BANGALORE: If you want to ace GMAT - the key to the world's best
B-schools - it's time you start honing your visual interpretation, too.
The Graduate Management Admission Council announced the components of the new format which will debut in the June 2012 NextGen GMAT.
The new section, named Integrated Reasoning, will have four basic formats. Graphic interpretation will be a multiple-choice question based on images. Multiple-source reasoning will have questions from the same data. Table analysis will be based on tables which can be sorted in various ways. Also, for the first time, GMAT will provide candidates an on-screen calculator. This will be only for the fourth format called two-part analysis.
The new section will be for 30 minutes and consist of 12 questions. However, the time for the exam will remain the same (3 hours, 30 minutes) and so will the total scores. The new section will be incorporated by dropping an essay from the analytical writing assessment. So far, students had to write an essay and analyse an argument. The latter has been retained. The length of the two other sections - verbal and quantitative sections - stays as it is.
GMAC is changing the test format after 17 years. It was done after a survey of B-schools in which they asked new skills be measured. "GMAC always believed in evolving the exam according to needs. Many schools felt that a higher order of integrated reasoning should be included. Data analysis is a key point in business now. Most B-schools have case studies in their syllabi. The new section will test the candidate's ability to interpret visual images, convert data from verbal and graphical representations to understand relationships from graphs, and integrate data from various sources," Ashok Sarathy, vice-president, GMAT operations, told TOI.
Sample questions are available on the GMAC website. The test prep materials will be available from April. GMAT is becoming popular among Indian students. There has been a 10% increase in the students appearing for the test in the past year. The number of schools accepting the score in India has increased by 200% over the past four years.
The new section, named Integrated Reasoning, will have four basic formats. Graphic interpretation will be a multiple-choice question based on images. Multiple-source reasoning will have questions from the same data. Table analysis will be based on tables which can be sorted in various ways. Also, for the first time, GMAT will provide candidates an on-screen calculator. This will be only for the fourth format called two-part analysis.
The new section will be for 30 minutes and consist of 12 questions. However, the time for the exam will remain the same (3 hours, 30 minutes) and so will the total scores. The new section will be incorporated by dropping an essay from the analytical writing assessment. So far, students had to write an essay and analyse an argument. The latter has been retained. The length of the two other sections - verbal and quantitative sections - stays as it is.
GMAC is changing the test format after 17 years. It was done after a survey of B-schools in which they asked new skills be measured. "GMAC always believed in evolving the exam according to needs. Many schools felt that a higher order of integrated reasoning should be included. Data analysis is a key point in business now. Most B-schools have case studies in their syllabi. The new section will test the candidate's ability to interpret visual images, convert data from verbal and graphical representations to understand relationships from graphs, and integrate data from various sources," Ashok Sarathy, vice-president, GMAT operations, told TOI.
Sample questions are available on the GMAC website. The test prep materials will be available from April. GMAT is becoming popular among Indian students. There has been a 10% increase in the students appearing for the test in the past year. The number of schools accepting the score in India has increased by 200% over the past four years.
Nice Informative post for those students aiming to register for GMAT exam 2012.
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GMAT Verbal Section