Confused whether to give the old GMAT or the NEW one

Hi Guys,

I have received a number of questions regarding this. So I decided to respond on GC. I would first like to state that there is no right or wrong answer here. I believe that there are 3 key questions that we need answers for:

How would B schools view your IR score?
In your (candidate's) opinion, how would you fare on IR? [answer = very bad, poor, average, good, excellent]
Does the IR section pump you (in other words, gets you more motivated) or deflate you?

A number of test prep companies seem to be recommending taking the GMAT earlier rather than later solely because of the IR section. I think IR would scare those who are scared of charts, cannot interpret information readily etc. One thing that I don't dispute is that doing IR will take more grey matter (brain power) that doing AWA. However, for some of us it may be an interesting warmup for the quant section.

The key is how B schools view IR scores?
One thing is clear, schools this year will receive scores both with and without IR. Your candidacy will be compared to another candidate who is of a similar profile and may have an IR score (or vice versa, where you have an IR score and he/she does not). In this case, 2 scenarios exist,

1. Your IR score is good?
If your IR score is good/excellent and the school considers this score valuable then you have a leg up. Which kind of schools may consider an IR score to be good -most schools, especially MIT, Columbia, Booth, HAAS, etc... schools that require quant proficiency, analytical skills (read finance focused schools). Even marketing focused schools such as Kellogg should consider these skills useful - after all their dean Deepak Jain was hired for his quant skills (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj-DSeuRMz0)

2. If your IR score is bad? (read if you are likely to perform average or below in this section)
Definitely give the exam before if you are prepared.

How can you find out about your performance on IR

Buy OG 13. it has link to 50 IR questions. I just received mine today.

Overall recommendation?

Take the exam before June 2 if IR section impacts your overall score. Also, in my opinion, if you are likely to score above 740 then IR may not add much value (you have already proven your analytical skills). If your GMAT score is likely to be between 650 and 720 and you have an average candidacy and the IR section does not impact your GMAT score then you may want to use your score in IR in order to stand out.

Consulting - a future option
A number of people plan to go into consulting after B schools. Big consulting companies use your GMAT score as one of the metrics to evaluate your candidacy for consulting. Who is to say that they wont add your IR score to the mix - considering its relevance in consulting. If they do, then a great IR score will push your candidacy further.

I hope the above helps.

Regards,


Rajat Sadana