How to do Critical Reasoning questions faster?

[punpilas.asawa]

I'm usually spending more than 2 minutes on most critical reasoning questions.

Even though I eventually got the answers correct, I notice that I'm spending a lot of time deciding between a few answer choices, rereading them and sometimes rereading the paragraph.

I make notes on the first read, and follow the 4-step technique in the book.

Are there any other tips to reduce the time spent on these critical reasoning questions? Thanks!

[RonPurewal]

well, there are lots and lots of possibilities here. most notably, this will depend on whether the issue lies in (a) pure reading speed or (b) something else.

if it's (a), then, frankly, there's not much you can do about it for the moment. if you can't read this level of english well enough to "hang" on the gmat, then take a few months (or a year or two) away, read lots and lots and lots of stuff in formal english, and then return to the exam when your reading speed has increased.

if it's (b), then the problem may be that you don't have a goal in mind when you are reading the passages/answer choices.
after reading the prompt question, you should always have something to read for. if you don't, then think more carefully (and in real-world terms) about what the question is (and isn't) asking for.

finally, you should not take notes on every single passage.
remember, the point is to achieve an intuitive understanding of what is happening in the passages. if you understand perfectly well what's going on when you first read the passage, then taking notes is a complete waste of your time.
note-taking can help if you get lost or confused, but that's the only occasion on which you should do it.