Analytical Writing GRE

[locald]

So it turns out that the part of the GRE I was least concerned with is the part I bombed: the Analytical Writing measure. I was expecting a 5.5-6 but found out today I got a 3.0. Bizarre. I'm actually paying $55 to have the score reviewed. I have an MFA in Creative Writing from Brooklyn College and an MPhil in Irish literature from Trinity College, Dublin, and I just cannot comprehend how my two essays received a lower score than 90 percent of the test takers. I keep mulling over where I might have gone wrong. Perhaps I was too abstract. Maybe the essays weren't long enough. Not enough concrete examples. I just don't know. I was so relieved during the test because I genuinely thought I'd aced them.

So tell me, friends, how bad is it? Any advice on how to curb this? The thought of such an ugly blemish on my app kills me, but my sense is that the Writing score is the least substantive element of the whole unsubstantive GRE package.

[callmelilyb]

It's my understanding that programs look to your writing sample and statement of purpose for evidence of your writing abilities....I'd guess that if your AW score is 3.0 but you present a very well-written writing sample and seem eloquent in your statement of purpose (which I'm guessing is the case based on the credentials you supplied) then you have nothing to worry about.

As an aside, before you took the test did you go over what each of the essay tasks were asking you to do? (Like in a study book or something like that)? Because they are fairly specific in how they want you to approach each question and what skills it is designed to measure. So perhaps, if your essay was really well written, but sort of philosophical or "abstract" as you say, then that might be what the issue was. Dunno? I know that I did well on it and I basically wrote the "high school english paper" response that I figured they were after....you know, Intro, topic sentences, conclusion, etc. But something that I'd probably get a C on if I turned it into a college class.

[intextrovert]

I think that test is a big truckload of BS. If you've got an MFA and and MPhil from Trinity, there's no good reason for you to get a 3.0. I'm not a professional writer, but I have won several awards for my writing, and always sort of prided myself in it. I got a 5.0 the first time and a 5.5 the second. Doesn't seem bad, only a 5.0 is the 73rd percentile (and 5.5 in the 88th). Maybe I'm just being snobby, but the rest of my scores were in the 90-99th percentile range, and I do think writing is a strength of mine! I think what the other poster said is probably true: they're not looking for genuinely good writing and certainly not sophisticated writing - they want a simplistic five-paragraph essay with lots of silly concrete examples. Basically, the kind of essay I'm trying to move the high school seniors I teach beyond. They have computers and out-of-work elementary/middle/high school teachers grade them (not that I'm bashing teachers - I am one - but not all are equal, and the bar to be a GRE grader is low). They grade heavily based on arbitrary things like length.

I have to believe the admissions committees know that! I don't think they care about it so much. Your writing sample and SoP are what's important.

Edited November 9, 2009 by intextrovert

[intextrovert]

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Edited November 9, 2009 by intextrovert

[peppermint.beatnik]

Review essay format in study guide such as Kaplan.

Your creative writing background could be detrimental to the type of essays the AWA requires.

[catilina]

What is with that test? I scored 800 on the verbal section of the GRE and 4.0 (41% percentile) on the Analytical Writing. Bit of a disconnect there. I think being a good writer hurts you. Have you seen the sample "good" essays in the Princeton Review book? I do not write like that.

[jkl444]

What are the scores of some successful English Ph.D. applicants in the past?

[PaperChaser]

What are the scores of some successful English Ph.D. applicants in the past?

I got a 6. I don't think it's indicative of much at all. Your statement of purpose and writing sample are what matters. I'd honestly say-from what I've heard-GRE scores in general are more of a tie-breaker between otherwise equally qualified candidates AND a "do you meet the minimum criteria" thing than anything else. But that's just me.

[crutch]

I got a 6. I don't think it's indicative of much at all. Your statement of purpose and writing sample are what matters. I'd honestly say-from what I've heard-GRE scores in general are more of a tie-breaker between otherwise equally qualified candidates AND a "do you meet the minimum criteria" thing than anything else. But that's just me.

I definitely didn't follow the Kaplan or Princeton Review formats, and I got a 6.0. Maybe you caught the grader on a bad day?

[spagett]

The AW score is completely meaningless. If you are applying to a humanities program or some other program that requires a lot of writing, they will look at your writing sample and your SOP. It would be kind of ridiculous for them to take the word of some anonymous grader and computer program whether you can write. And I would strongly discourage anyone from having it re-scored because they will probably not change the score. Think about it: what kind of reputation would they have if they changed their scores very often?

I am coming from a humanities background. I've always gotten A's in the many writing intensive classes I've taken during the course of my undergrad career. I took the GRE twice, one year apart. The first time, I did not study for the AW at all. The second time, I thought I would try to raise my score and studied their supposed grading criteria and tried to write exactly the way they want. I got 4.5 (63rd percentile) BOTH TIMES.

I'm still in the middle of the waiting period, but I have had interviews with three schools (including an Ivy) and been accepted to two (including my number one school: Chicago). To me, this is proof enough that no one gives much credence to the AW score. These profs are too intelligent for that

I was very worried about this for a long time (and actually my poor AW score was the main reason I decided to retake the test), which is why I'm taking the time to write this and reassure others. In conclusion, DON'T WORRY.

[Aquinaplatostotlestine]

Having taught GRE test prep courses to undergrads at the university where I got my M.A., I can tell you that creative approaches and abstract stylistic flourishes (in short, a lot of what makes writing so enjoyable) will not net you a high score on the AW section. They are very specific about what they want, and what they want is basically a five paragraph essay of more than average length with some college level vocabulary thrown in. Also, and this is key, on the analyze an argument essay, you have to be critical-- point out logical fallacies, examples of poor reasoning, shaky premises, invalid conclusions, etc. All that being said, I mostly agree with Karamazov: The AW score isn't going to make or break your application.

Cheers.

[U4RiiA]

I'm another person who teaches at a tesp prep place. The first time I took the GRE (many years ago, without reading anything about the test beforehand), I got a 3 on the AWA section as well. I wrote a wonderfully detailed, cohesive and slightly sarcastic essay. Unfortunately, that's not what they were looking for. Once I was more familiar with the test, I took it again in preparation for the application process. The second time I received a 5.5 for a stiff, uninspired, cardboard sham of an essay.

As everyone else is explaining, the GRE AWA section is just another hoop to jump through during the application process. Imagine how great we're all going to be at acrobatics by the time this is done!

[minnares]

Aquina is right. The AW is looks for a formulaic essay structure (think 1-2-3 Quick & Easy like some of you might have learned in high school). And from what I could glean in the books and online, they look at length, number of paragraphs. Also, did you know that ETS posts the complete list of all potential GRE AW questions on their website? You can print it out, though it is pages and pages long. If you do so, you'll note that the questions revolve around the same type of questions. They're stock questions worded differently. For example, one of their favorites is essentially why does art matter. Another is science over religion. I'd read the questions and thought up stock answer in advance. I wound up getting both of these options on the test, regurgitated my prior thinking, and got 6. Typing quickly helps too. I'm a paralegal, so my essays were in the 9-10 paragraph range, when the books say they look for 5-6. So I suspect they just give it a cursory glance for length, structure, and maybe one solid read through. That's your score. And as others have said, I suspect it's just one more way to cut if it comes down to the wire. If your writing sample, SoP, and LORs are strong, then this might not come into play much. I got a horrible math score on the GRE (still in the 50%, so TECHNICALY average, but lower than I'd hoped after all that studying for it), and I'm telling myself it won't matter much. Honestly, who knows? At this point, I'm wondering if we should start reading tea leaves, throwing the bones, and trying augury.

~ m

[Nighthob]

Honestly, who knows? At this point, I'm wondering if we should start reading tea leaves, throwing the bones, and trying augury.

~ m

I heart you, minnares.

Right before taking the GRE, I had been teaching remedial writing courses for probationary students at a two-year college. My students had very similar writing prompts they had to pass on a test that the college used to determine promotion to full acceptance. I used the same formulaic methods on the AW that I taught my students for their test and aced the AW. I also bombed the math portion like you wouldn't believe. (Hey, SOMEBODY has to be in those low percentiles; I think of it as my sacrifice to the Gods of Mean and Median.)

[minnares]

Thanks Nighthob . After the shellacking I received in the Purdue/Bloomington thread as "welcome" to the boards, it's nice to hear someone knows I'm not the devil. LOL . When I saw the Ball State rejections in Proctology going up yesterday on the results thread, I oddly knew how that felt.

I almost wanted the AW part to be harder because the math was next. I was all pumped up from pounding out those essays, and my confidence was through the roof. Then I sat down to 45 minutes of pure hell. Uncool. By the time the verbal rolled around, I was essentially a sweaty, quivvering mass of fear. BAH ETS! BAH GRE! BAH to all the acronyms that try to put any of us in a box and define us by a number. Let's just say that I have the Indigo Girls "Closer to Fine" on a continuous loop on my iPod these days. We, all of us, have accomplished so very much. Something in the neighborhood of 25% of the country receives a bachelors degree. That in itself makes what everyone here has accomplished so far HUGE. Add to that all of the astronomical GPAs, GREs, people writing us LORs, even if we don't get accepted, I think we need to keep in mind how accomplished we are already and take our affirmation from that. This AW section of the test is indeed just one more hoop, people. This too shall pass. We will all know soon enough. As my son likes to say (quoting Anger Management), oooozfrabah!

~ m

Edited February 12, 2010 by minnares

[cesada]

I heard this question posed to an admissions panel (with reps from Claremont humanities and UCLA, USC, UCI, and UCR English), in the form of "I did badly on the AW but don't have time to retake. Should I address the AW in my SOP?"

All of the reps said that a bad AW will just make them look harder at your writing sample and SOP, and they basically advised the girl to make sure those were really strong to balance out the AW score.

UCLA, which is known for putting a lot of emphasis on test scores, also said that the Verbal and GRE Lit are much more important to them. (Also interesting: UCLA said they do not even look at the math.)

So, anyways, I thought that might help. A bad AW will not break an application if all your other ducks are in a row.