IR Section

Question

Hi there,

I am writing in connection with the IR section.

I am struggling with it especially that 30 minutes are not enough to do the huge work that this section requires.

Therefore, i am wondering whether my strategy to focus on the first 7 or 8 questions and to guess randomly the remaining question could work?

This section is not adaptative, right? I am aiming to have 7 or 8. 6, even 5, is fine for me.

I will be glad to read any input and/or experience with this respect :lol:

Many thanks in advance.

Regards,

Many thanks in advance. Regards,

mikemcgarry · Answer

Dear Camo , I'm happy to help. :-)

First of all, yes, the IR section NOT adaptive. The computer dreams up a batch of 12 questions and just assigns them to you all at once --- how you do on each has zero effect on the next one you see. Also keep in mind --- of the 12 questions, eight will count, and four are experimental. But here's the catch --- we have no way of knowing which four are experimental. It could be the last four, or it could be the first four, or scattered anywhere through. (There are actually 12C4 = 495 ways for four experimental questions to be randomly scattered among a group of 12.) This creates problems for your proposed strategy. Suppose, for example, on your particular IR section, the first four questions happened to be experimental --- then, if you did, say 7 questions with true effort, only three of those would be questions that count for credit. That's a problem! Unfortunately, the way they have set things up, you really have to make an effort to get through all 12 questions. Here's what I'll suggest. First, here's a free ebook on the IR section. https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/gmat-integ ... ing-ebook/ BTW, here's a blog about the IR calculator: https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/the-integr ... alculator/ Here are some tips for the IR section: https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/tips-for-g ... reasoning/ Does all this make sense? Mike :-)

camo · Answer

Dear Mike,

Many thanks for your quick answer. Much appreciated!

transfer9858 · Answer

Don't focus on the ir section- if your overall score isint good, a perfect ir score won't do anything for you... I took the gmat with ir twice .. One time I got a 5 the other a 7... Never looked a practice question... I think it's just a little luck and focus on the main test.. Don't stress about this section..

Posted from my mobile device

Posted from my mobile device

camo · Answer

Thx Transfer for the reply. It seems that for the moment the IR section is not taken into account by the universities board admissions is that right? What is the acceptable average in this section? For example for the argument essay a 4 should be ok. what about the IR average?

mikemcgarry · Answer

Dear Camo, I'm happy to share my 2¢ on this. :-)

It's not clear to me that any knows precisely how adcom looks at IR, nor it is clear to me that anyone has a precise idea about an acceptable score. I agree with you that right now, IR is probably in the same category as AWA --- in other words, the 800-scale Q & V score is the "big ticket" item, and the most important thing about the AWA & IR scores is that they are not so low that they present a red flag in any way. Just as 4+ is fine on the AWA, my guestimation is that somewhere in the 5-6 range is the minimum acceptable IR score. I will caution you, though. Keep in mind, in all aspects of your GMAT preparation --- consider the cluster of questions " what's the minimum acceptable ?", " what's the least I can do ?", " how can I perform adequately ?" ---- ultimately, those are the questions of mediocrity . By contrast, the cluster of questions --- " how can I blow this away ?", " how can I be the absolute best that I can be ?", " what more can I do ?" --- those are the questions of excellence . It's a subtle shift in perspective. I get that it's hard to have the more expensive, heroic perspective when you are struggling, say, just to finish the section, but I would say: don't be afraid to be ambitious with yourself, my friend. You deserve it! Mike :-)

	Manhattan Prep: $99 Bonus Score Higher on Your GMAT Exam. Guaranteed.
	Target Test Prep - Save up to $599 $400 Discount + $99 Bonus GMAT Club Tests
	e-GMAT: 60% Off on GMAT Focus Get to 735+ from any starting point
	Magoosh increases your score, guaranteed - 15% off ALL Magoosh GMAT plans with code GMATCLUB15 + Free GMAT Club Tests.
	Experts' Global - ~~$1720~~ $960 End-to-End GMAT Prep + App Support: 150+ Videos, 2000+ Questions, 15 FLTs +
	GMATWhiz - $299 ~~$499~~ Experience the course through a free trial.
	GMAT Club Tests - Free Included with every course purchase of $149+ View all deals

IR Section

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards