11 GRE Writing Tips To Ace Your Test

What is the GRE Analytical Writing Assessment?

The GRE General Test has one section - GRE Analytical Writing Assessment. Before learning about the GRE AWA writing tips, you should know that the AWA comprises two distinct writing tasks tailored to assess the candidates' analytical and writing skills.

1. Argument Essay 

2. Issue Essay 

GRE Analytical Writing Tips 

GRE issue essay is about analysing complex topics; hence, you need to learn how to dissect arguments and build strong counterpoints. Following are the crucial GRE analytical writing tips for issue essays: 

1. Take a Side and State it Early 

Instead of making your readers keep guessing which side you are on, mention your thesis statement in the beginning. Throughout your writing, ensure your reader knows about your view on the issue. Hence, your thesis statement must appear in the first paragraph. 

Example:
"Prompt: In your opinion, is it preferable to be an expert in one area rather than competent in other areas?

Thesis: I really think that having expertise in one area surpasses having knowledge in several areas.

I shall defend this position throughout the article, offering proof and justification for my claims."

2. Choose Relevant Examples 

For the GRE issue essay, there is no right or wrong answer. Whether your points are convincing and how your reasoning capabilities are coming together are two factors you need to keep in mind. Remember, hypothetical views are easy to refute, but you can use relevant real-world examples to challenge those hypothetical scenarios. You can take inspiration from history, mythology, literature, sports, and even personal experiences.  

Example:
Imagine you're writing an essay on the topic of government intervention in the economy. 

Assume that you are preparing an essay about the role that government plays in the economy. For example, contrasting the centrally planned economy of the Soviet Union with the New Deal programmes of the United States would highlight the effects of government intervention in the economy in an article about it. The latter emphasises effective involvement during economic crises, whereas the former underlines the drawbacks of overly controlling. This illustrates how crucial these AWA GRE tips are to select pertinent examples in order to support claims successfully.

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3. Use a List of Pros and Cons  

Among many GRE analytical writing tips, making a list of all the statements that support the prompt is crucial. Additionally, you should consider the statements that are likely to negate the prompt. Practise to come up with a pro/con list in 1 minute for the best results.  

Usually, candidates start brainstorming after seeing the prompt. However, many are not aware of how to choose three or four logical fallacies. Then, you can construct a brief outline of the essay. You can consider the following template to bring clarity to your essay: 

4. Use Anecdotes and Observations 

One of the indispensable GRE analytical writing tips is the use of anecdotes and observations. Telling a story can add evidence to your writing; hence, you can use a maximum of one anecdote to support your claim. Whether you want to evoke emotions or show reason, this is one of the great GRE writing tips to remember. 

Example:
In this instance, the tale gives the argument a human touch that enhances its persuasiveness and helps the reader remember it.

"I recently saw a child picking up rubbish in my neighbourhood park as they had tears in their eyes. It made me realise the true consequences of trash. Tougher punishments could make sense, but they don't deal with the underlying issue, which is ignorance. Such firsthand accounts emphasise how crucial it is for policy decisions to take human behaviour into account."

5. Add Strong Statements 

One of the underrated GRE writing tips is to use declarative statements. Incorporate charged adverbs and adjectives to make sure the sentences sound bold and strong. Also, avoiding a varied sentence structure is one of the most helpful GRE writing tips. You can focus on the exact terms rather than using ornate ones. 

Example:
"The author's argument seems somewhat convincing, but there may be some flaws in their reasoning."

Strong Argument: "The author's argument is compelling, bolstered by well-supported evidence; however, critical analysis reveals inherent flaws that undermine its overall validity."

This example demonstrates the critical distinction between a bold, confident declaration and a weak, uncertain statement—which is one of the excellent GRE writing tips.

6. Steer Clear of Generalisations 

One effective GRE analytical writing tips is never to use misleading statistics and generalisations. Your task is to identify flawed statements or conclusions. So, make a list of the flaws and use them to your advantage. Once you find the assumptions in the argument, analyse the argument.  

Example:
For instance: "90% prefer brand X over brand Y, so brand X is superior."
Drawbacks:

1. Absence of particular study information.
2. Disregard the variables affecting preferences.
3. Believes that superiority is equal to majority favour.

By challenging the evidence and taking into account opposing views, you can avoid making generalisations.

7. Pick Out Assumptions

For GRE essay tips, we must highlight practising how you should identify the assumptions presented in the passage. The objective is to find out whether the assumptions are unwarranted. You can start by checking where the assumptions exist in the passage. 

Example:
Passage: "The city plans to launch a bike-sharing programme to ease downtown traffic."
It is assumed that people will utilise bicycles with ease and that the programme by itself will result in a significant reduction in traffic.

Identification: Inferred from the passage's claim of lessening traffic jams.

Analysis: We cast doubt on the proposal's fundamental presumptions by examining individuals' willingness to use bicycles and taking other traffic-affecting factors into account.

8. Provide Alternative Explanations  

One of the GRE analytical writing tips that can get you a perfect score is to make your essay compelling. You need to provide an alternative explanation for the assumptions existing in the passage. Use other possibilities that the author did not divulge in the presented text.  

Example:
If a section asserts that a new teaching strategy increased test scores, you could counter that the results might have been impacted by other variables, such as students' prior knowledge or resource availability. This would provide a distinct perspective to think about.

9. Do Not Agree to the Argument 

Instead of agreeing or disagreeing with the argument, the argument essay thesis focuses on logical fallacies. In this context, one of the best GRE writing tips is to check the flaws in the argument.  

Example:
The case: "Companies should prioritise hiring younger employees over older ones because younger employees are more adaptable to new technologies."

Argument against: This statement ignores age-related variations in adaptation by assuming that all younger workers are inherently more able to adjust to new technologies.

An ideal highlight for the GRE Argument essay.

10. The Prompt Answers Everything 

Reading the prompt at least three times is one of the greatest GRE analytical writing tips we can offer. Pay attention and make sure you understand what the prompt conveys and what the author claims. After seeing the prompt, you can try to find answers to the following questions and structure your argument.  

1. Did the author make generalisations without mentioning any facts? 

2. Does the data or data collection method seem reliable? 

3. Did the author jump to conclusions? 

4. What is the author's reasoning? 

11. Pick Your Examples Carefully 

After choosing your logical fallacies and identifying assumptions, you need to write a thesis statement. One of the best GRE analytical writing tips is to use three or four examples from the given prompt. You need to choose the examples that subvert the essay or the writer's point. Many GRE AWA tips only focus on choosing examples; however, you should see where the examples fit in the argument and point out flaws instead of pros/cons. 

Example:Instead of just pointing to the New Deal as a model of success when debating the efficacy of higher government spending during recessions, take into account some of its disadvantages, such as a protracted reliance on government assistance and a lack of innovation because of overly restrictive regulations. You show that you have a sophisticated grasp of the argument by selecting the GRE writing tips that highlight both the argument's advantages and disadvantages.

4 Effective Strategies for GRE Analytical Writing Assessment 

Now that you have a good understanding of how to craft your essays after going through the analytical writing GRE tips, here are five strategies for AWA preparation to follow. Let's go through these GRE writing tips and strategies to score higher: 

1. Find the Topic 

You can only do justice to the topic when you understand the topic. One of the best GRE writing tips is to prepare for the seven categories you could get: Government & Power, Education, Technology, Philosophy, Intellectual endeavours, Cities, and Arts. 

2. Time Management

You need to complete the issue essay and argument task within one hour; hence, you will get 30 minutes for every task. Setting time for brainstorming, outlining, creating a thesis statement, and checking grammatical errors is one of the essential GRE writing tips. 

3. Know What You Need to Do 

Reading the instructions is perhaps one of the common GRE analytical writing tips, and it will help you strategise for analysing the issue and analysing the argument. Both tasks require different approaches; hence, you should know what is expected of you. 

4. Add Depth to Your Writing 

Many make the mistake of not adding enough statements and go against the winning GRE writing tips by fearing grammatical errors. If you practice and adopt the art of analysing a text, you can create a well-reasoned and developed essay and get a perfect score. 

After going through the GRE writing tips, we hope you have gathered an idea of how you should prepare. The more you practise, the better you can get acquainted with the topics and the way you should exhibit your critical thinking skills. While applying for the GRE, make sure to go through GRE eligibility. Also, you should keep the GRE exam pattern in mind to get a better understanding of the exam. Best of luck!