The Ultimate GRE Analytical Writing Prep: How to Ace the Essays!

Why is GRE Analytical Writing Important?

The GRE Analytical essay is essential as it increases your chances of getting a good score and getting through the admissions committee. It also boosts your profile a lot. So, any university that looks at your profile will know that you possess critical thinking capabilities and logical reasoning. Giving universities an idea about your capabilities definitely increases your chances of getting accepted.

Format of GRE Analytical Writing

The GRE Analytical essay is the first section you need to take. For this section, you are given one ‘analyse the issue’ task and one ‘analyse an argument’ task for which the time is 30 minutes. For the ‘analyse the issue’ task, you will be given a statement (it may be a sentence or short paragraph) followed by a prompt. You will be then asked to explain whether you agree or disagree with the statement and why. You will also be given six different sets of instructions, so pay careful attention. 

Timing of GRE Analytical Writing

Students get 30 minutes to complete the GRE analytical. This 30-minute time frame includes any time that you spend on brainstorming, outlining, and revising the essay. Given the time crunch, it is essential for students to have a good understanding of the tasks and practice well to write their essays within the given time.  

Scoring on GRE Analytical Writing

The AWA in GRE exam is measured on a 6-point holistic scale, with 6 being the highest score and 1 being the lowest. This includes getting a score from the e-rater scoring engine and a computerised program developed by ETS that can identify essay features related to analytical writing proficiency. So, if we look at the scoring parameters, 6 is outstanding, 5 is strong, 4 is adequate, 3 is limited, 2 is seriously flawed, and 1 is fundamentally deficient. Do keep in mind that the scoring is done on the basis of the overall quality of your essay in response to the assigned task. 

Elements Graders Look for in GRE Analytical Essay  

There are certain elements that test takers look at while assessing your GRE writing. If you implement these key elements in your GRE Analytical essay, you’re sure to get good scores on it. We’ve laid down the elements that graders look for in the GRE essay. If you follow these analytical writing GRE tips, you are good to go.

1. Clarity: Make sure that your essay is clearly presenting your ideas and is easily understandable.
2. Structure: Your essay must read like a story, with smooth transitions and flow to the whole idea.
3. Sentence Variety: Avoid writing repetitive sentences. You can keep switching between long and short sentences.
4. Vocabulary: You don’t necessarily need to use heavy vocabulary. Keep your sentences simple because the point is to deduce information logically.
5. Language and Grammar: Make sure to use good language and avoid any grammatical errors.
6. Reasoning: Whatever you write, make sure to back it up with logically compelling reasons.

Categorisation of GRE Analytical Writing

The topic you get in your analytical writing assessment GRE is grouped into five categories. So, you might get a question from one of these categories. These include education, arts, government/politics, philosophy, and science and technology. To prepare well, go through some of the GRE analytical writing sample questions and ensure to practice. 

How to Choose a GRE Analytical Essay Topic?

Most of the students have this question on how to choose a GRE analytical essay topic. In your GRE test analytical writing, you might get a question from anywhere. But now that you know the five categories that the questions might pop up from, you can prepare accordingly.