An Integrated Reasoning section will replace the Analytical Writing Assessment essay question from later this year. Here's what it means for you

An Integrated Reasoning section will replace the Analytical Writing Assessment essay question from later this year. Here's what it means for you


The GMAT is changing. Come June 5, 2012, the Graduate Management Admissions Test will include an integrated reasoning (IR) section. Many candidates are under the impression that the entire syllabus is changing. Rest assured the only difference will be in this 30-minute segment of the test, which will replace analytical writing assessment--the essay question.

The IR will consist of 12 questions, so you will have a little over two minutes per question. This average is similar to that of the quantitative section of the test. The good news is that the score of the IR section is NOT part of the 200­ 800 score. This section will be separately scored.
Candidate concerns

1. How will colleges handle the IR score?
Let's take a step back and understand the relevance of GMAT scores. The GMAT is basically used by colleges to ensure a candidate is ready for the academic rigour of a management programme.
Many candidates have several years of work experience and the GMAT tests whether they are ready to go back to school. The 200­800 score of the GMAT has been found to correlate very well with the grades of the first year of the programme, which is why this test plays such an important role in your application to get passed ahead to the personal interview round.
Keeping this in mind, let us try to understand how colleges will use the new IR scores. At the moment, colleges do not know whether there will be a correlation between the IR scores and the academic abilities of a candidate. It shall take at least two to three years before the colleges begin to notice if there is a correlation at all. And if this correlation is highly pronounced, only then the colleges will begin to take the IR scores seriously. Essentially, the common belief is that colleges may start taking the IR score seriously only for the academic sessions starting in 2015. If you are applying for the session starting in 2013 or 2014, you should not be overly concerned about the IR scores.

2. I am taking the GMAT before June and applying to colleges in 2014. Will I have to retake the test?
This is unlikely because the colleges that use this test as an admission criterion are likely to have an agreement with GMAC (the organisation that administers the GMAT) that requires the college to utilise the scores, which are valid for five years.

3. Will the IR section be tough?
This is a subjective question.
The IR section is replacing the essay that asks you to analyse an issue. You will now be tested on quantitative skills, data processing skills, reading comprehension skills and the ability to utilise information from multiple sources. Thus the section definitely tests more skills than the essay question.
4. Should I take the GMAT right now before the IR section sets in?
As mentioned previously, the 200­800 score of the GMAT is the most important component of the overall score. So the answer to this question squarely depends on your preparation level for the two main sections of the GMAT: quantitative and verbal. If you think that you will are prepared for these by the last week of May, you can avoid taking the GMAT in the new avatar. But it does not make sense to write the GMAT before June 5 just because you want to avoid tackling the IR questions.