All you business school hopefuls have heard by now that the GMAT has changed. Since we were updating our oh-so-useful GMAT Strategy Notes for our students, we decided to update our blog readers (and future students) as well. Here’s all you need to know about the new GMAT section.
What has changed on the GMAT?
The makers of the GMAT have dropped one of the essays (sadly, the easier one) and added an Integrated Reasoning section.
What hasn’t changed on the GMAT?
Every other section is still the same. NONE of the quantitative or verbal section has changed. There are no new question types or revisions to these sections. The Analysis of an Argument essay has not changed either.
So what’s the new test format?
What types of questions will I see?
There are four types of Integrated Reasoning questions:
- Table analysis: Determine whether each of the answer statements meets one of two conditions (e.g., true/false, yes/no, inferable/not inferable). This is easier than it sounds.
- Graphics interpretation: Use the graphs to answer fill-in-the-blank statements from pull-down menus. You may have to calculate percentages, percent change, probabilities, or averages.
- Multi-source reasoning: Use information from different sources (e.g., 3 emails, 2 scientific descriptions) to answer yes-no or multiple-choice questions. Science-based questions are favorites on these types.
- Two-part analysis: Use the information given to select two answers (one in each column). These questions are weird because the answer choices are offered in column format rather than row format, which is how most of us think.
You can practice with these question types on the GMAC Integrated Reasoning site.
Will I be able to use a calculator for the Integrated Reasoning section?
Yes, there is a basic calculator available ONLY for the IR section (You can’t use a calculator on the rest of the test). Click the ‘Calculator’ button on the left top corner and it will pop up as shown below:
Why was the GMAT changed?
The makers of the test felt the new GMAT section would be more relent to business school skills and provide useful information to business school. However, since the GMAT has almost nothing to do with business school other than the application process, we’ll assume they felt it was time for a test format change.
Are there any practice sections available?
You can practice the new Integrated Reasoning section on the GMAC Integrated Reasoning site. Don’t worry about buying a new Official Guide just to practice this section because nothing else about the test has changed.
Need help preparing for the “New” GMAT?
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