To get the best percentile in GMAT verbal, it’s crucial to score well in the Critical Reasoning section.
Here are some inherent pitfalls to avoid:
NOT READING THE ARGUMENT BUT SKIMMING.
Unwittingly, Some test takers skim the paragraph given rather than comprehend the argument thoroughly. Every argument in the Critical Reasoning section must have been edited several times to be condensed. Each word seen in the argument is purposefully retained. Being oblivious to even a single word in the argument can, at times, distorts the purpose of the passage written. So, read to comprehend. Through effective elimination strategies, one can reduce the extra time spent on option choices, without having to compromise on the diligence required to understand the argument perfectly.
NOT UNDERSTANDING THE QUESTION REQUIREMENT!
Wading through the option choices, without understanding the question’s expectation, is quite futile. Hence, it’s important to holistically understand the objective and the expectations of the question in context, rather than pay attention to mere keywords. Some keywords can be tricky. For instance,” Support” is the word that can be seen in both strengthen and Inference questions.
PREDICTING “WHAT IS THE RIGHT ANSWER”, RATHER THAN ”HOW SHOULD IT BE”.
Test takers often try to predict the right answer before going through the options given. But predicting “how the right answer should be?” is far more effective than “what the right answer must be?”: the right answer to a question can be formulated in several dimensions, but the job of the right answer should be the same in all those scenarios.
FALLING PREY TO AN APPEALING OPTION RATHER THAN CHOOSING THE BEST THROUGH ELIMINATION.
The correct answer for a Critical Reasoning question is the best among the five option choices given: there can be a good answer, a better one, and, of course, the best one. Unless one master elimination process, it’s difficult to make out the difference between a good and the best option in high difficulty questions. Thus, it’s more beneficial to try to understand the strategies applied in forming the wrong option choices to distinguish common patterns among traps, and choose the right answer rather than let your instincts rule the game.
Happy GMATing!
