GMAT Critical Reasoning – Think Outside the Book

GMAT Critical Reasoning – Think Outside the Book main image

Achieving success in the Critical Reasoning section of the GMAT exam is as methodical as the name suggests. The section consists of a series of short passages (typically 100 words or less), a follow-up question, and five multiple-choice answers. Do not worry about being familiar with the content discussed in the passages. The goal of this section is to test your ability to make an argument, evaluate an argument, and formulate or assess various chains of reasoning.

Types of GMAT Critical Reasoning Questions

In the CR section you will come across four types of questions:

Assumption – The most common type of question. Here you likely see a conclusion in the passage along with some evidence supporting that conclusion. You will then be asked to weaken or strengthen the argument, or to identify some unwritten flaw or assumption on which the argument relies.

Inference – This question type is easy to spot because it typically contains the word infer, inference, conclude, or complete. The question will ask you to find the answer choice that represents a possible conclusion derived from the argument in the passage. This is different than Assumption because the passage will not provide you with a conclusion, instead it will ask you to form one.

Paradox – Requiring more internal analysis than the previous two types, this question type will ask you to reconcile which of the answers if true would help to explain a specific reason, difference, or conclusion.

Method of Reasoning – There is no “what to look out for” when it comes to this type of question. However it will generally ask you to break down the structure of the statement and evaluate or describe the role of a specific component.

GMAT Critical Reasoning Practice Question

Try your luck at a question:

Recent studies show that people between the ages of 13 and 55 produce 65 pounds more garbage per year now than they did in 1995. This increase has led them to hold a higher percentage of the total garbage produced by all age groups. This age group constitutes a growing percentage of the population, so it partially explains this rise.

Which of the following can be concluded from the passage above?

(A) People over the age of 55 produce less garbage than children below the age of 13.

(B) The population has risen since 1995.

(C) People between the ages of 13 and 55 are more than half of the current population.

(D) Before 1995 people below the age of 13 and over the age of 55 produced a higher percentage of the total garbage than they do now.

(E) People between the ages of 13 and 55 produce more garbage than those that are younger or older.

You can easily pick out the question type, because you know that when you see concluded in a question, you are being asked an inference question. Using the limited information in the passage, you must deduce which option provides the most accurate conclusion.

Option A seems possible, particularly because some may assume that people over the age of 55 produce more trash than people young than 13 – but a conclusion cannot come from your gut or even prior knowledge of a topic, if it’s not in the passage, it is wrong.

Again B seems possible because the passage states the 13-55 constitutes a growing percentage of the population. However only that portion of the population is confirmed to be growing therefore B is too vague to be correct.

C is easy to eliminate because it is a stretch and the least logical option compared to the first two.

Answer choice D needs to be evaluated mathematically. If the increase in trash produced by 13-55 years olds has led them to now hold a higher percentage of total trash produced by all age groups, then the percentage of trash produced by those younger and older must have shrunk. Mathematically speaking, this is correct. However, because you must choose the best possible option, it is imperative to read all answers, unlike you would with say a math problem.

The statement choice E is sneaky like a politician. It looks right because you would assume that if the majority percentage of trash comes from 13-55 years that people in that age group produce more trash. Sneaky right! But because the population is growing, there are likely more people in that age group which is why the percentage of trash produced increased. However this does not mean that people themselves are producing more trash, in fact they may even be producing less!

GMAT Study Tips

This section can only be tackled successfully if you familiarize yourself with the different question types. If you learn to spot the buzzwords that signify a question type (that’s right read the question before the passage), you will know what to look for when reading the passage. Study outside of your GMAT book—read an analysis of the presidential debates, review Gallup polls. Familiarizing yourself with day-to-day critical reasoning will improve your instincts on test day.

About Heather Simon

Heather Simon graduated from Skidmore College, a top liberal-arts institution in Saratoga Springs, with a degree in Studio Art and a minor in English. She works as an academic director at Manhattan Elite Prep, all-the-while pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing and Literary Translation. At MEP, like all of her colleagues, she wears a number of hats and spends her days in front of multiple computer screens. Some of her responsibilities include coordinating test prep courses and tailoring private tutoring packages for individual students; designing course material; and social media and marketing.