Advanced Reasoning

Critical Reasoning

Strengthen or weaken arguments

Critical Reasoning tests your ability to analyze arguments — identifying premises, conclusions, assumptions, and evaluating what strengthens or weakens them.

What is Critical Reasoning?

You're given a short passage containing an argument, and asked to identify what strengthens, weakens, or is assumed by the argument. This requires understanding the logical structure of arguments.

Why is it Important?

Critical Reasoning is a premium topic in CAT, GMAT, and GRE, testing the highest level of analytical ability.

Key Techniques

Identify the conclusion (main claim) and premises (supporting evidence)
Find the gap between premises and conclusion — that's the assumption
To strengthen: fill the gap or add supporting evidence
To weaken: attack the assumption or show alternatives

Common Patterns

•Strengthen the argument

•Weaken the argument

•Identify the assumption

•Inference from the passage

•Paradox resolution

💡 Pro Tips

1.Always identify conclusion first, then premises

2.The correct answer for "strengthen" must make the conclusion MORE likely, not certain

3.Eliminate answers that are out of scope

📋 Exams Where Asked

CATGMATGREXATCLATLSAT

Frequently Asked Questions

How to identify the conclusion of an argument?

Look for indicator words: "therefore", "hence", "thus", "so", "consequently". The conclusion is what the author is trying to prove; premises are the evidence used to prove it.

Practice Critical Reasoning Now →