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GRE Essay LiveGrader

You've probably heard about the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) essays on the GRE. They're nothing to fear, but you should know that the way they are graded is different from what you're used to.

The best way to prepare for the GRE essay is to write one and have it graded by an expert, using the same guidelines that are used for the real GRE. GRE Essay LiveGrader sm  helps you to do just that.

LiveGrader   sm  is a tool that we've developed to help you prepare for the GRE. All Princeton Review classroom, online, and tutoring students can submit their GRE essays which will then be graded by one of our GRE experts. Not only will our expert grader score your GRE essays, but he or she will also provide personalized feedback that will help you maximize your score on the AWA portion of the GRE.

Frequently Asked Questions about GRE Essay  LiveGrader sm

How is my gre essay graded.

After you submit your GRE essay, one of our expert graders will score it using the same guidelines that are used for the GRE. Essays will be scored holistically, which means that your GRE essay will be judged as a whole, not just on the basis of particular traits.

Who will grade my GRE essay?

A trained and certified Princeton Review expert grader will grade your GRE essay. Our experienced graders know what makes a strong GRE essay; many have graded thousands of essays.

Do I have to write about a specific topic for my GRE essay?

Yes. The essay "prompts" ask you to write on specific topics; one will ask you to analyze an argument, the other will ask you to analyze an issue. Your GRE essay must address the issues presented in the prompts. GRE essays written on any other topic will receive a score of zero.

How are the GRE essays different from the essays I wrote in school?

Unlike many essays you write in school, you'll only have 30 minutes, and you won't be able to use reference materials. Graders won't be expecting perfection; they will be judging your GRE essay for what it is: a first draft. Furthermore, the person grading your GRE essay will only spend 2–3 minutes evaluating your writing.

When I use  LiveGrader sm , will I receive just a score, or will I get comments too?

Your GRE essay will be given a score ranging from 0–6. LiveGrader will also provide you with personalized feedback. Your report will tell you what worked well on your GRE essay and how you can improve it to earn a higher score on the real GRE AWA.

How do I get my score?

We will e–mail your score and personalized feedback within 3–5 days after you submit your GRE essay. You can also access your score on the website, once it has been posted.

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How to Get Your AWA Practice Essays Graded?

Given the sheer number of students who ask me this question about the GRE Analytical Writing essay, I am surprised that there are so few resources that offer such a service. So what do you do when you’re desperate? Well, here are some of my recommended options to consider.

ETS ScoreItNow!

For $20 dollars, the ETS ScoreItNow! Essay Grader  will grade two of your essays . You also get six bonus topics (three for Analyze an Issue and three for Analyze an Argument) that can be submitted for scoring as well. While I have never used the service myself—nor, for that matter known anyone who has—I’m sure the score is pretty accurate. The only downside is that’s all you get—ETS does not provide any feedback on the essays themselves. Nonetheless, if you feel that you are not improving on the essay, then you should definitely consider the service offered by ETS.

For those who don’t necessarily want to part with their money, or who actually want more than just a score, here are a few other options.

Find a friend

I know, I know, this may seem like a cop out answer. But the truth is that having a second pair of eyes, even untrained, can be really beneficial to finding your flaws. First, you need to have a friend with a pretty strong essay writing skills. Next, you need to ask them nicely, or at least offer them a cup of coffee. You should let them know that you only had 30 minutes to write your essay, and so the GRE people aren’t expecting Pulitzer Prize-winning material.

You should also tell them to pay attention to the following: structure, logical flow of ideas, and persuasiveness of examples. They should not be looking for fancy-sound GRE words. At the same time, your writing should be relatively sophisticated and should vary up the sentence structure so it doesn’t sound choppy.

Compare your work

I have a mock essay on our blog. There are a few essays in our product as well. Many test prep books have mock essays out there. Usually these essays cover the spectrum of grades, from a ‘2’ to a ‘6’. (A ‘0’ is essentially passing out and drooling on the keyboard; or typing away in Swahili).

See which essays your essays are similar to in terms of score. Since mock essays usually have an explanation for their respective scores, you should see if your essay is lacking in similar ways.

The kindness of strangers

Urch.com is a popular GRE forum , which thousands of GRE aspirants visit each day. If you post your essay and ask for some feedback, someone may provide some (I’ve seen this happen before). While this someone may not be an expert, often a second pair of eyes can be helpful.

Other resources

One way to check your writing is to cut and paste the text into a Word doc. Are there many green lines (Word’s only slightly intrusive way of indicating that something may be grammatically awry)? By going into ‘Tools’ on the menu bar, you can get an explanation for what is wrong with your sentence.

Of course such analysis will tell you nothing of structure or logical flow of your ideas. Still, knowing that your grammar and spelling are not up to snuff can help you work to improve your score by as much as a point.

Though getting feedback on your AWA essays may be tough, don’t lose heart. Most likely one (if not more!) of the resources above will pan out. And don’t forget: nothing makes you a better writer than practice, feedback, practice, feedback.

Chris graduated from UCLA with a BA in Psychology and has 20 years of experience in the test prep industry. He’s been quoted as a subject expert in many publications, including US News , GMAC , and Business Because .

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57 responses to “How to Get Your AWA Practice Essays Graded?”

Hi! I’m a customer and bought a premium account, but, unfortunately, your system does not rate paid customers’ essays. You should write about it

As a Premium student, remember that you can always reach out to us at [email protected] with questions or feedback 🙂

I’m not sure I understand what you’d like us to write about. We aren’t able to grade student essays, as we discuss in the FAQs on our plans page , but we provide you with knowledge and resources to be able to write a strong essay and evaluate your own work. Please let me know if I can answer any more questions about this 🙂

https://www.mbacrystalball.com/gre/gre-essay-grader Is this reliable?

wonderful article chris! i came across http://www.awaprofessor.com , and they evaluate AWA essays with both an expert human rater and a computer rater.

have you tried them before? any feedback on them?

Unfortunately, we do not have much experience with this site and it doesn’t seem like we can play around with it to learn too much more.

thanks for the reply magoosh! just to share, i submitted an essay to them and the feedback was really useful for me. there was even a 3-page section teaching me the secrets of official essay graders. Best of all. it took them less than a day to give me the feedback so if you who need your essays rated quickly, this is a great resource!

who exactly did you submit an essay to for this feedback? the service in the blog said they give scores only. Can you please clarify? I really need to improve my essays. thanks!

I believe the student submitted the essay to AWAProfessor. I used their service and found the essay report very beneficial.

I used them and I scored 6.0 for my AWA so I am very happy!

Hi as a GRE premium user can you please let me join the Magoosh GRE page on facebook. Thanks

Just email us at [email protected] and one of our team who has access to the Facebook group will be able to help! 🙂

Can anyone tell me that the ScoreItNow grades for AWA are nearly same as the actual GRE AWA score? Do anyone have any experience with that?

I am a premium user and I have requested to join the MAGOOSH GRE facebook group to find an essay evaluation buddy. I found the group via the link that Rachel has provided. Please accept me in the group. Thanks

Just accepted you!

All best, Jessica

Has anyone tried submitting essays on test big?

I bought cracking the gre (by the princeton review), it comes with 4 online practice exams. They grade your essays and provide general feedback on each. I was also told that Kaplan does the same with theirs as long as you email your essay to [email protected] .

Did you buy just the book and they grade your essays?

There are two different books in Amazon, which one did you buy?

1. Cracking the GRE with 4 Practice Tests 2. Cracking the GRE Premium Edition with 6 Practice Tests

Thanks a lot,

Hi Neil, Hopefully, this is not too late. But, I bought the Premium Edition with 6 practice tests. They had my essays graded and updated the score in my Princeton Review online profile.

Thank you Sudha. Never is too late. I am going to try.

@Dion, do we need to buy any course material for kaplan to grade our essay or is it free, please reply ASAP.

I have one doubt regarding AWA evaluation.

Does Manhattan 6 practice test that we can avail by purchasing one of the strategy guides evaluate our AWA section and give feed-backs?

Unfortunately, Manhattan does not give any feedback/evaluation on AWA. Luckily, you do have some options:

https://magoosh.com/gre/2013/how-to-get-your-awa-practice-essays-graded/

Hopefully, that helps 🙂

I found this tool called findscore ( http://www.findscore.com ) that evaluates AWA. It doesn’t really help in evaluating the structure of my essay. I have been following your blogs on AWA, so i don’t need much help from structure standpoint. I want to know if there are syntax errors in my essays. Is findscore reliable?.

I played around with Findscore a little just now—but not enough so I myself can give a reliable estimate of its value. It seems good. I basically wrote a pretty terrible ‘3’ level essay, and it gave me a ‘3’.

My only reservation is that the prompts are not taken from ETS. I only wrote on one prompt but it didn’t seem to be up to standard. That said, I’ll have to experiment with it a little more. But thanks for letting me know of this service 🙂

I doubt its credibility. I wrote an average argument task and obtained a score of 5. I had timed myself and could only write 305 words in the time frame. It had this interesting feature though , it gives a count of the organization phrases . I my case it was : Organization phrases count: 8 finally… final… perhaps… maybe… so that… however… but… even if…

I wonder how grades are impacted by the Organization phrases ?

I used the ScoreItNow feature and found no matter what I did, I got the same score … consistently. On test day I produced a lower scored essay. That being said, I really still don’t know what is required other than an introduction, content paragraphs containing examples, and a conclusion. Honestly, I probably could have made the essay longer, but I’m used to being concise, accurate and clear. I only gave 2 examples, so maybe that’s another issue.

Interestingly, I found a few people who reported that after requesting a rescore, they actually went down in score, whereas as one did go up a whole point. Most people generally kept their original score. I wish they would at least tell you what writing points you missed.

BTW, my verbal was 163 (91%), while my AW was 3.5 (34%). I have always had As in all my writing classes, so I should at least be average.

That’s the thing with ScoreitNow–you don’t receive any feedback on how to improve your writing, or at least make it more consistent with what the graders expect. Based on what you say, I’m guessing the essay was a little on the short side. Also, some students tend just to include vague examples without really showing how they relate to the thesis . Most of these essays are also too one-sided; the GRE rewards those essays that are able to take a position somewhere in the middle, and to articulate why they’ve taken such a position.

Have you checked out the other AWA posts on the Magoosh blog? They give you a better sense of what the graders are looking for. Manhattan GRE also gives a detailed breakdown of the essay.

And I’ve seen students go from the 3.5 range to 5.0. Given your strong verbal ability, I’m guessing you’ll fall into this group.

Best of luck!

I used the ScoreItNow service yesterday for a practice exam.

It’s actually pretty useful- it highlights all problem areas in your essay (runons, missing commas, transitions), as measured by their magic algorithms.

Plus you get an additional Analytical/argument areas graded for free, after you complete your first set, so 2 sets in total

That does sound helpful! At least from a syntax standpoint students will get a lot of help. Still, in terms of the structure of the essay, the validity and presentation of the examples/logic, it doesn’t look like ScoreItNow can help that much. Or maybe they are working on such an algorithm.

Hi, the web site http://www.gmatawa.com claims to do free evaluation of the essay, and interestingly, it throws up the score instantly once the essay is pasted. Is this web site reliable?

So I played around with the site a little, trying to figure out their algorithm. Don’t know how accurately it mirrors the GMAT’s own algorithm, but it seemed pretty easy to get top marks just by using the usual transitional words, paragraph formatting, and semi-complex sentence structure.

One area where the grader didn’t like me was in the “coherency” department. Apparently, I scored only 2 out of 5. As someone who sees all levels of coherence in student’s writing–from about 2 all the way up to 5–I don’t think my writing merits such a low score for “coherency” (I don’t think anyone would read my blog posts otherwise :)). Basically, the algorithm just isn’t that accurate–so I’d take its ratings with a grain of salt. Also, the site has a spell-checker, which I think is a little suspect :).

Hi everyone,i found one essay grader,Fatema ,she helps in essay grading and writing. This is her link on fb. https://www.facebook.com/FatemahnCompany/posts/563127833746357

Hmm…I’m not sure if she specifically targets GRE. It looks like she is a generalist–which isn’t a bad thing. However, without seeing any of her work, I can’t really recommend her.

If anyone has used her services and has something good to say, let me know :)!

Thanks for your reply 🙂 i understand ,but is there a difference between grading or editing GRE essay from other writings!i mean even if it is a bit different ,it will be easier even for a generalist to grade our essays,thats what i think leme know.

Anyways i checked her profile on elance https://www.elance.com/s/fatemahmirza/job-history/?t=1 seems like people like her work ,maybe that link will give you some insights on her abilities.

Umm…somewhat. I think there are some quirks to the GRE essay that an editor would have to be familiar with to give an accurate assessment of your essay and to help you improve. It sounds like she is a stellar editor. Just make sure she is familiar with the GRE essay format. Good luck :)!

hi Margarette,

How about twitter? 🙁 I dont have a facebook account.

Hi, Adesewa

Unfortunately, for Twitter we only have the GRE account: http://twitter.com/magooshgre , which isn’t really the same as the Magoosh student Facebook group :(. I’d recommend having some friends or family members read over your essays if you want a second set of eyes checking them!

Best, Margarette

Hi, I’d like to join the Magoosh group in Facebook . Thank you 🙂

Sure! 🙂 Same thing as Suryateja, just shoot an e-mail to [email protected] with your Magoosh username and we can send you the link.

Hello,I have sent a request to that group.Did not know about the existence of the group till now ! Would really appreciate it if you would accept my request.Thank you !

Hi Bidisha,

If you have sent a request, you should get a response soon! I expect after the weekend. 🙂

Hi Margarette

Even I am a premium user .I would love to partner for essay evaluation and grading. Can you please send me an invite for the group?

Thanks in advance 🙂 Suryateja

Hi, Suryateja

Sure! Can you email [email protected] with your username? I’ll send you the link once I can confirm you’re in our system. Thanks! 🙂

Chris, Thanks a lot for your invaluable suggestion in getting the feedback after writing an AWA essay. I have gone through your previous blogs which are on writing essay for an issue prompt and argument prompt. They are very helpful. I found your video lessons on the same as very practical and many tips from these lessons can be put to practice.

After reading the current blog, i thought of why not look for a GRE PREP friend among the blog readers who is eager to partner with me in doing a complementary review of the essays we write and provide feedback in accordance with the evaluation criteria published from ETS. I plan to appear the test in coming 2 months. Thanks

That’s a great idea! 🙂 I also noticed you’re a Premium Magoosh member– we have a Facebook group for our Premium GRE members that I just e-mailed you an invitation to. I’d recommend posting there as well to see if any other Magoosh students would be interested in partnering up for essay grading.

Even I am a premium user .I would love to partner for essay evaluation and grading. Can you please send me an invite for the group? 🙂

Thanks in advance Nishtha

Hi, Nishtha

Sure, just sent you an e-mail! 🙂

Hi I am a premium member and would also like the link if possible. Thanks in advance

You can find the link in the comments below. 🙂

Best, Rachel

Can you please send me an invite for AWA premum group?

Hi, Neha! If you’re a Magoosh GRE Premium student, you can email us at [email protected] and request the link to the private Magoosh GRE student FB group, where you can post about your essays. I hope that helps! 🙂

There is a Facebook group for premium members?

Hi, Courtney

Yep! I just sent you an e-mail with the link :).

I am a premium member and would also like the link if possible. Thanks in advance!

Hi Michelle,

You can request to join the group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/303992149648322/ . 🙂

Hello Margarette,

Can you please send me a invite to that group ?

I am a premium user. 🙂

Hey Siddharth! You can request to join the group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/303992149648322/ . 🙂

ScoreItNow! ™ Online Writing Practice Service for the GRE ® General Test

ScoreItNow! ™ Online Writing Practice is designed to help you practice for the Analytical Writing section of the GRE ® General Test administered beginning on September 22, 2023. Using ETS's e-rater ® technology, the automated scoring system provides immediate essay scoring in a confidential, risk-free environment.

This service lets you:

• Respond to GRE Analytical Writing topics created and tested by ETS test authors.
• Submit your responses online and get immediate scores on your responses from ETS's e-rater automated scoring system.
• Review scored sample essay responses on the topics you select.
• Review general suggestions for improving your writing skills.
• Receive diagnostic feedback on your responses.

The fee for the ScoreItNow! Online Writing Practice service is US$20, which entitles you to write essay responses on two GRE Analytical Writing topics and receive an e-rater score for each.

In addition, after you have submitted the two essay responses for scoring, you will have the option to write and submit essay responses on six FREE bonus Analytical Writing topics for more practice. You will receive a score on each essay response that you submit on these bonus topics.

NOTE: Although performance on ScoreItNow! essay topics is not an exact predictor of how you might perform on the GRE Analytical Writing measure during an actual GRE General Test administration, you are encouraged to write the ScoreItNow! essay responses under timed conditions to get a better sense of how you might perform on the actual test.

Using ScoreItNow! Online Writing Practice is easy

• Sign-up to use the service.
• Preview the GRE Analytical Writing task and topics.
• Review the GRE Analytical Writing scoring guides, sample topics and score level descriptions.
• Choose the Practice Option to compose your essay responses offline under untimed conditions, or the Test Experience Option to compose your responses online under timed conditions.
• Submit your essay responses for immediate scoring.

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Purchase the ScoreItNow! Online Writing Practice service for US$20. The service allows you to write and receive scores for two essay responses.

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PrepScholar GRE Prep

Gre prep online guides and tips, 4 top-scoring gre sample essays, analyzed (issue + argument).

The best way to figure out how to get a high Analytical Writing score is to look at a GRE essay sample, but doing so without any guidance can be overwhelming. How do you show insight? Do typos affect your score? What’s a good way to keep your essay organized?

We’ll answer all these questions for you (and more!) in this article by analyzing four real GRE essay examples and highlighting the key features you’ll want to include in your own essays.

How to Use This Guide

Before we get to the GRE sample essays and their analyses, I’ll highlight two best ways to use this guide to improve your essay and get a great scoring essay yourself.

First, use the perfect-scoring sample GRE essays in this guide as models of possible ways to accomplish the essay tasks . By this, I don’t mean you should plagiarize entire sentences, paragraphs, or essays – that’s both wrong and against GRE code of conduct (it will disqualify your entire test if discovered). Plus, there are so many prompts (152 Issue prompts and 176 Argument ones) that it’s unlikely you’d be able to use any of these exact essays anyway.

What you can and should do is incorporate the features highlighted in the analyses below in your own essays. For instance, if you’ve been struggling with how to logically connect ideas within paragraphs in your own essays, take a look of some of the examples of logical connection I point out in this article and see how they fit within the context of the full essay. You can then practice replicating successful connections between ideas in your own practice essays.

The other main way to use this guide is in conjunction with the essay grading rubrics to help ferret out your writing weaknesses and work on them. Start with the rubrics for the Issue and Argument tasks and identify which criteria are most difficult for you to meet. Even if you can’t articulate precisely what your weakest spot is (e.g. failing to logically connect your ideas within paragraphs), you can at least narrow down the general rubric area you most struggle with (e.g. organization in general).

Once you’ve identified the general area you have the most trouble with, read the GRE essay examples and our analyses in this article to find concrete instances (rather than the abstract descriptions) of the rubric criteria. For more information about the different rubrics for the different essay tasks, read our articles on how to write perfect-scoring GRE Issue and Argument essays .

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Because this article is on the longer side, we’ve created a table of contents to enable you to jump to a specific essay example or task type:

Table of Contents: GRE Essay Examples 

Issue essay 1: technology and human ingenuity, issue essay 2: cooperation vs. competition, argument essay 1: mason city riverside recreation, argument essay 2: super screen movie advertising.

The first of the GRE sample essays we’ll be looking at is written in response to the following “Analyze an Issue” prompt:

As people rely more and more on technology to solve problems, the ability of humans to think for themselves will surely deteriorate.

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position.

The essay written on this Issue prompt takes the position that rather than hindering our abilities to think for themselves, technology will spur humanity on to achieve ever-greater things. The full text of this GRE essay sample can be found on the ETS website .

In this analysis, I’ll go over the different ways in which this essay meets the GRE essay rubric criteria for a perfect scoring Issue essay . The first of these rubric criteria I’ll be discussing is the way the author takes a clear and insightful stance on the issue in the essay.

The author’s position that instead of fearing new technology, we should embrace its possibilities is methodically articulated over the course of the entire essay, culminating in the essay’s conclusion with a full thesis statement (“There is no need to retreat to a Luddite attitude to new things, but rather embrace a hopeful posture to the possibilities that technology provides for new avenues of human imagination.”). Below is an outline of how the author expresses her thesis throughout the essay:

• Paragraph 1 : The author acknowledges “technology has revolutionized the world.”
• Paragraph 2 : The author explains the reasoning behind the statement in the prompt (“The assumption is that an increased reliance on technology negates the need for people to think creatively to solve previous quandaries”).
• Paragraph 3 : The author counters the reasoning she discussed in paragraph 2, writing that “reliance on technology does not necessarily preclude the creativity that marks the human species.”
• Paragraph 4 : The author advances her counterclaim one step further, stating that “technology frees the human imagination.”
• Paragraph 5 : The author further develops the idea from Paragraph 4, stating “By increasing our reliance on technology, impossible goals can now be achieved.”
• Paragraph 6 : This final paragraph concludes the essay with a fully articulated thesis that also sums up what went before: “There is no need to retreat to a Luddite attitude to new things, but rather embrace a hopeful posture to the possibilities that technology provides for new avenues of human imagination.”

The author’s straightforward explanations of her thinking and logic enhance the clarity of her position, while the nuanced content of the position itself demonstrates insight into the issue.

The next area a perfect-scoring Issue essay must demonstrate mastery of is the development of its position through compelling and persuasive examples and reasoning . The author of this essay accomplishes this task by providing examples to support each idea she discusses and, furthermore, explaining not only the content of the examples but also why the examples support her position.

Here’s an example from paragraph 5:

By increasing our reliance on technology, impossible goals can now be achieved. Consider how the late 20th century witnessed the complete elimination of smallpox. This disease had ravaged the human race since prehistorical days, and yet with the technology of vaccines, free thinking humans dared to imagine a world free of smallpox. Using technology, battle plans were drawn out, and smallpox was systematically targeted and eradicated.

In this example, the author begins by laying out the main idea to be discussed (impossible things can be achieved by relying more on technology). She then supports this idea with the example of the impossible problem of smallpox and the steps taken that led to its eradication.

The great thing about the way the author explains her reasoning and examples is the concision and precision with which she gets her information across. Rather than going off into a discussion about the damage caused by smallpox, or staying too vague by mentioning how “diseases” had been solved by the use of vaccines, the author chooses a specific example (smallpox) and mentions only the details relevant to proving her point . This kind of precise writing takes practice, but being able to effectively sum up an example and why it supports your position in just a couple of sentences is essential if you want to get a high score on the GRE Issue essay.

Focus, organization, and logical connections are the third criterion that a perfect-scoring essay needs to fulfill. In the case of this GRE essay sample, the author achieves this organization and focus by linking ideas both within paragraphs (as seen in the previous example) as well as between paragraphs . Let’s look at the way the author transitions between the end of paragraph four and the beginning of paragraph five:

The unlikely marriage of economics and medicine has healed tense, hyperinflation environments from South America to Eastern Europe.

This last example provides the most hope in how technology actually provides hope to the future of humanity. By increasing our reliance on technology, impossible goals can now be achieved.

The author connects the two paragraphs by continuing paragraph four’s discussion of ways human imagination has been pushed by technology (technology combining economics and medicine has solved a problem) with paragraph five’s exploration of how this example has led to achieving things previously considered impossible. The smoothness of the transition between the two paragraphs is effected both by presenting the content of the next paragraph as a logical progression from what was just discussed as well as by using language (“this last example”) that connects the two on a more superficial level.

By keeping paragraphs tightly linked on both the surface level of sentence structures as well as on the deeper level of content being discussed , the author of this essay also keeps her writing focused and cohesive.

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The last quality a perfect-scoring essay must demonstrate is precision of language and flow in writing . The author of this GRE Analytical Writing sample fulfills this requirement by using language to precisely and economically convey meaning throughout her essay. Here’s one example of precise and effective use of language in the essay:

This disease had ravaged the human race since prehistorical days, and yet with the technology of vaccines, free thinking humans dared to imagine a world free of smallpox.

In this excerpt, the author uses the evocative word “ravaged” to show the dire extent of the problem solved by technology, reinforcing that the issue was previously considered impossible to cope with. She also uses the phrase “humans dared to imagine” in this sentence, which ties the example being discussed back to the previous paragraph’s discussion of human imagination.

While there are a couple of minor errors in this excerpt (“prehistorical” should be “prehistoric,” “free thinking” should be “free-thinking”), they do not significantly change the meaning of the author’s words and so do not detract from the overall effectiveness of the author’s language.

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The second of the GRE Issue essay samples I’ll be analyzing is written in response to the following prompt about the values of cooperation vs. competition:

“The best way for a society to prepare its young people for leadership in government, industry, or other fields is by instilling in them a sense of cooperation, not competition.”

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim. In developing and supporting your position, be sure to address the most compelling reasons or examples that could be used to challenge your position.

The sample Issue essay written in response to this topic takes the stance that cooperation, not competition, is a preferable value to instill in young people in preparation for government. You can read the full essay on page 108 of this PDF . Read on for a discussion of the different ways in which this essay meets the requirements for a perfect score.

As with the previous GRE essay sample, we’ll start by looking at how this essay meets the perfect-scoring essay criteria of stating a clear and insightful position (as required by the essay task). The author fulfills the first part of the criteria with his clear statement of his thesis in the last line of the very first paragraph:

I would have to agree that the best way to prepare young people for leadership roles is to instill in them a sense of cooperation.

He reiterates this clear position with the last two sentences of his conclusion:

Getting to be President of the United States or the managing director of a corporation might require you to win some battles, but once you are there you will need diplomacy and people-skills. Those can be difficult to learn, but if you do not have them, you are likely to be a short-lived leader.

To achieve a perfect Issue essay score, however, it’s not just enough to be clear in your position; your position must also demonstrate insight into the issue . The author of this essay accomplishes this second part by choosing a two-pronged approach to answering the essay question. Rather than merely explaining how cooperativeness leads to positive outcomes in government, industry, and other fields, the author also explains how competitiveness leads to negative outcomes.

Thus, the author makes his position clear by stating it in the opening and closing paragraphs of the essay and shows insight by taking the more complex position that not only is cooperation good, but competition is bad.

The next of the rubric criteria we’ll discuss has to do with how well the author develops his position with examples and reasoning . A great example of this development can be found in the second paragraph of this essay, which discusses the drawbacks of competition.

The author begins his discussion of competitiveness by arguing that it’s a quality that doesn’t need to be “instilled” because it’s already present. Beginning with general reasoning about human behaviors at school and the office to introduce his point, the author then neatly segues into specific examples of competitiveness gone amok (Hitler in Germany and the recent economic meltdown in America).

With each example presented in the essay, the author pushes his position along a little further. He moves from discussing the most extreme historical cases (genocide) to more recent events (economic recession), concluding by focusing in on one person’s life and career (Tiger Woods). This final example allows the author to reach his final destination in his discussion of competitiveness: yes, competition can serve people well up to a certain point, but the price is that it is also “detrimental and ultimately quite destructive.”

The third way this essay meets the requirements of a perfect-scoring essay is through the logical connection of ideas within and between paragraphs . The transition between the end of paragraph two and the beginning of paragraph three provides a stellar example of this skillful connecting of ideas:

It [competitiveness] served him well in some respects, but it also proved to be detrimental and ultimately quite destructive.

Leaders who value cooperation, on the other ahnd, have historically been less prone to these overreaching, destructive tendencies.

On the face of it, the author only connects the two paragraphs by using a transition phrase (“on the other hand”) that sets up the next paragraph as contrasting with what came before. While this kind of transition would be good enough for a lower-scoring essay, though, the author does not just leave the connection between the two paragraphs at that. Instead, he also connects the two paragraphs by keeping the focus on the same issue from the end of one paragraph to the beginning of the next.

The content-level transition between paragraphs occurs when the author transitions from discussing the “detrimental and ultimately quite destructive” competitiveness of Tiger Woods directly into claiming that cooperation-valuing leaders are “less prone to these overreaching, destructive tendencies.” This twofold linkage of content (deeper level) and transition phrase (more surface level) makes it clear to the reader that the discussion of leaders valuing cooperation follows logically the discussion of negative outcomes for competition-valuing leaders.

The final 6-level quality demonstrated by this GRE Writing sample is its use of skillful and precise language to convey specific meaning . Overall, the language in this essay is formal and academic , despite the profligate use of first person point of view by the author (which can make writing seem less formal). The following sentence exemplifies the author’s command of language:

The recent economic meltdown was caused in no large part by the leaders of American banks and financial institutions who were obsessed with competing for the almighty dollar.

Despite the minor error in this sentence (it should read “in no small part,” rather than “in no large part,”), the author’s meaning is absolutely clear: competition led to the meltdown. Strong vocabulary choices like “economic meltdown,” “obsessed,” “almighty dollar” are what make this an effective statement of the author’s position. Compare the above excerpt to a more milquetoast version of the same statement:

The recent economic downturn was mostly caused by financial leaders who wanted to earn lots of money.

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This second sentence has the same basic meaning as the real excerpt from the essay. Because it doesn’t use particularly precise or compelling language, however, this watered-down version ends up minimizing the magnitude of problems caused by competitiveness (which undercuts the author’s point). This vaguer version of the essay excerpt also lacks the word “competing,” which makes it useless as an instance of competition among leaders leading to negative consequences.

The original excerpt from the essay, and indeed the entire GRE essay example, is so strong precisely because it manages to pack in specific relevant language that adds to, rather than detracts from, the author’s meaning.

The next essay I’ll be analyzing is written in response to the following “Analyze an Argument” prompt:

In surveys Mason City residents rank water sports (swimming, boating and fishing) among their favorite recreational activities. The Mason River flowing through the city is rarely used for these pursuits, however, and the city park department devotes little of its budget to maintaining riverside recreational facilities. For years there have been complaints from residents about the quality of the river’s water and the river’s smell. In response, the state has recently announced plans to clean up Mason River. Use of the river for water sports is therefore sure to increase. The city government should for that reason devote more money in this year’s budget to riverside recreational facilities.

Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on the assumptions and what the implications are if the assumptions prove unwarranted.

The GRE Argument essay sample I’ll be analyzing critiques the numerous assumptions made and ultimately concludes that the argument for spending more money on Mason City’s riverside recreational facilities rests on faulty assumptions.

The full text of this essay can be found on the ETS website . Be sure to read through the essay first before coming back to read my analysis of it. We’ll start by looking at the ways in which this GRE essay sample identifies and examines the argument given in the prompt in an insightful way:

There are three key assumptions made by the argument that are identified in the essay:

#1 : The survey results are valid and representative

#2 : The reason Mason River isn’t used is because of odor and pollution

#3 : Cleaning the pollution in the river will get rid of the odor and then lead to more usage by residents

The Argument essay example we’re looking at examines each of the assumptions by considering the implications if the assumptions made by the article turn out not to be true . Here’s part of the essay’s investigation of the second assumption listed above:

Though there have been complaints, we do not know if there have been numerous complaints from a wide range of people, or perhaps from one or two individuals who made numerous complaints.

The author identifies the assumption that complaints indicate many people want to use the river and examines it by reasoning through possible scenarios other than the one presented in the prompt. The insight comes from the fact that the specific possibilities discussed by the author are highly plausible alternative explanations for the facts that would change the validity of the prompt’s assumption. It’s very possible that the complaints were not made by every single resident, or even a majority of residents, as the prompt seems to assume, but were in fact only made by a few people.

As a result of her analysis, the author ultimately concludes that there is insufficient information to support the assumption that Mason River isn’t used due to its odor and pollution.

The next way the author of this sample GRE essay fulfills the requirements of a perfect-scoring Argument essay is by providing comprehensive support for each of her main points . Throughout the essay, the author is able to explain exactly why each assumption made is problematic by using examples that precisely illustrate her argument.

Consider how this is approached in the second paragraph of the essay. The author starts the paragraph by presenting the assumption made in the essay argument that the survey results can be relied upon. She then proceeds to decimate that assumption with multiple examples of ways in which the survey could be flawed and not be an accurate representation of the residents’ opinions, as can be seen in the following excerpt:

For example, the survey could have asked residents if they prefer using the river for water sports or would like to see a hydroelectric dam built, which may have swayed residents toward river sports. The sample may not have been representative of city residents, asking only those residents who live upon the river. The survey may have been 10 pages long, with 2 questions dedicated to river sports. We just do not know.

The thoroughness of the author’s support for her point is magnified by the specificity of the scenarios she proposes . Stating “the survey might not have been representative of the city residents” would have been far less compelling a point than stating “[t]he sample may not have been representative of city residents, asking only those residents who live upon the river.”

Another important ideal a perfect-scoring Argument essay must live up to is being organized logically, with clear transitions between ideas . The author of this GRE essay sample is able to meet the first part of this requirement with a simple five-paragraph organizational structure : an introduction, one paragraph for each assumption discussed, and a conclusion.

Accomplishing the logical connection and development of ideas throughout the essay requires a little bit more finesse, but the author still manages it. Here’s an example from the beginning of the third paragraph of a skillful transition:

Additionally, the author implies that residents do not use the river for swimming, boating, and fishing, despite their professed interest, because the water is polluted and smelly.

In the above example, the author uses the transition word “additionally” to connect the ideas that will follow with what went before. The example also references the previous paragraph’s discussion of the unreliability of the survey of residents (“their professed interest”) and links it to the current discussion of pollution and smell being the cause of low participation in riverside recreational activities. The combination of these two methods of connecting the two paragraphs results in a smooth logical flow from one idea to the next.

Lastly, a perfect-scoring Argument essay must be precise and effective in its discussion of ideas, with few if any errors . The author of this essay successfully meets this standard by using purposeful language to efficiently and clearly get her point across, as can be seen in this example from paragraph three:

While a polluted, smelly river would likely cut down on river sports, a concrete connection between the resident’s lack of river use and the river’s current state is not effectively made.

The author contrasts the prompt’s assumption (“a polluted, smelly river would likely cut down on river sports”) with the “concrete connection” that is not present. The essay as a whole is not completely devoid of errors (for example, the author writes “afffected” instead of “affected”), but the errors are few and do not have a negative impact on the clarity of the writing.

The last of the GRE essay examples I’ll be analyzing at is written in response to this “Analyze an Argument” prompt:

The following is taken from a memo from the advertising director of the Super Screen Movie Production Company.

“According to a recent report from our marketing department, during the past year, fewer people attended Super Screen-produced movies than in any other year. And yet the percentage of positive reviews by movie reviewers about specific Super Screen movies actually increased during the past year. Clearly, the contents of these reviews are not reaching enough of our prospective viewers. Thus, the problem lies not with the quality of our movies but with the public’s lack of awareness that movies of good quality are available. Super Screen should therefore allocate a greater share of its budget next year to reaching the public through advertising.”

Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered in order to decide whether the recommendation and the argument on which it is based are reasonable. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the recommendation.

The essay written in response to this “Analyze an Argument” prompt raises and evaluates questions about how many viewers and reviews of Super Screen productions there actually were, if there is a strong relationship between how movie reviewers and general audiences react to movies, and whether or not the percentage of positive reviews about a movie reflects how much of an impact reviews have on audiences.

The full text of this GRE essay sample can be found on p. 112 of this PDF . Read through the essay first, then check below for an analysis of its positive (and negative) qualities.

The first aspect of the essay we’ll analyze is how it succeeds in identifying and examining the parts of the argument that are relevant to the task . In the essay’s introduction, the author mentions that there are questions that need to be asked (“Before this plan is implemented, however, Super Screen needs to address some questions about its possible flaws”), but he really hammers it home in the conclusion by specifying which questions need to be answered:

In conclusion, there are many questions Super Screen needs to answer before using this advertising director’s plan. They need to look carefully at actual numbers, both of viewership and of positive reviews. The also need to identify the relationship that their target audience has with movie reviewers and determine how their target audience feels about their movies. Fianlly they need to take a nuanced look at the movie reviews that they use in their advertising.

With this conclusion, the author hits the three main points that need to be considered before agreeing to the advertising director’s plan : viewer and review numbers, audience reactions to reviews, and whether or not reviews are a useful metric by which to measure movie success.

An instance of the author identifying a particular argument can be found in the third paragraph of this GRE essay sample. The paragraph starts by clearly stating the question that needs to be answered (what the number of positive reviews was and how it compared to past reviews). After this initial identification of the question, the author also explains how answering this question would have an impact on the usefulness of the recommendation: if the increase in positive reviews was from 1% to 2%, allocating more money to advertising to emphasize this fact is likely to have less impact than if the money were instead budgeted towards improving film quality.

Another quality all perfect-scoring Argument essays must contain is strong and thorough support for each point discussed . The author of the GRE essay sample we’re analyzing fulfills this requirement, supporting every question she raises about the argument in the prompt by showing how its answer would affect the recommendation.

A good example of this all coming together happens in paragraph five of the essay:

Finally the studio must ask whether the percentage of positive reviews is really a relevant way to measure the potential impact of movie reviews. There are dozens of movie reviewers but when deciding whether to not to go to a movie, the general public will usually pick from among the 10 most popular movie reviews. These are the reviews that will impress the public if they are included in advertising. If the most popular movie reviewers disliked Super Screen movies that a larger number of small time film bloggers reviewed positively, Super Screen needs to think of a new advertising strategy.

In this paragraph, the author opens by identifying the element of argument to be discussed (are positive reviews a useful way to measure the impact of movie reviews in general?). She then develops this point through reasoning about why the answer to this question might contradict the assumption made in the argument (people mostly use popular reviews to decide on what movies to see, rather than the ratio of popular to negative reviews).

The author ends this paragraph by conclusively showing that the answer to the question raised in this paragraph is crucial for determining whether or not Super Screen should follow the advertising director’s plan: if the percent of positive reviews isn’t a good way to measure movie impact and the real issue is that relatively few popular movie reviewers liked Super Screen movies, then the recommendation of the advertising department is unreasonable.

The third requirement for a perfect-scoring Argument essay is that it must develop and connect ideas in a clear and logical fashion. The organization of this GRE argument essay sample helps accomplish this by routing the author’s thoughts into an introduction, four body paragraphs, and a conclusion . Each body paragraph of the essay is centered around one or two related questions. A good example of this can be found in paragraph four, which contains two related questions about the relationship between audiences and movie reviewers:

Finally, Super Screen needs to ask what the relationship is between its viewers and the movie reviewers cited in the memo. Using a survey distributed to its target audience, Super Screen could determine if movie reviews have an effect on their audience’s decision to go see a movie, whether movie reviewers tended to have the same taste as the target audience and exactly whether or not movie reviews are reaching the audience. Super Screen also needs to consider how its movie choices have affected the separate movie reviewer and audience populations. If the studio has switched from making mega- blockbuster action movies to more nuanced dramas, the general public may be less willing to go see their movies even though movie critics prefer the dramas to the action movies.

The above paragraph starts out by discussing if Super Screen’s target audiences are affected by reviews and whether their audiences and movie reviewers have the same taste, then segues into discussing if the studio’s film-making choices have affected audiences and movie reviews. The transition between the two different questions being discussed is effected by the simple use of the word “also” in the third sentence of the paragraph:

Super Screen also needs to consider how its movie choices have affected the separate movie reviewer and audience populations. [bolded for emphasis]

The last sentence of the paragraph again links back to the discussion of audience taste vs. reviewer taste, reinforcing the close and logical connection between the two questions discussed in the paragraph.

Finally, a perfect-scoring Argument essay must employ varied and precise language, with few errors . Earlier, we discussed paragraph four as a particularly strong example of the author’s effective development of ideas. The last sentence of this paragraph contributes to this efficacy through the use of specific language :

“If the studio has switched from making mega-blockbuster action movies to more nuanced dramas, the general public may be less willing to go see their movies even though movie critics prefer the dramas to the action movies.”

The use of the descriptor “mega-blockbuster” to describe the action movies preferred by the masses effectively conjures up something that is the diametric opposite of a “nuanced drama.” In addition, the author’s contrasting of the “mega-blockbuster action movies” with “more nuanced dramas” parallels the second half of the sentence’s contrasting of the preferences of the general public vs. those of the (possibly) more refined movie reviewer.

There are a few minor spelling errors (e.g. in “attendence” instead of “attendance”), and the last two body paragraphs both start with “finally” (which is a little repetitive), but in general, this is a skillfully written essay. It’s not perfectly polished like an essay you’d turn in for school, but that’s absolutely OK. In the grand scheme of the GRE essay scoring rubric, writing flourishes matter much less than clarity of thought and precision of language.

6 Tips for a Perfect-Scoring GRE Essay

To wrap up this article, I’ll go over some of the key points you should take from the four GRE sample essays I analyzed in this article.

#1: Include an Introduction and a Conclusion

One thing that all these perfect-scoring GRE sample essays had in common was an introduction and a conclusion . It doesn’t have to be a full paragraph, but you need to at the very least introduce your ideas at the beginning of your essay and wrap up your conclusions at the end of it.

#2: State Your Position Clearly

In my notes to myself on one of the GRE Issue essay examples I analyzed above, I observed that the author “states her thesis early and often” because of the way her position was made clear throughout the essay. While obviously you don’t want to just repeat the same sentence over and over again, it is imperative that you include at least one clear statement of your position in your essay , preferably in your introduction paragraph.

The importance of clearly stating your position varies between the two GRE essay tasks somewhat. For the Argument essay, you might be able to get away with a vague summary of the points you’ll cover and still get a 4.0 or above on the essay; by contrast, it’s nearly impossible to get above a 3.0 on the Issue essay if you do not clearly state your position on the issue, as that is integral to the essay task itself.

Whatever the prompt or essay type, if you want to get a perfect score on your essay, you’ll need to include a clear statement of your position on the issue or what points you’ll be analyzing in regards to the argument in the prompt.

#3: Be Specific in Your Support

All of the perfect-scoring GRE essay examples analyzed in this article contained specific and relevant support for the claims made by the authors. In the Issue essay examples, the authors drew upon well-defined examples and concise examples that directly supported the author’s position on the issue. In the Argument essay samples, the authors focused in on several specific parts of the arguments and debated their validity using specific hypothetical scenarios and questions.

The takeaway of this for your own writing is that the specific is always more persuasive than the general when it comes to supporting a point. And if you can’t find specific support for your position or for the flaw you’ve found in an argument, then that’s a good sign that you need to consider changing your position or finding another part of the argument to critique.

#4: Explain Your Support Clearly

As I discussed in my analyses of the four GRE Writing samples, whether or not your writing is polished and perfectly worded and spelled is not nearly as important as your successful communication of your ideas and how they are supported . In the GRE essay, all is precision, and analyses of issues that use clearly-explained compelling examples or analyses of arguments that cut to the very heart of why an argument is flawed with supporting explanations will ultimately score higher than beautifully crafted but logically imprecise essays.

#5: Use Transitions

All of the authors of the GRE essay examples analyzed in this article are able to maintain focus and organization in their essays by employing multi-level transitions that link ideas between and within paragraphs on both content and linguistic levels. In your own writing, be conscious of when you are changing from discussing one idea to another and make sure the transition is smooth. Even just adding transition words like “additionally” or “in contrast” to the beginning of new ideas can help your writing flow better.

#6: Stay Organized

While all of the GRE essay examples used in this article were written in response to different prompts, they all adhered to basically the standard five-paragraph , introduction-body paragraphs-conclusion format.

There’s no reason to take extra time away from your analysis of the questions to figure out a unique organizational structure for each essay when the five paragraph essay will get it done just as well (if not better). This is not because other forms are not possible; as the ETS website says, “You are free to organize and develop your response in any way you think will enable you to effectively communicate your ideas about the issue.”

But the utility of the five paragraph form is that it’s a tried-and-true way to keep your essay organized . Using it will save you the time of having to figure out a new organizational strategy for every essay you write. And the more consistently you stick to a simple (but clear) organizational structure, the faster you’ll get at it, until organizing your thoughts logically comes as second-nature (especially important in a timed essay environment when every second counts).

What’s Next?

Now you know what it takes to get a perfect essay score. But do you actually need to get a perfect 6.0 on GRE Writing? Find out with our discussion of what a good GRE Writing score is .

Curious about how the criteria mentioned in this article translate into numerical scores? Read our article on how the GRE essay is scored to learn more!

Need to boost your essay score quickly? We have 15 great tips and strategies that help you improve your Analytical Writing score .

Ready to dive into practice essays with some practice topics? Use our guide to the 328 official GRE essay topics to get started.

Ready to improve your GRE score by 7 points?

Author: Laura Staffaroni

Laura graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College with a BA in Music and Psychology, and earned a Master's degree in Composition from the Longy School of Music of Bard College. She scored 99 percentile scores on the SAT and GRE and loves advising students on how to excel and fulfill their college and grad school dreams. View all posts by Laura Staffaroni

GRE AWA Section: Scoring and Essay Examples

The Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is designed to assess your ability to think critically and express your ideas in a clear and well-structured manner. In this article, we'll explore how the GRE AWA section is scored, what the scorers are looking for, and provide examples of essays that received different scores.

 Scoring in the GRE AWA Section

The GRE AWA section consists of two tasks: the Issue task and the Argument task. Each task is scored on a scale of 0 to 6, in half-point increments. Your scores on the two tasks are then averaged to give you an overall AWA score, which also ranges from 0 to 6.

Here's how the scoring is typically interpreted:

- 6.0: Outstanding - A top-tier essay that effectively and insightfully addresses the topic and demonstrates strong critical thinking and writing skills.

- 5.5: Strong - A well-crafted essay that effectively addresses the topic and displays sound critical thinking and writing abilities.

- 5.0: Competent - A competent essay that adequately addresses the topic and shows reasonable critical thinking and writing skills.

- 4.5: Adequate - An adequate essay that addresses the topic but may lack depth in critical thinking or writing.

- 4.0: Limited - A limited essay that may have difficulty addressing the topic or may lack coherence and organization.

- 3.5: Weak - A weak essay that minimally addresses the topic and shows limited critical thinking and writing skills.

- 3.0: Poor - A poor essay that fails to address the topic and lacks clear organization and critical thinking.

- 2.5 and below: Very Poor - A very poor essay that is incoherent, irrelevant, or completely off-topic.

 What Scorers Are Looking For

Scorers evaluate your essays based on the following criteria:

1. Clarity and Cohesion: 

Is your essay well-organized and easy to follow? Are ideas connected logically and coherently?

2. Critical Thinking: 

Do you demonstrate strong analytical and reasoning skills in your response? Are your arguments well-founded?

3. Use of Evidence: 

Do you provide relevant evidence and examples to support your arguments? Are they well-explained and effectively integrated into your essay?

4. Control of Language: 

Is your writing clear, concise, and free from major grammatical and syntactical errors? Do you use language effectively to convey your ideas?

5. Understanding of the Topic: 

Did you accurately and comprehensively address the topic? Did you show a clear understanding of the issue or argument presented?

 Essay Examples and Scores

Here are two sample essays for each task, along with their corresponding scores:

 Issue Task: Sample Essays

Essay 1 (score: 5.5):.

In our fast-paced world, where multitasking is the norm, it's easy to overlook the value of leisurely, in-depth exploration. Some may argue that instant access to information through technology has made deep learning unnecessary, but that's not the case. Deep learning enhances critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. For instance, reading an entire book allows readers to grasp the author's nuances, recognize the subtleties in character development, and form a well-informed opinion. Shallow learning, on the other hand, often leads to superficial understanding. The pursuit of deep knowledge is essential in our information-saturated society.

Essay 2 (Score: 3.0):

Technology has revolutionized how we learn and access information. In today's world, we can quickly find answers to our questions online, making deep learning unnecessary. Who needs to spend hours reading books when they can get answers instantly? The value of deep learning has diminished in the age of technology.

 Argument Task: Sample Essays

Essay 1 (score: 6.0):.

The argument presented in the passage is flawed due to several critical assumptions. Firstly, it assumes that an increase in sales of the medication is solely due to the advertising campaign. It ignores other factors that could have contributed to the rise in sales, such as increased demand for the product due to seasonal illness. Secondly, the argument assumes that the increase in revenue directly correlates with improved health outcomes. However, it provides no evidence to support this claim. A more rigorous analysis, including a comprehensive study, is required to establish any causal relationship. Therefore, the argument is unpersuasive and unconvincing.

Essay 2 (Score: 4.0):

The argument posits that the advertising campaign is the sole reason for the increased sales of the medication and that this increase will lead to improved health outcomes. However, these claims are unsupported by evidence. The argument fails to consider other factors contributing to sales and lacks data to establish a clear causal relationship between increased sales and health outcomes. Therefore, the argument is unconvincing and should be substantiated with more comprehensive research.

 Conclusion

Scoring well on the GRE AWA section requires strong critical thinking, clear writing, and the ability to address the topic effectively. To achieve a high score, practice is essential. Reviewing sample essays and understanding what scorers are looking for can help you improve your writing and analytical skills, ultimately leading to a better AWA score on test day.

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Experience (Optional)

If you are planning to take the GRE exam, then you should know one of the sections that you need to master is the GRE Analytical Writing Assessment section, or the GRE AWA for short. The GRE AWA is an equally important section in the exam besides the other two — Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning sections. Though it doesn’t contribute to your composite score, you must prepare for it thoroughly as most universities give a lot of importance to this score in addition to the composite score. So, let’s acquaint you with the AWA section of the GRE exam. 

AWA GRE Topics

The Analytical Writing Assessment section is divided into two parts — GRE Analyse an issue and GRE Analyse and Argument . Each has a 30-minute time duration. 

• Analyse an Issue: Under ‘analyse an issue’ topic, you are provided an issue and are required to present your arguments and support your opinions with specific examples. You are required to answer this question/topic based on specific instructions (on how to respond to the issue) that is presented to you.
• Analyse an Argument: On the other hand, under the ‘analyse an argument’ you are provided with an argument. Based on specific instructions, you are required to evaluate the argument presented or the claim made, as opposed to strengthening or weakening the argument that is presented to you.

The overall aim of the AWA topics for GRE is not the same. While an analyse-an-issue topic aims to test your ability to present a view and support it with examples, the analyse-an-argument topic aims to test your ability to gauge someone else’s argument by analysing their claims and evaluating the evidence they provide.

AWA GRE: What is the Medium? 

The GRE AWA section is available in both methods of test deliveries —  the computer-delivered and the paper-based. If you choose the computer-delivered test, then you will be provided with a word processing tool that is developed specifically by ETS to conduct this section of the test. The word processor involves basic tools such as insert or delete text, cut and paste and undo command. In order to be fair to those taking a paper-based test, the word processing tool does not have any spelling or grammar check feature. 

Moreover, if you are opting for a paper-administered test, then you must ensure that your handwritten essays are transcribed into the test booklet that will also contain the answers to your verbal and quant sections. Furthermore, you will be required to write clearly and quickly. While there is no AWA word limit in the GRE, it is recommended to keep your AWA essay short. Hence, it is essential you take some time to organize your thoughts and structure your arguments well before you start writing. 

Why is the GRE AWA Section Important?

Even though the AWA section does not contribute to the composite score you will receive for your GRE, this section is not to be treated with less importance. The universities you apply to will use this score to check your skills in articulation, critical thinking, logical reasoning, and writing. 

For any masters course you might pursue abroad, you will definitely be expected to write plenty of essays, research papers, thesis statements, and more, so make sure you don’t take this section lightly. Practice some GRE AWA sample questions over the course of your GRE study plan so that you are not caught unaware when your exam date rolls around.

AWA GRE Scores and Evaluation

The purpose of the AWA section of the GRE exam is to assess your critical thinking skills and your ability to clearly articulate your arguments. Based on this, your write-ups are scored on a scale of 0-6, 6 being the highest and representing a well-articulated criticism of the argument, and 0 being the lowest score, representing that you do not meet the requirements of the AWA GRE section. Moreover, the Analytical Writing Assessment has a 0.5-point increment system. Although there are two topics in this section, the score provided is an average of the two topics and is presented as a single score. 

Furthermore, the scoring of your analytical writing section is carried out by a human and a computer grading system. First, your essay is graded holistically by a trained evaluator who analyses your essay and grades you based on the overall quality. Second, your essay is reviewed by ETS’s computer program called “E-Rater”. This computer program helps to standardize test scores across different writing styles and knowledge backgrounds. However, if there are significantly large differences between the computer and human scores, then the essays are evaluated by a second human. The final scores are the average of both the scores, as rated by the two trained evaluators, and are rounded to the closest half-point interval.

What is a Good GRE AWA Score?

As mentioned above, the AWA section of the GRE is scored on a scale of 1-6 with 0.5-point increment.

99% of students score below 6, whereas 98% score below 5.5. The percentile then dips, with 92% scoring below 5. 82% score below 4.5, and 59% score below 4. Regardless of the college, you are applying to, it would be wise to aim high for your AWA section.

GRE AWA Preparation Tips

A commonly asked question by most GRE candidates is how to prepare for AWA GRE? Here are some tips that may help you as you prepare for the Analytical Writing Assessment section in the GRE:

• Make sure you practice AWA GRE sample questions for both the ‘analyse an issue’ and ‘analyse an argument’ task. Include it in your study plan, as it is easy to overlook this section sometimes, and think that you can “manage”. However, taking this section for granted would be setting yourself up for failure, as it is as important as the other sections in the exam.
• Practice creating an outline for your essay. You may use the ETS AWA samples to create your own essay outline or template. This will help you get your thoughts in order and you will be able to make sure you have covered all relevant aspects of your argument.
• Read sample essays for both the ‘analyse an issue’ and ‘analyse an argument’ tasks written by other students. This will help you understand what kind of essay is usually looked upon favourably, and also make you comfortable with the essay structure.
• Grammar is important – if required, brush up on basic grammar concepts over the course of your preparation. Reading well-written essays will also help cement the elements of a well-constructed sentence in your mind. While you are not being graded especially for grammar in the GRE AWA section, it is important to the quality of your articulation, so make sure you have enough practice.

Now that we have explained in detail about the AWA GRE section, the GRE AWA pattern, the method of evaluating this section, and the AWA GRE score pattern, we hope you’re in a better position to begin your GRE AWA preparation. It is essential that you write quickly and at the same time keep your focus throughout the 30-minute duration of the analytical writing assessment task while building your arguments. ETS recommends that even good writers should spend some amount of their preparation time practising the GRE AWA tasks. To enhance your preparation further, do check out the pool of essay prompts or AWA GRE example essays published by ETS. 

GRE AWA Short Quiz

Test your knowledge on the concepts of GRE Verbal and Quant by taking this 5-minute quiz.

 The new stand-up comedy show in the city is so funny that we __________ until our stomachs and sides hurt really bad.

Many companies now have employee assistance programs that enable employees, free of charge, to improve their physical fitness, reduce stress, and learn ways to stop smoking. These programs increase worker productivity, reduce absenteeism, and lessen insurance costs for employee health care. Therefore, these programs benefit the company as well as the employee.

Which of the following, if true, most significantly strengthens the conclusion above?

For a product costing $x, at tax of 1.5% is levied upon it. For every bill that is made, a service charge of $12 is added. A final bill of $336.8 is made out to a customer.

Your score is

The average score is 26%

Restart quiz

• How much time will I have to solve this section? You will have a total of 1 hour to complete the whole section – but since both questions are timed individually (30 minutes for each section), you will not be able to use the time provided for one question to solve the other question in case you finish early.
• What should I do to prepare for the AWA section in the GRE? You should read sample essays, practice creating an outline for your thoughts that you can elaborate upon, and also read other literature to improve your familiarity with common grammar concepts in the English language.
• The AWA section does not count toward my composite GRE score. Why should I prepare for it in the first place? Even though this section does not contribute to your official GRE score, all of the colleges you apply to will use your score on this section to measure your articulation skills and your ability to logically reason while presenting a coherent argument. Don’t make the mistake of ignoring this section in your study plan!

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Analytical Writing Measure Scoring

Score level descriptions for the analytical writing measure.

The reported Analytical Writing score ranges from 0 to 6, in half-point increments.

The statements below describe, for each score level, the overall quality of analytical writing demonstrated. The test assesses your critical thinking and analytical writing skills (the ability to reason, assemble evidence to develop a position and communicate complex ideas) along with your control of grammar and the mechanics of writing.

Scores 6 and 5.5

Sustains insightful, in-depth analysis of complex ideas; develops and supports main points with logically compelling reasons and/or highly persuasive examples; is well focused and well organized; skillfully uses sentence variety and precise vocabulary to convey meaning effectively; demonstrates superior facility with sentence structure and usage, but may have minor errors that do not interfere with meaning.

Scores 5 and 4.5

Provides generally thoughtful analysis of complex ideas; develops and supports main points with logically sound reasons and/or well-chosen examples; is generally focused and well organized; uses sentence variety and vocabulary to convey meaning clearly; demonstrates good control of sentence structure and usage, but may have minor errors that do not interfere with meaning.

Scores 4 and 3.5

Provides competent analysis of ideas in addressing specific task directions; develops and supports main points with relevant reasons and/or examples; is adequately organized; conveys meaning with acceptable clarity; demonstrates satisfactory control of sentence structure and usage, but may have some errors that affect clarity.

Scores 3 and 2.5

Displays some competence in analytical writing and addressing specific task directions, although the writing is flawed in at least one of the following ways: limited analysis or development; weak organization; weak control of sentence structure or usage, with errors that often result in vagueness or a lack of clarity.

Scores 2 and 1.5

Displays serious weaknesses in analytical writing. The writing is seriously flawed in at least one of the following ways: serious lack of analysis or development; unclear in addressing specific task directions; lack of organization; frequent problems in sentence structure or usage, with errors that obscure meaning.

Scores 1 and 0.5

Displays fundamental deficiencies in analytical writing. The writing is fundamentally flawed in at least one of the following ways: content that is extremely confusing or mostly irrelevant to the assigned tasks; little or no development; severe and pervasive errors that result in incoherence.

Your analytical writing skills cannot be evaluated because the response does not address any part of the assigned task(s), merely attempts to copy the assignments, is in a foreign language or displays only indecipherable text.

You produced no text whatsoever

“Analyze an Issue” task scoring guide

Score 6 outstanding.

In addressing the specific task directions, a 6 response presents a cogent, well-articulated analysis of the issue and conveys meaning skillfully.

A typical response in this category:

• articulates a clear and insightful position on the issue in accordance with the assigned task
• develops the position fully with compelling reasons and/or persuasive examples
• sustains a well-focused, well-organized analysis, connecting ideas logically
• conveys ideas fluently and precisely, using effective vocabulary and sentence variety
• demonstrates superior facility with the conventions of standard written English (i.e., grammar, usage and mechanics), but may have minor errors

Score 5 Strong

In addressing the specific task directions, a 5 response presents a generally thoughtful, well-developed analysis of the issue and conveys meaning clearly.

• presents a clear and well-considered position on the issue in accordance with the assigned task
• develops the position with logically sound reasons and/or well-chosen examples
• is focused and generally well organized, connecting ideas appropriately
• conveys ideas clearly and well, using appropriate vocabulary and sentence variety
• demonstrates facility with the conventions of standard written English, but may have minor errors

Score 4 Adequate

In addressing the specific task directions, a 4 response presents a competent analysis of the issue and conveys meaning with acceptable clarity.

• presents a clear position on the issue in accordance with the assigned task
• develops the position with relevant reasons and/or examples
• is adequately focused and organized
• demonstrates sufficient control of language to express ideas with acceptable clarity
• generally demonstrates control of the conventions of standard written English, but may have some errors

Score 3 Limited

A 3 response demonstrates some competence in addressing the specific task directions, in analyzing the issue and in conveying meaning, but is obviously flawed.

A typical response in this category exhibits  one or more of the following characteristics:

• is vague or limited in addressing the specific task directions and in presenting or developing a position on the issue or both
• is weak in the use of relevant reasons or examples or relies largely on unsupported claims
• is limited in focus and/or organization
• has problems in language and sentence structure that result in a lack of clarity
• contains occasional major errors or frequent minor errors in grammar, usage or mechanics that can interfere with meaning

Score 2 Seriously Flawed

A 2 response largely disregards the specific task directions and/or demonstrates serious weaknesses in analytical writing.

• is unclear or seriously limited in addressing the specific task directions and in presenting or developing a position on the issue or both
• provides few, if any, relevant reasons or examples in support of its claims
• is poorly focused and/or poorly organized
• has serious problems in language and sentence structure that frequently interfere with meaning
• contains serious errors in grammar, usage or mechanics that frequently obscure meaning

Score 1 Fundamentally Deficient

A 1 response demonstrates fundamental deficiencies in analytical writing.

• provides little or no evidence of understanding the issue
• provides little or no evidence of the ability to develop an organized response (e.g., is disorganized and/or extremely brief)
• has severe problems in language and sentence structure that persistently interfere with meaning
• contains pervasive errors in grammar, usage or mechanics that result in incoherence

Off topic (i.e., provides no evidence of an attempt to address the assigned topic), is in a foreign language, merely copies the topic, consists of only keystroke characters or is illegible or nonverbal.

The essay response is blank.

“Analyze an Argument” task scoring guide (for General Tests administered before September 22, 2023)

In addressing the specific task directions, a 6 response presents a cogent, well-articulated examination of the argument and conveys meaning skillfully.

• clearly identifies aspects of the argument relevant to the assigned task and examines them insightfully
• develops ideas cogently, organizes them logically and connects them with clear transitions
• provides compelling and thorough support for its main points

In addressing the specific task directions, a 5 response presents a generally thoughtful, well-developed examination of the argument and conveys meaning clearly.

• clearly identifies aspects of the argument relevant to the assigned task and examines them in a generally perceptive way
• develops ideas clearly, organizes them logically and connects them with appropriate transitions
• offers generally thoughtful and thorough support for its main points

In addressing the specific task directions, a 4 response presents a competent examination of the argument and conveys meaning with acceptable clarity.

• identifies and examines aspects of the argument relevant to the assigned task, but may also discuss some extraneous points
• develops and organizes ideas satisfactorily, but may not connect them with transitions
• supports its main points adequately, but may be uneven in its support
• demonstrates sufficient control of language to convey ideas with reasonable clarity

A 3 response demonstrates some competence in addressing the specific task directions, in examining the argument and in conveying meaning, but is obviously flawed.

• does not identify or examine most of the aspects of the argument relevant to the assigned task, although some relevant examination of the argument is present
• mainly discusses tangential or irrelevant matters, or reasons poorly
• is limited in the logical development and organization of ideas
• offers support of little relevance and value for its main points
• does not present an examination based on logical analysis, but may instead present the writer's own views on the subject
• does not follow the directions for the assigned task
• does not develop ideas, or is poorly organized and illogical
• provides little, if any, relevant or reasonable support for its main points
• provides little or no evidence of understanding the argument
• provides little evidence of the ability to develop an organized response (e.g., is disorganized and/or extremely brief)

Off topic (i.e., provides no evidence of an attempt to respond to the assigned topic), is in a foreign language, merely copies the topic, consists of only keystroke characters, or is illegible or nonverbal.

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How to Write an Effective Argument Essay for the GRE

The Graduate Record Examination, or GRE, has three sections. One of those sections measures a student’s analytical writing skills. For this section, students are required to write both an issue essay and an argument essay. GRE graders look closely at the evidence included in a student’s argument essay as well as the organization of all of the various components. Learn what an argument essay is and get some tips on how to write an outstanding one for the GRE.

What Is the GRE Argument Essay?

The argument essay on the GRE requires you to evaluate an argument put forth by an author. Your job is to examine the author’s reasoning and evidence as well as the overall organization of the argument.

Ultimately, you must decide whether the author’s argument is logical. If you decide that the author’s argument is illogical, then you must give specific reasons to support that analysis. For example, you may point out unanswered questions or faulty pieces of evidence in the argument. Alternatively, if you decide that an author’s argument is logical, then you must offer evidence supporting that analysis.

When writing this essay, you should not reveal whether they agree or disagree with the author’s argument. Furthermore, you should not share their views on the subject being discussed. The purpose of this essay is to reveal your skills in analyzing and evaluating an argument, not in presenting your own argument. 

Tips for Writing GRE Argument Essays

There are many useful tips that can help you write an excellent argument essay. GRE test-takers may want to begin by jotting down notes on a scrap piece of paper as they read the author’s argument. The few minutes that you dedicate to taking these notes can ensure that you include all of the important points in the final essay.

You should always read the instructions paired with each GRE argument task before starting to write. Not every argument essay has the same set of instructions – for example, some instructions require you to focus on an author’s assumptions, while others ask that you focus on unanswered questions in the argument. These are just two examples out of many types of instructions given to students tackling the GRE argument essay. It’s also a wise idea for you to draft an outline for the essay before beginning to write it. Following an outline can increase the clarity and organization of an argument essay.

Our GRE courses at Varsity Tutors provide students with the tools and strategies they need to craft a notable argument essay. Our instructors have taken and mastered the GRE, enabling them to pass on valuable tips to students. We offer several tutoring options , including online and in-person instruction, to make GRE preparation as convenient as possible for our busy students.`

Preparing for the Argument Essay

Most students want to do everything they can to write a clear, organized argument essay. GRE prep should include essay-writing practice. You can write a practice argument essay, then dissect it sentence by sentence to make sure it contains all of the necessary elements. As a note, the GRE gives students 30 minutes to write an argument essay, so it’s a good idea for you to time yourself when you complete your practice essays. That way, you know how much time you can spend on making notes, drafting an outline, and writing the essay.

It’s also helpful for you to study essays that received a high score on the GRE. An outstanding argument essay contains vocabulary words that add to the clarity of the writing. You can expand your supply of vocabulary words by reading online articles, newspapers, and magazines. You may want to jot down some words commonly used in these publications. Flashcards are helpful study tools for students who are learning unfamiliar words and their definitions as well.

Our instructors at Varsity Tutors can teach you how to write a GRE argument essay. We offer practical advice and guidance that students can use as they move through the steps of writing a convincing essay. Also, our instructors give valuable encouragement to students to help them have a confident mindset on test day. Contact Varsity Tutors today and let us help you boost your essay-writing skills!

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GMAT AWA Essay Rater & Checker: Evaluate online & get scores for practice essays

“How do I evaluate my GMAT AWA essay?” “How can I get GMAT AWA scores for practice?” “Are there any free good online AWA essay raters?”

These are questions that we got from many MBA applicants. So I brushed up my rusty programming skills, read up on the basics of NLP and created this automated AWA essay rater .

If you want to know whether those GMAT AWA templates you downloaded from various online forums are really useful, create a few GMAT AWA sample essays and test them out here using our GMAT AWA Rater. Though even the best essay checker software cannot match the accuracy of the official test, it’s still a good way to know where you stand.

Read these GMAT AWA essay tips . Once you are ready to get some practice, come back to this page and try out the GMAT AWA Rater which will rate your AWA essays. You can do it any number of times. And yeah, it’s free.  

How to use the GMAT AWA Rater to evaluate & grade GMAT essays

Step 1: Write your GMAT AWA essays in a text editor (like Notepad or MS Word). Step 2: Organise the AWA essay into paragraphs. Step 3: Enter a blank line to indicate the completion of a paragraph. Step 4: Copy and paste the entire AWA essay in the big text box below. Step 5: Click on the ‘Check’ button.

The rating for your AWA essay will be displayed below the button.

[In the advanced version, we display the breakup and additional information as well. If you are a GMAT trainer and would like your students to access our premium version, get in touch with us.]  

Parameters on which your GMAT AWA essay samples would be rated

Coherence and connectivity: This rating evaluates how the expressions & ideas flow across paragraphs. Whether you are expressing a point of view for or against an argument, you can increase this rating by effectively using structure words and connectives. This strengthens the linkage of common themes across the essay.

Organization: How you’ve divided the AWA essay into relevant paragraphs is tested under this parameter. You can take this score higher by organizing the essay into paragraphs. It is also desirable to demarcate the ideas by following the regular convention of leaving blank lines to mark the logical and physical conclusion of that idea. The next paragraph can then build upon a related by distinct idea.

Readability: Your grasp on the language and your ability to display the variety in it is tested here along with the sentence structure. You don’t get brownie points for complicated sentences. Keep it simple and structured.

Note: While the GMAT provides scores at intervals of 0.5 only, this GMAT AWA Rater provides scores in continuous decimal points so that you can know exactly how you’ve been progressing with every attempt.  

Essay Checker Limitations: What the GMAT AWA Essay Rater can’t do

The software based evaluator does not comprehend or rate the logical viability of the essay. The submitted piece is evaluated as an independent argument essay on the above mentioned attributes. In the current version, the software skips grammatical mistakes. There may be many other limitations as well. Rather than aiming for perfection, the objective here is to offer something meaningful and useful.

So instead of trying to focus on the shortcomings, use the output as an additional data point and continue using the other GMAT AWA templates or samples that you have, to improve your AWA skills.

And while you focus on GMAT prep, make sure you understand the bigger picture of the world you are trying to enter. Read Beyond The MBA Hype .

Also read these MBA application success stories of applicants just like you who have overcome low GMAT scores to get into good business schools, many with partial and full tuition waivers and MBA scholarships .  

Start using the GMAT AWA Rater

[If you don’t see the text box below this line, refresh the page]

Disclaimer: The GMAT AWA rater uses a proprietary algorithm that has no connection with the official GMAT AWA rating logic. Neither the software nor MBA Crystal Ball are connected with the official GMAT team. The results aren’t meant to be an accurate indicator of your performance on the real GMAT test. Use it for practice and at your own risk.

What do you think about the AWA essay rater? Let us know your thought in the comments below.

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18 thoughts on “GMAT AWA Essay Rater & Checker: Evaluate online & get scores for practice essays”

The rater is no more accepting the essay I put in the box. Has it stopped working? Does it require any registration process which I need to go through.

For security reasons, the AWA essay rater had an upper limit set for the number of essays that could be tested. That number got shattered pretty quickly. Seems like we underestimated the popularity of this tool. We’ve increased the upper limit, so you should be able to get your AWA essays rated.

Hi.. can you please explain about the accuracy of this tool?

@Bharath: The tool is only meant to provide an estimation. Read the section on limitations of the AWA rater. Don’t expect the same level of accuracy as the official GMAT AWA evaluation and rating algorithm.

Is there any’ minimum number of words requirement’ for GMAT AWA?

According to the author the advertising on radio station helped the Cumquat Café to grow up the revenue. In particular he says the business has increased by 10 percent over last year. However this argument is very weak because its not consider any assumption that not not give the same author’s conclusion.

Fist the argument ready assumes that the success of Cumquat Café is cased by the only advertising on local radio. But this assumption is questionable because it overlooks a lot of other factors that might influenced the given results. For example the success is the consequence of the change of the menu or thanks to the change of the Café’s staff ( at firstly the chiefs). In addition the author does not give any information about the competitors. Infact the increase of the Café’s business is due to the come out of any local competitor. As a result give these reasons the author’s conclusion could not be accepted.

In the second place the argument claims that the advertising on radio gives more positive prospects in terms of profitable. Even if it is granted that the advertising on radio helps to increase the visibility the same success is not guaranteed to any and all other business. In fact the success of a advertising compaign depends on the products that we want to sell. Once again the author’s conclusion in unconvincing.

In conclusion, the argument is flawed for above-mentioned reasons and it is therefore unconvincing. It could be considerably strengthened if the author has considered more other variables.

This is the essay i wrote. Can anyone help me know my rating for the below mentioned essay ?

1. “What really matters in the leadership of business and organizations is getting results, reaching benchmarks, and achieving success.” – In this issue the importance of ways of achieving success have been stated. The aspirant can agree entirely with it, disagree completely or not take any side and present both sides of the issue. In any case, these need to be substantiated with actual examples of where business organizations either benefit from a result-oriented approach or they did badly because of it.

In the above argument the author has very correctly stated the formula for growth and success in a company or any organization. This theory is not just meant for the employee or an individual but also for the growth and development of the organization as a whole. _____________________________________________________________ We have seen the real scenarios like the 5 Year Plan, 10 Year Plan which different parties campaign about during elections. These target set by the party, makes a citizen to vote for a party and give them an opportunity to form government if the impact and result of these target are convincing to the audience. As and when the party comes into power, they put in their best effort to achieve the target and give results as they very well understand that only results will help them to continue their government else, the party might be voted out ! _____________________________________________________________ Competition is everywhere. It may be schools, colleges, firms, organizations etc. One has to get the results within the set time to prove himself/herself over others . Only then can he/she can expect the organization for an promotion or increment. A theory which runs very truly in today’s scenario is the: Survival of the Fittest..!! _____________________________________________________________

@Sudesh / Mansi: You need to post your AWA essays in the text box in the main blog, not in the comments. @Nisha: Probably the special characters (line) are causing the issue. Try pasting pure text.

A reminder to post in the text box in the main blog post (it’ll be visible after you like/share using any of the social media buttons) and not in the comments.

Awesome man! Thanks and much appreciated!

Hi sameer.where could we purchase the tool for advanced usage

Why did you guys put your essay in this comment box? Could you read the information? I really can’t understand the reason why they just did that. Anyway, thank you for your awsome device to estimate my score in GRE AWA section. Although it may give different score compared to the real test’s result, it will be a good indicator for my essay.

Got 5.1 on my first try. Thank you! 🙂

The tester gave me a score of 5.2 when I entered the question of my issue task along with the essay, and scored 5.0 without any question. What is the correct way of posting essays in order to optimize scoring.

Post only the essay, without the question. Based on what you shared, the essay rating is 5.0

Hi, I’d like to share some thoughts for this development. Maybe you can add an extra box for question and evaluate whether the essay submitted already answer the points being asked in the question. But this is a great free tool, kudos!

How accurate is this to the actual GRE test AWA scoring

surprisingly accurate actually…checked w frnds who use the official sfotware…ratings were off by arnd 0.5 on avg….not bad at all fr a completely free tool…

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