What are your guys' strategies GRE Analytical?

[clandry]

Do you guys have any suggestions on how to score high on the analytical section? 

 

Several poeple, including a GRE instructor, have suggested that I should use several "GRE words" per paragraph. They suggested that I shouldn't overdo it with the flowery words. They also said that there's a correlation between length and score and longer passages typically receive higher scores.

 

One of my main concerns is just getting stuck on a passage that seems really foreign to you, so foreign that you have a hard time coming up with things to write about. In that case, are you pretty much screwed? 

Edited October 2, 2013 by doubled

[obviousbicycle]

I haven't taken the GRE yet (I'm taking it this Saturday *hyperventilates*) but I honestly don't plan on using those bombastic GRE words like the ones you see in verbal section. I'm not sure if this will work out well but my strategy is to just focus on the content, flow, structure and length rather than attempting to intrigue the examiners with the use of those flowery words.

[fishasaurus]

There are two kinds of essays, and in both they are looking for your ability to reason logically and provide a cohesive argument for or against an opinion. Make sure you have an introduction and conclusion and supporting paragraphs. Organize your thoughts as best as you can (I used scratch paper for outlines and wrote some quick drafts before I started typing). Obviously don't throw in long words if they don't fit, but make sure you use excellent grammar and spelling (there is no spellchecker built into the program!).

 

The best way to prepare is to look over example writing prompts and practice. Have somebody read through your essays and get feedback. I got a high score on analytic writing, but I'm not a grader so I may be wrong. I heard the people who score these are usually high school/college teachers trying to make a little extra money, and they get paid per essay so they don't spend a whole lot of time on them.

[clandry]

Thanks guys for the responses. 

 

What I am thinking of doing is remembering, what I would call, a generic response for both issue&argument and employing that during the actual test. I know you will likely get a prompt yo've never seen before, but I feel this generic (that's will it's called generic) will still work. Has anyone tried this before? 

 

I'm just scared to run into a topic where I have absolutely no idea what to write about.

 

Also, if I am someone who has never or like doing planning before writing, do you think I should start now or keep doing what I'm doing (that is, not planning)? I just feel time crunched if I have to spend a few min planning. 

 

I am aiming for a 5.0. 

[powerlifterty16]

I haven't taken the GRE yet (I'm taking it this Saturday *hyperventilates*) but I honestly don't plan on using those bombastic GRE words like the ones you see in verbal section. I'm not sure if this will work out well but my strategy is to just focus on the content, flow, structure and length rather than attempting to intrigue the examiners with the use of those flowery words.

id b lucky to just finish the essays, and even luckier to do so with no typos. They give you 30 minutes to write them....gre is hard.

[powerlifterty16]

I haven't taken the GRE yet (I'm taking it this Saturday *hyperventilates*) but I honestly don't plan on using those bombastic GRE words like the ones you see in verbal section. I'm not sure if this will work out well but my strategy is to just focus on the content, flow, structure and length rather than attempting to intrigue the examiners with the use of those flowery words.

i haven't even looked over the topics...dont want to scare myself..ill just deal with it testday

[aridneptune]

GRE AW section is by far the easiest. All you have to do is write an anodyne essay - an introduction summarizing your main points, 2 or 3 body paragraphs explicating each point, and a conclusion restating your main points. This is 9th-grade material. Of course, it's made somewhat more difficult by the absolutely inane essay prompts (I think my SAT essay prompt back in the day was, 'Why are friends important?'), but there's nothing you can do about that. An essay that follows the structure I set out above, with no major insights, should score 5.0 - 5.5.

[powerlifterty16]

The time is what freaks me out. Of course the question is luck of the draw.

[clandry]

I was looking at ETS's Official GRE Guide and looking at the scores for a 5+. Are those examples and scores representative of the score you might receive? Or will they grade a bit easier when reviewing? 

What I noticed was they even the scores of a 5 demonstrated a very strong sentence structure and sounded very academic. I feel this is something I may struggle with under a 30minute time constraint. 

[Monochrome Spring]

(I scored a 5.5) I didn't make a point to use "GRE words" in my essays. I DID make a point to follow the same format as the sample essays on the ETS website that received a 6, make my essays at least 5 paragraphs, and plan my argument beforehand. For planning, I just wrote a 1-3 word description of each paragraph on my scratch paper, so that I knew where I was going. If you aren't good at the style of writing in the GRE, practice. That's all there is to it.

[powerlifterty16]

(I scored a 5.5) I didn't make a point to use "GRE words" in my essays. I DID make a point to follow the same format as the sample essays on the ETS website that received a 6, make my essays at least 5 paragraphs, and plan my argument beforehand. For planning, I just wrote a 1-3 word description of each paragraph on my scratch paper, so that I knew where I was going. If you aren't good at the style of writing in the GRE, practice. That's all there is to it.

yup, they are supposed to be 5 paragraph essays

first paragraph is an intro, second, third, fourth are the body with support, and last summarizes and concludes.

I read on sparknotes that the first sentence should be the thesis, and you should have 3 more sentences talking about the 3 body paragraphs..is that how the intro should look?

btw is in conclusion a bad way to start the last paragraph..I can't think of anything less trite, banal, or hackneyed .

[Monochrome Spring]

yup, they are supposed to be 5 paragraph essays

first paragraph is an intro, second, third, fourth are the body with support, and last summarizes and concludes.

I read on sparknotes that the first sentence should be the thesis, and you should have 3 more sentences talking about the 3 body paragraphs..is that how the intro should look?

btw is in conclusion a bad way to start the last paragraph..I can't think of anything less trite, banal, or hackneyed .

 

I did a topic sentence for each paragraph, then supporting sentences, then I concluded each paragraph with insight.

 

In conclusion is fine probably. I probably said something similar, like finally, or overall.

[powerlifterty16]

I did a topic sentence for each paragraph, then supporting sentences, then I concluded each paragraph with insight.

 

In conclusion is fine probably. I probably said something similar, like finally, or overall.

was your first sentence of the essay your thesis, and how many sentences would you guess you had per paragraph? I just feel like it's hard to write long essays in that time