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

Take a look at my signature below, there are some great discussions on the topic if you are still looking for advice.

Hi, there. I'll add my two cents to this discussion.

Here's a blog post I wrote on this very issue:
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/should-i-t ... t-changes/

Let me know if you have any questions.

Mike

Hey Mike,

I really enjoyed your article. I am somewhat stuck in this situation. My exam is scheduled for 05-19 and I have been studying since mid December. I do not feel ready but I still have about seven weeks to go. I spoke with a tutor and he said that you shouldn't take the test if you are not ready but I have been studying for four months. It doesn't seem like it because of my progress though. I didn't do well on the practice tests.

Well, that's a difficult question. I am trying to understand in what way you are "stuck" --- are you studying and just not learning/remembering? Or are you learning, but not seeing improvement on practice tests? And what exactly are you studying?

First of all, on the issue of what it means to say you "understand" a certain concept, see this blog:
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/understand ... rformance/

If you feel you know the material, but can't seem to perform on practice tests, then you may find these blogs about reducing stress & anxiety helpful:
a) https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/overcome-g ... y-breathe/
b) https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/beating-gmat-stress/
c) https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/the-gmat-b ... g-picture/

Another question: when you practice, do you always practice under timed conditions, or do you do most of your practicing untimed, and just have timed conditions on the practice tests? On this issue, I would recommend this blog:
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/pacing-and ... -the-gmat/

Finally, when you study, are you studying just content, or are you studying both content and GMAT-specific strategies? You can know all kinds of content, but if you aren't familiar with the particular strategies that are effective on the GMAT, the test will still give you trouble.

In this case, I would highly recommend checking out Magoosh. For about the price of a couple tutoring sessions, you will get access to all our content --- 200+ lesson videos, covering all the content & strategy you will need on the GMAT; 800+ practice questions, each with it's own video solution; and responsive help that will answer any question from any GMAT prep source (it's like buying online help for all the GMAT prep books you already own).

Here's an example lesson on CR:
https://gmat.magoosh.com/lessons/579-dis ... n-argument

Here's an example DS question:
https://gmat.magoosh.com/questions/1035
When you submit your answer, the next page will have the video explanation.

Finally, you have 7 weeks left, so you might check out the 3 -month study plans I created -----
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/3-month-gm ... beginners/
That's the first of four versions --- you can see the others in the side bar. You would have to do a bit of adapting, since the plan is 9 weeks, and you have only 7, but since you've been studying for 4 months, you probably could skip some stuff (like learning the format of the various test questions).

So, that's a load of information, because I don't know the exact nature of your "stuckness." I hope that's helpful. Let me know if you have any questions.

Mike

I mean "stuck" by applying the content that I have learned. I seem to do fine with the study guides from Manhattan but when I do the Official Guide 12 then it seems like the techniques I learned do not help. I can contribute half of this confusion to how the questions are being asked in the Official Guide. Some of my problems deal with forgetting the concepts as well. Right now I am doing the verbal E-GMAT and it seems to be helping. My quantitative and verbal was 24 and 19, respectively. It was a Manhattan practice test and I scored an overall 400 in December and last night I scored a 450. Would an online class benefit someone with such a low score? It appears my fundamentals are lacking as well as understanding the question being asked.


Nope, I do not practice under timed conditions because I haven't gasped the content well enough. I hired a tutor but it didn't work out. The person didn't have a GMAT prep background and I think that's how the mis-communication started. Sometimes people (tutor)feel that practicing is the best way but you have to practice right to become better. And you have to understand the material and that's why I had hired him. And to learn strategies to complete the problems faster.


I am studying mostly content because I do not seem to be able to apply it. The strategies are useless until I can understand what the question is asking and even how to do it. Based on your article, I am probably a level 2 or level 3. I have gone blank on the practice tests. Even though I do not feel prepared for the test, I do feel I can make significant gains because I have been studying for almost four months.Thanks again for the links. I will definitely check them out. Also, I created the thread below last night.

help-with-preparation-129921.html

Take the GMAT only when you are ready. The new section in the GMAT shouldn't be a problem..

I will probably do that. Right now I will try to prepare and take it in May but if I am not ready then I will reschedule it. Thanks.