Kaplan is among the top providers of GRE prep courses, materials, and tutoring. Their essay review services are designed to help GRE test takers analyze the strengths and weaknesses of their Issue and Argument essay responses to maximize their scores on the Analytical Writing section. Kaplan’s methodology focuses on careful evaluation of ideas, organization, evidence use, and language facility based on official GRE scoring rubrics.
The Issue and Argument essays are crucial parts of the GRE that can make or break your chances of admission. Each essay is scored on a 0-6 scale in half-point increments based on critical thinking, organizing complexity of thought, development and support of position, and control of language. Given how much weight these scores carry, it’s important to get multiple professional evaluations of your writing to identify areas that need improvement before the actual test.
When you submit your essays to Kaplan for review, your responses will be analyzed by experienced GRE instructors with extensive experience grading thousands of practice essays. The reviewers will thoroughly read and score your essays independently based on the official ETS rubrics. They pay close attention to how well you address the topic, develop and support your position, organize and connect ideas, vary sentence structures, maintain formal style, and control grammar, usage and mechanics.
After scoring, the Kaplan reviewers will write detailed diagnostic feedback highlighting the key strengths and weaknesses they identified. For each subsection of the rubric (ideas, analysis, organization, language facility), they’ll call out what aspects you did well and where you can elevate your performance. This includes concrete tips for refining or expanding on your ideas, strengthening connections between points, varying transitions, avoiding redundancies, or fixing recurring errors.
In addition to the written evaluation, Kaplan offers an optional audio or video conference with one of their instructors to discuss your essays. This interactive session gives you a chance to ask follow-up questions, get clarification on comments, and brainstorm strategies for improvement. The instructor can demonstrate how higher scoring responses are structured through deconstructing sample essays. They’ll also review additional practice prompts and give live feedback to help solidify the skills needed to excel on test day.
The value of Kaplan essay review lies in getting multiple professional perspectives to guide focused revisions. Reviewers look at your writing with a trained eye, catching subtle issues you may overlook on your own. Having multiple iterations of feedback allows you to systematically strengthen different aspects over time rather than guessing what to prioritize. It also prevents bad habits from forming early on.
Revising essays based on thorough outside evaluation is one of the most effective ways to boost your GRE Analytical Writing scores in a short period. Unlike informal peer reviews, Kaplan reviewers use official scoring criteria and have graded thousands of real student responses. This expert-level insight gives you a true sense of your current performance and a clear plan for reaching the next score level.
Studies show practice with formative feedback leads to dramatic score increases within just a few months as writers hone their critical thinking, organization and language skills. With direction from trained Kaplan reviewers, test takers report average Point Value Gains of 1.0-1.5 on Issue essays and 1.0-1.3 on Argument essays in just a single review cycle. Focused practice incorporating feedback allows GRE writers to internalize essential techniques for high-scoring responses.
Not only does Kaplan essay review optimize scores, but it also reduces anxiety by giving students confidence that they know how to approach each type of essay effectively. Rather than worrying if their analysis or structure will satisfy graders, test takers can focus on executing plans vetted through multiple professional evaluations. This allows for a more relaxed, productive testing experience where writers feel prepared to showcase their highest level of writing.
Through individualized diagnostics and targeted guidance, Kaplan develops personalized study blueprints for long-term essay improvement. Their analytical approach ensures clients practice strategically versus sporadically to maximize limited study time. Reviewers identify both strengths to build upon as well as neglected areas in need of concentrated work. With a plan in place, students can focus revisions for optimal score gains in the short window before the big test date.
While self-study through practice and published books/articles is certainly helpful for the GRE, dedicated essay review from experienced instructors offers an accelerated route to achieving your target scores. Kaplan’s developmental feedback empowers test takers to stand out from the pack of applicants with finely tuned critical thinking, persuasive writing and formatting abilities. If optimizing your analytical prowess is a goal, then enlisting the expertise of Kaplan essay reviewers is a valuable investment toward achieving your grad school dreams.