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Order the 800score.com Prep Course with 5 practice
GMATs.
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The Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) is how
business schools evaluate your writing skills. The AWA section has
two 30-minute essay questions, each requiring a completely different
strategy.
- Present Your Perspective on an Issue (30
minutes)
Here you present your opinion on a controversial
issue.
- Analysis of Argument (30 minutes)
Here you analyze
the reasoning in an argument and find its logical flaws.
Your essay will be evaluated by an "E-rater" (a computer
"bot" grading program that scans essays). If the GMAT essay grader and E-rater
agree on a score, that's the grade your essay will receive. If they
disagree, a second GMAT grader will grade the essay to resolve any
differences.
The computerized grading system pressures GMAT
essay graders to follow the E-rater's strict standards. Human
graders are aware that there is a computer double-checking their
work, and they are more likely to follow the E-rater's strict
grading parameters. |
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Students tend to under-prepare for the AWA section. This is
ironic because it is the one GMAT section where a small amount of
preparation can make a large difference on test day. You don't want an
embarrassing AWA grade coming up in a business school interview.
To beat the AWA, you must learn how to write in a highly
disciplined and concise manner.
Be particularly concerned with structure.
Clearly divide your essay into the introductory paragraph, two to
three content paragraphs and a conclusion. Take time out before you
start writing to set up an organizational structure. Our Essay Guide
includes sample essay templates for both the Issue and Argument
essays.
Save it for your
blog.The Issue essays are often fraught with political implications, but don't go on a rant or a long diatribe about your own opinions. Also, try not to delve too deeply into your own personal life. Be restrained when writing your essay and keep it professional and balanced. When we interviewed GMAT essay graders about their biggest complaint, they asked us to tell you: please save it for your blog
Use transitional
phrases such as "first", "therefore" and "because" to help the
computer identify concepts between and within the paragraphs.
Be a
conformist. The E-rater is not programmed to appreciate
individuality, humor, or poetic inspiration; computers aren't known for
their sense of humor. It will be comparing the style and structure of
your essay to that of other high-scoring essays. Our Essay Guide has 20
sample high score essays to give you a sense of the proper writing style
for the AWA.
Clearly state your
critique in the Analysis of Argument essay. The Analysis of
Argument question will show you an essay loaded with logical fallacies,
such as the unwarranted assumption or fallacy of
equivocation.
Know the essays and
how to answer them. The 800score Essay Section Guide shows you all of the
275 actual GMAT essay questions and 20 selected sample answers to those
essay questions.
Practice, Practice,
Practice. Try to do the essays in the 30-minute time frame. That
is half of the challenge. Always practice under timed conditions on a
computer or take our practice timed
essays for grading. 800score.com has graded thousands of practice
essays since 1999 through our Essay Grading Service.
The Essay Section Guide is based on feedback from our essay graders and
interviews with developers of computerized-essay grading technology. Order the 800score Complete GMAT
Prep Course to access the 60-page Essay
Section Guide.
Ch. 1:
Analytical Writing Basics
- Analysis of Issue: how to tackle it.
- Analysis of Argument: how to identify logical fallacies
commonly used in essay questions, such as the unwarranted
assumption or the fallacy of equivocation.
- How international students should prepare for the essay
section.
- 10 Most Common Errors: In the thousands of essays we have
graded, 10 errors consistently recur.
Ch. 2: How the E-Rater Works
- How the E-Rater Program Works.
- What not to do: Seven common errors writers make with the
E-rater.
Ch. 3: How to Structure Your
Essays
- Pace schedules for both essay types so that you get everything
done on time.
- Templates for both essay types to help structure your
essays.
Ch. 4: How to Write
Effectively
- Basic rules of grammar that you must know.
- How to write effective and concise arguments.
- Writing drills and exercises to test your writing
skills.
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Ch. 5. Answers to
the Real Essay Questions
- See all of the 275 real AWA questions
beforehand.
- Read up to 20 sample answers to actual GMAT essay
questions. Use these to get an idea of how to write your essays.
Ch. 6. Application Essay Writing
Guide
- 50-page guide about writing application essays to MBA
programs. Learn how to write an appealing application essay,
explain your past failures and highlight your career successes.
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Get the
Complete GMAT Prep Course:
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Take sample timed essays and
send them in for grading.
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