Parts of Application

[lilgreenblatt]

Do certain parts of the application matter more? Like the personal statement versus the CV?

[Glasperlenspieler]

The writing sample is by far the single most important part of your application. Everything else is secondary. Whether the CV, or the personal statement, or your transcript, or your letters of rec are going to matter more is going to vary widely depending on who's reading your application.

That being said, admissions committees will often decide how closely they're going to read your writing sample based on the quality of your other materials.....

[onerepublic96]

I agree with @Glasperlenspieler. The WS is the most important part, and when I was applying, I was generally advised that recommendation letters + the statement of purpose are the second most important aspects. CV + transcripts + GRE scores are tertiary (in very rough terms). 

[WildeThing]

My understanding is that SoP, WS, and what school you went to are the most important. Whether GREs and the rest matter is debatable but in general you don’t want anything to raise a question with the committee. In other words, having amazing LoRs and scores might not separate you from the pack, but having average ones or worse might disqualify you.