Want to learn a game? It’s a writing game, based on general rules of English—grammar and style—but with its own idiosyncrasies. It may not be the most fun game in the world, depending on your proclivities, but if you are up for the game, then, like any game, you must learn the rules. The good [...]
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Top 5 Strategies for the GRE Argument Essay
The GRE Argument Essay does not need to be difficult. It certainly does not need to inordinately tax you before you even begin the test itself (remember both the Argument and the Issue come before the verbal and math sections). To make sure you finish the essays with confidence—and not a racing pulse and heavy [...]
GRE Essay Topics
The GRE essay topics on the Issue task seem to come such a variety of different fields that there seems to be little discernible. There are, however, several “buckets”, or categories, that the GRE Issue essay tends to fall into. Below I’ve come up with these categories and also cut and pasted the actual issue [...]
How to Get Your AWA Practice Essays Graded?
Given the sheer number of students who ask me this question, I am surprised that there are so few resources that offer such a service. So what do you do when you’re desperate? Well you have a few options to consider. ETS ScoreItNow! For $13 dollars, the ETS ScoreItNow! Essay Grader will grade two of [...]
Grammar for the AWA: Subject-Verb Agreement
Your ability to cogently state and ably defend a position is critical to your AWA score. But even if you add to that a tight structure and a logical flow between sentences, you aren’t necessarily assured a ‘6’, or even a ‘5’. Lurking in the shadows of your prose is something just as important—grammar. Of [...]
Should I Skip the GRE AWA?
Imagine making the GRE a three-hour test instead of a four-hour one. All you have to do is skip both AWA essays. And if you already taken the GRE and have scored really well on both essays what is there to lose, right? The answer is an awful lot, depending on the programs you are [...]
AWA Time Saving Tips
The AWA essay is no easy task. It is basically a 30-minute sprint in which you must display the poise of a ballerina. Even those who’ve trained for months find themselves running out of time at the end. Below are five time saving tips that can help you change an amazing 33-minute essay into an [...]
Magoosh English Launch Announcement!
Hi, all! We’re releasing Magoosh English on Wednesday, August 29th! I would highly recommend signing up for the free 1-week trial for two reasons: 1. To try out the material to see for yourself whether you want to register. 2. We’ll be sending all of the 1-week trial subscribers a discount code the day before the [...]
AWA Issue Sample Topic: Setting Up Pro and Con Points
Today, I will take apart a prompt from the Issue task. That is I’ll brainstorm, coming up with pros and cons and specific examples to back up each side. I’ve taken an example from the ETS website. If you don’t know already, their offers hundreds of sample essay prompts. Now if you’re not convinced and [...]
Mock AWA Issue Essay
In a previous post, where I brainstormed ideas on a sample topic, I mentioned I would write a mock essay using those ideas. Below is that topic. And below that is the essay. Prompt In any field of endeavor, it is impossible to make a significant contribution without first being strongly influenced by past [...]
