In this article, we’re going discuss best practices for the reading comprehension section of the GMAT exam. You can either read this article or watch this GMAT reading...
In this article, we’re going to discuss best critical reasoning practices for the GMAT exam. You can either read this article or watch this GMAT critical reasoning video on YouTube. To make things easier to digest, we’ve broken the contents of the video up into 3 parts. In this segment, hosted by one of MyGuru's most experienced GMAT tutors, we will specifically discuss the frequency and format of critical reasoning questions and their strategic implications. In segments 2 and 3, we’ll work through examples of inference and argument critical reasoning questions and provide a clear outline of the critical reasoning process.
Question Frequency
Critical reasoning questions are assumed to be the least frequent verbal question type. With this in mind, you'll see more sentence corrections and reading comprehension questions on average. More specifically, there are between 9 and 13 critical reasoning questions per verbal section on the exam. Critical reasoning is also potential content for integrated reasoning two-part analysis questions. In other words, you'll see questions similar to verbal critical reasoning with two selections to be made for a single slide within the integrated reasoning section. Those questions will follow a similar process to that which is required for verbal critical reasoning.
Strategic Implications
Critical reasoning questions typically demand more time than other types of questions in the verbal reasoning section. The recommended time allocation for critical reasoning questions is two minutes per question, compared to the average of just under one minute and fifty seconds for other verbal reasoning questions. The reason for this longer time requirement is due to the need to pay attention to details and carefully analyze both the question and answer choices. This applies to the integrated reasoning section as well, where two and a half to three minutes should be spent on each two-part analysis question that follows a critical reasoning format.
It’s recommended to spend a maximum of three minutes on each individual critical reasoning question, with more time devoted to the initial questions as they carry more weight in the scoring scale. For integrated reasoning two-part analysis questions that follow a critical reasoning format, a maximum of four minutes should be allocated. To save time, it is advised to limit yourself to a single reread before proceeding to eliminate and guess. Multiple rereads are not feasible due to time constraints, so it is important to evaluate the information efficiently.
These kinds of questions, as well as integrated reasoning questions, are some of the questions you are going to primarily skip proactively because critical reasoning questions are self-contained, meaning they only affect a single question. So even though they take longer on average, they don’t have a disproportionate impact on how the exam is going to go, whether it is the verbal section or the integrated reasoning part. They don’t impact any other question, so it’s okay to be a little bit aggressive in skipping if you are behind pace in the verbal or integrated reasoning sections.
Since critical reasoning questions are self-contained and only affect a single question, it is generally advisable to proactively skip them, as well as integrated reasoning questions, especially when running behind on time in the verbal or integrated reasoning sections. Although these questions typically require more time, they do not have a significant impact on the overall performance on the exam. Skipping them aggressively can help to catch up on lost time without affecting the outcome of the exam.
Conclusion
We hope this overview of the critical reasoning questions on the GMAT has empowered you to strategize with newfound confidence. Remember to read parts 2 and 3 of this article, we’ll work through examples of inference and argument critical reasoning questions and provide a clear outline of the critical reasoning process.
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