![\"gmat-integrated-reasoning-IR-top-tips\"](\"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2014\/03\/mprep-blogimages-wave1-73.png\")
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Many schools care the most about the Quant section of the GMAT, but Integrated Reasoning has become more important since it was introduced in 2012. And employers who care about test scores are often very interested in your Integrated Reasoning (IR) scores. Follow the below 3 Keys to Success and you\u2019ll be sitting pretty on test day.<\/span><\/p>\n Most people are pretty nervous when they first see the four types of IR problems: Multi-Source Reasoning (MSR), Table Analysis, Graphical Interpretation, and Two-Part Analysis. They really don\u2019t look like typical standardized test problems. They\u2019re…weird.<\/span><\/p>\n But they\u2019re not as scary as they look! You have to interpret tables and graphs, yes\u2014but you\u2019ll need to do that in b-school too (and you may already do this kind of data analysis in your job right now).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019ll also need to sift through a large volume of info to find the two or three pieces that you actually need to solve this problem…again, like you\u2019ll need to do in school and like you do every day at work.<\/span><\/p>\n As with so many things in life, you just need to get used to this new thing.<\/span><\/p>\n Learn:<\/span><\/p>\n (1) How each problem type works<\/span><\/p>\n (2) The strategies that will help you to answer each type efficiently<\/span><\/p>\n (3) The one or two problem types you like the least (more on this below)<\/span><\/p>\n Our <\/span>GMAT Integrated Reasoning and Essay guide<\/span><\/a> will teach you the first two. And once you learn all of that, you\u2019ll be able to figure out the third one for yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n Speaking of knowing what you do and don\u2019t like…do you generally like quant or verbal better? How do you feel about fractions, percents, and statistics, the math topics the most commonly tested on IR? Do you like those topics more or less than you like critical reasoning problems?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Do you like pulling data from tables and manipulating it to conclude something? Interpreting graphical information? Or do you prefer synthesizing material from two or three primarily text-based sources (but maybe with a table or graph thrown in)?<\/span><\/p>\n Why am I asking all of these questions? You might have heard that the GMAT is a timed test…and you might have noticed that we <\/span>never<\/span><\/i> seem to have enough time to answer all of the questions on standardized tests. It\u2019s the way these tests are built.<\/span><\/p>\n If you address all 12 IR prompts, you\u2019ll have just 2.5 minutes to try to answer each one. (Have you looked at any of these yet? That is…just not enough time.)<\/span><\/p>\n If, on the other hand, you bail immediately on 2 of the 12 problems, you\u2019ll have a full 3 minutes each to spend on the rest of the questions. That makes a huge difference. And the scoring algorithm allows us all to take this approach.<\/span><\/p>\n The average score on IR is between a 4 and a 5; the high score is 8. Your goal is to beat the average*. If you\u2019re aiming for a score of 5 or higher, then you can immediately bail on 3 questions in the section (and have a whopping 3 minutes 20 seconds to spend on each other problem). And you can also miss some of the ones you do try to answer correctly and still hit your target score of 5 or higher.<\/span><\/p>\n *Beating the average is good enough for most test takers. If you want to go into management consulting or investment banking, though, then aim for at least a 6 and ideally a 7 or 8. In this case, you\u2019re going to bail immediately on 2 problems or maybe just 1 if you\u2019re going for a perfect score of 8.<\/span><\/p>\n So, how do you know when to bail?<\/span><\/p>\n Decide what topics you like least and combine that information with the one or two problem types you like least. For instance, let\u2019s say that you dislike fraction and percent topics the most. You also hate graphs and you aren\u2019t too thrilled about tables either.<\/span><\/p>\n During the test, if a fraction or percent-based graph prompt pops up, guess immediately (just click anything) and move on. Ditto for a tables question. If, on the other hand, you get a table prompt that asks statistics-based questions (and you\u2019re fine with statistics), then go ahead and do that one. If you see a really terrible fractions or percents Two-Part problem, you might guess immediately on that one, too, even if you don\u2019t normally mind Two-Part problems.<\/span><\/p>\n While it\u2019s true that the IR section is more important than it was when first introduced…it\u2019s still the case that most schools are going to care more about your Total and Quant scores on the GMAT. (Your Total score is calculated from your Quant and Verbal section scores. Your IR score does not factor into your Total score.)<\/span><\/p>\n So you want to be prepared to do well enough\u2014but that\u2019s it. First of all, do the IR section (and the essay section) on any practice tests you take. You need to make sure that you\u2019ve got the necessary mental stamina to take a full-length test (nearly 3.5 hours including breaks!) and perform at a high level all the way to the end.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n You also need to practice your timing and skipping strategies under real conditions. When you\u2019re done, make sure to review your decision-making. Where did you make the right call to bail fast? And where didn\u2019t you? How would you decide differently (and better!) next time?<\/span><\/p>\n Second, do enough practice with the four IR prompt types that you are familiar with the general strategies for tackling each one. Practice your bail strategies as well\u2014you need to know how to make a fast decision to <\/span>not<\/span><\/i> do something and you just need to practice to make sure that you\u2019re actually letting go when you should.<\/span><\/p>\n The best practice problems are the real ones. The <\/span>official practice material on mba.com<\/span><\/a> gives you 15 free IR problems, as well as 12 more in each of the two free practice tests. If you have <\/span>The GMAT Official Guide<\/span><\/i>, then you also have online access to an IR problem set. Note that your Official Guide online access expires a certain amount of time after activation, so don\u2019t activate the problem set until you\u2019re ready to start studying IR.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Can\u2019t get enough of Stacey\u2019s GMAT mastery? Attend the first session of one of her upcoming GMAT courses<\/a> absolutely free, no strings attached. Seriously.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Many schools care the most about the Quant section of the GMAT, but Integrated Reasoning has become more important since it was introduced in 2012. And employers who care about test scores are often very interested in your Integrated Reasoning (IR) scores. Follow the below 3 Keys to Success and you\u2019ll be sitting pretty on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[873,929,874,52871,930,2,3],"tags":[53112,450],"yst_prominent_words":[58638,53635,53781,55159,55155,58643,55482,54127,55115,53636,53630,53704,55279,54244,53927,58639,58141,56197,53784,53867],"class_list":["post-7072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-for-current-studiers","category-gmat-prep","category-gmat-resources","category-gmat-strategies","category-gmat-study-guide","category-how-to-study","category-integrated-reasoning","tag-3-keys-to-success","tag-ir"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7072"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7072\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19414,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7072\/revisions\/19414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7072"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=7072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Key #1: Learn\u2014and Practice\u2014the Four Integrated Reasoning Problem Types<\/b><\/h3>\n
Key #2: Know When to Guess on Integrated Reasoning<\/b><\/h3>\n
Key #3: Practice Just Enough for Integrated Reasoning…and No More<\/b><\/h3>\n
Final Words<\/b><\/h3>\n
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\n![\"stacey-koprince\"](\"https:\/\/cdn2.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2015\/06\/stacey-koprince-150x150.png\")
<\/a>Stacey Koprince<\/a> is a Manhattan Prep instructor based in Montreal, Canada and Los Angeles, California.<\/strong> Stacey has been teaching the GMAT, GRE, and LSAT \u00a0for more than 15 years and is one of the most well-known instructors in the industry. Stacey loves to teach and is absolutely fascinated by standardized tests. Check out Stacey\u2019s upcoming GMAT courses here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"