The Ultimate Guide to Winning the GRE Analytical Writing

Ram Srinivasan

07/03/2025

9 min read

What is GRE Analytical Writing?

Sharpen your prep — try a GRE analytical writing practice.

For those of you still in the early stages of your prep, here’s a brief introduction to the GRE and the analytical writing section.

The GRE is made up of three different sections. The popular ones that everybody tends to know about right away are the Verbal and the Quant sections, but apart from these, you also have what is called the GRE Analytical Writing. (also known as GRE AWA).

Now the analytical writing section is actually a one-hour section placed at the very beginning of your GRE exam, and it involves writing or composing two different essays within that hour.

You have half an hour to compose one essay and another half hour to compose the other.

A lot of you may think that the GRE AWA section is not really the most important one because it doesn’t have the same weightage as verbal and math scores, but that is not true.

In fact, the GRE Essay scores can actually be a great boost to your profile.

GRE Analytical Writing Score

Getting a really good GRE Analytical Writing score – anywhere from 4 to 6 –  can boost your profile.

It tells all of the colleges to which you apply that you are capable of critical thinking, exceptionally good writing, and logical reasoning.

This section assesses your critical thinking and analytical writing skills.

One of the two tasks that you have in your GRE AWA section focuses on your ability to build an argument on your own to support a particular idea, the other task will provide an argument and ask you to analyze & evaluate the soundness of the logic of that argument. You need to be able to do both.

Now it’s important to know that just like the rest of the GRE – especially the verbal section – the GRE analytical writing will not try to test you on your knowledge of any particular content.

So don’t worry if you read a GRE analytical writing topic that’s about deer and the Arctic. If you have no idea about deer, if you have no idea about the Arctic or the Antarctic – that is not a problem. These questions are designed for you to be able to tackle them irrespective of your knowledge of these fields.

The idea here is to test your skill, your ability to analyze, not your subject knowledge. That being said, those of you who do have subject knowledge – it’s also a good idea to leave that out of your analyses. For all you know it may not be 100% related to exactly what they’re saying, or it could even be outdated information.

Evaluation Criteria for GRE Analytical Writing

When scoring your GRE Analytical Writing essays, assessors focus on four key skills:

Content: your ability to craft a coherent and persuasive essay with relevant ideas and sound reasoning, supported by examples. Simply stating an opinion like “I disagree with the claim technology is very bad for us” isn’t enough. You must elaborate and provide concrete examples to back your statements.

Organization:. Structure your ideas to build naturally from one to the next, leading smoothly to your conclusion. This logical flow should help readers easily agree with your points by the end.

Language: While high vocabulary is not mandatory, clarity in expression is crucial. Use familiar words to convey your points effectively. Ensure your sentence structures and word choices demonstrate fluency in English, as this will be expected in your graduate studies. 

Grammar: While occasional errors might be overlooked, recurrent grammatical mistakes, especially those that hinder comprehension, will be flagged.

To improve, engage with a lot of GRE analytical writing practice, use online tools to identify errors, and read sample essays. Look into the ways to improve your vocabulary and master it.

In preparing for the GRE Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA), prioritize content and organization above all. These elements are essential, especially in the early stages of preparation. Effective language and grammar are important, but without substantial content and a well-organized structure, they cannot compensate. Focus on fully understanding and analyzing the given issue or argument.

Why is GRE Analytical Writing a thing?

It tells all of the colleges to which you apply that you are capable of critical thinking, of exceptionally good writing and logical reasoning. So much like the GRE verbal reasoning section, this also tests your ability to think and analyze texts, but more importantly, also your ability to express it  in words of your own.

This is a very very important skill and the reason this is being stressed is because those of you who aspire to write the GRE to get abroad for your masters courses will be expected to write a lot of assignments, to write papers, to work on research and to submit a lot of content throughout your academic career in the US.

Time allocated for GRE Analytical Writing Assessment

The GRE Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) allocates 60 minutes divided into two 30-minute tasks.

Analyze an Issue Task: This task assesses your ability to think critically about a topic, form an opinion, and support that opinion with reasons and examples. You must pick a side and argue it convincingly within the 30-minute time frame.

Analyze an Argument Task: Here, you are given an argument (usually a short passage) and your job is to evaluate its strengths and weaknesses. You must analyze the logic of the given argument, identify flaws or assumptions in its construction, and discuss how well it supports its conclusion.

These tasks are the initial part of the four-hour GRE exam, designed to test your writing stamina and ability. Preparing for these tasks requires consistent practice to build the necessary skills and endurance to perform well under exam conditions. Remember, achieving proficiency in these writing tasks doesn’t happen overnight but through dedicated practice and preparation.

How are the GRE Analytical Writing Essays Scored

Essays are scored by both a human rater and a computer program called an “e-rater” developed by ETS. If their scores diverge significantly, a second human score is obtained, and the final score is an average of the two human scores. The scoring criteria focus on the clarity of the argument, relevance of examples, and grammatical accuracy, aiming for a holistic evaluation of your writing skills.

What is a Good GRE Writing score?

Even though GRE Analytical Writing has two different sections, the score you get is a combined score, which makes it more reliable. One of the important factors that determines your good GRE AWA score is the field of study you want to pursue. Take a look at the table below to know the performance of each score range.

Take a look at the table below to know the performance of each score range.

Achieving a high score in the AWA section often requires practice and familiarity with the test’s format. Scores above 4.5 are considered high. Regular practice, feedback, and careful preparation are essential to excel in this section of the GRE.

Time Management for the AWA

Managing time effectively in the GRE Analytical Writing section is crucial due to the tight 30-minute limit for each of the two essays. Here’s how to optimize your time management:

• Initial Reading (2-3 minutes): Start by carefully reading the prompt. Many test-takers rush this part and misunderstand the task. Take your time to grasp every detail of the prompt, including key terms that dictate the direction of your argument.
• Planning and Outlining (2-4 minutes): Re-read the prompt if necessary to ensure full comprehension. Then, begin brainstorming and jotting down your main points and examples quickly. This planning phase is critical to form a coherent structure and ensure that your essay is well-organized from the start.
• Drafting the Essay (15 minutes): Now, use your outline to write a draft. This is where you develop your arguments and examples into full paragraphs. Don’t worry about making it perfect; focus on getting all your ideas down within this timeframe.
• Reviewing and Revising (8-10 minutes): Use the remaining time to refine your draft. Rearrange your paragraphs if needed to ensure logical flow and clarity. Insert transitions between points to enhance coherence and guide the reader through your argument.
• Final Edits (3 minutes): In the last few minutes, proofread your essay for any spelling or grammatical errors. Make sure your essay is clean and polished, with no last-minute additions or subtractions. This is your chance to fix minor mistakes and ensure that the essay is ready for submission.

Additional Tips:

• Practice typing if you’re not comfortable with a keyboard, as the GRE AWA is typed.
• Familiarize yourself with the pool of GRE AWA topics provided by ETS to avoid surprises on test day.
• Regularly practice writing both “Analyze an Issue” and “Analyze an Argument” essays to build stamina and skill.

GRE Writing Practice: Dedicate time daily to practice writing essays. Compare your essays with high-scoring sample essays to understand differences in structure, vocabulary, and argument strength. Aim to write essays that are clear in their stance and supported by strong evidence.

Summarizing GRE Analytical Writing Section

• Paragraph Structure: Aim for 3-5 paragraphs per essay, allowing sufficient space to develop your ideas. Avoid exceeding seven paragraphs to maintain clarity and focus.
• Word Limit: While there’s no strict word limit, the depth and clarity of your argument are more crucial than length. Ensure each paragraph contributes significantly to your argument without being redundant.

Effective time management and structured practice are key to excelling in the AWA section of the GRE. By following these guidelines, you can enhance your ability to construct well-argued, clear, and coherent essays under timed conditions.

Try to write at least 300 – 400 words or three to five paragraphs. Practice is absolutely essential for the AWA. You cannot ace these AWA exams on your first try, so practice. Try to type at least three to five of these essays. This means at least three GRE issue essays and at least three GRE argument essays well before your actual GRE. Of course, when you practice, use a timer. Timing is essential for organizational clarity.

Now it’s your turn

We’d like to hear from you

There you have it. Everything you need to get your GRE AWA practice started right.

Is writing essays something you enjoy? Or is there an aspect of this you’re nervous about?

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GRE Analytical Writing is scored 0–6; see how it sits alongside your total GRE marks.