About IR and AWA

Question

Does universities consider IR and AWA scores in your GMAT score card. Does the scores of IR and AWA have any effect on your admissions. Thanks!

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

Probably fair to say you'd rather want a decent score than something terrible on those two sections. A school such as INSEAD, for example, mentions some stuff about the IR you may want to check out on its website.

pintukr · Answer

IR and AWA scores add strength to your application.

With time, low scores in IR and AWA are being greater weightage while scrutinizing the applications.

bb · Answer

We have asked a number of admissions directors about AWA and IR and most of them said that they ignore the scores (without using these words of course and being more vague) here is one of those videos: https://youtu.be/Ob_MmwQKgWw . I’m not sure what purpose IR serves really. The only purpose of the AWA is to compare the admissions essay and an unsupervised essay in case there is a huge discrepancy. And even in that case, for almost one year, if you took the online version of the test, you did not have to write an essay. Business schools did not care. Personally I expect that in an optimization effort the integrated reasoning section will be dropped to make the exam shorter and more palatable. I’m not sure if and when it will happen or ever but my guess that would be a pretty low hanging fruit if GMAC was looking to make itself more competitive compared to the GRE…. The only place where IR still matters is the executive assessment because it’s a part of the overall score but that is out of scope for this discussion. In general, I do not recommend retaking the test just for the sake of AWA or IR. Posted from my mobile device

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi TapanAgarwal,

Many Business Schools have publicly stated that they do not use an applicant's IR score when evaluating an application, so you likely have nothing to be concerned about. However, if you're interested in what a specific School/Program thinks about the IR score, then you should research that School directly (you might also consider contacting the School to ask). Most Schools expect that you be able to write a decently-organized essay in a short period of time (which shows your ability to communicate effectively with written words). As long as you score at least a 4.0 on the AWA, then you should be fine at most Programs (and a 4.0 out of 6.0 is a relatively easy score to achieve).

Before I can offer you any additional advice for your studies, it would help if you could provide a bit more information on how you've been studying and your goals:

Studies:
1) How long have you studied? How many hours do you typically study each week?
2) What study materials have you used so far? What “brands” of CATs/mocks have you used?
3) On what dates (or approximate dates) did you take EACH of your CATs/mocks and how did you score on EACH (including the Quant and Verbal Scaled Scores for EACH)?

Goals:
4) What is your overall goal score?
5) When are you planning to apply to Business School and what Schools are you planning to apply to?

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Contact Rich at: [email protected]

AjiteshArun · Answer

Hi  TapanAgarwal ,

I recommend that test takers take IR seriously, and aim for a 4-4.5+ score in AWA. You could also get in touch with your target schools and ask them about this.

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi TapanAgarwal,

Most programs care more about quant and verbal than IR and AWA. However, if you have a list of schools in mind, you could give the folks in admissions a call to get some more information regarding their stance on IR and AWA. After all, I would not want your AWA or IR score to be why you are not accepted to some schools despite having a great overall GMAT score.

bb · Answer

I agree that it is helpful when there are no red flags on the application. You can get 6.0 AWA with 1 day of prep so you don't need to aim for 4.5 even. You can get 6.0 in 1 day. https://gmatclub.com/forum/how-to-get-6 ... 64327.html I think BSchools know that and that probably reflects their attitude towards it. IR has some overlaps with CR and perhaps some quant but will require some additional prep either way. It is good to have at least a 4 or better a higher score but it is not anyone seems to care based on the feedback from schools we received.... and as to reaching out to the business schools, it is generally a fruitless effort since they would tell you that they use a wholistic approach type of thing unfortunately.

AjiteshArun · Answer

You're right. I meant "at least 4-4.5", and should have said that instead of just "4-4.5". However, I don't think that 6 is all that easy, not for everyone.

bb · Answer

Thank you. I wasn’t picking on words or meant to contradict you. I was just trying to point out that it’s fairly easy and straightforward using the template to score rather high. Maybe somebody will get a 5 1/2 or five but many verbally capable people with even average verbal scores have mentioned to be able to get a straight six was just one day of prep. I don’t mean to exaggerate and set the wrong expectations and clearly I cannot guarantee that everyone will get a 6.0 but it is literally something you can master in a day and get a fairly high score. 😇

Posted from my mobile device

vv65 · Answer

Agree, a 6 score is not that easy.

If someone writes regularly and doesn't have any problem choosing words and framing sentences, then he/she can score 6.0 with just a day of prep. Otherwise it's not easy to dash off a 500 word essay in half an hour, and a short essay is unlikely to earn a 6.0 score.

The test taker may need many practice attempts before she is able to write a good and long essay in 30 minutes -- so one day may not be enough.

Posted from my mobile device

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

While it is true that schools look more closely at your quant and verbal scores than they do your IR and AWA scores, to avoid any red flags on your application, you should score as high as possible on IR and AWA. In other words, do not ignore those sections completely.

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