You’ll have to be able to work with tables, charts and graphs throughout the tricky Integrated Reasoning GMAT questions.
The GMAT IR section also tests many of the skills you will have practiced in the Quantitative and Verbal sections of the GMAT exam, so you should consider scheduling in your GMAT IR practice after studying for these sections.
Here’s everything you need to know about GMAT Integrated Reasoning:
How is the GMAT IR scored?
In the GMAT, your Integrated Reasoning score does not count towards your overall score out of 800.
Your IR score will be between one and eight (in increments of one). Very importantly, GMAT IR questions have multiple parts. You need to get all of the question parts correct to score.
How long is the GMAT IR section?
You will answer 12 multi-part questions in 30 minutes.
Unlike the Quant section of the GMAT, you have access to an onscreen calculator. Make sure you are not wasting time doing long calculations. Like the rest of the test, Integrated Reasoning is very time constrained.
There are four GMAT IR question types, and you should expect at least one question for each.
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What are the Integrated Reasoning GMAT Questions?
Multi-Source Reasoning Questions
In this question type, you will be presented with information under different tabs. You may see diagrams, charts or tables under one or more of the tabs. You can move between these tabs to find or combine the information you need to answer the questions.
Table Analysis Questions
In the table analysis questions, you will get a table that can be sorted by column (so take advantage of this to sort the information by the most relevant column for each question). You will then be presented with yes/no or true/false questions based on information from the table. Every answer must be 100% supported by evidence in the table.
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Graphics Interpretation Questions
Here, you will be presented with a graphic, graph or visual and some accompanying text. You will need to be able to interpret the information in order to select the correct answer options from a drop-down menu.
For these questions, make sure you understand how to interpret and different types of graphs.
Two-Part Analysis Questions
For the GMAT IR’s two-part analysis questions, you are asked to work out the answers to two problems that are connected in some way.
The question is presented in a table format and you must choose the correct answers from two columns. Bear in mind that the same answer choice could be correct for both questions.
Follow five key steps to master the GMAT IR section:
1. Plan your GMAT IR prep. Having a good foundation in the Quant and Verbal sections will help you in the IR section, so it’s helpful to study for this section towards the end of your GMAT prep.
2. Read the question very carefully. For example, there is a difference between growth and the rate of growth. One may be increasing while the other decreases.
3. Practice IR when you take your mock tests. Get a feel of how best to spend your time under the time-constraint. You can also see if it makes sense to plan to skip or rush through certain question types to spend more time on others. Practice will help you gain insights into how best to spend your time.
4. Know you need to get all of the question parts correct to score. This means you can use your time strategically in the balance between time and accuracy.
5. Get plenty of practice with the calculator before test day. This will also help you think about where it makes sense to use the calculator, and where using the calculator might be leading you towards a longer and more complicated approach to answering questions.
Read more about GMAT IR and how b-schools factor your score into MBA admissions.
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