This is the newest section of the GMAT. It was introduced in the summer of 2012 upon request by leading business schools.
PrepAdviser experts suggest that you check out the latest advice provided by GMAT Tutor on how to get started with Integrated Reasoning prep:
You likely already have your hands full with Quant and Verbal GMAT prep as it is, but we have a feeling you’re worried about that pesky Integrated Reasoning portion of the test as well.
For a section that only asks you to answer 12 questions, it can cause quite a bit of anxiety, especially if you end up scoring low on that portion of the exam. While it’s still a relatively new section that many business schools still don’t take heavily into consideration, if you still want to add a bit of Integrated Reasoning to your study plan, here are a couple ideas to help you get started.
Get comfortable with graphs
There’s no shortage of graphs in the Integrated Reasoning portion of the GMAT. Most often seen in the form of scatterplots or bubble charts, you’ll be tested on your ability to analyze and extract information from a set of data.
If you’re not a math wizard by nature, there are ways you can make this prep fun. In fact, many editions of The Economist include a number of graphs that make for great practice sets. When analyzing these charts, see how well you’re able to understand the accompanying symbols and text, while also evaluating how well you were able to digest the content. You’ll find that supplementing your IR prep with these graphs is a good way to break up the monotony of staring at practice set after practice set.
Understand each piece of information for multi-source reasoning
While it might be easy to rest on your ability to skim passages, take the time to ensure you understand every piece of information you’re given for the multi-source reasoning questions. It might seem like a drain on your time, especially since the entire section only lasts for 30 minutes, but having to refer back to each of the sources multiple times could ultimately cost you even more time. As you would on any section of your GMAT, practice your timing while also gauging how much information you’re able to extract from each source in that time.
Don’t get caught up in Excel
The IR section of the GMAT does include questions that gauge your ability to sort through a spreadsheet to extract data. However, if you’re not a certified Excel expert, don’t fret – the tasks you’ll be asked to perform in the IR section aren’t nearly as complex as you might be thinking, and even beginner-level users of Excel should be able to grasp the sorting functionality on the test fairly quickly, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself.
Read the original article on the blog of The Economist’s GMAT Tutor
