1st attempt 740 - Q49, V41, IR - 4

[RonikaS645]

Hi,

I gave my first GMAT attempt recently, and despite a decent overall GMAT score. I got a very low IR score of 4.

I want to how this affects my chances of getting into a top business school and whether it makes sense to retake the exam.

Please let me know.

Thanks!

[StaceyKoprince]

Nice job! Your Q and V scores are fantastic!

When are you planning to apply? This year, the schools mostly haven't been using IR scores. Many schools probably still won't use IR scores next year (and your Q and V scores are high enough that they can probably compensate, to some extent, for your average IR score).

After that, I'm not sure what's going to happen. In general, I do expect schools to start using the IR score more over time, but I'm not sure how long that will take. If you are planning to apply 2+ years from now, you will need to decide whether you want to just wait and see (but they you may have to re-take the GMAT at a time when you've gotten out of practice) or whether you want to go through the annoyance of re-taking the test just in case - even though, eventually, it may turn out that you didn't actually have to get a higher IR score.

What do you think?

[RonikaS645]

Thank you!

I am planning to apply in 2015 for 2016 admissions. So by the end of this year all my apps. should be complete.

I am hoping my experience in the consulting space should make up for a low IR. Do you think this would help?

[StaceyKoprince]

With the scores that you have, my best guess is that you don't need to worry about the IR score. It's still an average score, not low, and it's only one section. About 85% of schools said that they didn't use IR this past year, so I would bet that well more than half will continue not to use it next year.

And I would bet that those that do start using the scores next year will do what a few schools did this year: if you get a 7 or 8, it's a place. If you get a 1 or 2, it's a minus. If you're somewhere in the middle, they just shrug their shoulders and ignore it. :)

I can't actually predict the future, of course, so I could be wrong. But schools tend not to change their admissions processes very quickly / radically; it would be very unusual if they all started suddenly using IR seriously. You may also want to ask a couple of admissions consultants what they think. (And if you do, I'd love to know what you hear from them! I like MBA Mission.)

[ES354]

Hi Stacey,
Although my question (and scores) are different than those posted by the initial inquirer, my question falls in line with Ronika's.

I took the GMAT today and the breakdown of my scores are as follows:

IR: 7 (81st %ile)
Quant: 49 (79th %ile)
Verbal: 41 (94th %ile)
Overall: 720 (94%ile)

Do you think that the score of 49 on Quant is will hurt my chances of admission to a top MBA program? (I am keeping in mind that the GMAT is only one of multiple criteria for admission to all schools).

I originally wanted to ask about the IR score too, but it appears from your response to Ronika that a IR score of 7-8 is ok.

Thanks for any help and advice you can provide!

[ES354]

Also, one other question: Can you explain how two test takers can both get a scores of Q49 V41 and one receive an overall score of 740 while the other (me) gets a score of 720?

I've also seen someone else on another forum who got the same scores and got an overall score of 730...

[StaceyKoprince]

Q49 is a great quant score, so that absolutely will not hurt your chances of admission at any school, no.

And, yes, 7-8 on IR is great.

I'm looking into your second question - I'll get back to you after I've done some digging. Overall, though, great job on the test!

[RohanP395]

I got an overall score of 720 as well, with Q49, V41. I think in the original post, they have misreported.

[StaceyKoprince]

It's possible - but this actually fits an aspect of how the test scoring works. It's a little known fact that you can get the same subscores but a different overall score.

Let me illustrate how that works.
First, you earn a raw score for each section. Let's say you earn a 0.45 for quant and a 0.47 for verbal. (I'm totally making those numbers up - I have no idea what they use for raw scores; that isn't disclosed.)

Let's say the other guy earns a 0.49 for quant and a 0.50 for verbal.

Anything in the 0.45 to 0.49 range for quant "resolves" to a Q49 subscore. (Again, making up the exact numbers here.)
Anything in the 0.47 to 0.50 range for verbal "resolves" to a V41 subscore.

Then, the raw scores are also used to calculate your 3-digit score, not the subscores.

So your 3-digit score is lower because your raw scores are lower.

This happens, by the way, because the subscores run on a scale of 6 to 51, for a total of 46 possible scores on each subscore scale (6, 7, 8, ... 50, 51).

The three-digit scale, though, runs from 200 to 800 in 10-point increments, for a total of 61 possible scores. There are more scores on the 3-digit scale - so you have to have instances where the same subscores resolve to different 3-digit scores.

As far as we've been able to figure out, it's possible for one pair of subscores to resolve to as many as 3 different total scores. You reported a 720 and the other person reported a 740, so this fits what we've observed - that pair of subscores can resolve to 720, 730, or 740.

[RonB918]

Greetings. I'm in a predicament similar to the OP's.

I took the GMAT yesterday and scored a 750 (V45 Q48) . I'm interested in getting into a top-notch program, (not necessarily MBA, but possibly MS). Financial aid is extremely important, i.e. I'm aiming for a top program and scholarship.

I'm considering retaking the exam. The main reason is that my IR score, at 4, was mediocre/low. I'm concerned that when my score report is reviewed, that my IR will be taken into consideration by admissions and financial aid officials. Remember, I'm looking for a scholarship as well as admission to a top program.

There is a lot of information out there which says that most programs do not consider the IR important in admissions decisions. But exactly how true is that, especially when applying to the most competitive programs? Are there circumstances when IR does become "important", such as when applying for financial aid at top schools, or does a high GMAT score calm the risk of a "red flag" being raised? Would a "4" on the IR section even raise a red flag in the first place? Just how important is it?

Again, I ask these questions because I'm pondering retaking the exam, in hopes that an improved IR score won't appear incongruous (and hence raise question marks) to admissions and financial aid officials. I did not prepare for the IR section before the exam, focusing solely on Q and V. I prepared only for about two months, and wanted to make sure I got as much Q and V prep in that time as possible, at the expense of IR. Why? Well, it's because of all the literature that says the three-digit GMAT score is the only score that really matters...

Unfortunately, now I'm not so sure. Could someone please help me?

[StaceyKoprince]

4 is an average score for IR - so it's not low...but it's not high either. It's still the case that most schools (even the top ones) are not using IR, and those that are looking at IR seem to be mostly using it as a + / -. If you score 1-2-3, that's a minus. If you score 6-7-8, that's a plus. If you score 4-5, that's a shrug.

I don't know, however, whether IR is considered for scholarships or financial aid. Financial aid is given by the school, so I'd be inclined to think that they'd view IR the same way they do for admissions. You might try asking some admissions consultants. We have a folder on our forums where you can post questions to adcons.

Scholarships are an entirely different matter - any scholarship can decide what factors it wants to consider. So there, you're just going to need to dig in and start researching. Find out what the scholarship applications say they consider. For the ones that you think are promising, call them up or email them to ask more questions. You obviously won't want to say, "Hey, my IR isn't great - do you care?" But you can ask things like "which factors do you consider most important?" etc. (You might also ask admissions consultants for their advice re: how to ask these delicate questions.)

I'd love to know what you hear from any admissions consultants - if you are able to find out anything useful, please stop back in to let us know. Thanks!