Executive Assessment (EA) — Exam Survival Guide

EMBA / experienced candidates | Sections: Integrated Reasoning, Verbal, Quant | 40 Q in 90 min (3×30-min sections)

Must-do topics

Integrated Reasoning (12 Q / 30 min)

Multi-source reasoning, two-part analysis, graphics interpretation, table analysis.

Skills: filtering info, sanity-checking numbers, quickly rejecting irrelevant details.

Verbal Reasoning (14 Q / 30 min)

Critical reasoning focused; reading comprehension with business / general topics.

Grammar is background; logic and clarity rule.

Quantitative Reasoning (14 Q / 30 min)

Core algebra, arithmetic, word problems, basic statistics.

Nothing exotic: the test is checking if you can reason with numbers like a manager, not like a math PhD.

Top traps (avoid)

Walking in “cold” because “it’s only 90 minutes and for executives.” This thing can sting.

Treating IR like a reading comprehension section — it’s more like data triage under time pressure.

Trying to be perfect in one section and running out of steam on the others.

Spending 4–5 minutes stuck on a multi-step IR question for pride reasons.

Time split

Total: 90 minutes, 40 questions.

IR: 12 Q / 30 min → ~2:30 per question.

Verbal: 14 Q / 30 min → ~2:05 per question.

Quant: 14 Q / 30 min → ~2:05 per question.

Use “3-question checkpoints”: after every 3 questions, glance at the clock — if you’re 1–2 minutes behind, speed up now, not later.

Last-48h checklist

Do one full 40-Q EA-style mock (or as close as you can) to feel the 90-minute rhythm.

Re-work:

Any IR question types that took >3 minutes in practice — figure out which steps you can skip.

Refresh:

Ratios, percent change, basic algebra, reading charts/tables.

Write down:

A 5–6 line “strategy summary” for yourself for each section — something you can skim on test morning.

Quick frames

IR:

“What is the question asking in plain language?”

“Which column/row/part is actually relevant?” (ignore the rest.)

Verbal:

Identify conclusion + evidence before reading answer choices.

Quant:

Translate words → 1–2 equations/relationships, then solve or estimate quickly.

Speed tactics

For IR tables: sort and filter mentally; you rarely need to inspect every row.

For verbal: if stuck between two, ask “which one directly addresses the argument’s logic?” Not which one is a new idea.

For quant: if arithmetic looks nasty, check if you can cancel factors or estimate; EA rarely requires exact ugly fractions if an approximate comparison will do.

Day-of mini-plan

15-minute warm-up: a short IR case, 2 CR questions, 2 quant questions.

In-test:

Stay slightly ahead of time in IR so you don’t end under pressure.

After exam: you’re done. No second day, no essay — don’t treat it like a multi-day bar exam.