A lot of people definitely seem to think so. In fact several ‘experts’ have gone on record to say that if something is not supported by the OG, then it is not relevant to the GMAT. For them the ideal end to every argument regarding any new concept is that there is no instance of such a concept in the OG.

We obviously do not completely agree with this point of view and anyone who has gone through the Problem Solving questions in OG12 wouldn’t either. Anyway at the GMAT summit that we recently attended, we decided to ask Dr Larry Rudner directly whether the OG was the ideal representation of the GMAT and these were the lines he responded with:

“We are not defining the GMAT through the OG”

Larry went on to elaborate that the OG is meant to provide a flavor of what one can expect on the actual GMAT. It does NOT contain every concept that will be tested on the GMAT so it is possible for you to get questions, the likes of which may not be there in the OG. We regularly come across such instances when we speak to test-takers, especially in the areas of Reading Comprehension and Problem Solving.

In the end we reiterate what we have always said – to know about the test ask either the test owners or the test takers. ‘Expert’ opinion should always be taken at your own peril.

P.S. – Larry also stated that the OG13 will primarily contain new questions and that there will be very little overlap between it and OG 12, unlike the OGs 12 and 11 which share most of the questions