My title is a little odd there “ why the very specific timeframe? Well, we know that business schools aren’t using the Integrated Reasoning (IR) section much (if at all) this first year, for admission in the fall of 2013, but we also know that IR will probably become more important over time.

How much more important? Nobody knows, but it’s a good guess that the process will be fairly gradual. We have decades of data for the quant and verbal sections, so the schools can feel confident in interpreting that data to help make admissions decisions. After the first year of IR, we’ll still have only one year of data; as a result, it’s highly unlikely that IR will suddenly rise to the same level of importance as quant and verbal.

So what should you do if you’re taking the GMAT sometime this year in preparation for a fall 2014 start? How much attention do you really need to pay to IR and what kind of score will be good enough?

Here are the current percentile rankings for the 1 to 8 IR scoring scale:

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We invite you to test your GMAT knowledge for a chance to win! Each week, we will post a new Challenge Problem for you to attempt. If you submit the correct answer, you will be entered into that week’s drawing for a free Manhattan GMAT Prep item. Tell your friends to get out their scrap paper and start solving!
Here is this week’s problem:

A regular octagon (a polygon with 8 sides of identical length and 8 identical interior angles) is constructed. Next, an equilateral triangle (with sides identical in length to those of the octagon) is attached to each side of the octagon, such that each side of the octagon coincides exactly with the side of the triangle. Finally, each triangle is folded over that coincident side onto the octagon, covering part of the latter’s area. Approximately what proportion of the area of the octagon is left uncovered?

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Here are the free GMAT events we’re holding this week. All times are local unless otherwise specified.

2/11/13– Online- Free Trial Class– 8:00PM-11:00PM (EST)

2/12/13– Online- Free Trial Class– 12:00PM-3:00PM (EST)

2/17/13– Online- Free Trial Class– 7:00AM-10:00AM (EST)

2/13/13– Online- Assessing Your MBA Profile presented by mbaMission– 12:00PM-1:30PM (EST)

2/19/13– Online-Interview Workshop presented by mbaMission– 9:00PM-10:00PM (EST)

2/16/13– Boston, MA- Free Trial Class– 10:00AM-1:00PM

2/11/13– Boulder, CO- Free Trial Class– 6:30AM-9:30PM
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Catch up on some business school news with a few of this week’s top stories:

MBA Intern & Job Outlook Improving (Poets & Quants)

Good news for current and future MBA students! Poets & Quants reveals recruiting stats and shares how this year is shaping up to be a great year for b-school students.

Honesty Matters During the Business School Admissions Process (Graduate Guide)

Something that not every MBA applicant may be aware of is that he or she could be subjected to a background screening. Check out this post from Graduate Guide to find out more about the business school background check.

Mission Admission: Picking a Safety School (mbaMission)

Struggling to figure out which business schools to categorize as your safties? MbaMission has some great suggestions for what to consider when determining your safety schools.

Can Globalization be Taught in B-School? (The Wall Street Journal Careers)

This week WSJ published an interesting interview with Pankaj Ghemawat, a professor of global strategy at IESE Business School in Barcelona, who claims that schools must do a better job explaining globalization”and its many limits.

Don’t see your favorite article from the week? Share what you’ve been reading in the comments or tweet @ManhattanGMAT

We’re excited to share an update from our former President, Andrew Yang, who left us to found the Venture for America fellowship program. Venture for America Fellows, once selected, work for 2 years in a start-up or growth company in a U.S. city with the goal that they go on to become entrepreneurs. Each class receives $100,000 in seed funding at the conclusion of the 2 years. VFA supporters and board members include Jeff Weiner, the CEO of LinkedIn, Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, and David Lee of SV Angel among many others.

Over the past two years we’ve had Andrew introduce Venture for America, we shared the Time Magazine story about VFA, and we announced their latest Summer Celebration. We even shared that time that Andrew met President Obama!

Now we want to let you know that the application deadline for the 2013 fellowship is rapidly approaching! You can apply here.

Here’s the update from Andrew and Venture for America:

VENTURE FOR AMERICA , FINAL APPLICATION DEADLINE APPROACHING! 

Venture for America  sends young, talented graduates to work for startups in emerging cities (ie. Cincinnati, Detroit, New Orleans, Providence, Las Vegas, Baltimore, etc.), with the goal of mobilizing them as entrepreneurs moving forward.

VFA’s mission is threefold:

To revitalize American cities and communities through entrepreneurship. 

To enable our best and brightest to create new opportunities for themselves and others.

To restore the culture of achievement to include value-creation, risk and reward, and the common good. 

VFA recruits the best and brightest recent college graduates, provides them with training and mentorship, and places them at partner startups to help grow those organizations. This is an opportunity for students who want to learn how to build companies.

The 2013 Venture for America Fellowship consists of the following components:

· Training “ a 5-week crash course in startup readiness, held at Brown University in Summer 2013

· Company Placement “ 2 years of work at a start-up or early stage company

· Programming and Capstone “ Regular assignments, readings, and meetings, including a $100k prize at the conclusion of the program

The final deadline to apply for the 2013 fellowship is February 18th. To learn more, visit www.ventureforamerica.org or email lauren@ventureforamerica.org today!

We invite you to test your GMAT knowledge for a chance to win! Each week, we will post a new Challenge Problem for you to attempt. If you submit the correct answer, you will be entered into that week’s drawing for a free Manhattan GMAT Prep item. Tell your friends to get out their scrap paper and start solving!
Here is this week’s problem:

Is xy an integer?

(1) x is the ratio of the area of a square to the area of the largest possible circle inscribed within that square.

(2) y is the ratio of the area of a circle to the area of the largest possible square inscribed within that circle.

Read more

Here are the free GMAT events we’re holding this week. All times are local unless otherwise specified.

2/5/13– Online- Free Trial Class– 9:00PM-12:00AM (EST)

2/10/13– Online- Free Trial Class– 9:00AM-12:00PM (EST)

2/07/13– Online- Thursdays with Ron– 7:00-8:30PM (EST)

2/10/13– Boston, MA- Free Trial Class – 5:30PM- 8:30PM

2/5/13– Chicago, IL- Free Trial Class– 6:30PM-9:30PM
Read more

ACCESS MBA events provide a unique chance for you to meet Admissions Directors of prestigious MBA programs from around the world on an individual, 1-to-1 basis. Event services can include personalized MBA consulting sessions, a Panel Discussion featuring school representatives, Manhattan GMAT workshops, and more. Plus, every participant will receive a 120-page Access MBA guide. Places are limited for the One-to-One meetings and early registration is recommended, so visit accessmba.com to register and learn more!

Here are some details on three Access MBA events coming up soon. We hope to see you there!

LONDON

Saturday, February 2, 2012
9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
GMAT WORKSHOP WITH MANHATTAN GMAT at 12:30 p.m.

Attending schools include:

Ashridge Business School
Cass Business School
Durham University Business School
Esade Business School
Henley
Hult International Business School
IE Business School
IESE Executive MBA
IESE Full-Time MBA
IMD
Kellogg – WHU
Manchester Business School
Manchester Business School Worldwide
MIP Politecnico di Milano
Nottingham University
University of Cambridge, Judge Business School
University of Chicago Booth School of Business
University of Edinburgh Business School
Vlerick Business School

TORONTO

Wednesday, February 13
4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Attending schools include:

Cass Business School
Copenhagen Business School
Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University
Durham University Business School
HEC Montreal
Hult International Business School
IESE Executive MBA
Manchester Business School
Manchester Business School Worldwide
Rotman School of Management , University of Toronto
Simon Fraser University – Beedie School of Business
University of Massachusetts Amherst – Isenberg School of Business
University of Victoria – Peter B. Gustavson School of Business
Vlerick Business School
Western University – Richard Ivey School of Business
York University – Schulich School of Business

MONTREAL

Saturday, February 16
9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Attending schools include:

Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University
Durham University Business School
EDHEC Business School
ESCP Europe
HEC Montreal
Hult International Business School
IESE Executive MBA
IESE Full-Time MBA
Manchester Business School
Queens School of Business
Rotman School of Management , University of Toronto
Simon Fraser University – Beedie School of Business
University of Victoria – Peter B. Gustavson School of Business
Vlerick Business School
Western University – Richard Ivey School of Business
York University – Schulich School of Business

Catch up on your b-school news with some of this week’s top stories:

How Hard Do MBAs Work? (Poets & Quants)

Here’s an interesting statistical breakdown of the average workweek for MBAs around the world. Can you guess which continent logs the most hours?

B-School Chart of the Week: Most Popular Job Functions by Industry (mbaMission)

This interactive chart from mbaMission is helpful if you’re trying to decide which industry you want to enter and what kind of functional role you want to fulfill.

Get MBA Application Advice From the Trenches (U.S. News Education)

Past MBA applicants reflect on their own experiences and offer some helpful advice for prospective students.

Harvard Tops the 2013 MBA Rankings (Financial Times)

For the first time in eight years Harvard Business School pulled ahead of Stanford Graduate School of Business to top the Financial Times MBA Rankings.

Don’t see your favorite article from the week? Share what you’ve been reading in the comments or tweet @ManhattanGMAT