Want a perfect 6/6 on the Graduate Record Exam analytical essays? 4 percent of test takers get a perfect GRE essay score. I’m one of them. Read my advice.
Every year more than 600,000 students from more than 300 countries take the Graduate Record Examination, an entrance exam for graduate school. The GRE is the grad school equivalent to the SAT for undergraduate admissions, so highly-competitive students want that perfect score.
GRE Analytical Writing Essay: Issue and Argument
The GRE Analytical Writing essay involves two essays: the Issue and the Argument essays. You receive 75 minutes, total, to write these two analytical essays, so time is of the essence. If you’ve never taken the GRE, 75 minutes may sound like too little time to write two coherent, fully-developed analytical writing essays, and you’re right! It’s not ideal – but you can overcome the challenge if you’re prepared.
The Issue and the Argument essay topics are given to you. Therefore, you can’t prepare for the content in advance, but you can go over past GRE essay topics. Read up and get a feel for the type of topic the Graduate Record Examination essay writers like to throw at students. Once you have a general sense of what to expect in terms of the topic, you can prepare yourself better.
Never ignore any bit of advice about getting a perfect GRE essay, whether it’s a print book, free online websites, or paid online websites from credible testing prep companies.
The difference between students who achieve a perfect GRE score and those who don’t isn’t intelligence. It’s perseverance and the never-ending pursuit of just one more piece of information.
How to Get a Perfect Score on the GRE Essays
Use the following steps to work toward that perfect score on the GRE essays:
Step 1: Use Guides
Use a testing prep guide, website, or in-class program long before sitting for the Graduate Record Exam. Alternatively, you may ask the best college essay writing service to write a sample essay for you so that you could understand its structure and main points. You might think you don’t need this, but you do. I have tutored students through testing prep guides, and the guides and actual classes can boost your score by 100+ points. Why? Because there are simple shortcuts that they teach that shave the amount of time you need to spend on tough questions.
Time buys you a higher score because you can spend that extra time where you need it most to maximize your final score. Don’t skimp on GRE test prep. Buy a book, take a class, and sign up for an online program.
Step 2: Read the Questions Carefully
Remember that the Argument essay topic is always related to the Issue essay topic, and you get the Issue topic first. You get 45 minutes for the Issue Essay and 30 minutes for the Argument essay. if you misunderstand the Issue topic and rush through it, you’ve sabotaged yourself for the entire essay section.
Step 3: Write Your Thesis Statement
Why yes, we’re traveling back in time to sixth grade, when you studied the good, old-fashioned “Five Paragraph Essay.” You might write more than five paragraphs, but the basic structure applies here:
- Solid thesis statement in the first paragraph.
- The second paragraph tackles a major point related to the thesis, with one to two pieces of evidence.
- The third paragraph tackles different points with supporting evidence.
- The fourth paragraph tackles yet another point with supporting evidence.
- The fifth paragraph concludes the essay, sums up the three main points, and ties in an analytical viewpoint to the original thesis.
- Solid thesis statement in the first paragraph. In even simpler terms: thesis, reason, evidence, reason, evidence, reason, evidence, analysis, conclusion. Do not skip the thesis statement, and never bury the thesis in the second paragraph or the conclusion. Get it in the first paragraph, and make it a complete, traditional, boring old thesis statement. Like sixth grade.
Step 4: Outline the Essay
Do it using the basic structure in Step 3.
Step 5: Be Sure Your Reasons and Evidence are Analytically Based
For instance, if the Issue topic is “As the number of laws increases, democracy decreases” you don’t just want to say “Agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency create regulations that weight law.” OK – so what?
The analysis goes deeper: “Agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency create regulations that weight law, but unlike those laws passed by Congress, EPA regulations are created by political appointees or by career bureaucrats who are not directly accountable to the voters.”
Step 6: Give Lots of Examples
Make sure you have a minimum of four examples for each “reason.” Don’t skimp.
Step 7: Don’t Get Clever
This is not a contest to see who is the best writer, believe it or not. This is not a time to show off your mad skills or your knowledge of obscure Basque poets. You are writing to meet a grader’s formula. The grader will give your essay points based on how well your writing meets the formula. This isn’t about being creative or moving the reader’s soul.
Step 8: Watch Your Time Carefully
Once you have a thesis statement and intro, three or more body paragraphs that follow a “reason-evidence” format with analysis, and no explanation, then a conclusion that addresses the reasons and provides an analysis of how the reasons fit into the thesis, you have a draft.
Step 9: Read the Draft Carefully
Make sure you hit all the major points in Step 8. If not, add to the essay and revise. Getting that perfect GRE essay means touching on every point here and meeting the formula for success.
Perfect GRE Analytical Writing Score
Take the same, exact approach for the Argument essay, except this time you need to compare and contrast. It’s not harder; any good GRE prep guide gives great advice on writing compare/contrast essays. It’s the five-paragraph essay, but with a twist:
- Introduction with thesis
- Argument 1 says X about reason 1, Argument 2 says _____
- Argument 1 says X about reason 2, Argument 2 says _____
- Argument 1 says X about reason 3, Argument 2 says _____
- Argument __ makes a better case because (reasons).
As with the Issue essay, always remember:
- full thesis statement in the first paragraph
- 4+ pieces of evidence throughout the essay (quote from the topic as needed)
- the conclusion that analyzes evidence compared to the thesis
Conclusion
That’s it! Proofread the final drafts before submitting. Submit and move on, then wait for your scores. If you are retaking the GRE or need to take it again for any reason, remember to use print and online resources to help with strengthening areas of weakness. So much is at stake with the perfect GRE score, from getting into your dream school to scholarship money.
Investing lots of time, and maybe some money for test prep, can be the difference between getting into a top R1 research university and getting funding, or between a second-tier program and one that is a leader in your field. As yourself what your competitors are doing – and then do slightly more in terms of research and reading to get the best possible GRE score.
