Help on GRE, GMAT’s Analytical Writing Assessment

GRE, GMAT’s AWA Section often becomes an uphill task for aspirants.  The very thought of writing a critique gives goose bumps.  PUG as I call it, is the secret to your success. 

P - Practice
U - Understanding
G – Guidance

Practice and understanding have to be a self undertaking. But for guidance, here are some tips on cracking the Analytical Writing Assessment section:

•    Polish your writing skills. Before you actually foray into the domain of AWA, it is pertinent to know the basics of Effective Writing. This will make your writing more articulate. One session on Effective Writing Skills was delivered on 13 Oct 2008. Click the link below to see the recording of the session:

GRE and GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment : Effective Writing Skills

•    Develop critical thinking skills. Think critically and logically. Have an eye to analyze and examine objectively.

•    Understand analytical or persuasive essays. Since AWA is targeted at analytical writing, it becomes imperative to understand this genre of writing. A detailed discussion on the topic can be seen by clicking on the given link:

What is GRE and GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment?

•    Understand the difference between the two questions. The two questions given in the AWA are very much different, though both belong to analytical writing. A candidate must understand the nuances of tackling both the questions:

Looking Deeper into GRE and GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment

• Preparing for the Issue Task. Getting to know the steps that can be taken to prepare for the Issue Task so that before actually embarking upon the project, the candidate is familiar with the strategies for tackling the question. The score relies heavily on the choice of the issue topic. Which topic should a candidate choose and how he/ she should develop it is vital to the score. See the recording of this class here:

Attempting Issue Task in GRE and GMAT AWA

•    Manage Your Time: Another important aspect of AWA, is time management. The aim of AWA is to test the candidate’s ability to think logically and present it in words. At the same time it also assesses to what an extent a candidate can utilize the given time effectively.

 Split 30 minutes in – brain storming, writing and editing.

 When you practice, give yourself a time deadline and work according to the time line.

•   Understand fallacies: It is very important to understand logical and rhetorical fallacies in order to think and write critically. These will help you in writing strong evidence and identify weak reasoning in an argument. 

•   Research and prepare: You can build your repository of topics by surfing the net. Think on the topics.

•    Practice: In order to get a good score in AWA, you need constant practice. You just can’t think of jumping into it a few days before the D-Day.

If you have any questions on the topic, you are welcome to attend two more upcoming live classes on AWA, where I can answer your queries:

Analysis of Argument Question in GRE and GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment

Logical and Rhetorical Fallacies in GRE and GMAT AWA

Supreet Seher

Comments

[thesis writing]

Extremely long but very useful and informative article. How i wish i can do all of that in a short period of time. But for sure doing those will produce results. I will try to spread your words through my blog and link it back to you. Thanks a lot for those tips.

[danial]

good blog

[Thesis writing]

perfect..