream. Accordingly, entrepreneurs have begun selling at gymnasiums and health clubs bottles of drinking water, labeled "SuperOXY," that has extra oxygen dissolved in the water. Such water would be useless in improving physical performance, however, since the only way to get oxygen into the bloodstream so that it can be absorbed by the muscles is through the lungs.

The first sentence is a piece of factual information: oxygen-muscle limits. It doesn't appear to be in support of an argument so we can write down "F" on our scratch pad. The next sentence is evidence in support of an implied conclusion that this water would help performance, so we can write down "E (+) OC." The first clause of the last sentence is the author's conclusion, so we'll write down "MC," and finally the bolded statement is clearly "E (+) MC" because of the transition word "since." Together our notes might look something like:

F E(+)OC MC E(+)MC

Which of the following, if true, would serve the same function in the argument as the statement in boldface?

A.The water lost in exercising can be replaced with ordinary tap water
B. The amount of oxygen in the blood of people who are exercising is already more than the muscle can absorb.
C. World-class athletes turn in record performance without such water
D. Frequent physical exercise increases the body's ability to take in and use oxygen
E. Lack of oxygen is not the only factor limiting human physical performance

We'll be looking for the answer choice that does the same role as the bolded portion: evidence in support of the main conclusion that the water is useless. So which choice best gives additional information to show the water is useless? The correct answer is (B). If the muscle can't absorb more oxygen, the water is completely useless.

Hope this gives you some concrete ideas.

Remember: always identify the TYPE of CR question you're looking at first, then break it down on your scratch pad accordingly.

VivianKerr wrote:Since Marty said Boldface is his enemy, I'll jump in with my approach!

Since we don't have to summarize what the argument is actually saying, we only need to focus on the argument's structure. Identify whether each sentence or clause is a piece of evidence, a conclusion, or a stated assumption using these pre-determined set of symbols. They will help you move through the passage quickly and efficiently:

MC = Main Conclusion (the author's argument or position)
OC = Opposing Conclusion (an argument in opposition to the main conclusion)
F = Fact (basic given information, backstory, premise, etc.)
A = Stated Assumption (think of this as part of the passage that "links" given facts/evidence to stated conclusions)
E (+) MC = Evidence Supporting Main Conclusion (this is what the author cites to support his conclusion)
E (+) OC = Evidence Supporting Opposing Conclusion (this is evidence that is cited in support of the opposing conclusion; it undermines the author's conclusion and can also be expressed as E (-) MC).


Remember: always identify the TYPE of CR question you're looking at first, then break it down on your scratch pad accordingly.

Vivian, this was such a helpful post. I came here seeking tips to increase my reading pace. Practising this approach should help me.

I do have a question though, Can you give me an example of a Stated Assumption? Are Stated Assumptions and Facts the same?

For example: A and B are the top contenders to win the upcoming race. A has won all the races held in the past 10 years, and according to popular opinion is a clear favorite to win again this year. However, at 39 years old, A is 10 years older than B, thus slower. Therefore, B will win the marathon.

This is a passage I just made up, so may not match gmat formats. Anyway, is the statement "However, at 39 years old, A is 10 years older than B, thus slower." considered as a Fact or a Stated Assumption? I would think its a fact. The reason I'm a little confused is because I haven't come across an assumption that has been stated in the argument itself.