study plan, timing, critical reasoning

by **koraljka.de-carina** Sat Apr 17, 2010 9:11 am

Dear Stacie,

Thank you for your detailed reply to my post. I have read and reviewed all the articles you suggested. I have tried to set a plan and study goals as well as identify my strengths and weaknesses after taking the Cat Manhattan exam. After doing all of that I could determine some things. Bellow you will find the summary of the things I was able to determine. After the summary of what I was able to determine I decided to start working on the Critical reasoning. I am reading the Manhattan Review and Power Score parallel and doing practice problems from the official guide and the Manhattan book. After each problem I write down the analysis of the problems that I solved correctly and the ones I did not (according to your article how to analyze a CR question). I have not started using the error logs yet. I am also making flash cards and recording how each day went. After three weeks of doing that each day I have realized I am stuck and not making much progress.

Here is the problem:
WEAKNESSES: CRITICAL REASONING: TIMING - I TAKE WAY TOO LONG. SOMETIMES 4-6 MINUTES. I AM TOO PASSIVE WHEN DOING THE PROBLEMS. NO MATTER HOW MANY BOOKS I READ, THE TIPS ALL SEEM TO PROLONG MY TIME TO DO THE PROBLEM. DIAGRAMMING IS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM OF ALL. IT ALMOST ALWAYS REQUIRES A SECOND READ AND DOES NOT HELP IN COMPREHENDING THE STIMULUS. NEED SERIOUS PROGRESS HERE. SUGGESTIONS? Is it possible to take the Manhattan online course just on critical reasoning?

I have included a summary of what I determined so far and of my CAT exam to give you more data to reply to my post. It seems confusing to you please disregard it and address the critical reasoning and the question about the class.

Summary of what I determined so far:
CURRENT SCORE 420, TARGET SCORE 680
MIGHT NEED A LOT OF TIME, OUTSIDE HELP
OPTIMAL LEARNING STYLE: ALONE, ONE ON ONE WITH TUTOR
TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME FOR PRIMARY STUDY: 16 WEEKS, COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW: 4 WEEKS
NEED TO READ ALL MANHATTAN BOOKS FROM START - READ 4 DAYS, 5 DAY DO OFFICIAL QUESTIONS WITH GIVEN ANALYSIS, 6 DAY REVIEW
START WITH WEAKNESSES CRITICAL REASONING and DATA SUFFICIENCY
AFTER 4 WEEKS CAT 2
RESOURCES I HAVE: All Manhattan Books, CR Power Score, Kaplan, CAT PRACTICE TESTS
EACH DAY: BLOCK OF TWO HOURS. DAY SIX IS ALWAYS A REVIEW (RANDOM SET OF PROBLEMS, REVIEW WHAT I DID DURING THE 5 DAYS, DO A FEW PROBLEMS FROM STRONGER AREA). DURING THE TWO HOURS I AM READING LESSONS AND THAN DOING NON OFFICIAL QUESTIONS AND SPENDING HALF OF MY TIME DOING EACH OF THE TWO THINGS. SOME DAYS I JUST DO AND REVIEW SET OF PRACTICE PROBLEMS (40% OF TIME DOING QUESTIONS, AND THAN 60% OF THE TIME REVIEWING QUESTIONS). AT END OF SESSION, I WRITE HOW THAT DAY WENT AND WHAT NEEDS IMPROVING.

I TOOK A CAT EXAM AND HERE IS THE SUMMARY - SCORE 480:
On verbal got 4 questions wrong in a row in a few seconds, ran out of time. On some questions I spent almost 1:04 or 1:42 0:20 0:39.
On Quantitative got 3 quest in a row wrong tow beginning, high to med level and the timing was 1,34 1,57 2,17. Toward end I got 4 in arrow wrong med-lower level around one min 30sec, last three right around two min. 4 questions more than 3 min, 2 wrong 2 right
Verbal 7 min reading comp first question, 4 min second question; 9 questions above 2 min on cr and sentence correction, 4 correct
Data sufficiency about 6 incorrect 1 minute or less level 600-700
Assessment summary
Data sufficiency 40% with average difficulty right answers 430 and average right answers 2:02 (lowest)
Critical reasoning 36% average right answers 590, average right answers 1:39
No more than 30 sec discrepancy between right vs. wrong anywhere
STRENGTHS:
Ratios time 2:41
Rate and Work
Number properties 86% right answers 1:30 wrong answers 1:20 (consecutive integers, exponents roots, divisibility and primes, positives and negatives
Somewhat a strength Reading comprehension 58% 3:32 right answers level 580 right answers, level 690 wrong answers
WEAKNESSES:
Reading comp - Main idea
Weaken conclusion 33% right R2:20
Geometry is a weakness 25% right; 1 right answer 3 wrong answers; right answrers1:57, wrong answers 2:18, lines and angles 3:36 right answers
FDP 33% right answers 2:36 wrong answers 2:28
Word Translations 40% right answers 2:35 wrong answers 1:46
PS easier 80% expected time frame
DS easier 71% expected time frame

Thanks for your help!