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Improving speed in solving CR questions

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Improving speed in solving CR questions

by april24 » Sat Oct 31, 2015 2:21 am
Hello,

I have my GMAT test scheduled in a couple weeks.
I have started giving MGMAT mock test recently and I noticed that my time taken to solve CR question is more than 3 minutes in 50% CR questions. Due to this I am running out of time in verbal section.
Can anyone please suggest me how I can improve my speed in solving CR questions?
Also it would be great if anyone can suggest me some good resource where I can practice some CR questions to improve my speed.

Thanks a lot.
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by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Sat Oct 31, 2015 6:49 am
april24 wrote:Hello,

I have my GMAT test scheduled in a couple weeks.
I have started giving MGMAT mock test recently and I noticed that my time taken to solve CR question is more than 3 minutes in 50% CR questions. Due to this I am running out of time in verbal section.
Can anyone please suggest me how I can improve my speed in solving CR questions?
Also it would be great if anyone can suggest me some good resource where I can practice some CR questions to improve my speed.

Thanks a lot.
This is a difficult question to answer without more information. For some test-takers, simply working through 100 CR problems is enough to improve their speed, as their pattern recognition improves with practice. For others, the issue is that on some questions, they're able to narrow the answer choices down to two possibilities, and then they spend too much time making a decision at this point. And for some, there are more fundamental issues, such as recognizing the language cues that signal a conclusion. What would you say are your biggest issues?

In the meantime, if you're interested in more practice, I'd suggest - in addition to the Official Guide - the Question Pack from mba.com: https://www.mba.com/us/store/store-catal ... ack-1.aspx

And here is our question bank: https://www.veritasprep.com/gmat-question-bank/
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by april24 » Sat Oct 31, 2015 7:06 am
Hi David,

For me it takes time in deconstructing the argument and then after that sometimes I get stuck between 2 choices.
Thanks for providing links to question bank. I will start practicing from it.

Thank you.
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by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Sat Oct 31, 2015 7:34 am
april24 wrote:Hi David,

For me it takes time in deconstructing the argument and then after that sometimes I get stuck between 2 choices.
Thanks for providing links to question bank. I will start practicing from it.

Thank you.
Your speed at deconstructing arguments will improve with practice. Just make sure you have a framework for each question type. When dealing with Strengthen/Weaken questions, you'll want to locate the conclusion first. Note the relevant language cues indicating a conclusion [therefore, thus, so, etc.] For inference questions, the correct answer will typically serve as the conclusion to the argument, so here, you'll simply look to summarize the premises you're given, and then move on to the answer choices. For Method-of-Reasoning questions, you'll want to note the logic of the argument, rather than the details. Always identify the question type first, so you have a rough idea in mind of what you should be looking for.

Last, when you're stuck between two possible answers on Assumption questions, a useful tool is 'negation.' The correct answer to an Assumption question, when negated, will undermine the conclusion. See here for a quick run-down on how this technique works: https://www.veritasprep.com/blog/2015/02 ... reasoning/
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by april24 » Sat Oct 31, 2015 7:47 am
Thanks for the quick tips!
I will keep these mind while solving CR questions.
Also, I went through the article you shared on Assumptions.
I will now try to use the negation technique more often.

Thanks.
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by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Sat Oct 31, 2015 7:53 am
april24 wrote:Thanks for the quick tips!
I will keep these mind while solving CR questions.
Also, I went through the article you shared on Assumptions.
I will now try to use the negation technique more often.

Thanks.
That's what we're here for :)

Any time you get stuck, feel free to post the question here.
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