GMAT critical reasoning concepts

Are you feeling the heat while preparing for GMAT critical reasoning? You are not alone, there are 1000’s of GMAT aspirants who are struggling with GMAT CR. Do you want to know why?

Plain simple, they have not studied the concepts.

For algebra there are concepts, for geometry there are concepts so why not for GMAT Critical reasoning.

Let me take you through one concept in Critical reasoning

Concept: Inference vs assumption
What is an inference? What is an assumption….
Test aspirants get confused with these two terms.

Lets take an example and clear the confusion
If A>B and B>C ….what can you conclude?…. Yes A>C
A>C is a conclusion.

Now what is an inference.
If A>;B you can infer B….. This is an inference.
You need more than one statement(CR term-premises) to arrive at a conclusion. You can arrive at an inference with one statement.

Lets take a CR case
In film and videotape, it is possible to induce viewers to project their feeling on to characters on screen. In one study, when a camera shot of a woman’s face was preceded by a shot of a baby in a crib, the audience thought that the woman’s face was registering happiness. When the same shot of the woman’s face was preceded by a shot of a lion running toward the camera, the audience thought that the woman’s face was registering fear.


Find out the inference……..common give it a shot….
First look out for a premise….
“when a camera shot of a woman’s face was preceded by a shot of a baby in a crib, the audience thought that the woman’s face was registering happiness.”

When the audience saw the picture of the baby, they thought the woman washappy,but in actuallity it was the audience
itself that was happy.

So you can infer –
 A camera shot of a baby in a crib provoked feelings of happiness in the audience.

Similarly since there is one more evidence there can be one more inference.

 A camera shot of a lion running towards camera provoked feelings of fear in the audience.

Simple…… Yes CR is as simple as this if you know concepts…mail me if you want more info….



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Sentence correction faux pas by JOHN JOVI

What errors do the sentence correction qs present?

Subject- verb agreement, pronoun error, tense error, misplaced modifier, preposition error, faulty comparison ...

I am very comfortable with SVA

Let me show you

Eg. one of the countries participating in the SAARC meet is Indonesia.

Indonesia is one of several countries that is participating in the SAARC meet.

PS; John Jovi, you are right in the first, but wrong in the second…

Here’s the correct sentence:

Indonesia is one of several countries that are participating in the SAARC meet.

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Ten ways to score poorly in GMAT! If you are rich enough for retakes, that is

1. I know math, so no need to go thru the same old arithmetic, algebra, geometry stuff

2. Tones of free downloads on your pc..what is relevant, what is not, even God may not know..

3. Just official guide, what else, nothing official about it…

4. I will join for the costliest, longest duration course in town…let them get me the score, no need to study at home..

5. I wont do the essays while practicing, only math and verbal mock exams will do

6. I speak and write good English, so verbal is going to be a cake walk, no less

7. I need just one month for preparation, after all I had high grades in college.

8. Do as many tests as possible, in fact 90 percent of my preparation time should be spent on tests. concepts? What concepts?

9. My friend said GMAT was easy for him, no tough qns ( hey, what was your friend’s score?)

10. Out of five tests I did, one test I scores above 650. So I will give the test as planned. I believe in luck!

PS Good luck

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GMAT sentence correction: Think beyond grammar

Fine, you know the GMAT SC jargon – tense error, pronoun error, subject verb disagreement. Good. Useful. But you must think beyond grammar to do justice to the range SC questions.

One of such errors is ambiguity. That is something is not clear. To make clear the meaning conveyed. So keep track of meaning also while checking a sentence for errors.

Illustration - real GMAT questions

1. Incorrect: In mammals, a lifetime’s supply of egg cells is produced during fetal development and remain dormant until maturity.

Here remain dormant is ambiguously used; one may ask what remain egg cells or development? In such cases, we need to repeat the word, cells, since these remain dormant until maturity. The verb is agrees with the singular sub lifetime’s supply.

Correct … is produced during fetal development and the cells remain dormant until maturity.

2. In 1869, anxious to balance its population of 8,000 men and 2,000 women, the Wyoming legislature extended voting rights to women in Wyoming.

A. its population of 8,000 men and 2,000 women, the Wyoming legislature

B. their population of 8,000 men and 2,000 women, the Wyoming’s legislature

C. the state’s population of 8,000 men and 2,000 women, the Wyoming legislature

D. a state population of 8,000 men and 2,000 women, the legislature in Wyoming

E. its population of 8,000 men with 2,000 women, the Wyoming’s legislature

So since you know that singular pronouns agree with singular nouns, its agrees with Wyoming legislature. But grammar alone wont rescue us here.

Look at the meaning, can Wyoming legislature have population? No the population belongs to the state, C is clear and exact. D, would mean any state’s population, not necessarily Wyoming’s.

Moral of the story

Attention to detail…is very important..

keep looking out for similar errors; match grammar with meaning.

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How to compute squares faster. Speed math for GMAT

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GMAT critical reasoning video

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How do i prepare for GMAT critical reasoning. A GMAT critical reasoning prep video

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Is the new GRE tougher than the old one

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5 tips to crack the GMAT data sufficiency section

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3 month GMAT study plan for those who are just starting their GMAT prep

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How to cross the magical 700 score barrier in the GMAT

So you are at your fag end of your preparation. You have just completed a GMAT CAT, you got a score of 640. You also notice that your score has been hovering around 600 to 650. Well you are not alone.

A recent survey states that the average GMAT score is 560, down 10 points when compared to last years average. How is that few people cross 700 whereas the rest of the test aspirants(approximately 2,00,000 out of 2,65,000 GMAT takers) languish in mere 600’s?

Here is my 2 cent
The GMAT score is an indicative of the current aptitude level of an individual. Your aptitude quotient doesn’t improve over night. It takes at-least 3 months of preparation to improve your score. So what is POA right now.

1.Repetition
It is better to work on a question 10 times than working on 10 different questions. Aptitude exams don’t test your knowledge of formula. It tests you on your application of concepts.
Study each problem 10 times, observe the parts a problem
•Variables: elements in the problem which maybe independent, dependent or hidden vis-à-vis other variables.
•Conditions: relationships that relate variables
•Constraints: Conditions that limit the scope of the problem
These parts of the problem indicate the steps and the time taken to solve the problem. This factor results in effective time management.

2.Reason with math
To improve your math preparation, reason with mathematical problems.
For example
What is the product of 5^25 x 2^32?
To solve this sum reason with the problem:
Observe a sample and derive a pattern:
5^1 and 2^1 gives 10
5^2 and 2^2 gives 100 or 10^2
5^3 and 2^3 gives 100 or 10^3
The pattern is one 5 and one 2 gives 10, two 5’s and two 10’s gives 100…. The number of 5’s and the number of 2’s gives the number of 0’s.

Conclusion one 5 and one 2 gives one 10 or a number with one 0.
Hence 5^25 x 2^32 = 5^25 x 2^25 x 2^7
Which is 128 …….(25 times)

3.Do not revise just the formula, learn how to derive it.
Most mathematical problems in the GMAT are related to the method of deriving certain standard formula than the formula itself. For example
While deriving the area of the equilateral triangle = sqrt(3) side^2/4
You will notice that the altitude bisects the triangle into two halves of equal area
The altitude splits the base into two halves of equal length.

4.Compare critical reasoning questions and derive generalization.
Study the CR questions in groups. For example study all “the weaken the argument” questions together. You will observe standard steps every time.
For example you will observe you have
•to first find the conclusion
•then identify the logic( whether its an analogy, a statistical data, a cause effect relationship or an example)
•then choose the option that negates the logic

Simple aint’ it.

5.If you are not strong with sentence correction and reading comprehension till now and if you have only two weeks to go, then there is nothing that can be done. It requires at-least 3 weeks of structured learning.

Use any course where you have or use the course ware which I have recommended. Its on your right pane. Or if you don’t have the right material mail me ill help….:-)


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Online MBA,3 Year part time MBA, Twining MBA...MBA options galore

MBA for everyone
“The reward of an MBA education investment is far greater than the risk involved”.
For most of us – undergraduates, graduates, top B schools are dream factories which churns out products that symbolizes power, status, money. Inspite of the manageable occupational hazard – Assignments to be submitted by 12pm, 2 hrs of sleep per day, two minute noodles for lunch.. Bschool life is fun.

Business management is most sought career globally. Graduates in any discipline are eligible for MBA education. Though no prior knowledge is required for success in MBA, good analytical, computational and people skills are desirable for one to excel in business management.
Business management courses are of many types; you can choose the one that suits you.

2 year full time MBA: If you are in the pre-final or the final year of your undergraduate program, opt for the 2 year full time MBA. BSchools like IIM’s, XLRI, IIT’s, SPJAIN, MDI, NITE, LIBA, Anna University, etc offer this course. There are over 25 different electives to choose from ( Finance, HR, Marketing, Systems, Retail management, hospitality management and much more..) The entrance procedure comprises entrance exams (CAT, XAT, JMET, SNAP, TANCET…. Group discussion and a personal
interview)

1 year full time MBA: If you have around 3+ years of work experience, a 1 year full time MBA is useful for you. This program specializes you in one domain. IIMA PGPEX prg, ISB Hyderabad, GLIM Chennai are some of the colleges that offers this courses.

3 year part time : If you are currently working and you are planning to pursue an MBA without leaving your present company then a 3 year part time program is apt for you. Classes are held at nights and /or on the weekends. In Chennai, LIBA offers this course.
1 year executive program- For executives with substantial industry experience (including company sponsored). If your are a senior manager with at least 10 years of business experience then you should opt for the 1 year executive program. IIM’s, XLRI and other Bschools offer this program.
Distance learning MBA: If you want to pursue an MBA without sitting through classes then opt for the distance learning MBA. Contact classes and exams will be scheduled once or twice in a year.
Symbiosis Pune offers this program.

Twinning MBA: If you want to pursue an MBA which confers you an Indian degree in collaboration with a foreign university then opt for a Twinning MBA program. Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), ISMS, Madras School of Social Work, IMT Ghaziabad

Online MBA: Online MBA courses are offered by top Bschools like IIM (Indore, kolkotta,) XLRI, IMT. The course duration varies from 3 months to 1 .5 years. Classes are conducted using video conferencing, online chat rooms, etc..




Specialty program - master of accountancy, master of healthcare/hospital administration, master of computation finance.

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5 Tips to crack the sentence correction section of the GMAT.

Here are some of the GMAT sentence corrections tips i compiled.  I have added examples for each tip.

1.Check pronouns:their,his,her…..
Wrong sentence: The instructor asked everyone of the trainees to remain in their respective seat.
Correct sentence: The instructor asked everyone of the trainees to remain in his respective seat.

2. Check for pronoun omission:
Wrong sentence: In Japan elderly people are treated with far greater respect than most Western countries.
Elderly people in japan vs western countries?????

Correct sentence: In Japan elderly people are treated with far greater respect than those in most Western countries.


3. Check subject verb
Wrong sentence: A slowdown becomes useful only when the opportunity to both reorient as well as innovate are used for further growth.
Slowdown …………………………..are???

Correct sentence: A slowdown becomes useful only when the opportunity to both reorient as well as innovate is used for further growth.

4. Watch for incomplete comparisions
Wrong sentences: California’s child-support payments are as high or higher than other states.
As high…..as…..

Correct sentences: California’s child-support payments are as high as or higher than other states.

5.Watch for descriptions in the beginning
Wrong sentences: Disturbed by the media’s relentless criticism, it was decided by Gupta to resign as the chairman of TERI.
What does it refer to…….medias criticism or the disturbances

Correct sentences: Disturbed by the media’s relentless criticism, Gupta designed to resign as the chairman of TERI.

These are some of the three dozen tips..read this space for more… email us your feedback urmentor@semanticslearning.com or visit www.gmatsuperia.com









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