Integrated Reasoning Frequency of Question Types

[darosenbloom]

Hello,

I once saw a very nice table outlining the frequency of question types to be seen on the integrated reasoning section...anybody have that info?

Also, I understand that IR is not adaptive is there a particular pattern in difficulty between these questions?

Thanks

[StaceyKoprince]

The most common configuration (but not the only possibility) is:
1 MSR prompt with 3 questions
2 Tables
3 Graphs
4 Two-Parts

Difficulty can vary among them - the best predictor is really just how difficult *you* find certain types. :)

MSR and Two-Part can skew mostly verbal or mostly quant, so know what you like better, and also know overall which type you like least. That will help you decide when to guess and move on.

Also, there is no pattern to the order of the question types or the difficulty - they can come in any order. (Though the 3 questions that come with the MSR prompt will always be in a row, just like the questions for a reading comp passage will always be in a row.)

Have you checked out our (currently free) Interact for IR online lessons? They're totally free at the moment but I'm guessing we'll eventually start charging for it, so may want to check it out. You'll find the details in your student center account with us.

[darosenbloom]

Thanks for the feedback, I recently took the gmat and scored 7 on integrated reasoning and 680 (q47, V36)overall. I have a few questions.

1. Integrated reasoning is graded by the number correct regardless of difficulty? I'm only asking because on a gmatprep exam I scored 5 on IR but had gotten 6 correct and finished the entire section. It seemed odd to me so i triple checked and even checked each individual question.

2. I will be retaking the exam as soon as possible, what are the best ways to improve in both sections but more specifically verbal. Btw the score i recieved is probably on the low end of my expectations given cats and what not. I usually score at least a 47 in quant and 38 in verbal so this was a bit disappointing. The only thing I can think of at this point is hiring a tutor or seeking out new testing materials... I have no idea who to speak to about to about the former and what testing materials will provide new gains.

[StaceyKoprince]

IR is based on the # correct, but there is also a small adjustment based on the overall difficulty rating of that particular IR section.

Also, note that the # correct doesn't directly translate into your score. There are 12 questions in an IR section but the score range is 1 to 8.

Next, how to improve. You mention "especially" wanting to improve the verbal. I just want to make sure you realize that your verbal score is already the higher of the two scores.

V36 is 80th percentile. Q47 is 70th percentile. Since you want to raise your score overall, it's a good idea to try to improve both, of course.

V38 is 84th percentile, so there is not a big difference between 36 and 38. That is definitely within the standard deviation of this kind of test.

In order to figure out how to improve, we need to dig into the data from your practice CATs.

First, read these two articles:
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/inde ... lly-tests/
http://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -the-gmat/

Then, use the below to analyze your most recent MGMAT CAT (this should take you a minimum of 1 hour - dig deep!):
https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/inde ... ts-part-1/

Figure out your strengths and weaknesses as well as what you think you should do based on that analysis. Then come back here and tell us; we'll tell you whether we agree and advise you further. (Note: do share an analysis with us, not just the raw data. Part of getting better is developing your ability to analyze your results - figure out what they mean and what you think you should do about them!)

Also, let us know what you did to prepare the first time around, as well as what materials you used / still have, and what you think you may need to do differently this time around (based on the above analysis).

[sw001]

I am glad I read this post. I had no clue that IR score is not one for one. I thought if you get 8 questions right out of 12, you will score 8. Can anyone please direct to a link where I can get more information on how IR is scored?

From what I saw on the web about IR scoring (after reading this post) -
Different questions have different difficulty levels.
So, even if I answered 8 correctly, they won't stand for a score of 8.
So, would it be weighted score?
Also, I saw on the web (please confirm this) - that some of the question you will see on IR will be experimental. And those experimental questions could range from 2 to 4. And even if I get them right, they won't count towards my score. Is that correct? I read it in a post published by Economist.

If some of the questions are indeed experimental - then I am guessing the MSR would not be one of them because we get 3 MSRs and only one of that type (of the four Q types). OR, thats not true and even MSRs could be experimental.

[StaceyKoprince]

They don't release details on exactly how they score that section. We know some basics:
- you get one "raw" point for each full question that you answer correctly
- you get zero points for any questions that were only partially answered correctly
- getting something wrong does not count against you
- the "raw" points are then added up and adjusted slightly for a "weighting" of the tested difficulty of the particular questions that you saw
- that raw score is then converted into a score on the 1 to 8 scoring scale (no information has been made public about how these last two steps are calcualted)

Yes, we expect that some of the IR questions are experimental, as on the Q and V sections. This is how they validate questions and calculate difficulty levels. We don't know how many are experimental, but even MSR could be - basically every question has to be validated and calibrated before they can use it for real.

[sw001]

Thank you for your reply Stacey. You have always replied elaborately to every post, and your post are always so informative and very helpful. Its so nice to get such a response. Highly appreciate your efforts.

Thanks!

[StaceyKoprince]

You are very welcome - and thanks. :)