To those good in verbal

I already addressed this...you shouldn't read the question stem first. Get a feel of the argument, whether it's solid, has a discrepancy...by yourself.

I scored a V40 last week. Should've been higher, I had 10-15 minutes for the last 2 questions, so mismanaged my time considerably...

I think its the choice of the individual if they prefer to read the question stem before the stimulus. It can be considered an extra step, and if pressed for time, one that the test taker should consider skipping. I personally read the question stem before looking at the stimulus or the answer choices.

I think the OP is simply asking if you should have an idea of what the answer is before you looking at the answer choices. I had a general idea of what the flaw was in most cases, but I wouldn't take the time to formulate complete answers. To me that seemed like too much time. I wanted to look at the question, then the stimulus, and then immediately dive into the answer choices without spending time on anything else. Others disagree. I think how you people go about critical reasoning comes down to personal choice. And as long as one isn't pressed for time, going with the methods that one prefers is fine.