By Lucas Weingarten
In our next installment of the new question format series, we’re going to investigate Two-Part Analysis questions. Remember, the GMAT is changing in June and that change means a while new section called Integrated Reasoning. This new section will feature twelve questions in four new formats and result in yet a third score (AWA, GMAT Quant and Verbal in aggregate, and now IR).
This is from the test maker’s website regarding Two-Part Analysis questions:
“Select one answer from each column to solve a problem with a two-part solution. Possible answers will be presented in a table with a column for each part.”
In case you’re feeling particularly curious, GMAC offers up five two-part analysis questions for you here. Answers to each are provided, but don’t expect any explanations. As you work through these example questions, be sure to either write down the answers you choose or look at the correct answer before you move onto the next graphic. You cannot review in full after completing. Anyway, because I am always the most interesting guy in the room, I couldn’t help but spend my free time working through these beauties. I was surprised at what I found.
First, not all of them are quantitative problems. Most were, but one was basically a short Reading Comprehension passage with two detail-meets-inference questions and another was very similar to a logic game you might find on the LSAT, though extremely subdued compared to those lovely puzzles. In all cases, the two questions played off of one another or were in some way related. Also, when there was math required to get to the right answer, it was nothing new and old reliable strategies saved the day (e.g., Picking Numbers and Backsolving).
At this point, we have covered half of the new question formats (Graphic Interpretation and Two-Part Analysis) with two more to come (Table Analysis and Multi-Part Reasoning). I am heartened after reviewing these initial formats. I know what folks need to learn in order to succeed on the GMAT, and while some serious attention will need to be paid to the Integrated Reasoning section, I report with pleasure that the content and concepts tested do not appear to be novel in regard to the rest of the test. Much of your Verbal and Quant prep will transfer over to IR.
2/29/2012 - Now that all the posts in this series are live, here is a list with links:
- Preview
- Integrated Reasoning Part 1
- Integrated Reasoning Part 2
- Integrated Reasoning Part 3
- Integrated Reasoning Part 4
~Article provided by the courtesy of Kaplan GMAT
