What’s on the Executive Assessment?

The EA features the same question types as the classic GMAT, except without the essay.

The EA exam has three sections, each 30 minutes long: Integrated Reasoning (12 questions), Verbal Reasoning (14 questions), and Quantitative Reasoning (14 questions). Each section is split into two testlets, small batches of questions you can navigate within freely. You can skip around, flag questions, and come back to them before you finish a testlet, but once you move to the next testlet, you can’t go back. The EA adapts between testlets: do well on your first batch and the second batch gets harder.

Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll actually see on test day.

Integrated Reasoning Question Types on the Executive Assessment

On the Integrated Reasoning (IR) section, you’ll use a combination of quant and verbal skills to answer complex questions. You’ll see graphs, charts, data tables, and written passages, often combined in ways you won’t encounter on the other two sections. IR is less about knowing specific math or grammar rules and more about synthesizing information from multiple sources quickly and accurately.

There are four question types on IR:

Multi-Source Reasoning gives you two or three tabs of information, which could be text, tables, charts, or some mix.

Table Analysis gives you a sortable data table and a set of true/false-style statements. You sort and scan the table to evaluate each statement.

Graphics Interpretation shows you a graph or chart and asks you to complete statements using dropdown menus. The graphs can be straightforward or quite outlandish, so don’t anticipate seeing only basic bar and line graphs for this one.

Two-Part Analysis gives you a problem with two connected parts, and you pick one answer for each from a shared set of options. These can be quantitative, verbal, or a mix of both.

Quantitative Reasoning Question Types on the Executive Assessment

On quant, you’ll encounter two question types: Problem Solving and Data Sufficiency.

Problem Solving questions are standard multiple-choice: you’re given a math problem and five answer choices. You’ve almost certainly seen this format on other tests. Don’t let the familiar format lull you, though. The difficulty on EA quant doesn’t come from advanced math. It comes from the way questions are constructed.

Data Sufficiency questions are unique to the GMAT and EA, and if you haven’t seen them before, they take some getting used to. You’re given a question and two numbered statements. Your job isn’t to solve the problem. It’s to determine whether the statements give you enough information to solve it, either individually, together, or not at all.

Verbal Reasoning Question Types on the Executive Assessment

On the EA verbal section, you’ll encounter three question types: Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning, and Sentence Correction. For the full breakdown of how the verbal section works and how to approach it, see EA Verbal: What’s on It, How It’s Scored, and How to Prepare.

Reading Comprehension gives you a passage (usually a few paragraphs) and asks 3 or 4 questions about it.

Critical Reasoning gives you a short argument, typically a few sentences, and one question about it.

Sentence Correction gives you a sentence with an underlined portion and five versions of that portion. Your job is to pick the one that’s grammatically correct and logically clear. If you’re new to SC, start with our Beginner’s Guide to EA Sentence Correction.

Across all three verbal question types, the core skill being tested is precise reading and reasoning, not grammar or memorization. If you rush through and read sloppily, you’ll struggle on RC and CR just as much as SC.

Wait a Minute… If the EA Has the Same Questions as the GMAT, Why Does GMAC Say the EA “Requires Minimum Preparation”?

Yeah, we’re not quite sure what GMAC was thinking when they made this claim. We’ve gone through every question in the EA Official Prep materials, and it’s clear that all of the official EA practice questions are recycled GMAT questions (from the classic exam’s question pool).

Sure, the bar for achieving a competitive score might be lower on the EA than on the GMAT, just because EA scores are used differently by MBA programs (for more on what constitutes a “good” EA result, check out our article on Executive Assessment scores).

But to master the material for the EA, you’d need to study essentially the same content and techniques as you would for the GMAT. So it seems like a stretch to say that the EA fundamentally requires “minimum preparation” in general.