The Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section of the GMAT exam requires test takers to craft well-written, coherent essays within a limited time frame. Scoring highly on the AWA is important, as it can help improve your overall GMAT score and chances of acceptance to top MBA programs. While natural writing ability plays a role, focused essay writing practice is critical to success on test day. With targeted practice over time, you can develop the skills needed to thoughtfully analyze an issue or argument and communicate your perspective clearly under pressure.
When starting your essay writing practice for the GMAT, it’s important to understand the scoring rubric. Essays are scored on a 6-point scale based on critical thinking, analytical writing, and communication skills. Raters consider factors like essential content and ideas, organization, language facility and sentence structure, and following the GMAT guidelines in formatting and length. Taking time to internalize the rubric helps guide your practice so you can consciously work on strengthening each assessed area. Some key areas to focus on include crafting a thesis statement that directly addresses the given topic or argument, organizing supporting ideas in a logical manner, using language to skillfully convey your thoughts, and maintaining formal writing style appropriate for an academic setting.
Practicing outlining is essential to managing time constraints on test day and ensuring all relevant points are addressed. When analyzing an argument, it’s crucial to break it down into its component parts to thoroughly evaluate the reasoning. Take 15-20 minutes to diagram the argument flow, identify assumptions or logical gaps, consider alternative perspectives, and form your own thesis before starting to write your essay. Outlining allows you to maximize the remaining time actually crafting thoughtful analysis rather than rushing to write or getting bogged down in writing without a clear plan. Aim for 3-4 main topic sentences supported by 2-3 examples or explanations each. This structure keeps essays focused yet comprehensive enough to thoroughly explore the issue or argument.
Set practice sessions to mimic actual testing conditions as closely as possible. The GMAT AWA includes two 30-minute essays, so give yourself 30 minutes with no breaks or distractions to write each response. Use a stopwatch and set an alarm so you aren’t tempted to go over time. Write practice essays on GMAT prompts from official question packs or full-length exams to gain experience with the types of topics that may be covered. Analyze both issue and argument essay types, as they require slightly different analytical skills. Save your work to review later, noting how your writing and organization changed as time ran low. This self-evaluation allows you to identify strengths to maintain as well as areas still needing improvement, like incorporating additional examples near the end or tying up loose threads more concisely in closing paragraphs.
Make the most of practice by having others evaluate your written work too. Ask professors, peers, or paid evaluators to review drafts and provide constructive criticism focused on essay structure, critical thinking demonstrated, and technical writing quality. Use rubric guidelines to create specific feedback requests. For example, you may ask a reviewer to rate certain aspects and provide narrative comments on how to boost weaker areas. Incorporate suggestions like adding transitions between paragraphs for improved flow or reworking vague statements into more definitive claims. Having outside perspectives highlights blind spots you may have missed on your own. Take reviewer comments seriously to continually refine your skills.
In addition to full practice essays, dedicate time each week to targeted essay exercises. These shorter but focused writing drills help improve specific abilities over the long run that directly feed into strong GMAT AWA performance. For example, try answering a single prompt with a 200-300 word response to hone concise analysis. Or recreate an argument outline based on a high-level summary to exercise critical thinking skills without directly rewriting an essay. Other useful mini-exercises include writing thesis statements for practice prompts, crafting topic sentences to structure an ideal response for each paragraph, and summarizing passages to check comprehension. Variety prevents burnout and ensures all essay components receive regular honing.
Review scoring rubrics and sample scored GMAT essays to self-evaluate your progress over time. Note improvements in structuring cohesive responses or using sophisticated language compared to earlier drafts. Give yourself graded practice essays once a month to benchmark ongoing growth. Ask a reviewer to provide blind scoring to gain perspective on how evaluators may see your work. Comparing self- and external scores highlights remaining gaps to target in future practice. Regular self-assessment keeps the learning process active rather than allowing skills to plateau once a comfortable level is reached. With diligent, varied practice tailored to your needs, you will feel confident deploying your optimal essay writing abilities under exam pressure.
Entering the GMAT with essay writing skills finely honed through thoughtful practice puts you in control on test day. While some find writing challenging, focused preparation allows anyone to succeed. With practice comes familiarity that alleviates anxiety and builds writing stamina. You gain intimate knowledge of high-scoring techniques as well as insight into common mistakes to avoid. Rather than dreading the AWA, approach it with confidence that your work will showcase your finest critical thinking and communication abilities. Maintain practice through the weeks leading up to your exam to keep skills sharp. On test day, channel all preparation into thoughtful, well-structured responses that let your insightful analysis shine through. Well-honed essay writing skills can boost an otherwise good GMAT score into an outstanding range to open doors at top MBA programs. Stay committed to the process, and your persistence will pay off.
Andrew Stroud