nitz19arg Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Hello everyone. Greetings Ive just started my preps by self studying and I was going to rely solely on Manhattan CR book. Ive finished reading it as well as practicing the questions and grasped all the core concepts. I couldn't agree fully with the time taking diagram/notes method and frankly, I still solve the CR questions by: 1. Identifying the q type(thus reminding myself of the associated 2-4 key points of that type) 2. mapping the whole question in mind 3. cancelling all the negative options 4. go by instincts if still unsure Is this the proper way in your opinion? If not, should I start it all over again by referring to Kaplan books about which I've been recommended? Or do you guys recommend any other source? Thanks in anticipation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eventualprof Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 This is a good start and you are on the right track to success on the verbal portion of the GMAT. Everyone has their own method. Mine was pretty close to yours. But I would add a step to your analysis before answering: Hello everyone. Greetings Ive just started my preps by self studying and I was going to rely solely on Manhattan CR book. Ive finished reading it as well as practicing the questions and grasped all the core concepts. I couldn't agree fully with the time taking diagram/notes method and frankly, I still solve the CR questions by: 1. Identifying the q type(thus reminding myself of the associated 2-4 key points of that type) 2. mapping the whole question in mind 3. cancelling all the negative options 4. go by instincts if still unsure Is this the proper way in your opinion? If not, should I start it all over again by referring to Kaplan books about which I've been recommended? Or do you guys recommend any other source? Thanks in anticipation. Your first step was probably what made the largest difference for me when taking the test. If you assess the question type before anything else, you put your brain in the right mode to give you the best chance possible. Nice start. Probably between steps two and three...Take a moment to identify the concept being assessed. This is especially helpful on the sentence correction questions. Taking time for this will give help you eliminate more answers in step three. Good luck! Let us know how you do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nitz19arg Posted June 13, 2014 Author Share Posted June 13, 2014 This is a good start and you are on the right track to success on the verbal portion of the GMAT. Everyone has their own method. Mine was pretty close to yours. But I would add a step to your analysis before answering: Your first step was probably what made the largest difference for me when taking the test. If you assess the question type before anything else, you put your brain in the right mode to give you the best chance possible. Nice start. Probably between steps two and three...Take a moment to identify the concept being assessed. This is especially helpful on the sentence correction questions. Taking time for this will give help you eliminate more answers in step three. Good luck! Let us know how you do. Thanks a lot for the detailed answer. I do find your suggestion very helpful. I think that subconsciously, I was applying this. But now, Ill make sure I identify the concept in terms of the query being asked. Will let you know if I improved. Thank you.:encouragement: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajechP Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 Hi, though the strategy you listed is preliminary (not comprehensive), I would suggest that you should reconsider point 4-go by instincts if still unsure, one must not go by instinct. The clever wordplay laid by the test-maker are mostly found in these type of options. If you are unsure of any option, it implies that you have not understood the argument correctly. So either reread or guess and more to next! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BGPC Eliza Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 I think that is a good strategy! I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "mapping the question in my mind," but what I did for this step was read the prompt and try to identify the parts of the argument, specifically the premises and conclusion and if there is any missing link between the two. One other thing that I would recommend would be to try to predict the answer in between step 2 and 3, if possible. If there isn't anything that comes immediately to mind, then don't waste too much time on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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