GRE AW rescore

[parapraxis]

Philosophy MA, Applying to PhDs for philosphy (continental schools) -- V. 730, AW 4.5-- I expected a 5.5-6. I know I'm in the same boat as a lot of people here. I can write. I even studied how to write for the GRE (I got 4.5 2 years ago and was disaapointed, this last time around I really tried to write "for them"). I'm considering having it regraded-- ha sanyone had luck in a score improving? How long did it take for results? Many of my apps are due at the end of the month.

[ColorlessGreen]

I really doubt it's worthwhile. Your SOP and writing sample should show that you can write - I can't imagine a program, especially one in the humanities, giving too much importance to the GRE AW.

[alexis]

I'm not sure where I read this, may have been on various forums, so take this with a grain of salt, but I don't think many applicants have much success when their AW is rescored. It would look bad on ETS if they changed those scores much, so it would take a pretty blatant mistake on their part probably to change the score.

[spozik]

I'm in the same boat, just about. 670V, 4.5AW, expected at least a 5. You have to think, though, that places know this is a crapshoot. To be honest, there aren't enough shades of grey here for this to really be a viable metric. A 4.0 is 41st percentile, a 4.5 is 63rd. You can't score in between. If you think about it, if you got a 4.5, there are only 3 "degrees" of essay ETS-better than yours. I'm not worried about it. I think my writing sample is strong enough to make up for this anomaly, if it's even considered as such.

[newage2012]

Now this essay is being graded by the machine. I wish i type more garbage onto the screen, even if it just repeating the same sentence over and over again. The longer the essay, the higher the AW score.

It is a little bit puzzling that my AW score dropped by a full 1 point after almost THREE years.

[parapraxis]

I'm in the same boat, just about. 670V, 4.5AW, expected at least a 5. You have to think, though, that places know this is a crapshoot. To be honest, there aren't enough shades of grey here for this to really be a viable metric. A 4.0 is 41st percentile, a 4.5 is 63rd. You can't score in between. If you think about it, if you got a 4.5, there are only 3 "degrees" of essay ETS-better than yours. I'm not worried about it. I think my writing sample is strong enough to make up for this anomaly, if it's even considered as such.

I like your logic. Screw ETS, I'll keep my $50. Good-luck!

[melusine]

same here.

730V, 4.5 AW.

Applying to Comparative Literature.

i don't give a monkey's buttcheek though.

one encouraging piece of information i got from a recent English Lit PhD postgrad from Brown University (at least in our fields):

no even considers the AW as an indicator of your writing abilities. that's what the 20+ page writing sample is for. AND the statement of purpose.

my friend (the postgrad) completely bombed the GRE 5 years ago and unless times are very much changed (which i don't think they are in that respect), it really doesn't hinder or help you in the application process.

[coyabean]

I took a GRE prep class this summer and the guy who owns it use to work for ETS. A whole 'nother set of probs if you ask me, but I digress.

He says that since the AW is still relatively new there has not been enough time to plot it's correlation to grad school persistence, degree completion, attainment, etc. As such most schools are still wary about it. The only time it seems to help if, like me, you're a bit low on one of the sections (quant) and the school has a GRE guideline that says something about being above the 50th percentile on 2 of the 3 sections. I want to say Utah has that. Then it can be used to compensate for your weakness. But, even then if you have a killer sample and SOP what I've gotten from my faculty interviews is that it doesn't matter. Nice if its high, a non issue if it's not.

Plus, I'd LOVE to talk to the people supposedly grading these things. I got a 5 and I still feel cheated. I pulled out an Audre Lourde reference for goodness sakes! I use to write for a friggin' living! I'm published! A 5? Crazy. Probably for something like a spelling thing or typo, too. I think its insane to test writing ability on a computerized test and not have any of the tools we use in a digital writing world. I can craft new ideas and explain them, so what if I always have to spell check for "consciousness"? Especially in a timed environment. But that's my personal beef.

[newage2012]

Plus, I'd LOVE to talk to the people supposedly grading these things.

It is graded by computer. Not a human. To score a 6 you need to know what the grading algorithm is, and tailor your writing towards it.

Edited December 6, 2009 by newage2012

[alexis]

It is graded by computer. Not a human. To score a 6 you need to know what the grading algorithm is, and tailor your writing towards it.

I thought one grade was by the computer, one by a human? Then I think it only goes to a second human if there is a disparity in the grade (not sure how big the difference has to be).

It sure would be good to know what that grading algorithm is though...

[jacib]

I thought one grade was by the computer, one by a human? Then I think it only goes to a second human if there is a disparity in the grade (not sure how big the difference has to be).

It sure would be good to know what that grading algorithm is though...

As far as anyone can tell, the algorithm focuses on structural things; variety of sentence structures, conjunctions/transitions, clarity of thought, length, spelling, clear focuses on examples, restatement of your thesis, certain key words, well structured introduction/conclusion, no "cold showers" in the intro. Teaching dull formulaic SAT essay writing strategies to foreign students for a few months definitely got me my 6.0.

[coyabean]

I thought one grade was by the computer, one by a human? Then I think it only goes to a second human if there is a disparity in the grade (not sure how big the difference has to be).

It sure would be good to know what that grading algorithm is though...

The prep owner says it is scored by the computer to give a score range and then that range is narrowed to a score by a human. However, they have something like 4.5 minutes to spend on each essay. :/

[rising_star]

Honestly, 4.5 minutes per essay is a lot. I spend about that much on 4 pg (double-spaced) student papers when I grade because you can easily get a feel for about where the grade is, then narrow it down by reading closer.

FWIW, I got my 6 on the GRE AW by using the same five paragraph format I was taught starting in 4th grade to pass the state writing test. I would never have thought such a format would work but, it seemed to be about what the Princeton Review book was calling for when I read it before taking the test (this was fall 05).

[newage2012]

it seemed to be about what the Princeton Review book was calling for when I read it before taking the test (this was fall 05).

If I remember correctly, the computer grading algorithm rolled out sometime during 2008. If you have time you can try the algorithm using the ETS ScoreItNow service. You probably will see a score drop

[kismetcapitan]

that makes me feel a lot better. I got a 5.0, but I've always thought writing was my ace in the hole. But I do use unconventional essay structures to emphasize and strengthen certain arguments when I see fit, and all in all, I'm told my writing tends to indulge in creative approaches, and is far from formulaic. I am absolutely NOT going a waste a minute of my life to train myself to write in a dull SAT I Writing or TOEFL essay format, especially when my writing classes spend so much time trying to break my students of that damnable five-paragraph essay format that makes an essay completely predictable by the time I'm done with the first paragraph. As I like to tell my students, "who the hell wants to sit through a two-hour movie, when you already know what's going to happen?". If adding interest by varying structure and building suspense parallel with building one's argument, you have a far more interesting and readable essay....by a human. Screw that computer thing.

[Smaudge]

I'm a firm believer in lying on the GRE essay. Use the 5 paragraph format and fill your examples with dates, names, studies... and make them up if you have to. "In 1932 Dr. Roger Klaus was the first to inject Rhesus monkey blood into human samples and observe the reaction. This eventually led to the discovery of positive and negative aspects of blood type."

Roger Klaus was a kid in my 3rd grade class. 1932 sounds old enough to be legit. The Rhesus monkey part is true-ish.

This crap is made up, but ETS loved it. I fabricated every single fact I put in my essays and got a 6.0 both times I took the GRE. This works because they don't care about the quality of your examples, just that they prove whatever point you're trying to make.

Also, for those of you who firmly believe that you were cheated on your AWA score, could it possibly be the argument essay? A lot of test takers seem to struggle with it at first because it's difficult to determine what they want from you if you haven't researched it a little.

[jacib]

I'm a firm believer in lying on the GRE essay. Use the 5 paragraph format and fill your examples with dates, names, studies... and make them up if you have to. "In 1932 Dr. Roger Klaus was the first to inject Rhesus monkey blood into human samples and observe the reaction. This eventually led to the discovery of positive and negative aspects of blood type."

Roger Klaus was a kid in my 3rd grade class. 1932 sounds old enough to be legit. The Rhesus monkey part is true-ish.

This crap is made up, but ETS loved it. I fabricated every single fact I put in my essays and got a 6.0 both times I took the GRE. This works because they don't care about the quality of your examples, just that they prove whatever point you're trying to make.

Also, for those of you who firmly believe that you were cheated on your AWA score, could it possibly be the argument essay? A lot of test takers seem to struggle with it at first because it's difficult to determine what they want from you if you haven't researched it a little.

The one downside of this strategy is that ETS sends the actual essays you write along with your scores. So if you are grossly inaccurate with facts related to your field, your readers will see this. If you're going to make up facts, cite "a recent study indicates that..." or "a famous studies demonstrated that..." and then use numbers. Avoid fictitious names and dates relating to topics that the actual readers in your desired department might know.

[Smile of Fury]

The one downside of this strategy is that ETS sends the actual essays you write along with your scores.

Is this true? It took me a long time to let go of the anger that overwhelmed me after I received my 4.0 AWA score (against 670 verbal). I would feel a lot better knowing that the adcoms had the option to read my essays, as opposed to just getting the scores from ETS.

I looked into getting a rescore, but after talking with ETS customer service I decided against it. I felt that ETS hadn't graded correctly the first time, but there was no way I was going to give them $60 to correct their mistake, especially when there's a possibility that they could grade even lower.

[Smaudge]

The one downside of this strategy is that ETS sends the actual essays you write along with your scores. So if you are grossly inaccurate with facts related to your field, your readers will see this. If you're going to make up facts, cite "a recent study indicates that..." or "a famous studies demonstrated that..." and then use numbers. Avoid fictitious names and dates relating to topics that the actual readers in your desired department might know.

Then don't write about things related to your field. Of my two GRE Issue Essay prompts, the examples and studies I made up had to do with literature and some scientific discoveries. Lying here works because no one grader could know every study or scientist that ever existed, and the accuracy of your facts is irrelevant. The graders are even taught to disregard the accuracy (The same is true for SAT essays, for which I am a grader). The only thing that matters in this essay is your ability to set up a reasoned argument and to support your thesis with clear, relevant points.

I have heard that schools can obtain copies of your essays. However, I also read that they never look at them unless your AWA score is very low and disparate from your scores on the V and Q. Even if they did read mine and realized somehow that I made it all up (which would be hard since, again, no one person could know all the obscure semi-legit sounding studies I referenced) I don't think they would really care. I've got a perfect AWA score and they can look at my SoP and writing sample for evidence of my real writing ability.

[melusine]

I guess all's fair in love and war..

I know I've made stuff up in essays in middle school and my first year of high school.

But, and that may be just me, there's something that makes my really uncomfortable about lying on things at a university level. Even small things like these that probably don't matter and no one will probably be able to detect,

Not sure if it's my academic honesty speaking or some weird compulsion to be honest with myself.. The way I see it is that I wouldn't want to lie to my husband on our wedding night, never mind how insignificant the lie..

yes, I tend to romanticise things a lot.

[Infinite Monkeys]

As far as anyone can tell, the algorithm focuses on structural things; variety of sentence structures, conjunctions/transitions, clarity of thought, length, spelling, clear focuses on examples, restatement of your thesis, certain key words, well structured introduction/conclusion, no "cold showers" in the intro. Teaching dull formulaic SAT essay writing strategies to foreign students for a few months definitely got me my 6.0.

This. This so much. I had spent almost two solid semesters tutoring a group of Vietnamese nuns on composition and helping to get them through their Examination in Writing Proficiency test (our university's semi-exit exam). Bless those nuns and their need for intensive, frequent tutoring.

I followed the five-point general style. Not five-paragraph, mind, five-point. It helps keep everything a little more focused for formulaic essays (at least it does for me). I answered exactly what they wanted answered. I didn't throw in anything funky, creative, or unexpected. The best advice I can get is the advice I got when gearing up for the EWP myself. "Don't be creative. Don't be clever. Give them exactly what they want, how they want it, in a clear and direct manner." The essay was boring as hell, but it was exactly what they wanted.

Hey, it got me the 6.0, and I'm crossing my fingers that it and my verbal will offset my abysmal math scores.

[newage2012]

Roger Klaus was a kid in my 3rd grade class. 1932 sounds old enough to be legit. The Rhesus monkey part is true-ish.

If you can, next time try Santa Klaus.

I guess all's fair in love and war..

I know I've made stuff up in essays in middle school and my first year of high school.

But, and that may be just me, there's something that makes my really uncomfortable about lying on things at a university level.

At the university level, we all taught about the seriousness of plagiarism, but seems nobody talk about problem with creative / fictitious writing. I know of Indian professors in the U.S. use SCIgen to compose a paper to submit to computer science conferences. Guess what, most of them rack up a lot of acceptances to their CV and eventually get their tenure.

[shanawaz]

I gave my second attempt I got AWA as 2.5 unfortunately.In my first attempt I got AWA-4.can anyone suggest how badly AWA is gonna affect my profile.should I go for revaluation given that I need to invest 60 dollars..has anyone applied for reval and got incremental score..Kindly suggest me how shall I proceed. My quants and verbal have boosted but awa has messed up.I had written well.I don't know why I got so less

[GirlRichard]

shanawaz, if you feel like you did similarly to the first time when you got a 4, perhaps you could ask for a rescore?