GMAT Essay and AWA Tips
Top Essay & AWA Tips for the GMAT
1. Be sure to include brief introductory and concluding paragraphs, which are consistent with each other and with the paragraphs in the body of your essay.
2. Your GMAT essay must at least appear to be well organized. Use transition words and phrases to help the reader follow the flow of your discussion.
3. Compose your introductory paragraph last after you’ve completed the rest of your essay. Why? Because you essay might evolve somewhat from your initial plan; if you’ve composed your introduction first, you might need to rewrite it.
4. For every point you make in a GMAT essay, always provide a reason and/or an example to support that point!
5. Pay close attention to writing mechanics, grammar, sentence construction, word usage and diction (whether you’ve used the right word for the right job). It doesn’t matter if your essay contains brilliant ideas if you can’t express them. In short: It’s form over substance!!
6. It’s okay to refer to yourself in your essays at your option. Just don’t overdo it. Phrases such as “I think,” “it is my opinion that” and “in my view” are superfluous and a waste of your typing time.
7. Don’t try to impress the reader with your vocabulary. There’s nothing wrong with demonstrating a strong vocabulary. Just don’t overdo it; otherwise the readers will suspect that you’re using big words as a smokescreen for poor content.
GMAT Tips. Analysis of an Issue
Spend at least 3-4 minutes jotting down some points both for and against the statement. In support of every point try to think of at least one reason or example.
Go for breadth, not depth. Try to cover both polar sides of the issue, and various arguments on both sides. Don’t dwell on one point! (This is the #1 essay blunder committed by GMAT test-takers.) But don’t try to cover everything either; otherwise, you might not have time to develop each of your ideas–with reasons and examples.
Begin your Issue essay by acknowledging the complexity of the issue and by adopting a position on it. Do NOT begin your Issue essay by restating or paraphrasing the statement. (This blunder will wave a “red flag” to the GMAT readers who will assume from the outset that you lack ideas of your own.)
Don’t waste time thinking about what position on the issue you should adopt or what position a GMAT reader would want you to adopt. The readers don’t care about your opinions; what they do care about is how persuasively you support your position with relevant reasons and examples, and how effectively you communicate your ideas.
Your final paragraph should contain no more than two sentences, and should recapitulate (sum up) your argument reiterating where you stand on the issue “in the final analysis,” and why. Don’t introduce any new examples, reasons, or ideas in your summary paragraph.
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