What Actually Works to Increase AWA Score?

[Crimson Wife]

So I participated in a grad school admissions seminar today where the professor (who has been on an adcomm) said that for psychology, the AWA score is the most important, followed by the quant, and then the total.

When I took the GRE in 2015, I was aiming for Speech & Language Pathology, which focuses primarily on the verbal and only cares that the quant is >50th percentile and the AWA is 4+. So I prepped exclusively for the verbal and got a score I'm happy with (168).

I know how to improve my quant (relearning all the math I've forgotten) and will be studying with Magoosh and the Manhattan Prep 5 lb. book of practice problems.

I have no idea how to prep for the AWA section. I've always done poorly on standardized writing tasks where I have to talk out my @$$ in response to lame prompts in a very short period of time. I'm a good writer in real-life academic tasks like term papers where I have a decent prompt and plenty of time to think through what I'm writing. It's frustrating that my chances of grad school come down to basically the equivalent of being a loudmouth at a bar going off about some inane topic.

I did buy the ETS "Score It Now" service for the essay.

Is there anything else that actually works to raise a so-so AWA score?

[fuzzylogician]

Read the grading guidelines for the AWA, it's very formulaic. There are also sample essays with scores and explanations for why they got the scores they did. Beyond that, practice. 

[Deep Fried Angst]

Two things that really helped me.

First, learn to argue your point like an academic. For me, the argumentation portion improved greatly by applying the insights from The Craft of Research. In this book an entire section is devoted to "Making a Claim and Supporting it." The development of a claim, reasons, evidence, and warrants is very helpful. Since this book is widely read among graduate students and professors, it may help provide an argumentation structure expected by the graders. Given this framework, sketching out a quick outline with your claim, reasons, evidence, warrants, and arguments against your claim helps prepare you before you begin writing. Don't spend too much time on this. Leave yourself enough time to write. Often the longer the essay, the higher the score. This goes with what fuzzylogician said. A quick outline that hits the points of what the graders expect will help you achieve those expectations. 

Second, learn to make stuff up. Because you are not allowed to research, you are allowed to make research up. Don't be afraid to BS a quote or statistic to help support your argument. Don't be afraid to create a study that goes against your own statement, but one that allows you to dialogue with it and to prove why your statement is correct in spite of the argument against. I think I made up a couple quotes and some statistics for my essay and scored a 5.5. One of the expectations of a high score is to be able to dialogue with opposing opinions. A quick quote from a made up journal or study helps provide the opposition to explain away. 

[JohnKim]

On 8/21/2017 at 1:29 PM, fuzzylogician said:

Read the grading guidelines for the AWA, it's very formulaic. There are also sample essays with scores and explanations for why they got the scores they did. Beyond that, practice. 

I agree with this post.

[Crimson Wife]

On 8/20/2017 at 10:29 PM, fuzzylogician said:

Read the grading guidelines for the AWA, it's very formulaic. There are also sample essays with scores and explanations for why they got the scores they did. Beyond that, practice. 

I've been reading it and the differences are unclear and totally subjective. The Official Guide to the GRE states (emphasis mine):

A typical response in this category [6]

-clearly identifies aspects of the argument relevant to the assigned task and examines them insightfully

- develops ideas cogently , organizes them logically, and connects them with clear transitions.

-provides compelling and thorough support for its main points.

-conveys ideas fluently and precisely, using effective vocabulary and sentence variety.

-demonstrates superior facility with the conventions of standard written English.

 

A typical repsonse in this category [5]

-clearly identifies aspects of the argument releant to the assigned task and examines them in a generally perceptive way.

-develops ideas clearly, organizes them logically, and connects them with appropriate transitions.

-offers generally thoughtful and thorough support for its main points.

-conveys ideas clearly and well, using appropriate vocabulary and sentence variety.

-demonstrates facility with the conventions of standard written English.

 

A typical response in this category [4]

-identifies and examines aspects of the argument relevant to the assigned task

- develops and organizes ideas satisfactorily

-supports its main points adequately

-demonstrates sufficient control of language to convey ideas with acceptable clarity

-generally demonstrates control of the conventions of standard written English.

 

How do I as a test taker know what is "satisfactory"/"adequate"/"sufficient" vs. "perceptive"/"thoughtful"/"appropriate" vs. "insightful"/"cogent"/"compelling"/"superior"?

[GreenEyedTrombonist]

On 8/23/2017 at 9:59 AM, Crimson Wife said:

How do I as a test taker know what is "satisfactory"/"adequate"/"sufficient" vs. "perceptive"/"thoughtful"/"appropriate" vs. "insightful"/"cogent"/"compelling"/"superior"?

 

Honestly? It's partially subjective. Now, the graders of the essays are quite experienced and know the guidelines inside and out, but it's still ultimately based on their opinion. That's why we get 4.5, 5.5, etc scores (that .5 is usually a discrepancy between graders that is then averaged). Ultimately, you don't need to worry about the differences between satisfactory and adequate so much as you need to worry about following the directions and fully answering the prompt.

 

If it helps, I improved my AW score from 4.5 to 5.5 between the end of undergrad and my first year of my MA. I think a large part of this score difference was that, the second time, I worried less about perfect grammar and focused on an "introduction, argument, counter-argument, argument, conclusion about how this prompt is wrong to create a false dichotomy" approach. 

[Preston7777]

As one who has suffered with the same fears and weaknesses when it comes to timed writing, a few things have helped me.

First is the Kaplan verbal book. It's one of four books I have that touch on the AWA section, and I have found it the most helpful because of the plethora of sample essays and a simplified approach to writing essays. I spent a good amount of time adopting the transitions, phrases, vocab, mechanics, structure from their sample essays into my own, and it really has helped me quickly organize my thoughts and writing. I started to develop a formula which works for me, and stick to it, which keeps my writing focused. 

Second is http://www.awaprofessor.com/expert-gre-awa-rater.html For twenty bucks a pop, someone will grade your essay. They do a thorough job and there is a lot of valuable feedback. Occasionally hitting up this service can go a long way in gaining insight from people who regularly review GRE essays.

Third is of course practice. I've been trying to write an essay four to five times a week these last few weeks and will continue to do so until my test in September. I've already noticed an improvement in not only my skills, but also moving past the freak out I can't write because it's timed mind block. 

Hope this helps~!

Edited August 30, 2017 by Preston7777