Several weeks back, I finally released The GMAT Bootcamp Study Guide. In my launch, I asked the public to tell me what section they would like to improve upon the most, and the overwhelming majority (over 80%!) said that they would like help working on critical reasoning. (A bit surprising since I get the most questions about sentence correction) So today, I thought I would outline the general approach one should take when attempting to solve a GMAT critical reasoning problem.
What is Critical Reasoning?
GMAT critical reasoning (CR) presents an argument that the test taker is asked to analyze. Questions may ask test takers to draw a conclusion, to identify assumptions, or to recognize strengths or weaknesses. CR problems are always presented as brief statements or arguments and test takers are asked to evaluate the form or content of the statement or argument. The examinee should always select the best answer to the question.
How to Approach Critical Reasoning
The following is a simple four step approach that can be used to solve all critical reasoning questions.
- Read the stimulus
- Diagram the argument
- Eliminate obvious wrong answers (there are usually at least 2)
- Refer to your notes to find the best answer remaining.
Reading the stimulus
The stimulus is the essentially the question prompt. Reading the stimulus first is extremely useful because it dictates your approach to reading the argument. There are around 6 main CR question types practically guaranteed to show up on the exam, and around 5 lesser CR question types that show up less frequently. Having a clear vision of what the question is asking will allow you to immediately focus on the specific aspects of the argument crucial to solving a particular question type. If you are already struggling to complete the verbal section within the allotted time, reading the stimulus can save you many precious minutes.
Diagram the Argument
Diagramming is a very useful strategy to identify these three main components of an argument. During the actual test, a combination of fatigue and long CR passages can confuse the examinee. Overcome this obstacle by diagramming the passage as you read; this will not only help document the logical flow of the passage but also focus your attention.
Eliminate Obvious Wrong Answers
There are almost always a minimum of two blatantly false answers. These answers are typically completely outside the scope of the argument and serve only one purpose – to confuse you. Quick tip: if you are having trouble keeping track of the eliminated answer choices, I like to keep a single column of A, B, C, D, E on my scratch paper. I’ll place a big X next to the letter of an answer choice that I’ve eliminated; this allows me to focus my attention on only the choices remaining.
Refer to Your Notes and Find the Best Answer Remaining
This last step is fairly straightforward. If you haven’t automatically identified the best answer remaining, simply refer to your diagram. Note the logical flow of the argument, the conclusion, sequence of premises, and how this all refers to the question being asked. One answer choice should stand out. If you’ve passed the three minute mark without even an inkling of a clear solution in sight, select the answer choice with the most verbage in common to your diagram from step 2. Guess and move on.
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