When approaching the critical reasoning section of the GMAT there are some GMAT critical reasoning tips to help. These tips help organize your thoughts and make for more efficient answering. This portion of the test will show critical thinking, reading and analyzing skills. There are many different kinds of analysis possible on the offered passages.

The presentation of each item is first the argument or plan. Then there is the question followed by multiple choices that could answer the question. You will need to approach this out of order. Read each question first, then read the argument and finally read the answer choices. The question itself will tell you what you need to find in the passage. If it is not done this way, you will end up reading the passage a second time after reading the question, taking up precious time.

One way time is wasted is by trying to figure out an answer to a question where you feel the answer is not obvious. This will be known right away once all choices are reviewed. Right away eliminate those that couldn’t possibly be right. Then guess based on what the cues are in the question. Do not hesitate here because you could possibly use a lot more time than you think trying to work it out.

Of the many types of questions are those asking for statistical information, flaws, strengths, weaknesses, inferences, and assumptions. Those asking for the flaw in the argument have some specific cues. They may have very general statements that are not fact, it may present an opinion not given by an expert and so cannot be taken as fact or may contain cause and effect statements that are not related.

Questions may request that an assumption be made about an argument. In this case you are seeking an answer that is a link to what was stated but does not include any direct statements. The answer will be an implication of what was said and is needed to actually complete the argument. Here is a case where answers can be eliminated if it contains any statement of the passage.

The questions asking for inference are looking for answers that are a conclusion about statements made in the passage. This is the difference between an assumption and an inference, the statements will be found in the argument itself. The answer to these type of questions are usually the one that is most obvious. Within the passage be aware of changes where it starts with one group and ends with a totally unrelated group.

The key to a successful completion of the GMAT is practice. Take as many practice tests as can be found. There are sites that offer sample test questions with their answers. Each choice is explained as to why it is the correct or incorrect choice. The practice and the GMAT critical reasoning tips will go a long way to help with this section.

Author Bio: John has been in the field of GMAT prep for a long time. If you are interested in learning more, the author maintains a website that provides additional great critical reasoning strategies.

Category: Education
Keywords: gmat critical reasoning, critical reasoning tips