5 Need-to-Know Facts About the GMAT Changes for 2012
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Vivian is a GMAT Tutor for Grockit. Visit Grockit for more test prep advice. |
June 2012, the GMAT will change its format to include a new section called Integrated Reasoning. According to the official GMAC website, this new section will “ask you to interpret data presented graphically, analyze different types of information, and evaluate outcomes.”
These changes were developed as the direct result of a 2009 survey of 740 business school faculty. The conclusion was that MBA students needed to better interpret different types of information, convert data between formats, and understand outcomes. Here is the current information on the coming changes and what they mean for you.
1. The length of the test will stay the same. The total time of the test will remain 3 ½ hours, so the total time it takes to sit the GMAT will remain constant. No need to worry about a longer test coming your way!
2. The Verbal and Quant sections will be unaffected. Those sections will contain the same content and be scored exactly as they are now. The total score will remain the same, so older prep materials will still be applicable.
3. The Integrated Reasoning section will NOT be adaptive. The Verbal and Quant will remain adaptive, but this new section will not adjust difficulty level based on your ability. You will still need to answer all of the questions, and take each question one at a time. You won’t be able to skip around within this section.
4. There are 4 new question types. They are Table Analysis, Graphics Interpretation, Multi-Source Reasoning, and Two-Part Analysis. While there isn’t a lot of information yet available on these new questions, you can see examples here: http://www.mba.com/the-gmat/nex-gen/new-questions.aspx
5. There will be one less essay. The new Integrated Reasoning section will replace one of the AWA essays, so you will only have to write 1 essay instead of 2. The essay will take 30 minutes instead of 1 hour, and the Integrated Reasoning will take 30 minutes.
You can expect a lot more information on Integrated Reasoning coming in the next few months. Until then, you can best prepare by increasing your Data Interpretation skills and seek out questions with graphs, tables, and charts. The better you become at reading and synthesizing given information, the better you’ll do on the new GMAT!
For more information on the changes, contact GMAC at: NextGenGMAT@gmac.com.
4 comments
Tanmayee on October 6th, 2011 at 6:27 am
Hi,
I have a query regarding the introduction of the integrated reasoning in place of one of the essays. How will it affect the final score?? would it be a seaparte score like before compsing of the AWA section?? or , It will be a part of the actual 800 inclusive of verbal and maths?
Dave Lemke on October 8th, 2011 at 10:18 am
I think that scoring information will be forthcoming. I volunteered to take the new section after I took the GMAT and everything Vivian mentioned is true. You get inundated with information and your job is to distill out of it what you need to answer the question. Tricky stuff!
On a side note, I've started using the GMAT Timer app for Droid phones and tablets, and it has really helped me to pace myself for the test. It's basically the exact same clock that you see when you take the test, but you can customize it to ding / vibrate when you should be finished with a question so that you get used to how long you have before you should move on. Pretty cool stuff.
Tanmayee on October 8th, 2011 at 1:45 pm
Thanks for the reply .........
Arin on January 29th, 2012 at 4:50 pm
Hi, I am a GMAT aspirant and thinking of writing the exam before the end of May2012.
Can you please confirm that until May2012, the GMAT format is not going to change from the current?
Which is last day in this year(2012) when the old/current GMAT format is going to remain same?
Thanks so much for your reply.
Best
Arin