gmat essay how many words

GMAT AWA Writing Tips: 5 Steps for a 6.0 Score

Last Updated on May 12, 2023

GMAT test-takers tend to get a bit nervous about the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) because preparing for it doesn’t seem quite as straightforward as preparing for GMAT Quant or Verbal. Is it even possible to “study” how to write a high-scoring essay on an unknown topic with 30 minutes on the clock?

In truth, there is a formula to performing well on the GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment, and you don’t have to be Ralph Waldo Emerson to earn an enviable AWA score. In this article, I’ll give you 5 essential GMAT writing tips for scoring well on the Analytical Writing Assessment, including a 5-paragraph structure that will allow you to tackle any GMAT AWA question that gets thrown your way.

First things first, let’s review what exactly the GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment is and how it’s scored.

What Is the GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment?

How is the analytical writing assessment scored, how do i interpret my awa score, paragraph 1: intro, paragraphs 2-4: supporting points, paragraph 5: conclusion, tip #2: include transition words, tip #3: don’t neglect the basics, tip #4: don’t expect time to revise, tip #5: practice formulating supporting points.

The Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) is a 30-minute section of the in-person GMAT that consists of one essay task, an “analysis of an argument.” Depending on what section order you choose for your exam, you’ll complete the AWA section either first or last when you sit for your GMAT. If you choose the default section order, the AWA section will appear first. If you choose to complete either the Quant or Verbal section first, the AWA section will appear last.

In AWA, an argument is presented to you that you must critique in an essay that can be any length. Your job is to analyze the argument’s reasoning, point out flaws and assumptions in the argument, and assess how evidence is used to support the argument’s conclusion, all while logically organizing and clearly communicating your ideas. AWA questions typically focus on business-related topics and are presented in the form of an excerpt from a hypothetical magazine or newspaper article, editorial, company memo or report, corporate or organization newsletter, or business plan, to name a few examples. The given argument in an AWA question is always accompanied by the following instructional statement:

“Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.”

Generally speaking, your AWA essay is evaluated on the basis of the overall strength of your analysis of the given argument, the relevancy of the points you make, how your essay is organized, and the effectiveness with which you communicate your ideas.

So, for example, an AWA question might present a short paragraph from a company memo. The paragraph explains the company’s reasoning behind a recent decision to change some aspect of the company’s operations. Your job is to find any flaws in the company’s reasoning, explain why they are flaws, and point out any further information that would be useful in assessing whether the company’s reasoning was valid. Fortunately, you are not required to give your personal views on the subject matter or have any specific knowledge of the given topic.

AWA questions do not require that you give your personal views on or have any specific knowledge of the given topic.

Now that we’ve reviewed the basics of what the GMAT AWA is, let’s take a look at how the section is scored.

The GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment is scored in half-point increments on a scale of 0 to 6. Your AWA score is not factored into your total GMAT score and is not included in the unofficial score report that you see on test day immediately after you finish your exam. The reason the AWA score is not included in your unofficial report is that, unlike the other sections of the GMAT, which are scored by the computer, the AWA is scored by both a computer and a human scorer. A trained human reader scores your essay using whole points from 0 to 6, and a computer algorithm scores your essay using half-point increments from 0 to 6.

Then, the two scores are averaged to produce your final score. If there is a large disparity between the human score and the computer score, a second human scorer evaluates your essay, and your score may be adjusted. Additionally, if you feel that your AWA score does not accurately reflect your essay, you can submit a request to have your essay rescored by an independent reader, for a fee of $45. Rescoring requests can be made only once per essay and must be submitted within 6 months of your test date.

Since the AWA takes longer to score than the other sections of the GMAT, you and any score recipients you select on test day will receive your AWA score when your Official Score Report is available, about two weeks after your test date. In the case of revised AWA scores, your new score will be sent to you and any designated schools about 20 days after you submit your rescore request.

Now let’s look at how to interpret AWA scores.

As with other GMAT section scores , every possible AWA score is associated with a percentile ranking. Here are the current percentile rankings, as compiled by GMAC:

These percentile rankings tell us, for example, that if you earn a perfect score of 6.0 on the AWA section, then you have scored better than 88% of all GMAT test-takers. According to GMAC, the mean AWA score was 4.45 for all test-takers who sat for the GMAT during the period from January 2017 through December 2019. As you can see in the table above, that mean is just below the 46th percentile. In general, schools consider a score of 4.5, or better than 46% of all test-takers, about average and consider a score of 5.0, or better than 56% of all test-takers, “good.” For most programs, your AWA score is likely to raise some eyebrows if it’s below 4.0.

Most schools generally consider an GMAT AWA score of 4.5 about average and a score of 5.0 “good.”

So, we know what the GMAT AWA section tests, how it’s scored, and what those scores mean. Now let’s take a look at the 5 essential GMAT AWA writing tips for earning a great score.

Tip #1: Use a 5-Paragraph Template

As I’ll discuss in further detail later, there are dozens and dozens of possible essay topics that can appear on the GMAT, and you have no way of knowing which topic will appear on your test. Thus, it is not a realistic or efficient strategy to try to game out answers to all of the possible essay prompts or memorize what the prompts are (a full list of the possible AWA questions is published by GMAC here ).

The great news is that you don’t need to know which argument you’ll be presented with on test day in order to write a well-organized response to it within the 30-minute time limit. Instead, you can apply a simple 5-paragraph structure to any GMAT essay topic in order to write a logically organized response containing the elements necessary to earn a high AWA score.

The standard 5-paragraph essay structure consists of the following:

• An introductory paragraph
• Three supporting points (paragraphs 2, 3, and 4)
• A conclusion (paragraph 5)

Although there is no required word count for a GMAT AWA essay, a wise strategy is to shoot for around 500 words , give or take.

No matter the topic or argument, the basic template above will provide you with a logical framework for organizing your essay.

Apply a simple 5-paragraph structure to any GMAT essay topic to write a logically organized and complete argument analysis.

Let’s take a look at each part of the 5-paragraph structure in greater detail.

The purpose of your introductory paragraph is to restate the argument that has been presented to you and state your intention for critiquing it. In stating your intention, you should mention the flaws in the argument that you plan to address. Essentially, this prepares the reader for the points that they will encounter in paragraphs 2 through 4, without providing the specific details that those later paragraphs will include. In fact, your intro paragraph should accomplish everything it needs to in around 5 or 6 sentences.

The purpose of your introductory paragraph is to restate the argument that has been presented to you and state your intention for critiquing it.

The first sentence of the intro paragraph should always restate the given argument. So, you might start off your essay in one of the following ways, for example:

The argument states that … The argument claims that … The argument makes the claim that …

No need to get creative with the jumping off point for your AWA essay; you simply want to show that you understand what the argument is. When restating the argument, you can repeat much of the same language that is used in the question stem, but you should aim to rephrase the argument in as concise a manner as possible. You want to encapsulate the crux of the argument, not just rewrite the entire essay prompt. In particular, if the argument provides supporting evidence, that evidence is not necessary to repeat in your restatement of the argument. You’ll address the given evidence later, in your supporting points.

To better understand how to restate an argument, let’s look at an example of an actual GMAT AWA example that a test-taker could see on the exam:

The following appeared as part of an annual report sent to stockholders by Olympic Foods, a processor of frozen foods:

“Over time, the costs of processing go down because as organizations learn how to do things better, they become more efficient. In color film processing, for example, the cost of a 3-by-5-inch print fell from 50 cents for five-day service in 1970 to 20 cents for one-day service in 1984. The same principle applies to the processing of food. And since Olympic Foods will soon celebrate its 25th birthday, we can expect that our long experience will enable us to minimize costs and thus maximize profits.”

So, your essay might start off with the following restatement of the given argument:

The argument claims that Olympic Foods’ nearly 25 years of experience in food processing will enable the company to minimize costs and thus maximize profits. This conclusion is based on the premise that the costs of processing go down over time because organizations become more efficient as they learn how to do things better.

As you can see, much of the exact same language used in the essay prompt is repeated in the restatement of the argument above. However, the information is reorganized somewhat; in this case, the premise and conclusion are in the reverse order, with the conclusion of the argument stated first, and the premise on which the conclusion is based stated afterward.

Furthermore, the perspective of how the argument is stated has changed. In the essay prompt, the perspective was that of a statement in an annual report sent to stockholders. Clearly, your essay response would not be written from such a perspective, so some changes to the wording of the prompt are necessary. Notice also that the somewhat conversational tone of the prompt has been eliminated in the restatement and that extraneous words are left out. Lastly, notice that the supporting example given in the prompt is not included in the restatement that begins our response.

Of course, how you restate a given argument will depend largely on what the argument is. In some cases, you may be able to restate an argument in one sentence. In other cases, as above, you may need two sentences. The goal is to clearly and succinctly state what the argument is, distilling it down to its essence using the language used in the prompt, but not including any of the “filler.” The good news is that no matter what AWA question you encounter, the first sentence or two of your response will essentially already be written for you!

Always begin a GMAT AWA with a restatement of the given argument.

Let’s continue with our Olympic Foods example above. Your next task in the intro paragraph, after you restate the argument, is to outline on what grounds you plan to attack the argument. For example, you might say that the argument fails to take several key factors into account in reaching its conclusion, and then list the 3 such factors that you will address in the paragraphs that follow. Or you might say that the argument makes faulty assumptions and bases its claims on insufficient evidence, and then mention what those assumptions are that you plan to critique. Again, your job here is to highlight only those weak points in the argument that you will critique in your supporting points, so you should not include any argument flaws in your intro that you won’t address later on. Quickly jotting down on your scratch pad which flaws you plan to address, before you start writing your essay, can help you organize your thoughts and pinpoint exactly what you want the focus of each supporting paragraph to be.

Remember, you may be able to find a dozen flaws in an argument, but you won’t have time to critique them all. Furthermore, you shouldn’t waste time finding more flaws than you need and trying to decide which are the “best” ones to write about. The flaws that are most obvious to you — in other words, the ones you notice first — are likely the ones that will be easiest for you to expound on. After all, you noticed them right away, so there are probably relatively clear reasons why they represent weak points in the argument.

So, your restatement of the argument should be followed by a brief summary or overview of what your response to the argument will be. Let’s take a look at how we might do that in the case of the Olympic Foods question:

However, the argument lacks relevant and sufficient evidence, making several assumptions that ignore key factors that could affect its conclusion. For example, the argument assumes that an organization becomes more efficient as time passes. Furthermore, the argument assumes that cost savings achieved in tandem with increased efficiency must be the result of increased efficiency. Finally, the argument assumes that the downward trend of costs that was observed in one sector of processing will replicate in another, unrelated sector of processing.

In total, our sample intro paragraph is 6 sentences: 2 sentences restating the argument, and 4 sentences laying out what our critique of the argument will be. Of course, your mileage may vary depending on the essay prompt, but this basic framework can apply to whatever GMAT AWA question you see.

In the intro paragraph, follow your restatement of the argument with a brief summary or overview of what your critique of the argument (supporting points) will be.

After you’ve introduced the points you’ll touch on in your AWA essay, you’ll need to expand on those points in the next 3 paragraphs. Let’s talk about that now.

Paragraphs 2 through 4 represent the “meat” of your essay, with each paragraph elaborating on one of the points of critique you summarized in your intro. At the beginning of each of these paragraphs, you’ll want to state what aspect of the argument you’re critiquing in that paragraph, and then why that aspect is flawed. You may want to use real-world examples to support your critique, particularly if the word count of your essay is a little light. At the end of each supporting paragraph, you may want to mention a way that the aspect of the argument you’re discussing could’ve been strengthened.

Let’s take for example the second flaw that we set out to critique in our Olympic Foods essay, which will be the focus of the essay’s third paragraph: the argument assumes that cost savings achieved in tandem with increased efficiency must be the result of increased efficiency. In this paragraph, you might start off by saying that the argument supports its conclusion with an example of a decrease in cost and coinciding increase in processing speed that was realized after a number of years. You might then go on to say that the argument provides no evidence to demonstrate that this correlation is actually a causal relationship. Then, you might provide the real-world example of increased automation over those years as a factor that could simultaneously cut the labor costs associated with processing (and therefore reduce the total processing cost) and increase processing speed. Of course, automation and other technological advancements may or may not be readily available at any point in time and can be implemented at an organization regardless of how long it has been in existence, and both of those facts undermine the argument’s conclusion that Olympic Foods can expect to minimize costs because of its long experience. Thus, the argument would have been more convincing if it presented evidence that established that the observed cost savings were actually the result of faster processing times as opposed to some other factor, such as increased automation.

Each of the 3 paragraphs between your intro and your conclusion should elaborate on 1 of the supporting points you summarized in your intro.

Before we move on to the conclusion paragraph, I want to address a common question among GMAT students: whether writing 2 supporting paragraphs instead of 3 is a score-killer in AWA. The truth is, you may be able to earn a decent AWA score by including just 2 supporting points in your essay. And if for some reason you are running seriously low on time or absolutely can’t come up with a third supporting point, then I would say that a completed essay with just 2 supporting points is certainly better than an essay with 2 and a half supporting points and no conclusion, or 3 supporting points and no conclusion. However, there is really no way to say for sure what exact score difference 2 vs. 3 supporting paragraphs makes. So, to be on the safe side — unless you are truly stumped for ideas — plan to write 3.

Your conclusion paragraph is similar to your intro paragraph in that it should summarize the ways that the given argument is flawed. However, your conclusion should also summarize how the argument could be strengthened or the argument’s conclusion could be more accurately assessed. So, essentially, your conclusion paragraph pulls from all of the paragraphs that came before it, providing a tight summary of the main points of your critique and “wrapping a bow” around what you have stated about the validity of the argument’s reasoning.

A conclusion paragraph often begins with a phrase such as “In conclusion,” or “In summary,” but depending on how you organize your thoughts, you may choose to begin your conclusion paragraph differently. Additionally, you may decide to include a “concession” as part of your conclusion. A concession is a statement recognizing that some aspect of a given argument may be valid. For example, a concession could be phrased as such:

Although the argument rightly acknowledges that increased efficiency is one way that an organization can achieve cost savings …

Similar to the intro paragraph, the conclusion paragraph should accomplish its aims in around 4 or 5 sentences. This is not the place to reiterate details, give examples, or introduce new information.

In about 4 or 5 sentences, your conclusion paragraph should provide a tight summary of the main points of your critique and “wrap a bow” around what you have stated about the validity of the argument’s reasoning.

Before we move on to tip #2, take a look at the GMAT analytical writing example question, along with an essay response that received the highest possible AWA score, 6.0, at the bottom of this page . Notice that the essay follows the basic structure of introduction, 3 supporting points with real-world examples, and conclusion. In this case, the writer broke the introductory paragraph into two paragraphs, with the first paragraph restating the argument, and the second paragraph summarizing the intended response, but you can see that the component parts of the essay remain the same as those in our standard 5-paragraph structure.

An important part of scoring well on GMAT Analytical Writing is demonstrating logical organization and clear communication of your thoughts from sentence to sentence and paragraph to paragraph. If your essay seems to jump randomly from one idea to the next, then the reader scoring your essay will have a harder time following your train of thought. Thus, your analysis of the given argument may seem confusing and poorly thought out.

The fact is, even if your ideas are laid out in a logical order, in order to make your essay more readable and understandable, you need to create smooth transitions between paragraphs and between different ideas within the same paragraph. One of the main ways to create smooth transitions is to introduce new ideas using transition words and phrases. For example, the phrase “for example” is a transition phrase that we can use any time we want to shift from talking about a concept to talking about an example that illustrates that concept. Such words and phrases form the “connective tissue” that brings together all of the different parts of an essay into a cohesive whole.

Transition words and phrases form the “connective tissue” that brings together all of the different parts of an essay into a cohesive whole.

Transition words are commonly used to introduce new paragraphs, but you should also seek to incorporate them within the paragraphs of your essay in order to introduce examples or opinions, indicate contrast or support, help sum up your thoughts, show a result, or add emphasis to an important idea. Here are some key transition words and phrases that often come in handy in writing GMAT AWA essays:

• For example
• For instance
• Additionally
• In addition
• Furthermore
• In contrast
• On the other hand
• As a result
• Consequently
• In conclusion

The point is not to memorize this list but to be aware of the importance of transition words for clarifying your ideas and showing the logical progression of your analysis. In short, transition words make your essay more readable! Remember, there will eventually be a person reading and scoring your essay, a person who likely has to evaluate many, many GMAT essays. So, you want to make your essay as clear and engaging as possible. Transition words can help you do just that.

Use transition words throughout your essay to introduce new paragraphs, link different ideas within paragraphs, and show the logical progression of your thoughts.

Although the AWA section is primarily scored with an eye toward the overall structure, cohesiveness, and clarity of your essay, technical aspects such as grammar, spelling, and word choice are still factored into your AWA score. In this respect, the knowledge you’ve gathered while training for GMAT Sentence Correction should come in handy. Are your sentences well-structured, clear, and concise, or are they wordy and circular? Does your essay contain any run-on sentences, redundant words, or incorrect idioms? While you shouldn’t expect to have time to make sure that your essay is grammatically perfect, you do want to make sure that you don’t turn in sloppy, rushed writing.

Keep in mind that a few errors here and there are not going to sink your AWA score, but your essay will appear more polished and “finished” if you’re mindful of basic grammar rules and spelling. If a sentence is becoming overly long and winding, break it into two sentences. Demonstrate a broad vocabulary by varying your word choice. Most importantly, be aware that, even if your analysis is sound and your essay is well-organized, if you completely neglect the basics of grammar and spelling, your ideas will be less clear and your essay will be less readable overall.

Vary your word choice, break up overly long sentences, and be mindful of basic grammar and spelling in order to create a more polished essay.

You may be surprised at how quickly the time flies by when you’re writing your essay. So, don’t expect that you’ll have time at the end of the section to do significant revisions of what you wrote. In fact, you’re likely to find that you have no more than a minute or two — if that — to do a quick read-through of your completed essay. So, it’s important to construct your essay carefully and methodically as you’re writing it , because you probably won’t have time to go back later and do a major cleanup of your work or flesh out a bunch of half-formed ideas.

As you’re writing, make each sentence a “finished product” before you move onto the next one. Does that mean writing and rewriting the same sentence four times until you think it’s perfect? No. You will never be able to write a full and complete essay in the allotted time if you’re agonizing over every sentence. You don’t have time to seek perfection, nor do you need to in order to earn a great AWA score. If possible, use the last 2 minutes or so of your time to do a quick check for any spelling errors or glaring grammatical mistakes in your essay. Just don’t expect to have the last 10 or even 5 minutes of the section time to revise your work.

If possible, use the last 2 minutes of your time to do a quick check for spelling and grammar errors, but don’t expect to have 5 or 10 minutes to make significant revisions to your essay.

One of the most challenging and time-consuming aspects of the GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment is coming up with 3 supporting points. Your supporting points make up the bulk of your essay, and also the portion of your essay that requires the most critical thinking, creativity, and original thought. A great way to prepare yourself for this challenge is to practice thinking up supporting points for the actual essay topics published by GMAC. As a side benefit, this method of practice will also give you a chance to get acquainted with what AWA questions look like, the types of arguments they present, and how those arguments may be flawed.

Browse the topics list and choose a few at random for which you can practice coming up with 3 supporting points with real-world examples. You could also do a full practice essay or two, but I don’t recommend preparing for AWA by writing numerous, complete practice essays. The fact is, if you have the 5-paragraph template down, and you’ve reviewed the types of arguments presented in AWA questions, writing many practice essays really isn’t necessary in order to prepare for GMAT AWA. There is plenty to learn and practice for the GMAT , so you don’t want to waste valuable study time doing more than is actually needed to earn a high score. Thus, I also don’t recommend reading through the entire AWA question list (or attempting to memorize the essay prompts) as a productive use of your time.

Choose random essay prompts from the AWA question list published by GMAC, and practice coming up with 3 supporting points and real-world examples for them.

Now that you know these 5 key GMAT writing tips for scoring 6.0 on the Analytical Writing Assessment, check out these 8 tips for conquering GMAT Sentence Correction and these 8 GMAT Reading Comprehension dos and don’ts .

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Homepage > GMAT IR and AWA > GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment tips – How to score a perfect 6 on GMAT AWA

GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment tips – How to score a perfect 6 on GMAT AWA

Posted by Suheb Hussain | Aug 6, 2020 | GMAT Focus Edition , GMAT IR and AWA , GMAT Preparation

The GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section measures your ability to analyze an argument and communicate your thoughts or ideas. What you simply need to do is to critically analyze the reasoning given behind a given argument. To complete the AWA section of the GMAT you are allotted 30 minutes.

Here is the outline of the article:

How to create a well rounded Analytical Writing Assessment essay?

• How does ‘GMAT Write’ analyze your AWA essay?

GMAT AWA tips – GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment Template

• Sample GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment essay

Let’s discuss now how you can score a perfect 6 on the GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment section. Here are a few tips to prepare you for the GMAT AWA section.

Step 1 –  Understand the process of creating a well-rounded analysis of an argument. You can do that in two ways or rather with the help of two tools.

• AWA template by Chineseburned from gmatclub

Step 2 – Practice! Practice! Practice! the AWA questions. Here is a list of practice questions for you.

GMAT Write – An AWA practice tool by GMAC

GMAT Write is a writing tool provided by GMAC. It gives you access to 2 unique essay prompts and a chance to write 4 essays. The good thing about this tool is that it scores your essay based on the scoring algorithm used by the official GMAT exam. But, it costs $29.99 to subscribe to this tool.

Take a look at this article to know the importance of AWA and IR sections for business school admissions.

How does the ‘GMAT Write’ analyze your GMAT AWA essay?

Once you submit an essay, it scores you on 4 categories:

• Analysis of the issue
• Supports ideas
• Organizes coherent idea
• Language control

Based on these 4 categories it gives you an overall score for the essay.

Even if you don’t buy this tool, you still get to know what GMAT considers an ideal essay to be from it. An ideal essay should:

• Identify and analyze significant flaws in the argument
• Support the critique using relevant supporting reasons and/or examples
• Be a clearly organized and coherent response
• Demonstrate control of language, including diction, syntax, and conventions of standard written English

Source: https://www.mba.com/exam-prep/gmat-write

Once you know what factors make a perfect essay, the next thing you should do is creating a template. The most popular template for AWA is the one provided by ‘Chineseburned’ user on the gmatclub forum.

If you are planning to take the GMAT, we can help you with a personalized study plan and give you access to quality online content to prepare. Write to us at  [email protected] . We are the  most reviewed GMAT prep company on gmatclub with more than 1950 reviews. Why don’t you take a free trial and judge for yourself?

Here are the details of his template:

Structure of the essay

• Introduction: Restate the argument and point out the flaws. Now, state your views which you’ll discuss in the next paragraphs.
• First paragraph: State your first critique of the argument and support your view with an example.
• Second paragraph: State your first critique of the argument and support your view with an example.
• Third paragraph: Pose a few questions for the argument. The absence of information in the argument to answer your questions weaken it further.
• Fourth argument: State information that you feel would have strengthened the argument but is absent. (This is an extra paragraph which is not in Chineseburned template)
• Conclusion: State that the argument is flawed because of the above reasons and which reasons could have strengthened the argument.

Learn how the IR section is scored.

Sample GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment AWA essay

Here is a sample AWA essay question for practice. We have also provided the answer to this question based on the template.

The following appeared in an Excelsior Company memorandum. “The Excelsior Company plans to introduce its own brand of coffee. Since coffee is an expensive food item, and since there are already many established brands of coffee, the best way to gain customers for the Excelsior brand is to do what Superior, the leading coffee company, did when it introduced the newest brand in its line of coffees: conduct a temporary sales promotion that offers free samples, price reductions, and discount coupons for the new brand.” Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion, be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.

GMAT AWA essay

The Excelsior company wants to introduce its own brand of coffee since coffee is an expensive food item and might have good profit margins. However, as there are several established brands of coffee already, it needs to work out a way to gain a foothold in the market. For this purpose, the company plans to pursue the same marketing strategy that the leading coffee company Superior had used. However, I think there are several flaws in that line of reasoning. And hence this argument seems a little weak.

First, Superior is already an established brand and the market leader. No data is given as to how long back it entered the coffee market. Without this information, it is difficult to ascertain the utility of the marketing strategy for Excelsior. A brand might take decades to establish, and what worked a decade back, need not work today. For example, when Google was initially set up, it depended on word of mouth, rather than any communication media, for its marketing. As it was initially just an internal product for the University, this approach worked for them. However, it might not work for any company now. We see these days that most new web companies do advertise heavily when they initially launch a product for the masses.

Second, no information has been provided about the target market for the coffee or the pricing strategy. It might be that the coffee produced by Superior is one of the cheaper products in the market. And that they earn their profits from volume sales rather than having a niche market. Whereas, Excelsior might be aiming at the niche market of expensive and luxury coffee. If that were the case, then the same marketing strategies might not be relevant for Excelsior. Can Hyundai apply the same approach towards the market as does a luxury brand like Ferrari?

Without some of the relevant and contextual details, it is difficult to judge the efficacy of using the same marketing strategy that a competitor applied some unknown years back. If we were to get some more details in this regard, we could have judged the situation better.

Although all the factors being the same, it might not be a bad idea to follow the same approach as that of a leading brand in the market. Sometimes there is nothing wrong with sticking to the tried and the tested. In the absence of any other better idea, Excelsior might not have much to lose if it pursues the same methods as did Superior. It’s better to have some plan rather than no plan.

Conducting a temporary sales promotion that offers free samples, price reductions and discount coupons might not be such a bad idea. It could be a good ploy to get users to try out the product. And discounts and other monetary incentives are usually very effective in this regard. If the quality of the product is good enough and the pricing is appropriate, introducing enough customers to the product through such offers might give a significant push to consumer interest in the product. While customer satisfaction might leverage word of mouth marketing.

Therefore, depending on the context the approach might or might not be a beneficial one. This essay question has been taken from gmatclub and the answer has been judged as a perfect 6 by the GMAT Write tool. The answer was written by the user ‘rish2jain’ from gmatclub forum.

To score a perfect 6 on the GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment section, it is important that you learn the AWA template and practice as much as you can. Just don’t overdo it. It is a good practice to devote 10% of your preparation time to GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment section.

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GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment

Also called the GMAT Essay, the Analytical Writing Assessment(AWA) overall is a single task, which is to evaluate an argument. You will have a total of 30 minutes to consider the argument, write your essay, and finally proofread your essay. It can either be the first or final sections in your variable exam order; that is, you can either begin with the AWA, followed by the integrated section, then go to the quantitative and verbal reasoning sections, or you can start with the quantitative and verbal reasoning sections first, then follow it with the integrated reasoning section and finish with the AWA. 

The essay is scored independently on a 0 – 6 scale of ½ point increments. You will have two independent graders, one of which may or may not be a computer program, but they will never deviate by more than one point. That means that if one of them gives you a 4 and the other gives you a 5, then you will have a 4½.  

How does the AWA compare with the other GMAT sections?

The AWA is always going to be the least important section of the GMAT for admissions considerations. You should consider the GMAT essay exam as a de facto truffle exam, which is an English as a foreign language requirement exam, and basically, it is there to guarantee proficiency in the written English language. In theory, if someone without English language proficiency was to write an essay in their native language, for example, and have someone translate it, then the admissions office cannot be aware of that. But for the GMAT essay, whoever is writing the exam has to prove their identity and write the essay in 30 minutes without any assistance.

How does the AWA affect your GMAT score?

Your goal here is to hit a 5-point minimum. 5 or higher, which is just about the 55th percentile is a safe target score, sometimes even a 4½ could be safe, but a 4 is going to put you at about the 20th percentile because of the scoring system. So, to be safe, you really must do your best to guarantee a five-point score or higher in your essay. If you execute the tactics and processes discussed in this article, you should be able to produce a relatively well-written level 5 essay.

As a GMAT test taker, you must decide beforehand whether it suits you to treat the essay and integrated sections as warmups and therefore do them first, or you prefer to do the quantitative and verbal reasoning sections first before you handle the IR and AWA as a cooldown.

Static Essay Task

Discuss how well-reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion, be sure to analyze your line of reasoning and use the evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.

Now that you have read the essay task, it may never change, and you may never have to read it again. All you have to do is get familiar with this essay task as part of your GMAT exam preparation, and on test day, you will know exactly what to do.

How should I address the essay task?

Think of it as a long-form critical reasoning evaluation task. Evaluate the reasoning, do not attack the reasoning or offer alternative reasoning. Basically, stay on task. 

The first thing you always have to do is identify the main claim conclusion, recommendation, or opinion requiring evaluation.

Read the paragraph or two carefully and understand what the main claim or specific conclusion is. You must be careful not to “attack” the argument, so avoid pejorative hyperbole. For instance, don’t say how terrible the argument is, how completely unfounded it is, or that kind of extreme judgment. There certainly are some flaws, but you need to be measured in your response. 

Investigate ways in which additional information pertaining to possible assumptions could both damage or improve the claim. That is, you don’t only want to point out the problem with the argument as it is presented but also give possible solutions. Suggesting solutions illustrates a true understanding of the circumstances in the argument and different pieces of augmentation and generally show an overall understanding of what is happening in the prompt. This is basically what the examiners are looking for to attain the roughly ten percentile score of 6.

Avoid using outside information or personal biases in your evaluation.

Stick to the prompt, and don’t go outside of it. One of the major ways you can deviate from the task and get yourself into the danger zone of below 5 is by going off on a tangent and talking about things that you are assuming everybody knows. If you get a topic that you are particularly familiar with, make sure that you are not using information that is not available to your grader. Your grader is probably someone who is going to read the paragraph in two to five minutes and probably has a checklist to ensure that you accomplish all the goals. If it is a computer program, it is probably going to be even more streamlined. So stay on topic, don’t deviate, and don’t include possibilities, personal biases, or outside information. Use only the information that you have been provided.

Can I finish the Analytical Writing Assessment section in 30 minutes?

Start with 3 – 5 minutes of brainstorming. In the brainstorming, you need to identify the main conclusion in need of evaluation. You also need to identify major issues within the argument that would affect the viability of that conclusion. For example, is the sample size too small? Identify as many different issues as you can find that need to be further evaluated as per the task to determine the viability of the conclusion.

Spend the next 22 – 25 minutes writing your essay. Assume a standard four-paragraph structure: An introduction, a first support paragraph, a second support paragraph, and a conclusion. It is not necessary to have a fifth paragraph; in fact, it is best that you don’t have a fifth paragraph here so that you have enough time to Proofread your essay.

Spend 2 – 3 minutes proofreading your essay. It is important that you catch any major errors in logic. It is very possible in these 30 minutes of essay writing to entirely leave out a sentence that was in your mind and is integral to what is happening in your essay. You also have to include things like what is your actual conclusion, don’t just refer to it obliquely as “the conclusion” over and over. Your essay grader can’t just assume that you know what the conclusion was. 

Fix convoluted phrasing. If English is not your first language, you can probably just streamline and cut out extra words. This exam does not give any extra points for the length of the essay, so streamline, use an active voice, and be direct, concise, and clear. 

Vary your word choice slightly.

Samples Essay Prompt

The following appeared as part of the annual report sent to stockholders by Olympic Foods, a processor of frozen foods: “Over time, the costs of processing go down because as organizations learn how to do things better, they become more efficient. In color film processing, for example, the cost of a 3-by-5-inch film fell from 50 cents for a five-day service in 1970 to 20 cents for a one-day service in 1984. The same principle applies to the processing of food. And since Olympic Foods will soon celebrate its 25th birthday, we can expect that our long experience will enable us to minimize costs and thus maximize profits.”

Sample Brainstorming

The first thing you have to do is identify the main conclusion. You can paraphrase slightly but not much because, basically, we are just short-handing.

Main conclusion : Since OF(Olympic Foods) will soon turn 25, it can be expected that the experience will minimize costs and maximize profits!

You can put this directly into the word processor interface because you can write around it as you are brainstorming. Focus on the conclusion and try not to pick any of the evidence. Being disinterested and unbiased with the evidence will help us identify possible issues or assumptions. For example: 

• Is the analogy to color processing apt? Is there anything similar between Olympic Foods and color film processing? Don’t make a value judgment and say, “absolutely not.” You just ask the question, and the task is to seek out the answer.
• Another inherent assumption that you may have to investigate is, does minimizing cost means that we will maximize profits? If the cost drops, does that mean that revenue does not go down as well?
• Do 25 years qualify as long experience? The color processing analogy cites the period between 1970 and 1984, a duration of 14 years. So, according to this prompt, is 25 years adequate to be considered long experience?
• Is the annual report possibly a biased source? It is from a report to stockholders by Olympic Foods and has a very positive outlook of Olympic Foods; might it be biased? Should we consider another source? 
• Because the principle applies in theory, does it necessarily work in practicality? Do we need more information to say if it can work in practicality or not?

All this you need to do in under 5 minutes.

Take notes in the word processor interface for maximum efficiency. 

Choose the top three topics or issues to evaluate in your essay. There is not enough time to go through everything, so just streamline into the big three.

Here we’ll go with:

• Is the analogy to color processing apt?
• Do 25 years qualify as long experience?
• Is the annual report possibly a biased source?

This is a personal decision, but you have to make it proactively so that you are extremely consciously writing your essay.

Essay structure

1. introduction (paragraph 1).

Start by identifying your main conclusion. Don’t skirt it, don’t overly paraphrase it, or refer back to it as “the conclusion, the claim, or the recommendation”. Sometimes the conclusion is a bit convoluted and complex, and your essay grader checks to see if you specifically understood the conclusion. It is also here that you will be previewing your top three issues you need to evaluate and transition into the primary issue you are going to evaluate, say; for instance, let’s say the main issue here is the aptness of the color processing analogy.

2. Primary Issue (paragraph 2 )

Briefly summarize your primary issue and how it affects the viability. Be straightforward and do not include too many details. It should be self-explanatory since you are not using external information that needs further exposition. Recommend some additional information sources and how the results of that information might improve or decrease the viability of the claim. For instance, it is possible that we find out that there are a lot of ways that color processing is similar to food processing, which will strengthen the claim. Make sure to address the pro side as well and not only the cons. 

Finally, transition into the second most pertinent issue that you are going to evaluate. 

3. Second Issue (paragraph 3 )

Briefly summarize the issue and how it affects the viability. Recommend some additional information sources and how the results of that information might improve or decrease the viability of the claim. You can consider some vague hypotheticals that could improve or decrease the viability of the claim. If, for example, you are considering age, that is, is 25 years long enough to be considered experienced? You could ask, “What if there are primary competitors with more than 100 years of experience?” And what if the competitors have significantly fewer years of experience?

In this case, you are not really bringing in outside information, you are just considering hypotheticals. This is a better way to go about it than driving yourself into a rabid hole of too many specifics which you may not be able to determine within the context of the prompt. Keep it simple while trying to achieve a breadth of coverage on several different topics. Transition into the third most pertinent issue in need of evaluation.

4. Conclusion (paragraph 3)

Briefly mentioned any additional issues that may need to be evaluated. The possible bias would be a good one to drop in here. You could, for example, just point out that the source for this is the Olympic Foods stockholder report. Is this a disinterested unbiased source? Is there somebody else that would agree with this report?

You can then close by restating the main claim of the argument as uncertain pending results of seeking additional information regarding the issues identified in the essay. That is to say, without answers to the issues raised, we don’t really know the truth of the claim. 

Do not shy away from writing in the first person. Just pick a person and stay consistent with it. You can write as “I” or “We”, you can write in the third person; it is completely okay either way, so long as you remain consistent.

Analytical Writing Assessment Process

Brainstorm. (3.5 minutes).

• Read the paragraph to identify the main conclusion to address the static task. 
• Identify the three top issues or assumptions affecting the conclusion’s viability

Write Essay. (22 – 25 minutes)

Make it a basic four-paragraph structure: An introduction, two paragraphs of support, and a conclusion. Try to allocate new information for the conclusion. Having a more robust organization and cohesion in your essay are some of the things that will edge you closer to 5.5 or 6 in your AWA.

Make sure to leave enough time to catch major errors and vary word choices slightly. The downside to not proofreading is much bigger than the upside of using the final two or three minutes to write another two or three sentences. 

Try applying this approach to your GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment. Pull up some prompts and do some practice in preparation for your GMAT exam. 

Additional prompts are available at:

https://www.mba.com/ ~/media/Files/mba2/the-gmat-exam/files/gmat-exam-format-and timing/analytical-writing-assessment/analysisofanargument_gmat-exam.pdf.

Remember, it takes practice to excel in any exam. Therefore, as you prepare to sit for your GMAT exams, don’t forget to practice with real questions. You can take advantage of our GMAT study resources available at a small premium. Find out what we have to offer and boost your confidence by practicing adequately.

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How to Structure your GMAT AWA Essay for Maximum Impact

The Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section of the GMAT is one that many students find the most intimidating. The fact that it asks candidates to write a free-form essay – in contrast to the multiple-choice natures of the Quant and Verbal sections – can seem overwhelming, particularly to the many non-native-speaking candidates of the GMAT.

But the fact is that the AWA is, deceptively, almost as structured as its multiple-choice counterparts. Sure – you can theoretically write anything on that paper. But the fact is that, due to the constraints of long-form-essay structures, and the general format followed by AWA questions and answers, your answer will generally follow a very specific structure.

Mastering that structure will give you a strong chance of getting the score that you want on the AWA. This means that with the right preparation, the right GMAT essay length and the right kind of formatting, you can tackle pretty much any question you’re likely to face.

Table of Contents

What is the GMAT AWA?

The Analytical Writing Assessment (often simply called the “GMAT essay”) comprises one single question. You’ll be presented with a single argument and a supporting paragraph that will detail how you should approach analyzing and critiquing that argument. You’ll then have 30 minutes in which to craft your response.

The AWA can either be the first or last section of the overall test, depending on your particular preference. If you find that you’re a confident and strong essay writer, it may be best to tackle the AWA first thing, so you can get it out of the way and go into the multiple-choice sections on a high. Conversely, if you find essay writing difficult or you have trouble organizing your thoughts, it may be a good idea to do the AWA last, after you’ve got the Verbal and Quant sections out of the way and you’ve built your confidence up a little more.

You have 30 minutes to complete the AWA. This includes reading the argument and supporting text, and any time you take to prepare your answer. There is no official word count, but the nature of the 30-minute time limit will inevitably limit how much you write.

The GMAT AWA Prompt  

The AWA always features a prompt, which is an argument of some kind related to marketing, education, social issues, politics, the environment, economics, and other areas of general social interest. You’re not required to have specialist knowledge of esoteric fields of study, but you are expected to have reasonably strong general knowledge.

The prompt is always flawed in some way, and it will be your task to identify and analyze these flaws. We’ll get into the exact nature of these flaws a little later.

Following the prompt itself are the directions you’ll need to follow. These directions are always the same, and can be found in the verbatim below:

“Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion.

You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.”

The fact that these directions are always the same is a massive boost when it comes to preparing for the AWA and thinking about how to structure your response. It means that the underlying structure of your essay will always be the same: analyze the argument, identify any flaws in its reasoning, and expose them. You may also offer examples that counter the argument, and make suggestions as to how the argument might be made stronger.

How is the GMAT AWA Section Scored?

The AWA is scored from 0-6 , in half-point increments. Thus you may get a score of 2.0 or 2.5, but never 2.6, 2.7 etc.

The test is marked both by a human examiner and a computer. The human examiner is usually a university professor with extensive experience of marking essays. The computer, on the other hand, uses a sophisticated algorithm to analyze and mark any given essay. This algorithm enables the machine assessor to recognize and assess typical features of any given essay (such as having introductory, body and conclusion paragraphs) and assesses the suitability of your choice of grammar and vocabulary, as well as your syntax, sentence structure and use of keywords.

If there is more than a point of discrepancy between the human and machine examiner, a second human examiner will be brought in to re-mark the essay. In this way, the scoring is as rigorous and fair as possible.

What is a Good Score on the GMAT?

The GMAC defines their scores as follows:

• 6: outstanding
• 4: adequate
• 2: seriously flawed
• 1: fundamentally deficient

Thus, a 4.5 or higher is generally considered to be a ‘good’ score on the test.

How do you get an Outstanding Score on the GMAT AWA?

If you’re shooting for a perfect 6.0, it’s a good idea to look at how the AWA rubric defines such a score.

The GMAC describes a 6.0-scoring essay as being “cogent” and “well-articulated”. It will display a mastery of the various elements of strong writing, and will take steps to do the following:

• Clearly identify the key features of the argument, and write about these features with insight and intelligence.
• Present ideas and critiques clearly and in a logically organized manner. These should be seamlessly connected with fluid and clear transitions.
• Demonstrate a near-flawless command of the English language, with excellent use of syntax, grammar and punctuation. There may be a few minor flaws.
• Effectively supports their ideas and critiques with corroborating evidence.

All told, then, a good essay will feature strong analysis, well-developed ideas that are backed up with strong supporting evidence, and a masterful command of written English. Check out our article on how you can prepare to get a full 6.0 score for the AWA section of the GMAT .

Establishing an AWA Template

As previously mentioned, the structure of your GMAT AWA essay will always take the same basic format. It’s therefore a good idea to establish an essay template and stick to that template throughout all of your practice runs at the AWA. That way, by the time you step into that test room, writing your response should almost be a case of muscle memory.

While your AWA template can’t help out with effective use of grammar and vocabulary, it can really streamline the process of crafting your essay. A good template will feature the following:

• A paragraph-by-paragraph structural outline of your essay;
• What the general content of each paragraph will be;
• Pre-written sentence stems that can be plugged in as and when needed.

Your essay doesn’t need to be particularly creative or innovative; remember that there is a standardized rubric followed by both the human and machine examiners, so they’re not particularly interested in being wowed by fresh new approaches. In fact, most of the top-scoring essays are very formulaic in their approach, having very similar structures and arguments throughout. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel with yours.

A good template, used effectively, takes a lot of the mental busywork out of writing your AWA essay, allowing you more time to think about the actual content of your response, rather than its structure.

Examples of AWA Essay Templates  

There are a number of approaches you can take when deciding upon the best AWA essay structure for you. Whatever approach you choose, be sure to get plenty of practice by answering lots of sample AWA questions . 

The “Flaw-by-Flaw” Template

This template identifies a number of flaws in the argument, then dedicates a paragraph to fully breaking down each of those flaws. Suggestions for improving each argument are found within each of those body paragraphs, rather than summarized elsewhere.

The basic structure is as follows:

Introduction (2-3 Sentences)

• Restate the argument (e.g. “the argument claims that…”)
• State the ways in which you find the argument flawed, in the order in which you’ll discuss them
• Optional: acknowledge parts of the argument that work in spite of the flaws

Body Paragraphs (2-3 Paragraphs, Each of 4-5 Sentences)

• Restate one of the flaws you introduced in your first paragraph
• Explain the nature of the flaw (e.g. insufficient evidence, correlation does not equal causation, etc.)
• Optional: offer counterexamples that work to undermine the argument
• Suggest improvements that may work to strengthen the argument

Conclusion Paragraph (3-4 Sentences)

• Restate the fact that the argument is flawed (“all in all, we can see from the flaws in this argument that…”)
• Optional: restate any merit the argument has despite its flaws
• Restate your line(s) of reasoning, ensuring not to use the same wording.

Pros and Cons of the “Flaw-by-Flaw” Template

This template is great for providing a detailed breakdown of the argument in a clear, controlled and well-organized manner. However, it can be easy to get bogged down in the minutiae of each paragraph to the detriment of the overall essay – particularly due to the fact that you’ll be offering suggestions for improvements as you go, rather than summarizing them elsewhere.

It’s therefore a tricky template if you’re already struggling with the strictures of the 30-minute time limit, and requires a considerable amount of practice to use properly and efficiently.

The “Summarized Improvements” Template

With this template, you’ll summarize any improvements that can be made to the argument in a separate paragraph, rather than addressing them on a paragraph-by-paragraph basis.

This essay template takes the following format:

Introductory Paragraph (2-3 Sentences)

• Summarize the argument
• Enumerate the ways in which the argument is flawed, in the order in which you’ll discuss the flaws
• Optional: acknowledge parts of the argument that work despite its flaws

Body Paragraphs (2-3 Paragraphs of 4-5 Sentences)

• Introduce one of the flaws
• Identify the nature of the flaw (e.g. which specific logical fallacy it’s an example of)
• Optional: offer counterexamples that weaken the argument

Concluding Paragraph (5+ Sentences)

• Recapitulate the argument and the flaws thereof
• Restate your analysis of the flaws
• Summarize the ways in which the argument could be improved or strengthened
• Optional: restate that the argument may not be completely without merit

If you cannot find three or more flaws in the argument, you can instead dedicate the third paragraph to potential improvements, moving them up from your concluding paragraph and leaving that dedicated to recapitulating the argument and your critiques thereof.

Pros and Cons of the “Summarized Improvements” Template 

This template is much better for giving your essay a laser focus that the “flaw-by-flaw” template can lose if you’re someone who gets bogged down in the details. It ensures that you have a clear and focused essay finished by the time your thirty minutes are up.

On the other hand, it may lack the specificity and detail of the other essay template. If you’re an accomplished and speedy essay writer with an eye for detail, it may be best to eschew this template in favor of the “flaw-by-flaw” one. 

Creating your own GMAT AWA Essay Template

The abovementioned essay templates are suggestions only, and you may indeed find that they don’t work for you or your needs. If this is the case, then you should take a stab at crafting your own template.

This can be a little difficult if you don’t have much experience with the format of the AWA, however, and so it’s probably best to practice with the given templates to start with. You can then grade your practice tests (whether self-grading or using other methods ) and see what’s working for you and what isn’t.

Once you’ve finished and have graded your essay, analyze the essay on both a macro and micro level. What worked about the essay as a whole? What didn’t, and why? Was your conclusion weak because you spent too much time on each individual paragraph? Did you forget to include suggestions for improvements because you ran out of time?

Once you have an idea of the areas you need to work on, you can work on a template that works for you. Perhaps you’d do better to offer counterexamples and improvements in each paragraph as you go. Perhaps these details are distracting and you’re getting bogged down trying to think of clever ways to end each paragraph; in this case, it might help to have a few more canned sentence stems so you don’t waste too much time on this.

Whatever the case, once you’ve established a template, stick with it for a few practice tests, then reassess the situation. If you find that something still isn’t working, you can alter your template as you see fit. Keep going until you’ve found an approach that works for you and your essay-writing habits.

Altering Your Template on the Fly

While having a template is a massive help in giving you a general outline of how your essay is going to be structured, in rare instances you’ll find that your predetermined template simply doesn’t work.

For instance, some arguments that crop up on the AWA are so weak that they don’t really have flaws as such to examine. They may, for instance, be all conclusion with no assumptions to analyze at all. In this case, rather than analyzing weaknesses in the argument, you may instead need to base the entire essay on what information you might need before you could even begin to assess the effectiveness of the argument.

This could be done by simply expanding your “improvement” paragraph into 3-4 paragraphs, with each paragraph introducing an improvement that could be made to the argument, and why that improvement would help the argument better make its point.

The general point here is that your template should be robust and flexible enough to survive a structural change or two and still work; if it’s too rigid and you’ve geared it towards one particular approach to the exclusion of all others, you could run into trouble on test day.

Using Canned Sentence Stems

Pre-written sentence stems are of use in any essay, and can be massively useful when it comes to the GMAT AWA essay structure. There are a number of phrases that are readily associated with formal essay writing, and they remove the headache of trying to come up with new and inventive ways to introduce, expound upon, and conclude your ideas.

For a great list of useful sentence stems, check out our guide on what to do to get 6.0.

Knowing how to structure your GMAT AWA essay can’t get a 6.0 for you, but it does put you on the right path. It can speed up your response time, increase your GMAT essay length (as you’ll spend less time worrying about the structure) and help to present your ideas in a coherent and clear manner.

Even if you’re a non-native speaker, sticking to a template and using pre-written discourse markers ensure that you are equipped with all the tools necessary to acing the AWA. It’s just a case of making effective use of them. 

The GMAT AWA: Understanding the Format and How to Prepare

Gmat awa essay writing: common mistakes and how to avoid them, you may also like, gmat awa writing tips – how to get 6.0 on awa, the importance of gmat awa essay practice and how to get the most out of..., the gmat awa scoring system: how it works and how to interpret your results, the top 10 tips for acing the gmat awa essay.

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Structuring Your Analysis of An Argument Essay on the GMAT

Response paragraph 1, four tips to raise your scores on gmat argument essay, tip 1: don’t lie. ever..

Made up statistics and facts won’t impress the GMAT graders, but strong organization, logical arguments, and specific supportive examples will. Don’t be tempted to make up data because you are not an “expert” in the subject matter.

TIP 2: BE CLEAR, NOT PEDANTIC.

Focus more on conveying your argument succinctly and forcefully than on sounding scholarly. Don’t include long-winded sentences that go nowhere in the hopes of sounding more intelligent. The argument essay needs to be formal, but more importantly, forceful.

TIP 3: YOU ALREADY KNOW YOUR THESIS.

No matter what the prompt, your thesis is essentially, “the argument is flawed.” All you have to do is come up with solid logic backed by specific examples that show why.

TIP 4: CRITICIZE THE WORDING OF THE ARGUMENT.

An easy way to find fault in the structure of the argument is to pick apart its diction. Just how many is “many”? Exactly what does the author mean by “benefits”? Look for vague wording and qualifying language to attack. It will be there!

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GMAT Sample Essays

All GMAT students know the Argument essay comes first in the test, before we get to the more important Quantitative and Verbal sections, so it’s important not to exhaust ourselves in this first part of the exam. One way to stay fresh for the rest of the exam is to have a good idea of what a high-scoring essay looks like, so we have provided some GMAT sample essays to review. Below we look at a “6” and discuss why it would have likely received a perfect score, then we examine a “4” and discuss how it could have been strengthened. You can find more example essays in the GMAT Official Guide. Happy writing!

ESSAY QUESTION #1:

The following appeared in the editorial section of a national news magazine:

“The rating system for electronic games is similar to the movie rating system in that it provides consumers with a quick reference so that they can determine if the subject matter and contents are appropriate. This electronic game rating system is not working because it is self-regulated and the fines for violating the rating system are nominal. As a result an independent body should oversee the game industry and companies that knowingly violate the rating system should be prohibited from releasing a game for two years.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. Point out flaws in the argument’s logic and analyze the argument’s underlying assumptions. In addition, evaluate how supporting evidence is used and what evidence might counter the argument’s conclusion. You may also discuss what additional evidence could be used to strengthen the argument or what changes would make the argument more logically sound.

The author concludes that electronic game rating system is not working compared to the movie rating system. He gives reasoning for the argument by stating that electronic companies ability to self manage and regulate the rating system is part of the problem. Author also gives reason for what needs to be done in order for electronic rating system to work, but his reasons are weak. In the next few paragraphs, I will explain why the author’s reasons are weak and what could strengthen the argument.

First, the author mentions that by hiring an independent company to oversee the operation of the electronic rating system would solve the issue. This big assumption that author makes here is that he assumes independent company would do a better job in rating games than electronic game companies themselves. If the electronic gaming companies had a better understanding on how to improve, they might themselves do a better job than independent company to oversee the ratings.

Second, the author mentions that if an electronic company violates the rating system rule, then the penalty would be to prohibit that company from releasing any games for two years. This is another weak point the makes to support his argument because if the electronic company regular product-life cycle is to release each gave every two years, this penalty wouldn’t hurt the company at all. Also, there is not way of assessing how many year of prohibition would be adequate.

Author could have strengthen his argument, if he provided some data point such as from the movie industry to defend this stance that making independent company oversee and prohibition of movie release actually worked in the long-run. Perhaps, some research data that showed making these changes would actually work, would benefit the author’s overall argument stance.

Therefore, the author’s argument that electronic game rating system is not working is weak. Both of the points he made regarding independent company oversee and violation penalty are weak without data showing that it might work.

RECAP: The first thing that stands out in this essay is the organization. The paragraphs as clearly laid out and succinct, and each begin with a great transition word or phrase. The introductory paragraph, while unfortunately uses some unneeded self-reference, clearly demonstrates an understanding of the presented argument, which is mandatory of all “6” essays. Each flaw is then pointed out in a body paragraph, and the author then chooses to include a nice “how to strengthen” paragraph to demonstrate that he/she knows the argument at a more advanced level! The conclusion is clear, and reinforces the claims previously made. While no means perfect, the strong reasoning and clarity of organization definitely give this author a “6”!

ESSAY QUESTION #2:

Political organizations that advocate the use of violence to achieve their goals should be prohibited from operating within our country. Such groups are only interested in achieving short term goals which lead to more serious long term problems.

Political organizations that advocate the use of violence to achieve its goals can sometimes lead to destruction and devastation. However, that claim that such groups are detrimental to society does not follow the same line of reasoning. These groups might be of great help to certain sections of society. Also the claim that short term solutions can only lead to more serious long term problems is stated without any evidence. Hence the above argument is flawed.

Firstly, political organizations might be of great help to certain sections of society. Take for example the Indian National Congress party that helped tons of Indian’s voice their views to the British government during the British rule in india. Although this political organization advocated the use of violence, the organization was critical to India becoming a free of British rule in 1947.

Secondly, the argument assumes that short term solutions lead to more serious long term problems. Short term solutions are often very important in achieving long term goals, irrespective of whether the organizations advocate violence or not. The argument must also state clearly what constitutes violence. In a free country, such as the United States, to prohibit any political organization is to put a hold on their freedom. As long as the violence or aggressive behavior is not illegal, one can not prohibit a political organization from operating.

Thus although the argument seems to convey a valid point, that political organizations that advocate the use of violence should be prohibited from operating, it is worded to strongly and lacks evidence to support its claims that these groups are detrimental to society.

RECAP: The major difference between these two essays is length. More is not always better, but a student who can write 5-6 paragraphs within the given time frame definitely will stand out as a better planner, and as someone who already had a workable template. Furthermore, some minor grammar and spelling mistakes interfere with the essay’s clarity. The thesis, “Hence the above argument is flawed, “ is not as strongly worded as it could be, and doesn’t stand on its own as a powerful statement. The conclusion also seems to weaken the essay by admitting the argument conveys “a valid point.” This concession, without being more specific, weakens the overall thesis. The takeaway: length, specificity, and strength of argument will take this “4” to a “6.”

More AWA Resources: GMAT Essay Writing Guide

Exams Know-how

How to Write AWA in GMAT: Best Tips for GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment

The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a computer-based test designed to gauge your analytical, writing, quantitative, verbal, and reading skills in written English. The exam is taken by students interested in management courses.

The GRE essay section is also referred to as the AWA or the GRE Analytical Writing Assessment which experts believe is one of the most neglected sections of the GRE test. Most test-takers believe that they can master the section in a few days at the most. The AWA section of the GMAT is designed to gauge the student's command of the language and writing skills in English.

We have brought to you the best tips and tricks suggested by GMAT experts to write a great analytical writing assessment in GMAT, along with AWA GMAT essay samples!

What is the GMAT AWA Section?

The Analytical Writing Assessment Section of the GMAT exam requires that you analyse the reasoning behind a given argument and write a critique of that argument. Your ability to think critically and to communicate your ideas through an essay in English is measured.

The GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment section consists of one 30-minute writing task—Analysis of an Argument. The arguments on the test include topics of general interest related to business, or a variety of other subjects. Specific knowledge of the essay topic is not necessary; only your capacity to write analytically is assessed.

Suggested: What is the Difference between the GRE and GMAT Exam?

Sample AWA Essay Examples

Sample GMAT AWA essay topics will help you set benchmarks and improve your writing along the same lines. We strongly suggest that you read sample essays regularly during your preparation phase for the GMAT. You can read sample essays from the following resources:

• Sample Issue Essays from ETS
• Sample Argument Essays from ETS

The essays on the ETS website have been written by students.

You can use these essays as benchmarks to assess your own levels of writing.

Suggested: Know Everything about the GMAT AWA Template!

Tips to Write AWA in GMAT

The GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) provides clear instructions on how to plan and write your essay. Students must learn these instructions long before Test Day and do not waste precious testing time reading them while the clock ticks.

Given below are the tips for writing a great GMAT AWA:

1.  Confine to Objectivity in Analytical Writing

The AWA instruction reads “In this section, you will be asked to write a critique of the argument presented. You are NOT being asked to present your own views on the subject.” A critique is an objective criticism of the argument in the prompt. Including your opinion would be providing a subjective analysis, which is not the point of analytical writing.

2.  Analyse the Argument's Assumptions and Supporting Evidence

Every GMAT AWA argument comprises a conclusion and pieces of evidence, just like GMAT Critical Reasoning (CR) questions. For both AWA and CR, the gaps between those pieces of evidence and the conclusion must be bridged by an assumption. Your critique of the argument will discuss the flaws you identify in its reasoning. A common mistake is to equate assumptions with flaws. That consistent pattern provides you with your thesis statement; “The author’s argument is flawed because it is based on assumptions for which she does not provide sufficient supporting evidence.”

Suggestd: All about GMAT Reading Comprehension!

3.  Draw a Conclusion from your Thesis Statement

This thesis statement also serves as an appropriate conclusion. By definition, a thesis statement provides a summary of the main point of the essay. Remember that the conclusion of any passage, argument, claim, or essay can be found by asking, “What’s the point?” So once you’ve crafted that thesis statement, shuffle the language a bit and you have a conclusion.

4.  Avoid Hesitation in the AWA- It's About Confidence

Your AWA essay should have a formal, confident tone. You have dissected the argument and are now presenting your objective findings. Third-person pronouns (he, she, one) are appropriate in a GMAT essay. First- (I, we, us) and second-person (you) are inappropriate; in fact, unnecessary self-reference (I believe) is part of what makes the first example above less effective than the second.

The phrases “somewhat vague” and “rather wordy” have a softer impact than simply saying “vague” or “wordy.” Avoid these qualifiers in your GMAT essay:

• pretty (as in pretty much)
• might be (as opposed to is/are)
• may be (as opposed to is/are)

This is not an absolute list, and these words are not totally off-limits. But be sure to use purposeful words and avoid unnecessary qualification.

5.  Be Concise

Using active verbs and avoiding qualifiers automatically makes your writing concise. Say what you mean in as few words as possible. Remember that graders read hundreds and hundreds of essays, and they spend just a minute or so reading each one. You want the grader to see your points right away, so don’t crowd your essay with unnecessary descriptors.

6.  Try to be Polished, not Perfect

Graders can tell whether you had a plan before you started typing, so spend time planning before you write. If you break down the argument, decide on your points, and arrange your ideas into paragraphs when the clock starts, then you will have written a polished AWA essay before 30 minutes have elapsed. Remember that formal writing is much more structured than texts and speech.

Suggested: All about GMAT Vocabulary

7.  Use Language you are Comfortable With

Now that I’ve given you a checklist of style tips to use on the Analytical Writing Assessment, the final point is that you must remember to be yourself. Use language you are comfortable with and trust your own voice. Do not try to write as if you were someone else.

Suggested: How to Prepare for the GMAT AWA?

We hope you got a clear idea about how to proceed with preparing and writing the AWA in GMAT. Make sure to follow the guidelines highlighted in the blog above and prepare accordingly. You can further seek assistance through our free GMAT prep resources to ace your GMAT prep!

Frequently Asked Questions about AWA in GMAT

How many words should we write in GMAT AWA?

To hit around 500 words, you should have written about 30-35 sentences of 15-20 words each. With sufficient practice, your essays will reach the desired mark and you will not have to actually count the number of words on the day of your exam. At this point, resist the temptation to add any new points.

How do you start an AWA introduction?

Your introduction should not be long. Encyclopedic texts require long introductions; thirty-minute essays require a short introduction. An effective introduction need only be a few sentences.

What is the GMAT age limit?

GMAT doesn't have any strict age or academic qualification requirement to take the exam. The only GMAT exam eligibility that the candidates need to be concerned about is having an undergraduate degree.

What are the preparation strategies for the Reading Comprehension GMAT?

Your GMAT Verbal Ability score largely depends on Reading Comprehension. Here are some foolproof ways to structure and time your preparation for GMAT Reading Comprehension: 1) Skim the passage [1 minute] 2) Read the questions [1 minute] 3) Read the Passage in detail [2 minutes] 4) Answer questions [1 minute] 5) Identify the outliers [0.25 minutes]

How much does GMAT cost in India?

The GMAT computer based test costs about Rs 20,600.

Rohan Deshmukh

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GMAT AWA Strategy

How to use the alloted 30 minutes for the gmat awa task.

You are given exactly 30 minutes to do all you can with the particular AWA task given to you. It is critical to have a time-based plan and stick to it so that you do not find yourself rushing at the end or not finishing the task.

Here is a suggested plan for your 30 minutes:

Read the task carefully. Doing so will kick your brain into thinking mode and help you to focus on the task at hand and calm the butterflies in your stomach. In these two minutes, read the AWA question at least twice to ensure that you don’t miss out on any nuance that you can exploit in your essay. In this part, you should break down the argument into the main conclusion and supporting premises so that you can start work on weakening the assumptions and evidence in the next part.

Here you will brainstorm and generate ideas. This part will generate the main thrust of your essay, so don’t rush yourself, and remember to stick to the plan. This part should also yield a rough structure of what points you will mention in your essay – the four paragraphs. Consider using the provided scratch pad to sketch out a very brief outline so that you can keep your ideas organized. This will also help you to remember the brainstorming you do during these 5 minutes and avoid writer's block. Divide the ideas into two main body paragraphs to allow faster typing in the next part.

This part is where you will flesh out the points you generated in the previous 5 minutes. Do not forget to reference the outline you jotted down. This will help you avoid writer's block or jumping around with ideas. If one paragraph you are working with is making you feel stuck, don’t force yourself to go in a linear fashion. You can move on to the next paragraph and return when you feel ready to tackle this idea again. As long as you are keeping your paragraphs structured and ideas separated, you can move fluidly between ideas as works best for you. This way, even if your thoughts are jumping around, at least your structure is already solidly in place to avoid seeming unorganized to the readers. By the end of this part, you should have a draft of your essay. To hit around 500 words, you should have written about 30-35 sentences of 15-20 words each. With sufficient practice, your essays will reach the desired mark and you will not have to actually count the number of words on the day of your exam.

At this point, resist the temptation to add any new points. Just read your essay twice, correcting it for syntax, grammar and spelling mistakes as you read, and ensure that proper transition words have been used as you switch from one point to the next. Also, try to increase the vocabulary level, but don’t try to use fancy language, flowery words, or quotes/sayings. Look for places where you can vary your syntax to leave a more sophisticated impression. Stick to formal English and keep the language relevant and unornamented.

General Tips

• After having read the full book, practice writing at least 4-5 essays. Take advantage of the GMAT Write tool provided by GMAC.
• Go through the remaining AWA topics in the pool and think about what you would generally write about them.
• In your final 3-4 full-length tests, do the AWA part too, to get the full experience.
• Check your typing speed – it is better to write essays closer to 550-600 words than just 300 or so. You should be able to type that many words in less than 20 minutes.
• Absorb the vocabulary used in the 40 sample essays provided in the Manhattan Review AWA book. You should be familiar enough with these to incorporate them into your essay without any hassles.
• Read the sample essays more than once to train your mind to organize your thoughts along those lines.
• If your command of English is not strong, make sure you adhere to the principles you learn in Sentence Correction to minimize grammar errors. Reading quality publications such as The Economist or The New Yorker, among others, may help you to familiarize yourself with grammar and varied syntax.

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GMAT Writing Sample Introduction

Home » 800score Free GMAT Prep Course » FREE GMAT PREP COURSE » GMAT Writing Sample Introduction

The GMAT Writing Sample asks you to write an essay in 35 minutes. It is wise to invest a few hours in preparation for your essay. Those who don’t prepare at all often write terrible essays. These essays might even be bad enough to endanger a student’s admission chances. Spend a few hours looking at sample essays to avoid any unnecessary mistakes.

The essay section is designed to test how well you can (1) organize a compelling argument using sound reasoning and supporting evidence and (2) express your thoughts clearly in written form. The essay section is NOT meant to test how many big vocabulary words you know, how much you know about the business or any other specific topic, or really even how creative you are.

The writing sample is a much lower priority than GMAT prep, so we suggest that you jump ahead to the GMAT course . Otherwise, you can divert about 20 minutes to review this page to review this content now or circle back to review it later.

What will the topic be?

You won’t be asked to write about a specific topic so much as you’ll be asked to respond to a specific scenario. The scenario will always be presented in the same form. Here’s a watered-down example (keep in mind that the scenario on your exam will be more involved):

John wants to buy a pet. He is choosing between a cat and a dog. He only has time to care for one pet. Write an essay in which you argue for the purchase of one type of pet over the other based on the following considerations:

• John wants a pet that will be relatively maintenance-free.
• John wants a pet that will be a true, loyal companion.

The first option, the cat, is a clean pet that does not typically damage or destroy household property. While the cat does need to be fed twice per day, it does not need to be taken for daily walks. The cat is very aloof and non-responsive to human interaction, but it does grow attached to its human owner over time.

The second option, the dog, requires daily attention. The dog has been known to damage household property, and it requires walks on a daily basis. With training, the dog can learn to be relatively self-sufficient. The dog responds to human interaction and craves the attention of its human owner, but it can’t communicate very well with humans.

As mentioned earlier, the scenario will always be presented in the same way. The first part will present a choice, the second part (the bullet statements) will present two considerations that need to be weighed in making that choice, and the third part will provide more information about the two choices at hand. Notice that there is no right or wrong answer here. In fact, the scenario is presented in such a way as to make it difficult to decide which option is better! They both have their pros and cons. What’s important is NOT which option you choose, but rather how you justify, or support, the choice that you do end up making.

How should I write my essay?

The following will outline a process for planning and writing your essay. It certainly isn’t the only way to do it, but it does provide a consistent, repeatable approach that you’ll be able to rely on.

Step 1: Compile information in grid form (5 minutes total for steps 1-3)

In the test booklet, set up a table that has the two choices along the top and the two considerations along the side. In the intersecting cells of the grid, include the appropriate pros and cons using a “+” before any pro and a “-“ before any con. For our example, it might look like this:

You’re familiar with cats and dogs, so it’s probably already obvious to you that a cat would be a good low-maintenance choice and a dog would be good for companionship. Keep in mind, however, that the scenario you will see on your exam will be much less familiar to you. Organizing the information in grid form will make it much easier for you to see the relative strengths and weaknesses of each choice.

Step 2: Decide on a “more important” consideration (5 minutes total for steps 1-3)

At this point, you want to make a decision. Is it more important for John that the pet be maintenance-free or that it be a loyal companion? Again, there’s no right answer. Even so, you need to decide which you will make more important. Choose one that you can easily justify (even if it’s a made-up justification). For example, we’ll decide:

“Having a loyal companion is more important than having a low-maintenance pet because true friendship trumps all else. If John has a true companion and friend, the daily maintenance will become a labor of love instead of a hassle.”

Step 3: Make your choice! (5 minutes total for steps 1-3)

Your decision in step 2 should lead you to a clear choice. In this case, if we deem companionship to be the more important consideration, then we’ll want to choose the dog (since the dog clearly has more compelling plusses in that part of the grid).

“John should pick the dog because it will serve as a more loyal companion than the cat will.”

Step 4: Write the essay (25 minutes)

Plan on structuring your essay the same way every time. Here’s an easy template to follow:

Essay Section Template Paragraph 1: A. Summarize the decision to be made.   “The scenario presented above puts John in a position in which he will choose between purchasing a cat and purchasing a dog.” B. Acknowledge the complexity of the decision.  “Given the considerations and characteristics of the choices at hand, this is a very difficult decision in that each choice has its merits.” C. State your opinion.  “Even so, John would be better served by choosing the dog.” Paragraph 2: A. State why the primary consideration (the one you chose to be the primary consideration) is more important and how your choice satisfies this consideration.  “First, it is more important to have a pet that serves as a loyal companion than it is to have a pet that is maintenance-free…” (justify this statement, even if it’s a made-up justification) or  “The dog will be a loyal companion in that it will …” (use the information from the grid to show how) B. State why the other choice (cat) falls short in this regard.   “The cat, on the other hand, is a poor match for anyone looking for a loyal pet …” (use the information from the grid to show how) Paragraph 3: State how your choice still does an okay job with the secondary consideration.   “Furthermore, while the dog isn’t an ideal choice for someone wanting a maintenance-free pet, it can learn to be relatively self-sufficient…” (use any other information from the grid to support this) Paragraph 4: Summarize your argument

Step 5: Proofread! (5 minutes)

Spelling errors, misprints, grammatical errors, etc. will never go over well. While a few simple mistakes won’t kill you, you want to be sure your final essay is as clean as possible.

Practice this a few times on some real essay prompts and you should be all set. Good luck!

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Need a 6 on the GMAT Writing Sample section? Use the 800score guide.

The GMAT Writing Sample consists of one 30-minute section, the Analysis of an Argument essay. You will receive a grade from 1 to 6 on each and these will be sent with your GMAT scores.

The good news is that the GMAT Writing Sample can be beaten. The essay topics are available for you to review beforehand. The structures for the GMAT Writing Sample answers are simple and may be learned. In addition, while much GMAT preparation may appear “useless” and without any merit beyond test day, the skills, reasoning tools, and techniques you learn for the GMAT Writing Sample may be applied to any essay or persuasive writing. Don’t worry about over-preparing for the GMAT Writing Sample section, because you’ll actually use this for the real world!

800score  has graded tens of thousands of essays from GMAT candidates and we have an unparalleled knowledge of where students go wrong.

Here are some tips before we get started:

• Grammar and spelling are less important than structure and content.
• Take many timed practice tests on a computer. We have 20 practice essays.

The guide is divided into these sections:

•      Chapter 1:      Introduction (current page)
•      Chapter 2:      Analysis of Argument
•      Chapter 3:      Improving Your Writing
•      Chapter 4:      Getting the Real Essay Questions
•      10 Most Common Errors
•      Essay Grading Service

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The only 20 gmat vocabulary words you must know.

Does the GMAT test you on vocabulary? What vocab words or phrases will you need to know to succeed on the GMAT? In this article, I’ll give you a foundational GMAT vocabulary list and study strategies for learning the GMAT vocab that will help you excel on the exam.

How Does the GMAT Test Vocabulary?

First and foremost, the GMAT does not test you directly on vocabulary words. While you need strong reading, writing, and communication skills to succeed in business school, sophisticated vocabulary is not as much of a focus as it would be in an academic grad program (say, in the humanities). You won’t be asked to provide definitions, find synonyms, complete analogies, or demonstrate your knowledge of highly sophisticated vocab. So don’t worry about memorizing any vocabulary for the GMAT!

You will, of course, need to have a good grasp of high-school and college-level English vocabulary in order to succeed in the Verbal section. Sentence Correction questions (which require you to correct errors in grammar and sentence structure) don’t require much knowledge of high-level vocab, though it certainly doesn’t hurt. The Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning question types don’t usually include very complex vocab, but you do need to know some key terms in order to understand what’s being asked of you. Let me show you what I mean.

Your GMAT Vocabulary List: The GMAT Vocab You Need to Know

Below are some common words that you’ll see in instructions, questions, and answer choices on the GMAT, especially in the Verbal section.

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You won’t need to know an exact definition of each of these words, but you do need to know how each of them will be used in the context of the exam. Even if you’re already familiar with the word itself, you may not know how it will be used on the GMAT.   For each word, I’ve provided an explanation of how it’s used in the test and an example sentence. Use them as a starting point for your GMAT vocab prep.

Analyze: To examine something (usually a passage or argument, in the context of the GMAT) and break it down into its constituent parts; to inspect in detail. The Analytical Writing Assessment asks you to analyze and critique a given argument.

Assertion: A statement, usually backed up by some kind of solid proof or reasoning. Synonyms include ‘claim’ and ‘contention.’

Assumption: The underlying reasoning of an argument. ‘Premise’ is a synonym. You’ll be asked about the assumptions of various arguments frequently in Critical Reasoning questions in the Verbal section.

Cite: To refer back to your source or reasoning.

Claim: An assertion, argument, or statement.

Contention: Can mean a conflict or clash. In the context of the GMAT, usually refers to an argument or assertion, especially a controversial one. The verb form is ‘to contend.’

Corroborate: To support or validate an existing opinion, belief, or argument. Other synonyms include ‘verify’ and ‘confirm.’ Often used in the phrase ‘corroborating evidence.’

Faulty: Some Critical Reasoning questions may ask you if or how an argument is faulty. Faulty is a synonym for ‘flawed’ or ‘invalid.’ An argument is faulty if there’s a gap in its logic, or if the conclusion reaches doesn’t flow logically from its premise.

Imply: To imply is to suggest based on evidence (but not state explicitly). The adjective form is ‘implicit,’ which is the opposite of ‘explicit’ (overt or clear). Many students get confused between ‘imply’ and ‘infer.’ They are similar, but not exactly alike. An inference is a conclusion we can reasonably draw based on given evidence. An implication is a strong suggestion that is not directly stated.

Infer/Inference: To infer is to conclude based on given evidence/information. When a Critical Reasoning question asks you to draw a conclusion based on a passage, it is asking you to make an inference.

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Maintain: In the context of the GMAT, ‘maintain’ means to argue, assert, or contend, particularly repeatedly or after opposition.

Mitigate: To lessen, diminish, or render less extreme or severe. Often used in the phrase ‘mitigating circumstances,’ which refers to circumstances that make a crime more understandable but don’t entirely exonerate someone of his/her crime.

Paradox: This is common in Critical Reasoning questions on the Verbal section. A paradox is something that is seemingly contradictory or doesn’t make sense, or two facts that don’t seem to coexist logically. Clues that a GMAT question may be asking you to identify a paradox are words like ‘discrepancy’ and ‘contradiction.’

Posit: To posit is to present an argument or hypothesis about something that is currently unknown or uncertain.

Premise: A premise is a statement upon which an argument or theory is based.

Redundancy: ‘Redundancy’ refers to something (a word, phrase, or piece of information) that’s repetitive and thus meaningless or unnecessary. It comes up most commonly in Sentence Correction questions, which ask you to eliminate redundancy in the answer choice you choose.

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Sufficient: Data Sufficiency questions, on the Quant section, ask you if a given piece of information is ‘sufficient’ to solve a problem or complete an equation. ‘Sufficient,’ in the context of the GMAT, means ‘enough on its own.’ In other words, could you answer this question or solve this problem or equation with only that numerical value or piece of information?

Undermine: To weaken or invalidate (usually an argument, in the context of the GMAT).

Validate: Often used interchangeably with ‘corroborate.’ (See above entry).

Warranted: ‘Warranted’ means justified, deserved, or necessary.

How to Study GMAT Vocab: 4 Strategies

If you struggle with the GMAT Verbal section, you’ll want to develop some study strategies to improve your GMAT vocabulary.

#1: Do Some “Required Reading”

Particularly if you find in your prep that you find some of the vocabulary on your GMAT practice tests intimidating, it can be helpful to do some reading in similar styles to what you’ll see on the exam. The Economist, Popular Science, Psychology Today,  and  The New York Times  can all be good resources for your GMAT prep. Reading magazines and newspapers like these will help you get familiar with the vocab you’ll see on the exam and allow you to practice your reading comprehension skills.

#2: Practice With Real Questions

You can use resources like GMATPrep free software to take official GMAT prep tests and practice with GMAT vocabulary in action. When you review questions, even ones you got right, try to break down the questions into their relevant parts and determine where you tripped up. What is being asked of you? How is “conclusion” being used different in one question than it was in another? How did you figure out what an author’s “assumption” was? Thinking backwards like this can help you to identify gaps and confusion in your GMAT-specific vocabulary.

#3: Make Your Own Unique GMAT Vocab List

When you go over your practice tests, it can be helpful to create a GMAT vocabulary list of all the words you’re unsure of in instructions, questions, passages, and answer choices.  Use this personalized GMAT vocabulary list to create vocabulary flashcards and then study a few each day. This strategy won’t be necessary for everyone, but it can make a big difference if you’re a non-native English speaker or just struggling with understanding the GMAT questions.

#4: Practice Figuring Out Meanings From Context

You might encounter some unfamiliar words on the GMAT, but since you aren’t asked to provide direct definitions or synonyms, you can usually interpret their meaning from the overall passage. When you go over your practice tests, pick out a few unfamiliar words and try to discern their meanings from context. This is an important skill to build, as you can 1) start to learn the most commonly used vocab words on the GMAT and 2) begin to define vocab words in context more quickly and easily, which will be helpful on exam day.

Review: What You Need to Know About GMAT Vocabulary

• The GMAT doesn’t test you specifically on vocab words.
• However, you will need to know what questions are asking you, especially on the Verbal section.
• Use the GMAT vocab list I provided to begin your study of vocabulary and supplement it with your own words as you continue.
• To study GMAT vocabulary, read relevant high-level materials, practice with real GMAT questions, make your own GMAT vocab list and flashcards, and practice figuring out word meaning from context.

What’s Next?

For tips on the Verbal section, check out our guide to mastering the three types of GMAT verbal questions.

To master the Analytical Writing Assessment, head over to our guide to acing the Analytical Writing Assessment for some strategies.

If you’d like a further breakdown of the overall GMAT structure, our guide to the GMAT format  will unpack it all for you by section and question type.

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Author: Laura Dorwart

Laura Dorwart is a Ph.D. student at UC San Diego. She has taught and tutored hundreds of students in standardized testing, literature, and writing. View all posts by Laura Dorwart