doing it vs doing so

[yamini]

which of the below statement is correct?

It is recommended to test it in QA before doing it in PRODUCTION.

or

It is recommended to test it in QA before doing so in PRODUCTION.

Some where I read "do it" is always wrong, "do so" is correct?

[delta750]

It is recommended to test it in QA before

doing so

in PRODUCTION.

== "so" compares the action of testing
== "it" is a pronoun and cannot be used to compare action of testing.

[RonPurewal]

Yeah, you have to use 'do so' whenever you're referring to some sort of abstract idea or process. You can't use 'it' unless there's a definite NOUN earlier in the sentence that can serve as an antecedent for 'it'.

For instance:
It is better to quit law school after one semester than to DO SO after four semesters.
Here we have to say 'do so', because we're referring to the action of quitting law school (and there's no NOUN in the sentence that refers to this action).

Students who do the homework at night are just as successful as students who do it in the morning.
In this case, there's a definite NOUN - 'homework' - to serve as the antecedent for 'it'.

NB: As you can see here, 'do it' is not always wrong. However, our research has shown that very few GMAT problems, if any, contain 'do it' in their correct forms, whereas 'do so' has been the crux of several problems. Remember, it's not just the correct grammar that matters - it also matters how likely it is that each particular concept will show up on the test.

[josephgreer]

Above, we understand that the following sentence is correct:

Students who do the homework at night are just as successful as students who do it in the morning.

Can we also assume that it is incorrect to say the following?

Students who do the homework at night are just as successful as students who do so in the morning.

Thanks in advance...[/i]

[StaceyKoprince]

Technically, the "do so" option is still okay. "Do so" can refer to the entire action "do the homework" just as, in the other sentence, "do so" referred to the action "quit law school."

It's a little awkward, though, because you're repeating the "do" - but that's not technically wrong.