2012-02-17 18:48:58

In recent years, many of the standardized tests we’ve come to know and love hate accept as a necessary evil have changed formats. And now the GMAT® is following suit: starting on June 5, the test will eliminate one of the essays and insert the new Integrated Reasoning section. While this change is really not a huge one (it’s a small facelift, not full reconstructive surgery), it does offer one more hurdle for the prospective MBA student.

The new section will be a 30-minute section that comes after the essay (in place of the Issue essay that exists in the current test format). It’ll contain 12 multiple-choice questions that fall into four categories. You’ll be asked to interpret information from graphs (called “Graphics Interpretation” questions), use the same set of information to find two different things (called “Two-Part Analysis” questions), read and analyze tables (called “Table Analysis” questions), and interpret paired reading passages (called “Multi-Source Reasoning” questions). On the new section, you’ll be given the option of using a calculator on the screen, and you’ll be able to sort the information on the screen as you see fit. Occasionally, there will be more than one question per passage, and frequently there will be more than one answer you need to select per question.

While all of that sounds kind of terrifying, each of the skills tested are ones you use elsewhere on the existing test. For instance, during the Analytical Writing Assessment, you have to analyze an argument using verbal reasoning. This skill is again tested on Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension questions. Data Sufficiency questions on the Quantitative section of the test already test your ability to evaluate information from multiple sources, and every Quantitative question ultimately asks you to solve problems. So, really, the Integrated Reasoning Section measures redundant skills in a new format.

Still, you’ll need to prepare for this format. And the only good way of preparing for it is to familiarize your brain with the new question formats. Right now, there aren’t that many practice questions available, though after June 5, there will likely be a plethora of them.  So, the best advice we can give is that you’re probably better off taking the exam before the changes are made, since the scores will still be good for five years after the date of your test. Additionally, we all know exactly what the current test format looks like and how to approach each existing section (you’re just writing an additional essay), meaning you can prepare for it more easily than you can the Integrated Reasoning section. It’s always easier to prepare for the known than the unknown, or at the least, under-known, right?