# GMAT Critical Reasoning: Types, Method and Traps | topin

GMAT guidesCritical Reasoning

Section

Verbal Reasoning, mixed with Reading Comprehension

Format

A short argument, one question, five choices

Time per question

About 2 minutes

Question families

Strengthen, weaken, assumption, evaluate, inference, explain a discrepancy, flaw, boldface, complete the argument

Calculator

None

## How it works

Each question has a stimulus of a few sentences, usually under 100 words, followed by a question stem and five choices. Most stimuli are arguments with a conclusion and evidence, while inference and discrepancy questions give facts without a conclusion. The stem tells you the task, so read it closely before the stimulus.

## Worked example

Last year, Harbourton fitted brighter LED street lamps on half of its streets. Reported bicycle thefts on those streets fell by 30 percent, while thefts on the other streets stayed level. The council concludes that brighter lighting deters bicycle theft and plans to fit LED lamps on the remaining streets. Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the council's conclusion?

1. ALED lamps cost less to run than the lamps they replaced.
2. BThe streets that received LED lamps were also the only streets where the council installed locking bicycle racks last year.
3. CReported bicycle thefts in a neighbouring town rose last year.
4. DMore people in Harbourton owned bicycles last year than the year before.
5. ESome residents of the newly lit streets have complained that the lamps are too bright.
Show the answer

B

The conclusion is that lighting caused the fall in thefts. The evidence is a before and after comparison between two groups of streets, so the gap is any other difference between those groups. B names one: the same streets got locking racks, which could explain the fall on their own. A and E are about cost and complaints, not theft. C compares a different town, which says nothing about why Harbourton's two groups of streets differ. D is a town-wide change that affects both groups equally, so it cannot explain the difference between them.

## A method for Critical Reasoning

1. 1  
### Read the question stem first  
Know whether you are strengthening, weakening, finding an assumption or drawing an inference. The task decides what you look for in the argument.
2. 2  
### Split conclusion from evidence  
Find the claim the author wants you to accept, often after 'so', 'therefore' or 'concludes', then the facts offered for it.
3. 3  
### Name the gap  
Ask what must also be true for the evidence to prove the conclusion. Common gaps are another cause, an unrepresentative sample and a change in what is being compared.
4. 4  
### Predict the answer in your own words  
For a weaken question, the prediction might be 'something else changed on those streets'. A prediction makes out-of-scope choices easy to spot.
5. 5  
### Eliminate, then compare the last two  
Cross out choices that are irrelevant, too extreme or about a different group. Between the final two, pick the one that acts on the conclusion itself, not on a side detail.

## Traps to avoid

* Out of scope: a true-sounding choice about a side issue, such as cost, when the argument is about cause.
* Irrelevant comparison: evidence about another place, group or time that does not touch the argument's own comparison.
* Reversal: a choice that strengthens when you were asked to weaken, or the other way round.
* Too strong: on inference questions, wording such as 'all', 'always' or 'only' that the facts do not support.
* Missing 'EXCEPT' in the stem, so you pick the one choice that does the task instead of the one that does not.

## Critical Reasoning FAQs

How many Critical Reasoning questions are on the GMAT Focus Edition?

GMAC does not publish a fixed number. Verbal has 23 questions in total, shared between Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension.

What is the hardest type of GMAT Critical Reasoning question?

Many test takers find boldface and evaluate questions hardest, because they test the structure of the argument rather than a single gap. Practise them by labelling every sentence as conclusion, evidence or background.

Should I read the question before the argument in GMAT CR?

Yes. The stem tells you whether you need the conclusion, the gap or a safe inference, so you read the argument with a purpose.

Do I need outside knowledge for GMAT Critical Reasoning?

No. Everything you need is in the stimulus. Treat each answer choice as true when the stem says 'if true', even if it seems unlikely.

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