Analytical Writing: Two 30 minute essays begin the GMAT test. One of these essays is Analysis of an Issue, and the other is Analysis of an Argument. In Analysis of an Issue, you are given a particular issue, and must analyze it carefully, supporting your argument with relevant examples and/or reasons. For Analysis of an Argument, you need to analyze and critique the logic of a given argument, again supporting your critique with examples and reasons.

ETS wants to see that you can, at the very least, string a few sentences together, form proper paragraphs and structure an essay satisfactorily. Their requirements are not very profound given that the essays are marked by a computer and a university faculty member or graduate student (who has approximately a few minutes to grade your essay). Thus the structure of the essay is far more important than the content. Nevertheless, do not take this section too lightly, especially if you are not a native speaker of English. If your mother tongue is not English, business schools can use these essays as another way of evaluating your proficiency in English.

You will receive a grade on each essay that will range from a possible 0 to a perfect 6. Your score will increase or decrease in increments of 0.5, so you could have, for example, a score of 4.0, 4.5, or 5.0.

Important: The scores for the essay are NOT included in the final GMAT score, which is calculated from 200-800. The AWA score is scored separately, and is sent with your GMAT scores to the universities you have selected on the test day to receive them.

Some general tips for the AWA:

	Read the question carefully and make sure you understand exactly what you need to do. If you misunderstand the question and then write on something off-topic, you will receive a 0 as your score.
	Brainstorm for a couple of minutes before writing. Take 2 to 4 minutes to write down on your scrap paper all your ideas and arguments, and then organize them before you start typing.
	Give your essay some structure. Every essay should have some sort of organization, such as an introduction, the body of the essay, and a conclusion.
	Watch your time. Every couple of minutes look up and make sure you will not run out of time before you have finished the conclusion.
	Write about what you know. Use your own experiences and knowledge to spice up a dull essay topic. As well, an essay with examples from the real world is much more enjoyable to read than one based solely on mere opinion and conjecture.

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The Analytical Writing section
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