Importance of IR

Question

Hi everyone,

I know this has been discussed before, but I want to double check - IR does not impact your GMAT score - is this correct? A test taker is only scored on the verbal and quants section and though the IR and AWA appear separately on your score report, it does not affect the score you get out of 800. Please correct me, if I have understood wrong. Also, the IR section is not computer adaptive, right?

First time test taker here and I have my exam in the next few days.

Thank you in advance for your help!

MartyTargetTestPrep · Answer

Hi PDK18.

Your performance on the AWA and IR section has no impact on your GMAT total 200 - 800 score.

Also, the IR section is not computer adaptive.

For more on how the GMAT is scored, see this post.

How Is the GMAT Exam Scored?

EMPOWERgmatRichC · Answer

Hi PDK18,

Yes - both the IR and AWA/Essay Scores are separate numbers that have NO impact on your overall Score out of 800. In addition, many Business Schools have publicly stated that they do not use an applicant's IR score when evaluating an application, so you likely have little to be concerned about with that one result. That having been said, 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).

Based on some of your recent posts, it's not clear whether you've taken many (or any) practice CATs/mocks yet. Have you taken any CATs and are you comfortable with the overall format/length/difficult/etc. of the CAT-taking experience?

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

Contact Rich at: [email protected]

ScottTargetTestPrep · Answer

HI PDK18,

In addition to what has been said, just make sure you give your best effort on IR and AWA because it won't' do you any favors if you score poorly on those two sections.

PDK18 · Answer

Thank you. In my mocks, I have been scoring between 4-6 on IR. Since Quants and Verbal were the more important sections, I chose to write IR and AWA last. I get exhausted by the time I reach IR, which leads to all kinds of silly mistakes. I don't face an issue with AWA in the same way, maybe because I have a background in journalism, but I find IR especially challenging after verbal and quants.

GmatKnightTutor · Answer

The IR score does not impact the "out of 800" score. The latter score is made from your performance on the Quant and Verbal sections.

All the best with your attempt. Some quick tips on the gmatknight website you may find helpful. If you are giving the exam Online, remember to keep a spare marker next to your eraser in case your primary marker runs out.

PDK18 · Answer

This is good advice. Thank you! I will through the tips on gmatknight website too. Thank you for the heads up.

GMATWhizTeam · Answer

Hi  PDK18

Most of us know that IR and AWA scores are given separately and hence they don’t affect your GMAT score out of 800. Thus, the direct impact of these scores on your admission is pretty low. In fact, some schools don’t even look at your IR and AWA scores till the point you meet a bare minimum. I recommend scoring a minimum of 5 on IR and 4 on AWA. For Quant focused courses, I would recommend 6+ on IR.

WHAT DO ADCOMS SAY?

"Well, if 2 students are identical in all aspects (which rarely is the case), then probably IR score can be a differentiator”

“If someone hasn’t written their own essays, we may look at their AWA score”

“If someone’s Quant score is slightly less, then we might consider a high IR score as a good sign”

I’m sure from the above quotes you can understand the importance given to IR and AWA by Adcoms. If in doubt, feel free write to your target school to understand if they have any specific requirements.

IR can be particularly important for Quant focused courses and AWA can be used to evaluate your writing capabilities. There is a high chance that no one would reject you for not having a great IR and AWA score, but maintaining a good score is always suggested. The best part is it is not that tough to score well on these sections.

IR tests your understanding of drawing inferences from information which could be in form of tables, charts, or simple text. If you’re good at Quant, there is a high chance that you will do well on IR with 4-5 days of dedicated effort. In such a case, solving OG questions and GMAT Prep free questions are enough. If you’re weak in Quant, you should consider dedicating around 10 days or so for IR and using additional resources.

Summary - If I’ve to summarize in 1 line I would “IR and AWA are not critical but the higher you score, the better it is."

Stanstan · Answer

The schools I applied to none of them mentioned requirements for IR. When talking to admission they also said they dont focus on the IRs too much

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