Student Usage of Five Study Techniques Over One SemesterStudy TechniqueEffectiveness RankingPercentage of study time used by students given rankingsPe...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
| Study Technique | Effectiveness Ranking | Percentage of study time used by students given rankings | Percentage of study time used by students not given rankings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Recall | 1 (most effective) | 15 | 22 |
| Spaced Repetition | 2 | 22 | 18 |
| Practice Testing | 3 | 28 | 19 |
| Summarization | 4 | 25 | 21 |
| Highlighting | 5 (least effective) | 10 | 20 |
Educational researchers investigated whether effectiveness rankings influence students' study method choices. They followed two groups of college students throughout a semester, tracking time spent using different study techniques. One group received a research-backed ranking of technique effectiveness at the semester's start. The control group used study methods without any effectiveness guidance. Researchers found that students who received effectiveness rankings gravitated toward moderately-ranked techniques rather than extreme options.
Which choice best describes data in the table that support the researchers' conclusion?
Students given rankings distributed their study time roughly equally among the five techniques.
Students not given rankings used highlighting for the largest portion of their study time.
Students given rankings devoted the most time to practice testing and summarization combined.
Students given rankings concentrated significantly more time on active recall than on any other study technique.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Educational researchers investigated whether effectiveness rankings influence students' study method choices." |
|
| "They followed two groups of college students throughout a semester, tracking time spent using different study techniques." |
|
| "One group received a research-backed ranking of technique effectiveness at the semester's start." |
|
| "The control group used study methods without any effectiveness guidance." |
|
| "Researchers found that students who received effectiveness rankings gravitated toward moderately-ranked techniques rather than extreme options." |
|
Part B: Passage Architecture
Main Point: Students who received effectiveness rankings of study techniques chose moderately-ranked methods over the most and least effective options.
Argument Flow: Researchers set up an experiment with two groups to test whether knowing effectiveness rankings changes study choices. They found that students with rankings avoided the extremes and focused on middle-tier techniques.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
This is a fill-in-the-blank question asking us to choose the best logical connector. The answer must create the right relationship between what comes before and after the blank.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- The researchers concluded that students given rankings chose "moderately-ranked techniques rather than extreme options."
- Looking at effectiveness rankings, the moderate techniques would be ranks 2-4 (Spaced Repetition, Practice Testing, Summarization), while extreme options are ranks 1 and 5 (Active Recall and Highlighting)
- The right answer should show that students given rankings concentrated their time on these middle-tier techniques
Students given rankings distributed their study time roughly equally among the five techniques.
- Claims students distributed time roughly equally among all five techniques
- The data shows significant variation: rankings group used \(10\%\) (highlighting) to \(28\%\) (practice testing)
- This doesn't support the conclusion about moderate technique preference
Students not given rankings used highlighting for the largest portion of their study time.
- Claims highlighting was the largest portion for students not given rankings
- The data shows students without rankings used highlighting for only \(20\%\) - tied with several other techniques
- This describes the control group, not the experimental group
Students given rankings devoted the most time to practice testing and summarization combined.
- Practice testing (rank 3) + Summarization (rank 4) = \(28\% + 25\% = 53\%\) of study time
- These are both moderately-ranked techniques
- \(53\%\) represents the majority of their study time, demonstrating clear preference for moderate options
- This directly supports the researchers' conclusion
Students given rankings concentrated significantly more time on active recall than on any other study technique.
- Claims students given rankings concentrated most on active recall
- The data shows active recall was only \(15\%\) - actually their lowest usage except highlighting
- Active recall is the most effective (rank 1), which contradicts the conclusion about avoiding extremes