GMAT format to include ‘integrated reasoning’

The section will have 12 questions to be answered in 30 minutes. It will have four basic formats. Graphic interpretation will have questions based on data graphs,multi-source reasoning will have questions based on multiple data sources,table analysis will be on data given in sortable data table and the two-part analysis will test the ability of a candidate to discern the relationship between two entities.

Charlton D’Costa,course director for GMAT,Time Institute,said,“The format has been changed to bring it close to the real world. The section that has been replaced is analysis of issue. The way an issue could be analysed could be vastly different for students from different parts of the globe and assessing it could be complicated. The new section will have objective questions that will test the students’ data analysis skills. This change might have been brought about to make it more comprehensive and competitive like Graduate Record Examinations (GRE).”

Executive council member of Association of Management of MBA/MMS Institutes (AMMI),E B Khedkar said,“The change might also have been introduced to improve on the quality of students seeking admission to institutes. The aim is to test the thinking capabilities of candidates.”

However,students are a little nervous about this change. Priya Shende,a candidate who will be appearing for the test,said,“I will be appearing for the test in July. I am not sure about how much time I should spend on preparing for this section as I have not been able to find useful information about it. However,at times the essay questions can be redundant,so it is good that this section will comprise multiple-choice questions.”