The GRE writing section is one that people often forget about – probably because (like me) they’re too focused on preparing for the math section.
The Analyticial Writing Assessment (AWA) is also an important part of the exam! Many schools publish minimum AWA scores that they look for, and regardless of that, you want to do as best as you can on the entire thing.
I use Magoosh GRE to prep for the math and verbal portions, but frankly it doesn’t offer much on the writing section. (Read my full review for Magoosh) The video lessons give you a good overview, but after that its up to you to take the time to write.
I’m going to give you a little run-down on how I’m preparing for the GRE Writing in hopes that it will help you out. If you’ve got any great Writing tips, please share them in the comments or email me and I’ll include them in a follow-up post.
- Overview of AWA & Scoring
- Where to Find Prompts
- How to Practice
- Getting Someone to Check It
- Other Random Writing Tips
Overview
You have to write 2 essays, and you get 30 minutes each.The first essay is an “Issue” essay in which you create a thesis and defend it. Specifically, you have to
- Respond to a general statement
- and/or take a position on a complex topic
The second essay is the “Argument” essay. Here, you have read someone else’s position (on a complex topic) and take-apart their argument. You might have to find its weaknesses or strengths, or just generally analyze what it’s all about.
Essays are scored ranging 0 to 6 in increments of .5
Where to Find Prompts
ETS, the people who make the GRE, actually publishes hundreds of sample writing prompts on their website!The Issue Topic prompts are here and the Argument Topic prompts are hereThese are actual writing prompts that will appear on the test! USE THEM!
How to Practice:
You’ve got the prompts, now comes the hard part: writing.
How much do you want to improve your score: A Lot or A Little?
It might seem like a silly question, but the answer is important. The more you want to improve your score, the more you need to write. I suggest writing every single day. Keep in mind, you don’t only have to write about GRE stuff. You can journal about your day, blog, write a letter, etc.
Of course, the writing does need to be a good exercise. I don’t think, for example, that writing a tweet consisting of 140 characters is really preparing you for the GRE. But if you’re writing a letter to a friend or an essay for class, try and throw in some GRE vocabulary!
If you’re averse to the idea, try this: on Monday, Wednesday and Friday you write SOMETHING for at least 30 minutes. Set a timer. Sit in front of your latop. And Write. Don’t stop until the timer sounds.
Doing this is just to help get you comfortable with writing for an extended period of time. On Tuesday and Thursday, select a random writing prompt from those above and tackle it!
Getting Someone to Check It:
This isn’t as hard as you might think. I posted a status on Facebook asking friends if they’d be willing to help. Many people responded saying they’d be more than happy to check an essay every once in a while. My advice is to pick someone you trust who you know (or at least suspect) is a decent writer.Sometimes I sent the same essay to two people. Sometimes I didn’t actually send it to anyone. Really though, you should! That feedback is invaluable for you – ask them to critique everything. Did it make sense? How was the flow? Any major mechanical errors? Would they make any changes?
Other Random Writing Tips
- Practice Practice Practice
- BRAINSTORM AND OUTLINE
- Do a quick check at the end for any major grammatical and or mechanical errors
- Check out this blog post in the Writing Section – it offers so much great information!
So, I know it’s not much info, but frankly – you don’t need much. All you need to do is look at the GRE Writing sample prompts and start practicing!