Kaplan Test Prep graciously shares some tips and insights into the new Integrated Reasoning (IR) section of the GMAT exam. If you are interested in using Kaplan to prepare for your GMAT exam, read our interview with Ram, who just recently completed a Kaplan GMAT course.

Accepted: What is the new integrated reasoning (“IR”) section testing?

Kaplan Test Prep: Aspiring business school students face a more challenging GMAT than they did just a couple of months ago with the addition of the Integrated Reasoning section in June. Integrated Reasoning presents four question types designed to measure test takers’ ability to organize, synthesize, and evaluate information from multiple sources and in different formats. The makers of the exam say the Integrated Reasoning section tests how applicants respond to the kinds of complex challenges they will encounter in business schools and as managers. The GMAT’s 200,000+ annual test takers worldwide now face the following new question types:

• Table Analysis: Test takers are presented with a sortable table of information, similar to a spreadsheet, to be analyzed to find whether answer statements are accurate.
• Graphics Interpretation: Test takers are asked to interpret a graph or graphical image, and select the option from a drop-down list to make response statements accurate.
• Multi-Source Reasoning: Questions are accompanied by two to three sources of information. Test takers must examine all the relevant information which may be a combination of text, charts, and tables to answer questions.
• Two-Part Analysis: A question will involve two components for a solution. Possible answers are given in a table format with a column for each component and rows with possible options; test takers are asked to consider the options provided.

Accepted: What are your top-three study tips for IR?

Kaplan Test Prep: Best Practices for each question type:

Graphics Interpretation: Lots of different kinds of information to analyze in order to answer these questions, so stay focused and systematic. Pay attention to the details on the graphs to stay efficient.

Two-part Analysis: Note what each column represents, and simplify whenever possible. Treat these almost like a Data Sufficiency problem where you figure out what you will need from the information given before jumping into the answer choices. The Backsolving Strategy is usually the key to a quick solution when the question involves numbers.

Multi-source Reasoning: Create a brief outline of what kind of information is given. Take notes as you do for Reading Comprehension passage maps, as you go through the tabs systematically, to reduce the amount of re-reading you’ll have to do when you must research for an answer.

Table Analysis: Get the gist of the table before diving into the questions and be judicious in your decisions on how and when to sort through the table.

Accepted: How have your test-prep materials and courses changed to prepare students for the IR section?

Kaplan Test Prep: For nearly 75 years, Kaplan has been training ambitious individuals to reach and exceed their goals on standardized tests so they can reach and exceed their goals professionally. We have been teaching the GMAT specifically for over 40 years. In short, Kaplan Test Prep is a product leader and we have multiple teams devoted to continuous product improvement and innovation. We were the first test prep company to launch a comprehensive curriculum for the new Integrated Reasoning earlier this year. We literally had a team of hundreds of academics who worked on updating our course to teach Integrated Reasoning and make additional upgrades, including:

• All nine of our computer adaptive practice tests contain an Integrated Reasoning section. We offer the most full-length practice tests in the business and we were the first to develop IR lessons and realistic practice sections. Practice tests taken at a Pearson VUE Testing Center will include the IR section, as well, and that Test Day Experience is only available to Kaplan GMAT students.
• We offer eight practice test timing options. It is important to provide our students with a realistic testing experience during their preparation with us. Some individuals require special accommodations to sit for the GMAT due to various physical and cognitive challenges. In order to maintain an ultra-realistic testing experience for all of our students, we have fully fleshed out our special ADA timing options within our program to meet every need of every student.
• Students can flag quiz questions and create quizzes comprised of flagged items. Our GMAT Quiz Bank tool houses the highest number of GMAT practice questions in the business. Students can create hundreds of quizzes across multiple layers of granularity. A quiz parameter example might be: a timed quiz (timing based on q-type) focusing on arithmetic and specifically set properties offering medium and high difficulty problem solving and data sufficiency questions pulled from both used and unused items. Now, we have added a new functionality: flagging. Students can flag questions and create quizzes from those flagged questions for further review.
• Question statistics and enhanced explanation display. Our answer explanations are extremely robust and always reflect the most efficient and strategic way to solve a GMAT question. We know that studying can be an arduous process. Just like the need for a comfortable chair, the ergonomics (i.e., visual appeal) of the explanation display makes a difference. No detail is too small! Furthermore, in order to help you identify wrong answer pathologies and to self-diagnose performance, we now offer question statistics. We tell you the percent of test takers that chose each answer choice option for each question.
• The Lessons On Demand and Workshops list now include run times. Sounds simple, but it makes planning study sessions easier. Before, a student would not know how long one of our professionally produced videos would last until they clicked on it. A simple but helpful solution of adding the total run time next to the video title lets you make the most of your study session.
• We adjust our 1-8 Integrated Reasoning scoring scale in tandem with GMAC. As more and more test takers sit for the new GMAT with the IR section, more and more data will help GMAC communicate what a given score within the scoring scale means in relation to a percentile distribution. As GMAC collects this data and updates their percentile distribution chart, so will we. For more on the Integrated Reasoning scoring scale, click here.
• Improved answer choice selection functionality. Again, this may seem like a nominal improvement, but the results justify such attention to detail. In the past, when a test taker selected an answer choice, the cursor of the mouse needed to hover over the bubble preceding the choice. Now, test takers can click anywhere on the answer choice to select it. So what? Well, that small improvement could mean an aggregated decrease of 1 minute of time spent just placing the cursor in the right spot on the screen. One minute can easily equal one question!

Accepted: For 2013 applicants, do you think schools will make heavy use of the IR score and treat it as reliable and predictive as the other GMAT sections? Or do you believe they will rely more on the tried and true elements of the GMAT and less on IR this year?

Kaplan Test Prep: Although it is yet to be seen how Integrated Reasoning scores will actually be used by admissions committees, we do now at least know what they will look like. Since June 5, the GMAT has had one less essay (Issue) and one more section (Integrated Reasoning). Contrary to what some might have heard, your performance on the new IR section will not impact your 200-800 point GMAT score. Rather, you now receive five separate scores across four separate scales.

1. Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) – 0 to 6 points in ½-point increments
2. Integrated Reasoning (IR) – 1 to 8 points in 1-point increments
3. Quantitative – 0 to 60 in 1-point increments
4. Verbal – 0 to 60 in 1-point increments
5. Aggregated Quant and Verbal (Total Score) – 200 to 800 points in 10-point increments

On test day, immediately upon completing the exam you will receive your total score. Up to 20 days later (though it often takes less time than that) you will receive your Official Score Report as will the institutions you selected to send your scores to upon sitting for the exam. In that official report from GMAC, you will receive your AWA, Integrated Reasoning, Quant, and Verbal scores as well as an affirmation of your total score. [Note: your total score will not change from what you see on test day.]

A wild card in all of this is the instability of the translation of your 1-8 IR score into a percentile ranking. All reported scores are coupled with a percentile ranking. In other words, each listed score will be shown alongside the proportion of scores below your score in order to communicate how your scores compare with those of other GMAT test takers. For example, if you receive a total score of 700 then you will have scored better than 89% of your peers, hence putting yourself into the 90^th percentile.

Typically, GMAT score percentiles are based on three years of performance data moving through time. That is, your percentile ranking is based on the data set created by all individual GMAT scores created on the day you took your GMAT aggregated with all other GMAT scores from the three previous years. What this means is that the point value of your score today will change in percentile terms over time. While your Official Score Report hardcopy will remain constant, as will those score reports sent to the (up to) five selected institutions, any future score report requests will reflect the most current data.

Since IR is brand new, GMAC will update percentile-ranking distributions with greater frequency (monthly) for the rest of 2012 as the organization grows its sample size. From 2013 forward, IR score updates will follow the same updating schedule as the other generated GMAT scores (annually). All of this translates into a notable and interesting unknown. We can say for sure that your IR score as a percentile value will change. For better or worse? Well, only time will tell.

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Accepted.com’s experienced admissions consultants can help you create the most impressive application possible with comprehensive packages, or provide targeted assistance from picking perfect programs to designing a dazzling resume, constructing engaging essays, or preparing for intense interviews…and more! Accepted.com has guided thousands of applicants to acceptances at top MBA programs since 1994 – we know what works and what doesn’t, so contact us to get started now!

This article originally appeared on the Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog, the official blog of Accepted.com.

We gave away a free

Accepted: Now that the Kaplan Course has come to an end, can you tell us more about your GMAT prep experience with them?

Ram: The course is very comprehensive. I found plenty of resources to help improve my weak areas. The faculty for the live sessions was excellent. I found the Kaplan methods and strategies very useful. Overall, it was a very good experience. Highly recommended!

Accepted: What was your favorite thing about the course? Least favorite thing?

Ram: My favorite part of the course were the live sessions, even though it was an online class, the faculty brought the class alive with their passion and excellent teaching methods. These were some of the best faculty I have come across. Also, I loved the flexibility of the course. Least favorite – While the course is well designed, It would have been nice to have a few sessions targeted for 700+ scores.

Accepted: How much has your GMAT score increased on practice tests now that you’ve completed this course?

Ram: I saw an 80 point increase in my scores. I took the Kaplan diagnostic test about 5 weeks back, I got a 620. I took another practice test last week, I got a 700.

Accepted: That’s amazing! With your higher score, have you thought about altering your list of target schools now that you have a better idea of how you might do on the GMAT?

Ram: I don’t think I would be altering my list of target schools.

We will continue to follow Ram’s journey to b-school with a follow up interview after he takes the GMAT. Good luck Ram! We’re rooting for you!

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Accepted.com’s experienced admissions consultants can help you create the most impressive application possible with comprehensive packages, or provide targeted assistance from picking perfect programs to designing a dazzling resume, constructing engaging essays, or preparing for intense interviews…and more! Accepted.com has guided thousands of applicants to acceptances at top MBA programs since 1994 – we know what works and what doesn’t, so contact us to get started now!

This article originally appeared on the Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog, the official blog of Accepted.com.

We gave away a free

Accepted: First, can you tell us a little about yourself – where are you from, where did you go to school and when did you graduate; and what prior degrees do you hold?

Ram: I am from Hyderabad, India. I’ve done my schooling in Hyderabad, after which I did my under graduation in business administration from Loyola College, Chennai. I’m currently working at Google as an account planner on an online sales team.

Accepted: You’ve been taking the Kaplan GMAT course now for a few days. What are your first impressions?

Ram: So far, the course has been good. The classes are highly interactive and the instructors are excellent.

Accepted: How much GMAT prep (if any) had you done before taking this course?

Ram: I had been preparing for about 3 weeks before the start of the course.

Accepted: When do you plan on taking the GMAT?

Ram: I plan to take the GMAT end of August/early September

Accepted: What would you say your strengths and weaknesses are when it comes to the GMAT? Which areas are you most confident in and which need the most improvement?

Ram: Like most Indian test takers, I’m good with most parts of the Quant section. The areas that need most improvement are Sentence Correction and Reading Comprehension.

Accepted: When do you plan on applying to business school? Which programs will you apply to?

Ram: I plan to apply to 2-3 schools in R1 and 3-4 schools in R2. I’m looking at applying to some of the top 20 schools such as Wharton, Booth, Kellogg, Yale, ISB, and Columbia.

Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Accepted.com’s experienced admissions consultants can help you create the most impressive application possible with comprehensive packages, or provide targeted assistance from picking perfect programs to designing a dazzling resume, constructing engaging essays, or preparing for intense interviews…and more! Accepted.com has guided thousands of applicants to acceptances at top MBA programs since 1994 – we know what works and what doesn’t, so contact us to get started now!

This article originally appeared on the Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog, the official blog of Accepted.com.

GMAT Discussions

A Great New Deal from Kaplan Test Prep
Buy now and get more for free! If you’re gearing up to study for the GMAT, Kaplan Test Prep has a great offer for you. With the purchase of a GMAT prep course, Kaplan will give you free access to hours of extra prep materials. The promotion ends September 30, 2011. Click here to get started today!

On Cloud 770 (Q 50, V 47)
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$10 Off GMAT Club Practice Tests
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GMAT Debrief: 770 (Q51, V45)
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MBA/Admissions Discussions

Can a C+ (or Lower) Ruin Your Chances?
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The 10 Biggest B-School Lies
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POLL: This Year’s Most Difficult Application
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MBA News: Apps 10% down, Salaries Down Too
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Kaplan Just Released New GMAT Practice Questions
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If you’re in thinking about Kaplan services, or just want to see how their service looks and feels, this is the perfect way to dip your toe in the water. Get started!

Don’t Give Up! “How I went from 660 to 730.”
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What it takes to score 760
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MBA/Admissions Discussions

GMAT Club Members are More Likely to Get Admitted
It pays to be a part of a community: based on our internal poll, we broke down admissions numbers, school by school, and compared them to national averages. Believe it or not, GMAT Club members are 60% more likely to get into B-schools like Stanford, Yale, and Kellogg. What are your chances to get into the country’s best B-schools? See the results!

What is HKUST Looking For?
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Ask Cornell Admissions!
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39 Replies – See what books made our list

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- Kaplan’s B-School Blueprint – First Annual MBA Night, Join Kaplan for 5 nights, 5 opportunities for FREE, Jan 23-27, 2011 – Register here

GMAT

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Sign up with any Kaplan Online GMAT Class before Dec 31, 2011 and get a Free Math Refresher Course ($299 value). Kaplan provides a Higher score guarantee. Find out more >>>

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What should I do NOW? (During Undergrad)

One of the most important steps you can take during undergrad, if you know that you’d like to get your MBA within 5 years, is to go ahead and prepare for and take the GMAT exam while still in (or soon after) college. Test-takers who are closer to their college years tend to score higher, likely due to the fact that math problems and other skills are still fresh in your mind, along with the fact that you are still in “study mode” and used to setting and sticking with a study schedule. Most GMAT test-takers have been out of college several years, and find it hard to get back into that mindset and to prepare for the GMAT alongside working full time (just ask many of the members of the Beat the GMAT site!). Your scores are valid for 5 years, so get it over with now, and then when it comes time to apply to business school in the future, you can focus your energy on your application, as opposed to worrying about the GMAT then.

After college graduation

Aim to gain at least 2-4 years of solid work experience, in most cases. The average MBA applicant has about 3-4 years of experience, but check the stats at the schools you are most interested in. It is possible to get accepted with fewer than that, but most schools feel that having some work experience makes you much more valuable to the class- you’ll have a frame of reference and lot more to contribute. If you have an idea what your long term goals are, gain experience in an industry and position that will best further those goals. Refine those goals over time if needed, and get advice from mentors, colleagues, and supervisors in your chosen career path, and particularly any who’ve gone to the business schools you are interested in. Along the way, consider getting involved in activities outside of work, including professional organizations, and volunteering activities.

1-2 years before you aim to begin b-school

This is the time to really research any schools you are considering, and ultimately to work on your applications! Visit schools and get a feel for the culture and how well you fit with each program. Develop your list of schools, and start brainstorming for your essays.

Be sure you know the deadlines of the programs you are interested in. Ideally, you’ll start brainstorming for and drafting your application essays during the summer, just over a year before you’d begin an MBA program that starts in the fall (which most full time programs do). You’d aim for earlier deadlines if possible. In many cases, first round deadlines are in October, second round in Dec or Jan, and third round later in March or April. Prior to the deadline, you’ll need your GMAT completed (possibly done years ago!), your application complete with essays and resume, your recommendations submitted, and your transcripts sent. After that it’s a matter of submitting those applications and making those long term career goals come true!

Jen Kedrowski
Kaplan GMAT

In case you haven’t committed them to memory yet, here are those familiar choices:

(A) Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not sufficient to answer the question asked.
(B) Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not sufficient to answer the question asked.
(C) BOTH statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are sufficient to answer the question asked, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient.
(D) EACH statement ALONE is sufficient to answer the question asked.
(E) Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient to answer the question asked, and additional data are needed.

Let’s say you run into the following problem:

1. Is positive?
(1)
(2)

If you, like most students, look at statement (1) first, you’ll probably say to yourself, “Well, if x is greater than 5, then x must be positive!” and you’d be right: statement (1) is definitely sufficient to answer the question. But before we move on to statement (2), what does this mean for our (A)-(E) answer choices? Well, since statement (1) is sufficient, we can eliminate all choices that would require statement (1) to be insufficient, and that’s choices (B), (C), and (E).

Similarly, if you had a question where statement (1) was NOT sufficient by itself, you could immediately axe choices (A) and (D), since both of those choices require statement (1) to be “sufficient ALONE” to answer the question. And what if NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient? Well then, we’d be down to (C) and (E) as our only possibilities, with a final answer hinging on the sufficiency of the statements in combination. (The system even works if you look at statement (2) before statement (1), you just have to eliminate slightly different choices. Try it!)

Memorizing this simple method is a cornerstone to mastering Data Sufficiency; using it means you never have to waste valuable time deciphering the intricacies of the question type itself, freeing up valuable time and effort for mathematics and critical thinking. Plus, as with any elimination strategy, it makes guessing much more efficient. If you can eliminate 2-3 answer choices and end up with a 33-50% chance to guess correctly on Data Sufficiency questions—rather than a 20% chance with a blind (A)-(E) guess—it really adds up in your final score.

Adam Grey
Kaplan GMAT