Practice is the only key that can unlock your door to achieving good scores in GRE AWA. Even if you have perfect GPAs on your transcripts, scoring well in writing will require GRE AWA preparation with dedication. Although most B-schools are concerned about the quantitative and verbal reasoning scores, the scores for GRE AWA matter a lot, especially in the case of international students whose first language is not English.
If you are looking for some useful tips for the GRE writing section, you have landed in the right place. Fasten your seat belts and hold right till the end as you are about to explore a variety of GRE AWA tips and tricks that will help you excel in the exam!
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How to Prepare for GRE AWA with Study Plan?
If you are wondering how to prepare for GRE AWA, here’s your answer: Firstly, everyone’s preparation needs vary, and no one study plan can suit all. Some may complete the entire GRE prep within 4 weeks, while some take up to 4 months. It also depends on how many hours of the day you dedicate to exam prep and what is your preparation strategy. Here are GRE analytical writing tips to plan your preparation:
- Start by understanding the exam pattern and the essay structure.
- Next, go through a few perfectly scored essays and understand what impresses the graders.
- Practice upto 3-5 essays yourself and see how you can make it better.
- Also, learn to manage your time, as you will get exactly 30 minutes to complete each task.
- For preparing within 2 or fewer months, at least dedicate 2 hours, 2 days every week only for AWA practice.
- You can arrange for books and resources to practice GRE AWA issues as well as arguments.
- Register for online practice tests to familiarise yourself with the exam pattern and timings.
- Focus on brushing your vocabulary skills while preparing for GRE AWA.
- Lastly, stay alert about the day-to-day happenings for which you may read daily newspapers, journals, etc.
Tips on Writing AWA
It is worth mentioning that the best AWA essay is convincing and easy to comprehend, where the ideas have been represented with conviction and solid evidence supporting it. Let’s first take a look at the GRE AWA tips for issue essays:
1. Practice at least 3-5 essays
2. Choose your side before you start writing
3. Be specific while providing examples
4. Follow appropriate GRE AWA format
5. Refute the argument
6. Support your essay with evidence
7. Decide the number of arguments
8. Focus on the use of words
9. Find Motivation During The Process
10. Work on Time Management
Moving on, let us explain all of these tips to you, in detail:
Practice at least 3-5 essays
Pick topics from different areas and time yourself to complete the essay within 30 minutes while also following the appropriate guidelines.
To make your practice even easier, Yocket has recently launched its Yocket Prep wherein you can easily access multiple mock tests, practice tests, and what-not! You can take a 30-minutes FREE diagnostic test, and even get an in-depth section-wise analysis. Exciting right?
Choose your side before you start writing
Neither will you have the time to argue from both sides, nor is it recommended. It is always best to pick one side and justify it through your essay.
Be specific while providing examples
You are expected to provide specific examples relevant to your issue, not general instances that cannot fully justify your stand.
Follow appropriate GRE AWA format
A well-formatted essay will surely fetch you better scores. Also, pay attention to grammar, vocabulary and spelling.
Refute the argument
As you know, the GRE AWA argument essay examines your ability to reason, so you need to hold your stand and not accept the given essay.
Support your essay with evidence
You must go through the given passage carefully, see where the author’s viewpoint is incorrect, and point it out in your essay by justifying it with suitable evidence.
Decide the number of arguments
When you go through the essay, decide the number of arguments you will include in your essay. Ideally, cap it to 3 so there are neither too many nor too few. If you find more than 3 points to argue, go for the most reasonable 3 so that you can keep your essay crisp and clear and complete it within the timeframe.
Focus on the use of words
Vocabulary matters a lot when it comes to an argument, your words must hold power to justify your thoughts completely.
Find Motivation During The Process
Preparing for the GRE AWA will consume most of your attention. While juggling your studies and this preparation, chances are you can get drained easily. It is always better to study or prepare for any exam with a sound mind. Ensure you continue to motivate yourself by understanding your aim or purpose to score well here.
Work on Time Management
Lastly, as you follow all the above-listed tips, working on completing the exam is also important. By conducting mock tests, you're making it easy for you to time each section. You will be able to plan out how much time you can allot for each question. Having this time management can also help you revise your paper one final time before submitting the same.
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Do’s and Don’ts During GRE AWA Preparation
Knowing how to prepare for GRE AWA, it is worth noting the do’s and don’ts during preparation and while writing the essay. Here are the points you should keep in mind to make your essay convincing:
- Prepare a framework of the essay in your mind before you start writing to continue without interruption.
- Make the introduction engaging.
- Try to hold the attention of the reader in the consequent paragraphs through interesting examples.
- Write clear and declarative statements, not something that the reader can misinterpret.
- In your conclusion, mention a few lines that invalidate the opposing views.
- Always write in a professional tone and use third-person speech.
GRE Vocabulary Preparation Tips
Take care of the following don'ts while GRE analytical writing prep so that you don’t mess up on the day of the exam:
- It is recommended not to include first-person speech, unnecessary words or self-reference in your essays.
- Don’t panic while you read an essay but try to read between the lines and comprehend the topic before you start writing.
- Don’t waste time writing something you are not sure about.
- Don’t try to relate a general example to your essay, as it compromises the validity of your argument.
- Most importantly, don’t forget to take frequent breaks and relax.
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With this, we end our discussion on GRE AWA tips and tricks. We hope you got an idea about the GRE AWA test prep and helpful tips for the GRE writing section that will help you go a long way and achieve competent scores. Everything seems to be difficult until it’s done, and although it cannot be said that perfect scores on GRE are a piece of cake with GRE AWA tips, it will definitely help you fetch a decent score enough to get into your dream B-school if you put in the right amount of hard work. You can also take help from our Yocket Consultants through a 15-minutes FREE consultation call, to facilitate your GRE preparation!
Frequently Asked Questions about GRE AWA Preparation
Ques. How difficult is GRE AWA?
Ans. GRE AWA is considered difficult and not comparable to other entrance tests such as SAT, ACT or TOEFL. As the name suggests, GRE AWA focuses on analytical writing skills rather than basic English language skills, making it more challenging than other exams.
Ques. How long does it take to prepare for GRE AWA?
Ans. There is no ideal time for AWA GRE preparation. The more you practice, the better your scores will be. Even before you start practising essay writing, you must go through newspapers, magazines and any source that can provide you with real-world examples to cite in the paper.
Ques. What is the ideal GRE AWA score to get into B-schools abroad?
Ans. A minimum GRE AWA score of 4-4.5 is recommended to get into B-schools abroad.
Ques. How do you get a 6 on GRE AWA?
Ans. There is no mantra to achieving 6 on GRE AWA. It is only possible if you follow complete guidelines, stick to the topic, clearly identify the issue, have a clear idea, use strong words and perfect English language skills with no errors in writing and follow the GRE analytical writing tips and tricks discussed above.
Ques. What is the word limit for the GRE AWA essay?
Ans. Ideally, the GRE AWA essay must be between 400-600 words and divided into 4-5 paragraphs.