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Need fine tuning in Verbal CR

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Need fine tuning in Verbal CR

by ujjwal.dheer » Fri Jan 02, 2015 11:30 am
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.My accuracy in CR in my last mock tests would be on an average around 40 %.[size=0][/size]
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by [email protected] » Fri Jan 02, 2015 11:36 am
Hi ujjwal.dheer,

I'll be happy to offer some suggestions, but I'd like to know a bit more about how you've been studying so far:

1) How long have you been studying?
2) What GMAT resources have you been using during your studies (books, Courses, etc.)?

3) When you do a CR question, how many times do you end up reading the prompt?
4) How often are you taking notes BEFORE you look at the answer choices?

Like everything else on the GMAT, CR questions follow predictable patterns (in the logic used in the prompt and in the types of common wrong answers that will appear), so it might be that you need to spend more time learning those patterns. It might also be that you need to invest in some new GMAT resources.

How are you performing on the Verbal section overall?

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by ujjwal.dheer » Fri Jan 02, 2015 11:46 pm
Hi Rich ,

Really appreciate your help !! To answer your questions

1) I have been studying for GMAT since June 2014 with a full time Job
2) I'm using Magoosh online course , GMAT OG '12 , Kaplan 800. These are the resources i have used for CR till now to be specific.
3) I read the prompt on an average 3 times
4) I'm not following a note taking technique in solving CR questions. I just pay special focus on the premise/conclusion that might be useful in solving the question depending on the question type.

Yes , you are right . I think I need to keep an eye for those patterns in different question types and study those patterns in detail. On my Verbal score, I'm scoring between 30 - 35 right now , but I'm doing a good job in SC and RC. The extra time taken in CR also takes a toll on my performance in RC as i'm hardly left with time to solve the 4 th passage in RC and end up skipping it most of the time.

Thanks for helping.
Ujjwal Dheer
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by [email protected] » Sat Jan 03, 2015 10:13 am
Hi Ujjwal,

Since you're scoring at an above average level in the Verbal (even with this pacing problem), your real problem is probably in your "mechanics" - HOW you're physically working through the prompts.

In real basic terms, EVERY question on Test Day requires some note-taking. Most Test Takers think that taking notes slows them down, but once you've taken the proper notes you won't have to reread the prompt, so the note-taking actually speeds you UP. In addition, learning to predict what the correct answer will likely state will help you save time because you won't have to think about whether each of the 5 answers makes sense or not.

When reading through a CR prompt for the first time, there are things that you can do to speed up and start "attacking" the prompt. Beyond taking the notes, start thinking about how the first sentence and second sentence "combine." Look for logical patterns that are common in CR prompts (causality, representativeness, someone with a plan, etc.) and jot those ideas down. Note the specific ideas that the author discusses. In 1 full read-through (and maybe a quick second "pass" to nitpick a few words), you can have all of the information on your pad; then you can predict the correct answer and find the match in the answer choices.

If the GMAT resources that you've used have not helped you to develop those skills, then maybe you need to invest in some new GMAT resources.

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by ujjwal.dheer » Sat Jan 03, 2015 10:21 pm
Hi Rich ,

Thanks for your valuable advice.

I will definitely incorporate some of the skills you mentioned in my game However , the writing down thing will be a complete change of strategy for me and I will have to practice a lot in order to perfect it. My GMAT date is on 21 st March and I don't have much time to only focus on CR at the moment.

Moreover , I'm learning some strategies from Powerscore- the CR bible. What do you think about the text ?

Thanks ,
Ujjwal Dheer
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by [email protected] » Mon Jan 05, 2015 9:14 pm
Hi Ujjwal,

Since you really should be taking notes on all of your GMAT questions, you shouldn't think of this as "just" a skill to build for CR. For what it's worth, you really need to get used to the idea of note-taking since you're going to be doing a lot of it throughout your Business School experience and beyond.

As far as the book that you mentioned, I don't have much of an opinion to offer on that book since I've never used it. If you see an improvement in your FULL-length practice CAT results, then it would stand to reason that whatever you're learning from it is helping.

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by VivianKerr » Wed Jan 14, 2015 3:50 pm
I really think the key will be in fine-tuning your Step-by-Step strategy for EACH specific CR question-type. For example, look for specific we can get just for WEAKEN questions!

Step 1 - Identify the Question Stem

Start by reading the question-stem. You can usually tell if it's a weaken question because it will contain phrases such as "weakens" or "casts the most doubt." If the question is asking you to HURT the conclusion, it's a weaken question.

Step 2 - Break Down the Argument

Now that you know you're looking at a weaken question, you know your job is to read the passage and identify the three major parts of the argument: 1) Conclusion, 2) Evidence, and 3) Assumption. The conclusion and evidence are almost always explicitly stated in the passage for a weaken question. The assumption is usually unstated - you will need to put your analytical skills to work to identify it on your own. Do NOT break down the argument in your head. Make short organized notes using abbreviations and symbols on your scratch pad. This will hold you accountable and ensure you're properly following good CR strategy.

Step 3 - Predict an Answer

Before you can read the answer choices, write down your own pre-phrased answer. Since the argument is flawed, you might be able to think of 2-3 ways it can be weakened. Try to hone in on the BIGGEST flaw you can spot. What doesn't make logical sense?

Step 4 - Remove "Strengtheners" or "Irrelevant" Choices

Usually in a weaken question, there are only two "good" answer choices. The other three are strengthening the conclusion (doing the opposite of your prediction), or are totally irrelevant (meaning they have NO impact on the conclusion). Read all 5 choices quickly and then consider them as a group. Which ones seem like "strengtheners" or "irrelevant" options? Get rid of those using process of elimination so you can spend your valuable time honing in and evaluating just the "final two." You'll waste time if you belabor each answer choice.

Step 5 - Choose the Highest Negative Impact

If you find yourself stuck between two answer choices that both seem to have a deleterious effect on the conclusion, ask yourself: which one weakens the conclusion the most? There must be a recognizable, sizable difference between the correct answer and the second-best answer otherwise it wouldn't be a fair GMAT Critical Reasoning question. Look for subtle differences in diction and scope. Take your time when you practice to invest in studying the minutiae of answer choices. The practice of that will help you get even the toughest Weaken questions correct!

How great would it be if you could identify the best way to use your scratch paper depending on EACH question type, and anticipate the incorrect answer choices as well as the specific JOB of the correct answer.

I'd also recommend you keep a super-specific error log for each CR problem you get incorrect. Let me know if you have any more questions!
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by manyaabroadtpr » Tue Jan 20, 2015 10:00 pm
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.My accuracy in CR in my last mock tests would be on an average around 40 %.[size=0][/size]
Hi Ujjwal,

The CR and RC passages require that you are able to understand the words used in the context of the passage.Hence it would be best if you start reading articles, science journals , business tabloids and read them online and figure out for yourself if you can understand the language and the main idea present in the passage. This would be a better way to improve your performance in the CR questions.

You need to understand & gauge what question types you are getting wrong most frequently. Then, you can work on & practice the question types you are facing problems with.

Then it is important that you take complete practice tests so that you get acclimatized to sitting for approx. 4 hrs. Every time you take a test, do review the questions you got wrong. This will help you in analyzing which questions you are getting wrong regularly. Then, work on your weak areas.

Consistent practice of all topics & not focus on a single topic is very important.

It is important that you get to the Verbal section stress free. So, make sure that you don't carry the stress & pressure of the previous sections to the Verbal section.

Lastly, it is essential to work on the pacing of the questions & how much time you spend on each question.Do leave enough time to attempt the last few question & don't rush through these.

Hope this helps.Good Luck
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by VivianKerr » Wed Jan 21, 2015 12:39 am
Just to add, as you review MORE thoroughly, you tend to get FASTER, because you are getting more VALUE out of each question you're answering. So you may find it helpful to actually slow yourself WAY down in CR to improve accuracy BEFORE you do some pacing drills. There's a great blog on MGMAT in which they discuss a few major questions you should ask yourself before you review:

Did I know WHAT they were trying to test?

Was I able to CATEGORIZE this question by topic and subtopic?

How well did I HANDLE what they were trying to test?

Am I comfortable with OTHER STRATEGIES that would have worked, at least partially?

Did I make a CONNECTION to previous experience? If so, what problem(s) did this remind me of and what, precisely, was similar? Or did I have to do it all from scratch? If so, see the next bullet.

Can I make any CONNECTIONS now, while I'm analyzing the problem? What have I done in the past that is similar to this one? How are they similar?

HOW will I recognize similar problems in the future?

What can I do now to maximize the chances that I will remember and be able to use lessons learned from this problem the next time I see a new problem that tests something similar?



I believe Stacey Koprince wrote it. It's worth tracking down.
Vivian Kerr
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by ujjwal.dheer » Sat Feb 07, 2015 4:04 am
Thanks Vivian and Manya for your valuable insight.Hopefully ,following these strategies will take up my Verbal score significantly upwards.
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