Showing posts with label GMAT critical reasoning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GMAT critical reasoning. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

GMAT critical reasoning - strengthen the argument - practice question

 Try this question


Strategy: 
  • Identify conclusion - and the cause and the effect.
  • Look for other reasons. that support the conclusion..

To ace the verbal section.. You need to do drills like this...


If you need help in the GMAT, feel free to ping me.

Monday, September 28, 2020

How can I improve my GMAT critical reasoning

Is it possible to get all the Critical reasoning questions correct?

Yes it is possible to get all of the CR questions correct in the GMAT. 

I have tutored students since 2008. Some of them get all the questions correct. They also get the questions correct in less than a minute.

So what strategy did they use?

Almost all of them used to diagram..

In my previous posts I spoke about Diagramming. 

I teach students to diagram math problems as well as reading comprehension passages. 

Diagramming helps students analyse the question better. Students can 

  • break down a complex problem
  • identify the essential information
  • eliminate the unnecessary data

Lets try this question 


This is an assumption question

spend 1 minute reading the paragraph

Now what sort of diagram will you draw for this question???

I teach students to draw diagram like this for assumption  questions

For assumption questions.You have to focus on the conclusion and the reason why the scientist makes the conclusion.

The conclusion -  
great apes have a capacity for self-awareness unique among nonhuman species. 
So I will draw a circle and write capacity for self awareness..


Now whats the reason? Why did the scientist say this?

Reason: 
animals recognize the reflection as an image of self -mirror self-recognition (MSR)
This i will represent as another circle. 


In the middle I  will put a black box.. In that box.. you have to put each answer option and check if the answer option gives additional information which can lead to the conclusion..



In this question only Option B gives a valid reason 

the scientist assumes that if animal doesn't have capacity for MSR, then it doesn't have the capacity for self awareness.  Only then we can say great apes have a capacity for self-awareness unique among nonhuman species. If we are given that they have capacity for self awareness, then conclusion fails.

Other options don't give a valid reason.

You can use diagramming to break down any problem.

Happy learning.

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

How to improve your accuracy in the GMAT critical reasoning section in 20 days?



Good news...........

You can improve your score in the GMAT critical reasoning section quickly. 

in less than 20 days...


You must know that in GMAT CR section, there are 15 question types.

For each question type there is a specific strategy.


Lets take an assumption question.

I teach my students this strategy 

1. Identify  the conclusion of the argument. Also identify the evidences,which the author uses to arrive at the conclusion.

2. Use the answer options

3. The correct answer option will be the reason ....... leading to the conclusion.


This strategy can be used for any assumption question. 


Like this, each question type has a specific strategy. 

Feel free to contact me if you want help in CR..My contact details is here

Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/semanticsGMAT

Linkedin profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgeanand

Now lets discuss the problems, which might hamper your accuracy rate.


1. You are not able to identify the question types  

When you read the question, you may not be able to identify  if the question is assumption or weaken the argument or find the conclusion…. When you observe the question stems, you can observe the clue words and classify the questions..

Here is a simple activity which can help you identify the question stems..

Take any GMAT Official guide. Go to the CR questions. Classify the questions based on the question stems. 

For example assumption based questions can have clue words like

  • author assumes
  • presupposes..
  • additional evidence required...

You can use the explanations, at the end of the CR section, to identify the question stems...


Classify the questions based on the question stems… Don’t attempt to solve it..

Learn to identify the questions correctly. Once you identify then question type, then only you can apply the logic.


2. You forget the approach

Most of the time, students tackle a CR question by feel. They will be able to rule out 3 options. Then they toy with the last 2 options. This strategy is not reliable.

I would recommend that you remember the approaches for each question type.  Maintain a rule book. Mug up the approaches. 


3. You are not able to apply the concept/strategy into a question

 This is a common problem.

You might know the approach, but you might struggle to apply this approach into questions 

There is no shortcut. CR questions test your logical thinking. Logical thinking takes time to build  

At the end of the day,  While preparing for GMAT you are in the process of self discovery. The more questions you ask yourself.. more answers you will get.. 

Sometimes you will get the logic the very first time.. others might get it 5 times or 10 times later. 

Yes, you have to break your head and crack it.. 

just don’t give up.. 

because everyone eventually gets it. 


The activity i recommend:

Take any GMAT official guide...

Take 20 assumption questions from the OG. They will be scattered among the 250+ questions. Do them one after another using the assumption approach. Check your accuracy rate.

If accuracy is above 95% and above and you are able to easily eliminate all the options using logic..then you are fine

 

If accuracy is below 95%.. then you have to revise the strategy and work on all the questions again. For each question you have to derive the logic correctly. If you don’t get the logic, then revisit the questions. If you are not able to get the logic.. then seek help.

Feel free to ping me, I will guide you.

Remember getting the answer is insufficient. You must understand the logic. 

You must also understand why the other options are wrong. 


Note:  

Remember CR unlike SC and RC, is not a volumes game. If 10 assumption questions you understand properly then all the assumptions you can do..because the logic is the same.

 

Repeat this activity for each question type.... You will be able to spot your weakness.

Only when you can identify your weakness..you can work on them....

Happy learning.

Saturday, July 4, 2020

How to prepare for GMAT critical reasoning?


Let’s face reality. Few college books prepare you to think critically. But critical thinking skills are extensively tested in both  GMAT. 

Critical reasoning (referred to also as logical reasoning or analytical reasoning) constitute an array of thinking skills that 



  • involve
  • analysis 
  • synthesis 
  • evaluation 

of numerical, verbal or non-verbal data. 

Numerical reasoning questions measures your ability to apply reasoning in a math setting whereas non-verbal reasoning involves interpreting symbols and pictures, the latter skills hardly tested in higher order aptitude tests. A majority of reasoning questions tested in these exams are text-based


(verbal reasoning).

Logic is the science of correct reasoning. It is integral to mathematics and philosophy. There are many logic concepts that originate from the above disciplines and applied in GMAT tests. 

The common test areas, viz.  critical reasoning (short passages that present arguments), argument essay and integrated reasoning draw immensely from philosophy and logic. These questions requires you to analyze issues, reason logically, and argue effectively. These skills are essential to succeed in higher studies as well as in careers.







How to build reasoning skills

1.    Using test prep resources

A common practice among test aspirants is to seek help from coaches, preparatory test guides and online discussion forums in order to learn tips and strategies to crack reasoning questions. No doubt some of these are useful sources to make you motivated and test ready. However exercise caution; desist from using these indiscriminately; do quality check.

2.    Reading varied texts

Those who are habituated to reading will over time become critical thinkers, and thereby succeed in many areas of aptitude tests. It is to be noted that the question stimulus in reasoning tests are drawn from everyday knowledge rather than from academic disciplines. Being well-read will make you familiar with the content of these problems.

3.     From principles of  logic

A third and highly productive way to build your logical reasoning is to master elementary logic theory. What is logic theory?






 Here’s a basic concept in logic.
Statement : Whenever Sara goes to the supermarket, she buys cookies.
You saw Sara this morning carrying a jar of cookies. Can you then infer that Sara has gone to the super market?
 No. this is wrong reasoning, because the supermarket is not the only place where Sara buys cookies from.
Let’s consider the scenario:  Sara did not buy cookies, can we infer that she did not go to the supermarket? Yes, we can.

In logic theory terms, the original statement can be expressed as,
If A, then B; If not B, then not A. This expression can be applied to a class of problems. Many such formulae  can be learnt and applied to logical reasoning. Merely common sense will not work.

There are many books on elementary logic suitable for beginners  that can give you solid foundation in  critical thinking. You may make use of such sources for your test preparation.

A good book on critical reasoning
One book I would recommend is Critical thinking: A Student’s Introduction by  Gregory Basham, William Irwin et al.  Online edition of this book is also available.

This book provides all basics consistent with the reasoning historically assessed in tests of reasoning and aligned with the content areas covered in  global admission examinations. Hence a good reference source for aptitude trainers too. The real-world examples and proven step- by- step approach to answering questions that this book provides can significantly improve the way you look at reasoning  problems.  The concepts that you need are; structure  and components of arguments, inductive and deductive arguments, method of evaluating arguments and  ways to spot common errors in arguments.
Let your preparation involve understanding the logic behind problems and not merely seeking solutions.

Becoming a critical thinker is both an adventure and  hard work.   Practice. Make mistakes. Learn from them. Improve. In the coming  test season, be equipped with a workable set of thinking tools.



Tuesday, August 21, 2012

GMAT verbal rules in a capsule ( critical reasoning ) - 4

Some common flaws in arguments
1.faulty comparison (analogy)
2.Unrepresentative statistics
3.ignoring other casual factors
4.questionable cause
5.limited evidences.

Build on CR vocabulary