Analytical Writing (AW) is one of three sections in the GRE, alongside the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections.
The Analytical Writing measure used to be seen as the least important section on the GRE. However, the rise of generative AI has made the AW section more relevant for MBA programs at competitive business schools, as admissions essays alone are no longer a reliable measure of applicants’ writing abilities.
This article will discuss the structure and content of the GRE’s Analytical Writing section and strategies to maximize your GRE AW score for graduate school admission.
The Analytical Writing section lasts 30 minutes and consists of just one “Analyze an Issue” task. This task asks for an essay response evaluating a viewpoint on a particular issue. No specialized knowledge of the issue is required; the point is how you respond to the information provided.
In a previous version of the GRE, an “Analyze an Argument” task was also included in this section, but it was removed in 2024.
The GRE Analytical Writing section is scored in half-point increments from 0 to 6.
A score between 4 and 5 is generally considered good, while a score of 5.5 or 6 on your GRE essay is outstanding. The best-scored argument essays are articulate, stay on topic, and include logically compelling reasons that support your position on the essay prompt.
Your essay response should demonstrate a strong familiarity with the conventions of standard, formal written English. An essay with minor errors may still receive a good score, but a larger quantity of minor errors or occasional major errors will decrease your GRE score dramatically.
If your essay contains fundamental deficiencies, such as frequent errors in language and sentence structure, content without clear relevance, and a lack of sentence variety, your score will plummet.
To hone your analytical writing skills in preparation for the actual GRE, aim to write a few practice essays before test day. Using sample essay topics published by the ETS, GRE aspirants should practice their analytical writing skills, giving themselves 30 minutes to write an organized response.
Successful AWA essays have the following characteristics:
To achieve a strong performance on the GRE Analytical Writing section, it is essential to approach the task with clear strategies that maximize both the quality and effectiveness of your response. By focusing on the structure of your essay, managing your time wisely, and practicing with official sample questions, you can build the confidence and proficiency needed to excel. Let’s explore each strategy.
GRE test takers are expected to construct an organized response analyzing the issue and supporting their stance with specific reasons and examples. A well-structured GRE issue essay response includes an introductory paragraph, several body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph.
Your introduction should present your position on the issue provided and begin to articulate your argument, including the following elements:
Body paragraphs should highlight specific examples to develop and support your point of view. Be sure to expand on and explain each example, organizing your essay response in a way that makes sense for the reader. The body paragraphs should each
You may wish to address counterarguments in one of your body paragraphs, acknowledging an opposing viewpoint and then explaining why your position is still stronger.
The conclusion paragraph should remind the reader of the main points of your argument, possibly ending with the broader implications related to the issue:
However, form is not the most important aspect of this task to GRE graders. Rather, this section of the GRE evaluates your critical thinking and analytical writing abilities, assessing your capacity to express and defend complex ideas, build arguments, and maintain a clear and coherent discussion. Therefore, you should prioritize brushing up on your communication skills in preparation for this section.
To prepare for test day, you should practice writing responses within the 30-minute time limit, learning how to allocate sufficient time for planning, writing, and reviewing.
First, before you begin writing, spend a few minutes at the start planning your essay structure and creating an outline of your main points. However, you should allocate the majority of your time to writing the essay, ensuring you develop each point thoroughly. Finally, try to reserve a couple of minutes at the end to review what you’ve written, checking for errors and refining your arguments.
To improve your performance in the Analytical Writing section, familiarize yourself with the sample topics and scoring guides provided by ETS. Studying with authentic GRE essay prompts will ensure you are not caught off guard by the types of questions you may encounter on test day. ETS materials offer a clear sense of the expected structure, depth of analysis, and style of argumentation that high-scoring essays demonstrate.
You should practice writing essays in response to these official prompts. After completing your essays, review your responses alongside the sample essays and scoring guides provided by ETS. This will help you identify your strengths—such as clarity, logical analysis, or strong examples—as well as areas that need improvement, such as argument development, grammar, or conciseness.
By consistently practicing with ETS sample questions and critically evaluating your work, you will build confidence and refine the skills necessary to excel in the Analytical Writing section.
The analytical writing measure is obviously important for graduate programs in English Literature or Philosophy, for example. But how important is this section to business schools?
The answer used to be “not very important.”
However, the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has increased this section’s significance and value to B-school admissions committees. Since applicants can’t be effectively stopped from using AI when working on their applications, essays are no longer a reliable measure of your writing skills.
Written communication skills are vital for success in any MBA program, so admissions offices want to ensure that they are admitting you based on your own (rather than ChatGPT’s) writing.
Students can make strides to improve their GRE Analytical Writing score independently, but working with an experienced GRE tutor can help students make the most efficient progress toward their target scores.
At Menlo Coaching, our GRE tutors work exclusively from official GRE materials, meaning you won’t waste time learning irrelevant material that doesn’t accurately represent the type of essay prompt you’ll see on test day. Instead, our tutors teach you only relevant concepts and material, the traps and pitfalls test takers commonly fall into, and strategies for effective time management.
Furthermore, because our tutors create a bespoke plan for every student, you can, if you want, work with your GRE tutor on the Analytical Writing section alone rather than dividing your time among the three sections.
David Baird
GMAT / GRE Tutor
Education: BA, MBA
As a former senior financial analyst and instructor with over 20 years of tutoring experience, David is an expert at optimizing the scores of ambitious test takers, breaking complex questions down to reveal the reasoning behind correct answers.
