Abstracting Arguments for Parallel Reasoning
Parallel Reasoning questions ask you to find the answer choice whose argument has the same logical structure as the stimulus — the content is irrelevant, only the form matters. The process has three steps: (1) Identify the conclusion type — is it conditional, categorical, probability, or value-based? (2) Map the argument into abstract form: 'All A are B; C is B; therefore C is A.' (3) Match this abstract form exactly in the answer choices. At the 170+ level, the challenge is that the correct answer is deliberately written in a different domain (science vs. law vs. economics) so content similarity misleads. Parallel Flaw questions add a layer: you must find an answer choice that makes the same logical error in the same way. These questions take 2-3 minutes — budget accordingly.