GMAT Critical Reasoning Tips: Top 8

Critical Reasoning (CR) questions are at the heart of what is tested on the GMAT. CR questions directly challenge your thinking skills across a wide range of situations that require critical analysis, logical reasoning, and attention to detail.

In fact, some students find that Critical Reasoning GMAT questions are some of the trickiest questions on the GMAT. After all, to master GMAT CR, you must be able to employ smart, efficient strategies for analyzing arguments and for eliminating answer choices that are cleverly worded to trick, trap, and confuse you.

Critical Reasoning questions are at the heart of what is tested on the GMAT.

In this article, I’ll give you 8 tips that can help you truly master GMAT Critical Reasoning. I’ll also discuss why shortcuts and gimmicks won’t help you make serious progress in your CR performance. I’ll also lay out an effective pacing strategy for tackling CR questions.

Here are the topics we’ll cover:

• GMAT Critical Reasoning: What to Expect
• GMAT CR Question Types
• Tip #1: Practice Identifying the Parts of an Argument
  • Premise (Evidence)
  • Assumption
  • Conclusion
    • CR Practice Question 1
• Tip #2: Do GMAT Critical Reasoning Practice Questions Untimed
• Tip #3: Read the Passage First
• Tip #4: Do Not Assume That the Last Sentence Is the Conclusion
• Tip #5: Do Not Attempt to “Pre-Think” Answers
• Tip #6: Do Not Match Words to Find Correct Answers
• Tip #7: Eliminate Only Answers You’re Sure Are Wrong First
• Tip #8: Rely on Pinpoint Logic Instead of “Gut Instinct”
• GMAT CR Pacing Strategy
• What’s Next?

To start, let’s review some of the basics of Critical Reasoning on the GMAT.

GMAT Critical Reasoning: What to Expect

Of the 23 Verbal questions on the GMAT, approximately 9 will be Critical Reasoning questions.

Each GMAT CR question begins with a written stimulus, usually a short passage (about 100 words or fewer) that conveys an argument or plan. Following the stimulus is a question that asks you to determine which of 5 answer choices is logically related to the stimulus in a particular way (we’ll look at what those ways are shortly).

Like GMAT Reading Comprehension passages, Critical Reasoning passages can come from subjects such as economics, science, music, politics, or psychology. However, you don’t need to have any specialized knowledge of these subjects in order to answer CR questions. All of the information you need to answer CR questions is either in the passage or is information that is considered common knowledge for anyone with a high school education.

For example, in evaluating the logic of CR answer choices to determine which is correct, you might need to know that profit equals the money taken in from selling something minus the cost of selling that thing. However, you would never need to know the relationship between, say, mortgage interest rates and bond yields. The former is common knowledge, while the latter is specialized knowledge in economics.

The key fact is that CR questions don’t test your level of knowledge about a topic. Rather, they test your ability to logically evaluate information that is given to you. Specifically, they test your skill in analyzing arguments and plans.

KEY FACT:

GMAT Critical Reasoning questions test your skill in analyzing arguments and plans.

Now that we know the basic structure of CR questions, let’s review what the CR question types are.

GMAT CR Question Types

There are 11 major Critical Reasoning question types on the GMAT:

1. Find the Assumption: These questions ask you to identify an assumption on which the argument depends.
2. Weaken the Argument: These questions ask you to identify a fact that would undermine the argument.
3. Strengthen the Argument: These questions ask you to identify a fact that would support or help the argument.
4. Resolve a Paradox: These questions ask you to identify a fact that would resolve a situation that appears to be (but is not actually) paradoxical.
5. Cause and Effect: In general, these questions ask you to weaken, strengthen, or evaluate an argument based on cause-and-effect reasoning.
6. Inference: These questions ask you to identify an unwritten conclusion that must be true based on the information presented in the passage.
7. Find the Conclusion: These questions ask you to identify the conclusion that is best supported by the passage.
8. Evaluate the Argument: These questions ask you to identify what would best help you determine whether the argument is well-constructed or poorly constructed.
9. Logical Flaw: These questions ask you to identify a flaw in the argument’s reasoning.
10. Complete the Passage: These questions ask you to select the statement that best completes an uncompleted passage.
11. Method of Reasoning and Boldface: These questions ask you to determine the way that a passage is logically organized or structured.

Assumption, Weaken, and Strengthen are the most common question types in GMAT CR. However, there is no way to predict what mix of question types will appear on your test. So, it’s important to master every CR question type in your GMAT practice.

KEY FACT:

Assumption, Weaken, and Strengthen questions are the most common GMAT CR question types.

Now, let’s dive into our tips.

Tip #1: Practice Identifying the Parts of an Argument

Every GMAT CR argument has 3 key components:

• a premise or premises, which are the facts (evidence) that form the foundation of the argument
• one or more assumptions on which the argument is based
• a conclusion, which is supported by the premise(s).

There may also be some background information in a CR passage to add context to the argument.

It can be helpful to think of a CR argument as a math problem:

(background info) + Premise + Assumption = Conclusion

To effectively analyze a passage presented in a Critical Reasoning question, it’s essential that you are able to identify which sentences provide evidence or background and which sentence presents the conclusion. So, a great way to train for CR is to practice identifying those key components of arguments.

To that end, in the beginning of your preparation with GMAT Critical Reasoning practice questions, as you’re reading CR passages, identify the specific sentence or sentences that represent either background, a premise, or a conclusion.

Doing this practice will also help you notice any gaps in the argument’s logic—that is, any assumptions. You’ll notice those assumptions because, without them, the argument’s premises (evidence) will not logically lead to the conclusion.

Remember, CR passages are generally just a handful of sentences long. So, identifying the function of the different sentences shouldn’t take long once you know what to look for.

TTP PRO TIP:

In GMAT CR questions, practice identifying which sentences in the passage provide evidence or background and which sentence presents the conclusion.

With that in mind, let’s delve a little deeper into the 3 components of an argument.

Premise (Evidence)

A premise is a fact that supports the argument’s conclusion and builds the argument. Such facts typically provide reasons for believing that the conclusion is correct or justification for the conclusion.

KEY FACT:

A premise is a fact that supports the argument’s conclusion and is used to build the argument.

In other words, premises are the evidence provided by an author in making an argument. This evidence may come in the form of statistics, observations, or results of scientific studies, to give a few examples.

The important thing to remember about premises given in a CR passage is that they are always statements of fact. So, you must consider any premise in a CR passage true.

KEY FACT:

Premises given in a GMAT CR passage are always statements of fact.

Assumption

Unlike premises, assumptions are not stated in the passage. An assumption is an unwritten piece of information that has to be true in order for the logic of a given argument to work.

In other words, if an argument‘s assumptions are incorrect, the argument will fall apart. Thus, a vital part of any argument is its assumptions. Without them, the argument’s conclusion could not be true.

Think of assumptions as the glue that connects the evidence to the conclusion. You don’t see the glue—the information doesn’t appear on the page—but it’s holding the argument together. Without it, the evidence and the conclusion don’t form a seamless whole.

KEY FACT:

An assumption is an unwritten piece of information that has to be true in order for the logic of a given argument to work.

Conclusion

The conclusion is the statement that an argument’s premises support. It is the point that the author is driving toward in making the argument. Conclusions come in the form of opinions, recommendations, and plans of action, to name a few.

Authors tend to (though don’t always) use specific keywords to indicate that a conclusion is about to follow. Some common conclusion keywords are the following:

Therefore
In conclusion
Thus
Hence
Consequently
As a consequence
Accordingly
It follows that
For this reason
As a result
This shows that
It can be concluded that
Clearly
should
ought to
must
so

Of course, logic and critical analysis should always prevail when you’re looking for the conclusion in an argument. However, the keywords above are often useful cues that what follows is indeed a conclusion.

KEY FACT:

The conclusion is the statement that an argument’s premises support. It’s the point that the author is driving toward in making the argument.

Let’s test our skills in identifying the parts of an argument with a GMAT Critical Reasoning practice question.

CR Practice Question 1

The following is an example of an Assumption question.

In reading the passage, try to identify the premises and the conclusion. And of course, to answer the question, you’ll need to identify the assumption upon which the argument depends—in this case, the correct answer.

Noticing assumptions is useful for more than just answering Assumption questions. For instance, correct answers to Strengthen and Weaken often make a statement that either substantiates or undermines, respectively, an assumption in the given argument.

Overall, the point of identifying the components of an argument is to learn to notice what is going on in a CR passage and to understand the logic of arguments in CR, as opposed to just reading passages and attempting to memorize what is said, or having some vague notion of why an argument makes sense. The former will allow you to quickly comprehend how answer choices in CR questions relate to given arguments. The latter will leave you trying to decide amongn several answer choices without being able to determine which is correct.

So, engage in this practice until zeroing in on an argument’s premises and conclusion and recognizing any assumptions necessary for the argument’s logic to work becomes second nature to you.

Tip #2: Do GMAT Critical Reasoning Practice Questions Untimed

We just discussed the importance of doing a detailed and methodical analysis of passages in GMAT Critical Reasoning practice questions. Here’s the thing: that type of analysis is very unlikely to fit into a 1-, 2-, or even 3-minute window for finding a correct answer to a CR question.

However, that analysis is necessary for becoming skilled at evaluating the logic of arguments and related statements in CR questions. And becoming more skilled at doing something is exactly how you become faster at it.

So, you must start your CR practice untimed. Resist the temptation to skip this necessary step and dive right into completing practice questions “on the clock.” Trust that, as you become better at evaluating the logic of the different answer choices and how each choice relates to the logic of the passage, you will naturally get faster at finding correct answers.

If you don’t initially give yourself time to learn to articulate why incorrect answers are incorrect and correct answers are correct, you ultimately put a ceiling on your ability to answer tough CR questions in the allotted time.

In the later stages of your GMAT prep, once you’ve gained the skills you need to answer CR questions accurately, you can further hone your skills by doing timed practice questions. By that point, you should be close to answering CR questions in a reasonable amount of time. So, adding the pressure of a ticking clock will be effective in helping you reach the next level of competency in CR, rather than being a source of frustration that discourages you because you aren’t prepared to handle the time constraints.

TTP PRO TIP:

At the beginning of your prep, do CR practice questions untimed.

Tip #3: Read the Passage First

Many people offering GMAT Critical Reasoning strategies recommend that test-takers read a CR question stem before reading the passage. The reasoning is that you will know which type of question you need to answer. Thus, you’ll read the passage with that information in mind.

This strategy may seem like a neat shortcut.  However, I’ve found that students generally don’t save any time by approaching CR questions in this way. In fact, reading the question first can actually add to the time they spend on a CR question.

Why? Because if they’re thinking about the question and reading the passage with that in mind, they may be distracted from noticing details, making connections, or identifying gaps in the argument that they would otherwise see. They may even be tempted to glance back at the question from time to time as they’re reading the passage. They may want to see whether they’ve hit on a sentence that answers the question.

Distracted reading is likely to result in a shallow or incomplete understanding of a CR argument. This will only make answering the question more challenging.

Anyway, you will probably have to read the question stem again after you’ve read the passage. You’ll have to double-check that you’re answering the right question as you begin to eliminate answer choices. Is reading the question both before and after you read the passage an effective way to save time?

TTP PRO TIP:

Reading the passage before you read the question stem helps ensure that you don’t miss nuances and key details because you’re distracted by looking for a particular answer.

Tip #4: Do Not Assume That the Last Sentence Is the Conclusion

Unfortunately, many GMAT students have it in their heads that the conclusion of an argument in Critical Reasoning will always be the last sentence of the passage. Yes, an argument’s conclusion is quite often found at the end of the passage. However, the conclusion can appear anywhere within the passage. So, expecting the conclusion to always be the last sentence of the passage is a mistake.

Think about it: Why would accurately identifying an argument’s conclusion be so integral to correctly answering CR questions if every test-taker knew exactly where the conclusion would be stated 100% of the time?

So, be aware that the conclusion is often found at the end of a CR passage. But don’t assume that the conclusion will always be there. Instead, analyze the logic of the passage to pinpoint what the conclusion is.

TTP PRO TIP:

Don’t assume that an argument’s conclusion will always be at the end of the passage. Instead, analyze the logic of the passage to pinpoint what the conclusion is.

Tip #5: Do Not Attempt to “Pre-Think” Answers

A gimmicky CR strategy that is all too common is to attempt to “pre-think” the answer to a question. In other words, a test-taker reads the passage, reads the question stem, and then tries to guess what the correct answer will be without reading the answer choices. This is a rookie maneuver.

When test-takers pre-think, they fall into a number of extremely well-researched cognitive biases. These biases can make determining the correct answer to a CR question significantly harder. And at the same time, they make falling into a trap much easier.

GMAT question-writers have MASSIVE amounts of data on the mistakes that test-takers are likely to make when they pre-think answers. The question-writers use this data to create trap answers that many “pre-thinkers” fall into.

Here at Target Test Prep, we, too, have large amounts of data on how students incorrectly “pre-think” answers to practice questions. And yes, to better prepare our students for the challenges of the GMAT, we use this data to engineer trap answer choices in our CR practice questions.

Remember, CR questions test your ability to analyze the logic of an argument or plan. They don’t test your ability to find a justification for your preconceived notion of what the answer should be.

More to the point, why waste your valuable time trying to guess what the answer will be when the actual 5 answer choices are right there in front of you? Skip the unnecessary task of pre-thinking an answer and simply read through the answer choices presented.

TTP PRO TIP:

Don’t try to guess what the correct answer will be before reading the answer choices in a CR question.

Tip #6: Do Not Match Words to Find Correct Answers

GMAT Critical Reasoning is not a word-matching game. So, beware of “hacks” that tell you to look for answer choices that mirror the language in the passage.

The truth is, you will not perform at a high level in CR by selecting answers merely because they include words that appear in the passage or say things that sound like what the passage says. Many CR trap answer choices sound just like the passage, and many test-takers take the bait.

Gimmicks that insist that you should select answer choices that match language in the passage don’t teach you how to analyze arguments and employ strong logic, and those are the skills you really need to master GMAT CR.

TTP PRO TIP:

Gimmicks that rely on word-matching are not reliable methods of finding correct answers to CR questions.

Tip #7: Eliminate Only Answers You’re Sure Are Wrong First

Usually, in a Critical Reasoning question, 3 of the 5 answer choices are pretty clearly incorrect.

Those 3 clearly incorrect choices are the ones you’ll want to eliminate in your first pass through the answer choices. By first eliminating answer choices that are obviously not correct, you “narrow the field” and allow yourself to focus on the remaining 2 or 3 answers, which are usually more difficult to process and evaluate.

The important thing to remember is that eliminating answer choices that are clearly incorrect is vastly different from eliminating choices that you’re unsure about. In this first pass, you’ll want to keep those choices you think might be wrong but you’re unsure, or those answers that seem a little sketchy but could go either way. Keeping those choices will give you a chance to evaluate them more closely.

Furthermore, you may be surprised to learn that test-takers often eliminate the correct answer to a CR first! Why? Because the correct answer to a CR question often says something that is not obviously connected to the argument. So, if you’re unsure about an answer choice because you can’t immediately connect it to the argument, but you’re not 100% sure that it’s wrong, you’re better off hanging onto it to evaluate it further.

Additionally, if you’re having trouble finding an answer choice that works, remember that you can always revisit choices that you’ve eliminated. It may be that you mistakenly eliminated the correct answer.

TTP PRO TIP:

On your first pass through the answer choices, eliminate only those answers you’re sure are incorrect, not any answers you’re unsure about.

Tip #8: Rely on Pinpoint Logic Instead of “Gut Instinct”

A major part of knowing that a CR answer choice is incorrect is using clear logic instead of “gut instinct.” In other words, you must be able to pinpoint exactly why an incorrect answer is incorrect, rather than basing your decisions on a vague idea that something “seems off” or “doesn’t seem like it would be right.”

In the same way that you shouldn’t allow your “gut” to decide which answers are wrong, you shouldn’t allow it to choose the correct answer either. A fundamental error that many test-takers make is to merely reread the 2 final choices they have to decide between. Then they rely on gut instinct to choose which is correct. They just want to be done with the question.

If you want to win a race, you can’t collapse 10 feet before the finish line. Likewise, if you want to earn a high GMAT Verbal score, you can’t simply “leave it up to fate” when you’re down to 2 answers in a question. On the contrary, that is precisely the time to really turn on your critical-thinking skills and higher-order logic and relentlessly seek out the correct answer.

The truth is, relying on your gut is no better than flipping a coin. Your gut can make up all sorts of stories and jump to all kinds of conclusions that the information in the passage does not support. The GMAT question-writers know this. The question-writers know that your gut is more likely to select trap choices written to seem correct than to select actual correct answers. They set their traps to take advantage of the fact that when you rely on instinct, you abandon logical reasoning.

TTP PRO TIP:

Don’t fall for trap choices that seem correct.  Instead, use pinpoint logic instead of gut instinct to clearly articulate why answers are either correct or incorrect.

Now that you have these 8 essential GMAT Critical Reasoning tips, let’s discuss pacing yourself when answering CR questions.

GMAT CR Pacing Strategy

The GMAT Verbal section is made up of 23 questions that you have a total of 45 minutes to complete. So, you have an average of 1:57 minutes to complete each Verbal question—just under 2 minutes. Of course, not all Verbal questions are the same. Some Reading Comprehension questions, for example, may take you 4 or 5 minutes.

For Critical Reasoning questions, a smart strategy is to shoot for the “average time” mark or just under it, planning to spend about 1.5 to 2 minutes on each question. However, be aware that some of the more difficult CR questions could take you closer to 2.5 minutes to solve. At the end of the day, if you’re spending a little less than the time-per-question average on some CR questions, you’ll have a little extra time to spare for some more difficult ones.

What’s Next?

Check out my top 8 Reading Comprehension dos and don’ts for more ways to increase your GMAT Verbal score.

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