From Steve Jobs in technology, Jeff Bezos in internet commerce, and even the Kardashians in entertainment, business people touch a multitude of fields necessitating all sorts of skills. Yet industry experts all agree that there are some very basic abilities that are central to business acumen and success. Analytical, quantitative, writing, verbal, and reading skills are all key. While the GMAT does not measure business knowledge or future success, its ability to forecast student’s strengths in these areas is what has kept business schools utilizing it as a major admissions factor.

Of all the skills the GMAT measures, perhaps the most important one is critical thinking, found especially in the GMAT verbal section. How well can you gather and evaluate information and come to a reasonable conclusion? The GMAT verbal section will showcase this. However, critical thinking is also one of the most difficult skills to either measure or build up. As a result, GMAT verbal questions that assess this skill are often very, very tricky. Read on to find out how A.C.T.S. can help you tackle the toughest GMAT verbal questions.

1. Assess the argument

• Usually, you already have all the brainpower necessary to come to the correct answer. It is just a matter of ignoring all of the superfluous information that the test will throw at you. Therefore, during the GMAT verbal section, read thoroughly, identify the conclusion, the premises that lead to that conclusion, and assumptions that could have been made from what is in the paragraph.

2. Check the question

• Next, go back to the question and check what it is really asking for. Hone in on action words to determine what needs to be explained.

3. Think of a prediction

• This is the most important part when it comes to GMAT verbal multiple choice questions. Before looking at the answers, try to think of how you would answer the question yourself. What this does is prevent you from being distracted by extra information in the answers or ones that seem like they could be correct.

4. Seek the answer

• Homestretch. Now look over the answers provided. If the reasoning has been good, there should be an answer very similar to the one you came up with yourself. Check the box and continue on your way!

Sample Critical Thinking GMAT Verbal Practice Problem

When it comes to cars, curative rather than preventative measures are what end up costing owners the most. Lupe’s mom does not take her car in for regular maintenance checks. However, she asks Lupe to make sure that it gets a better formula of oil. With a hard winter coming up, Lupe knows that any measure to improve their car is worth it.

Lupe’s mom’s inconsistent behavior towards their family car is best explain by which of the following?

1. Assess the argument

• Conclusion: Lupe’s mom does not do preventative maintenance on their car
• Evidence: The majority of car maintenance costs go towards curative procedures like new parts. Yet Lupe’s mom wants to invest in better oil. Logic gap: if someone doesn’t value preventative maintenance, why would they see worth in more expensive but better oil?
• Assumption: Lupe’s mom sees some financial gain from the better oil but still won’t shell out for preventative checks. The greater vehicle performance that come from better oil outweigh the extra costs associated with it.

2. Check the question

• We can see that this is a critical thinking question based on the phrase “best explained.” What’s the best reason for Lupe’s mom’s behavior?

3. Think of a prediction

• Lupe’s mom sees some benefit to their car in the long-term.

4. Seek the answer

• Car oil is sometimes on sale
• Car oil prices are on the rise
• Upgrading car oil is one of the cheapest preventative measures for cars
• Oil changes are rarely covered by warranties.

Here we can see that answer C most clearly matches our prediction. Critical thinking questions are tricky, but sometimes just knowing the actual content of the question is more than enough.

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