Magoosh is the leader in GRE prep having helped millions of students study since 2010. Our affordable self-study plan includes exclusive official practice questions, full-length practice tests, and a score improvement guarantee
Prep with Magoosh

Category: GRE Analytical Writing

  • 8 Tips to Ace GRE Writing

    8 Tips to Ace GRE Writing

    Worrying about the GRE essay? A lot of test-takers find it intimidating to sit down at the computer on test day and have no choice but to kick things off with a 30-minute Issue Essay. Of course the writing measure can seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. A handful of key GRE writing…

  • AWA Issue Sample Topic: Setting Up Pro and Con Points

    Our GRE expert breaks down a prompt from the GRE Issue task, including brainstorming and coming up with pros and cons of each side.

  • Score Your GRE Essay

    The content in this post applies in 2024 to the new, shorter GRE! How do I score my GRE essay? Plenty of students want to improve their GRE analytical writing skills, and the only real way to do so is writing, and writing a lot. But there is a catch-22 here: how do you improve…

  • GRE Essay: Tips on Approaching the GRE Analytical Writing Section

    GRE Essay: Tips on Approaching the GRE Analytical Writing Section

    Though the GRE used to have two essay questions on the Analytical Writing section (prior to 2024), nowadays there’s only one GRE essay. That means the original Argument Essay no longer exists, and the only thing you need to write is the Issue Essay. Great news! So, how do you prepare for the new GRE…

  • AWA Issue Task Step 1: Brainstorming

    For many, the Issue essay is tough. In a short 30 minutes, you are expected to come up with a persuasive essay on a topic you may know little about. And your readers aren’t your peers (who would probably be somewhat lenient in any omissions in logic). Instead, the GRE test graders are standing by,…

  • How Much Does GRE Writing Score Matter?

    How Much Does GRE Writing Score Matter?

    Much attention is often given to the verbal and quantitative scores, but how much does the GRE writing score matter? This is a topic we need to discuss as it’s oft -overlooked, so let’s dive into the GRE Writing section and find out what it is all about and why it matters. What’s the writing…

  • How to Use the GRE Essay Pool for Effective Practice

    How to Use the GRE Essay Pool for Effective Practice

    The GRE includes a unique component called the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA), where test-takers are currently required to write two essays: the Issue Essay and the Argument Essay. With the upcoming changes to the GRE in September 2023, students will no longer be required to write the Argument Essay. To prepare effectively for this section,…

  • GRE Argument Essay: Top 6 Strategies & Sample Essay

    GRE Argument Essay: Top 6 Strategies & Sample Essay

    Wondering how to write a high-scoring GRE Argument essay? Our expert analyzes a sample essay to explain what makes it a strong task response.

  • GRE Essay Topics

    GRE Essay Topics

    The GRE Analytical Writing essay topics, including the ones on the Issue task, come such from such wide a variety of fields that there seems to be no discernible pattern in the GRE writing prompts we’ve seen. There are cities cracking down on garbage collection; debates on term limits for leaders; pontification about job training;…

  • One of the Biggest Mistakes You Can Make on the GRE Essay

    One of the Biggest Mistakes You Can Make on the GRE Essay

    At one time, I was inclined to think that the biggest mistake students made on the GRE was failing to back up their responses with concrete examples. Mere hypothetical scenarios were the only ballast these weak Analyze an Argument essays had. So I advised students to think of concrete examples to help support their points.…