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a03b
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How much time for IR+AWA? 20 Jan 2014, 13:09
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Hi guys, a little info about me. Q49, V29 (670)

Retaking. How many hours should I allocate to IR+AWA? Thanks.

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How much time for IR+AWA? 20 Jan 2014, 19:08
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It very much depends on what your scores were on the first test, and what your goals are with the 200-800 score. Overall, the IR + AWA is more a pass/fail exercise than it is something to work extremely hard on. Your goal for these two sections is to score a 4 or above.

That being said, being comfortable and confident on those two initial sections can help set the tone for the rest of the test. I recommend practicing enough to consistently score 5-6 or above on IR and be able to write the essay confidently and smoothly. The 200-800 score is much more important overall.

I hope this helps!!!
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How much time for IR+AWA? 20 Jan 2014, 20:28
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Hi Brandon, thanks for your reply. My scores were IR 4.5 and AWA 6. Do you think 2 hours for each section is enough?

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How much time for IR+AWA? 24 Jan 2014, 13:28
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Hi Brandon, thanks for your reply. My scores were IR 4.5 and AWA 6. Do you think 2 hours for each section is enough?

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A 6.0 is the top score for AWA, so no additional prep is needed. The IR score is right at the mean (see score table here - https://www.mba.com/us/the-gmat-exam/gma ... -mean.aspx), so you should invest some time. The IR is significantly more involved than the AWA, so you will have to dedicate some real time to see score improvement. You should probably expect to spend 10-20 hours if you want to get into the higher percentiles...

KW
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How much time for IR+AWA? 24 Jan 2014, 14:51
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I agree with Kyle on the AWA. 6.0 is max, so you are great there. For IR, you want a 4 or above. You are cutting it a bit close, so I would invest a bit of time (but not too much) into it. Integrated Reasoning is a new section, and to be frank not a ton of weight is being put on it right now. The 200-800 is much more important. Also, integrated reasoning incorporates skills from both quant and verbal, so the more quant and verbal work you do the more your IR score should automatically improve.

I hope this helps!!!
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How much time for IR+AWA? 27 Jan 2014, 13:00
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a03b
Hi Brandon, thanks for your reply. My scores were IR 4.5 and AWA 6. Do you think 2 hours for each section is enough?

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A 6.0 is the top score for AWA, so no additional prep is needed. The IR score is right at the mean (see score table here - https://www.mba.com/us/the-gmat-exam/gma ... -mean.aspx), so you should invest some time. The IR is significantly more involved than the AWA, so you will have to dedicate some real time to see score improvement. You should probably expect to spend 10-20 hours if you want to get into the higher percentiles...

KW
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Hi, I actually mixed my scores. I was reading and was like hmm, something's wrong here. :lol: So silly of me. I got IR 6 and AWA 4.5. How much time would you recommend for each section?

Sorry for the inconvenience. Silly of me. :roll:
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How much time for IR+AWA? 27 Jan 2014, 14:41
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a03b

Hi, I actually mixed my scores. I was reading and was like hmm, something's wrong here. :lol: So silly of me. I got IR 6 and AWA 4.5. How much time would you recommend for each section?

Sorry for the inconvenience. Silly of me. :roll:
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That makes more sense. Your IR score is actually pretty good (percentile-wise). If you put in another 10+ hours you could get yourself up to a 7, maybe more. (Here's a little tip, if you are feeling time pressured you can skip a problem or 2, giving yourself more time per problem and likely increasing your score)

The AWA score is right on the borderline - you are fine with that score, but you wouldn't want to drop down to a 4. You may want to spend 3-5 hours reviewing some of the good essays and doing some practice. You could also use GMAT Write to get another data point on your AWA scoring.

KW

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