how long should the analytical essay be gre

The GRE ® General Test

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Overview of the Analytical Writing Measure

Analytical writing measure (beginning september 22, 2023).

The Analytical Writing measure of the GRE General Test administered beginning September 22, 2023, assesses your critical thinking and analytical writing skills by assessing your ability to:

• articulate and support complex ideas
• construct arguments
• sustain a focused and coherent discussion

It doesn’t assess specific content knowledge.

The Analytical Writing measure consists of a 30-minute “Analyze an Issue”  task. This task presents an opinion on an issue and instructions on how to respond. You’re required to evaluate the issue, consider its complexities and develop an argument with reasons and examples to support your views.

You’ll use a basic word processor developed by ETS to type your essay responses. The word processor contains the following functionalities: insert text, delete text, cut-and-paste and undo the previous action. Tools such as a spellchecker and grammar checker are not available.

Analytical Writing Measure before September 22, 2023

The Analytical Writing measure of the GRE General Test administered before September 22, 2023, assesses your critical thinking and analytical writing skills by assessing your ability to:

• construct and evaluate arguments

The Analytical Writing measure consists of two separately timed analytical writing tasks:

• The "Analyze an Issue" task presents an opinion on an issue and instructions on how to respond. You’re required to evaluate the issue, consider its complexities and develop an argument with reasons and examples to support your views.
• The "Analyze an Argument" task requires you to evaluate an argument according to specific instructions. You’ll need to consider the logical soundness of the argument rather than agree or disagree with the position it presents.

The two 30-minute tasks are complementary. The Issue task requires you to construct your own argument, while the Argument task requires you to evaluate someone else's argument.

Preparing for the Analytical Writing measure

Everyone — even the most practiced and confident of writers — should spend time preparing for the Analytical Writing measure to understand the skills measured and how the tasks are scored. It may also be useful to review the scoring guides, sample topics, scored sample essay responses and rater commentary for each task.

The tasks in the Analytical Writing measure relate to a broad range of subjects — from the fine arts and humanities to the social and physical sciences — but don’t require specific content knowledge. Each task has been tested by actual GRE test takers to ensure that it possesses several important characteristics, including the following:

• GRE test takers, regardless of their field of study or special interests, understood the task and could easily respond to it.
• The task elicited the kinds of complex thinking and persuasive writing that university faculty consider important for success in graduate school.
• The responses were varied in content and in the way the writers developed their ideas.

Published topic pools for the Analytical Writing measure

To help you prepare for the Analytical Writing measure, the GRE Program has published the entire pool of tasks from which your test tasks will be selected. You might find it helpful to review the Issue and Argument pools:

• Issue Topic Pool (PDF)
• Argument Topic Pool (PDF)  (the Argument task was removed from the General Test beginning September 22, 2023)

Test-taking strategies for the Analytical Writing measure (in the General Test beginning September 22, 2023)

• Before taking the GRE General Test, review the strategies, sample topics, sample essay responses with rater commentary, and scoring guide for the task. This will give you a deeper understanding of how raters evaluate essays and the elements they're looking for in an essay.
• It is important to budget your time. Within the 30-minute time limit, allow sufficient time to consider the issue and the specific instructions, plan a response, and compose your essay. You want your essay response to be the best possible example of your writing that you can produce under the testing conditions.
• Save a few minutes at the end of the timed task to check for obvious errors. An occasional spelling or grammatical error won’t affect your score, but serious and persistent errors detract from the overall effectiveness of your writing and lower your score accordingly.

The New GRE AWA: Tips to Approach the GRE Essay

The content in this post applies in 2024 to the new, shorter GRE!

The shorter GRE introduced a faster, more streamlined experience for test-takers. As part of the changes, the shorter GRE AWA section was reduced to one essay (instead of two). Great news! So, how do you prepare for the new GRE essay? Read on to find out.

How does the new GRE AWA work?

The new GRE Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) consists of the Issue essay . You are allotted 30 minutes for your essay. The GRE essay tests your ability to write a cogent thesis statement that you must defend over the course of several paragraphs.

What is the Analyze an Issue essay?

Gre issue essay topics.

It could be argued that the most important technological breakthroughs have happened by chance and through surprise discoveries. However, others argue that deliberate, well-planned research with specific goals is the only way to ensure technological advancement.

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position

The Issue essay asks you to respond to and analyze a general statement, like the ones above, that relates to politics, education, or culture. Essentially, you are taking a position on a complex matter.

Where can I find sample GRE AWA topics?

Good news! ETS publishes the entire pools of Issue topics and Argument topics on its site. The topics you see on your test will be drawn from those pools , so this is an essential resource. Learn more about the seven types of topics you might encounter in our GRE Essay Topics post.

How is the GRE AWA scored?

Deep in a dark room far, far away resides a poor soul who must sort through an interminable stack of GRE AWA essays. In a mere thirty seconds, that person must award a score from a 0.0 – 6.0, based on 0.5 increments. The grader is typically a university literature/writing professor who, according to ETS, has undergone rigorous training in order to qualify.

But that’s only half of the story.

This next part sounds a little nefarious — so hold onto your seats. Over the course of the last decade or so, ETS has developed–and it would say refined–the “E-rater”, an automated essay grader.

While it may seem that HAL , the diabolical talking computer from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey , has been unleashed to wreak grading havoc on your essays, the “E-rater” is only used as a second “grader” to ensure that the human grader isn’t napping at the job. If the “E-rater’s” score differs by 1.5 points or more from the human grader’s score, then a second human grader will look at your essay, the master grader–who, presumably, resides in an even darker room.

Your final score is calculated by taking the two essays, averaging them, and then rounding the result to fit on the half point scale. At least for now, HAL has not completely taken over — the “E-rater” serves only as a check on human error. That is not to say that one day the two human graders will emerge from their dark rooms as anachronisms (as far as GRE AWA grading goes). Let’s hope that such a day never comes, the day in which admission to a top-notch grad school hangs in the precarious balance of a robot grader.

How does the GRE AWA scoring range work?

What exactly does it mean to get a 0.0, or for that matter a 6.0 on GRE Analytical Writing? Well, a 0.0 means you fell asleep, your forehead planted firmly on the keyboard, an endless series of gobbledygook forming on screen. A 6.0 is a consistently insightful and well-crafted essay, running a good 80-plus lines.

You may think I’m jesting with the 0.0, but really I’m not: those essays are deemed “Ungradeable.” Hence, very few students end up getting a 0.0, or, for that matter, a score below a 2.0. Indeed, the vast majority of students fall between a 3.0 and a 5.0.

So what exactly does it mean to get a 3.0 vs. 4.0, or a 4.5 vs. a 5.0? For me to really answer that it would take at least several pages, including example essays. Instead, have a look at the AWA scoring guidelines from ETS. The links to the sample essays are included below.

Is there anywhere I can get my essays graded?

While there is no better teacher than feedback, having someone give you an honest critique of your essay is difficult. ETS offers a service to grade your GRE AWA essays. But that is all you will get. A simple score. No feedback. People have tried, apparently, but nobody at ETS will provide feedback (apparently, the “E-rater” has not yet evolved to this level of sophistication).

Luckily, things aren’t quite as bleak as that. Over the years, I’ve seen many students asking for feedback on the forums ( urch.com , thegradcafe.com ) and munificent souls (usually GRE test takers with strong writing skills) provide insightful analysis. While that may not sound all that reassuring, remember that this feedback is free of charge and there really isn’t much else out there in terms of essay feedback.

More creative ideas on how to get your essay graded here , plus we have a downloadable GRE essay rubric . Let us know if you have any others, we’d love to hear them! 🙂

What do the graders look for?

The graders look for the three C’s: clarity, coherency, and cogency.

First off, you must express your ideas in a clear manner. If you jumble your words, or simply throw in unnecessary words, doing so compromises clarity. But your essay is not just one sentence with a clearly expressed idea; it is a set of ideas that should logically connect to one another. That is coherency.

Next you want to provide convincing evidence to back up your thesis. You can throw in some vague example, but doing so means your essay will probably lack cogency. Develop an example that cogently reinforces your thesis is key to a high essay score.

There are some other factors that play into the human grader’s assessment. Style is important; an essay with choppy sentences and unsophisticated vocabulary will be awarded a lower score, all other things being equal, than an essay with mature syntactical development and GRE-level vocabulary deployed felicitously.

There is also the issue of grammar. Even though the graders doesn’t set out to nitpick at grammar, as soon as you make the tiniest mistake, he or she will notice. Anything from improper use of pronouns to misspelling common words can negatively impact your score. At the same time, a grammatical flub or two won’t preclude an essay from getting a perfect score, as long as everything else about the essay is top-notch.

I should note that the essay grader takes around 30 seconds to grade an essay. He or she scans to make sure that you have clearly organized your information, and that your paragraphs start with a topic sentence and flow into specific examples that support your analysis. The grader looks to make sure you have a conclusion that articulates what you’ve already stated. He or she gives you a score and they move on to the next essay.

How long do my GRE essays have to be?

Believe it or not, out of two essays that are identical, save for length, the longer will receive the higher score. That doesn’t mean you should frantically scribble away, hoping that a seven-paragraph essay will automatically confer the much coveted ‘6’. Substance matters greatly. But as long as all the parts of your essay are there, you should shoot for a five-paragraph essay: an intro, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

I should also point out that six paragraphs a long essay do not make. Paragraph length matters too. And, of course, don’t forget that each of those paragraphs has to flow logically and clearly from your thesis.

How do I practice for GRE Analytical Writing?

Essay writing is tough. Practicing for the GRE Analytical Writing Assessment–given that it’s difficult to get feedback–makes things even more unpleasant: you write and write without knowing if you are really improving. But do not despair–there are sample essays, friends and family, and the ETS essay grading service, as well as many GRE writing tips you can use.

By simply writing often you will be able to write with greater command and facility. With diligent practice , words will not seem submerged deep in your hippocampus, but will spring to life on the page.

2. Don’t forget to outline/brainstorm

You must think about what you are going to write before you write. I’m sure many amongst you subscribe to the school of thought that if you write, they will come: the words, the compelling examples, and the nuanced logic. When practicing for the GRE, you must avoid this tendency and instead spend a few minutes coming up with a roadmap (either in your head or on the computer screen). At first this step will slow you down and you will want to go back to the old method. Be patient. Once you become adept at outlining, the essay will write itself.

3. Spend lots of time editing your practice essays

Though you won’t get much of an opportunity to edit your essay test day, sedulously editing your practice essays will make you more aware of your mistakes, both grammatical and logical. Correcting these mistakes will not only help you anticipate them in the future, but will also make the writing and logic in your future essays clearer.

4. Constantly read sample essays

By reading other students’ essays, you will develop a sense of what ETS is looking for. You’ll also be able to better judge your own essays. Throughout practice sessions you should keep tweaking your essays, so they get closer and closer to the next score up. So if you started at a ‘3’, then focus on getting to a ‘4.’ Once you think you’ve done so, shoot your essay over to the ETS grading service. Check out this sample essay to see what it takes to achieve your ideal GRE writing score:

5. Improve grammar

ETS explicitly states that it is looking for the quality and clarity of thought, and not grammar per se. Yet the two are closely related. So if you struggle to articulate something–and in doing so break a grammatical rule (or three!)–you will sacrifice clarity. Even minor grammatical errors (faulty pronouns, subject/verb agreement) will mar the overall quality of your writing.

How do I improve my grammar and style?

Between grammar and style, grammar is much easier to improve. Great style is much more elusive. Indeed, many writers have cultivated their prose style over years of assiduous practice. Rest assured though–to score well on the GRE your prose does not have to be fit for The New York Times . You do want to avoid choppy sentences by varying up your sentence structure. You shouldn’t be averse to trading a simple word for a more complex one as long that word is appropriate for the context.

A great book that offers writing advice, from dangling modifiers to how to construct compelling, dynamic sentences, is William Zinsser’s On Writing Well .

For a more stern approach to writing, Strunk and White’s Elements of Style has helped students for over half a century.

The only reason I mention both of these books is they focus not only grammar but also on style. Many grammar books should suffice, as far as grammar goes–but they are short on teaching writing style, which is a great skill to have for the GRE (and beyond!).

Are there any sample essays I can read?

It is one thing to read the guidelines for what constitutes a ‘6’ essay. In essence you are interpreting the information. But by actually reading you learn what the grader (and the robot) are looking for.

While sample essays abound in prep books, some of them appear written and polished over time, and thus don’t reflect the work of someone who is under the constraints for the essay.

The best source for sample essays are the released sample essays (completed with grader comments!) from ETS:

Sample Issue Essays from ETS

Sample Argument Essays from ETS

The essays here are actual student essays. Use these essays to assess your own level of writing. In other words, determine where in the 0.0-6.0 range you fall, based on the scores given to the other essays.

Chris graduated from UCLA with a BA in Psychology and has 20 years of experience in the test prep industry. He’s been quoted as a subject expert in many publications, including US News , GMAC , and Business Because .

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More from Magoosh

11 responses to “The New GRE AWA: Tips to Approach the GRE Essay”

Hi how much time does it take for the practice AWA to be graded?

Hi Gunjan, I’m not sure if I understand your question. Which practice AWA are you talking about? If you are asking about feedback from forums or other online resources, you’ll have to check with those websites or perhaps post your essay again. Please note that Magoosh does not provide essay grading and feedback at this time.

I got 2.5 score in awa how can i improve

These blog posts might be helpful for you: 12 tips to ace GRE Writing GRE Issue Strategies and practice essays

In order to improve in the AWA section, you should understand what the graders are looking for, have a strategy for writing a strong essay, and practice as MUCH as possible. I think these blog posts will help you to make a good strategy–don’t forget to keep practicing!

Thank you, Really it helps me a lot. but still i have confusion in argument Section, can you please tell me the deference between issue and argument

Hi Prachi! Sure 🙂 The Issue Task requires you to take a position and defend it. Usually it’s for or against some issue. The Argument Tasks asks you to read a short argument and then explain why it’s terrible. Hope that helps!

Hi! I got a poor score in AWA (2) and I did detect my fault that, in my issue task, I didn’t thoroughly agree or disagree, rather I agreed partially to the prompt and another mistake was I couldn’t conclude my essay with clear conclusive stand of mine, neither I finished my last sentence, let alone editing. Could u plz explain weather partially agree or disagree is allowed in issue task in AWA?

It sounds like you have done a good job of reflecting on your performance and identifying areas for improvement! That’s a great first step. In the AWA Issue task, it’s important to have a strong argument and clearly state your side. Your concession point shows that you have thought about the issue from different angles, but it’s important to stick to your argument and show how it is superior. We do not recommend that students take the “partially agree” approach, since it tends to ‘water down’ your argument and weaken your essay. Remember that this is an essay you are writing for a specific assignment–it doesn’t have to reflect your personal beliefs or ideas, as long as you can craft a strong argument. We have a lot of great resources for you to use to improve on the AWA, take a look 🙂

Thank you for this overall guide with lots of quality information for someone who is new to GRE like me. At the moment, this is quite sufficient for me to kick start my preparation for the test, which roughly happens in two weeks. Anyway, Thanks!

You’re welcome! Best of luck, Huy. 😀

i think it give us more idea in gre test.

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The Advanced Guide to GRE Analytical Writing

By Jitta Raghavender Rao • GRE Writing

The Analytical Writing section has been the most ignored section on the GRE for a long time now. Do you know why?

No, it is not because it is not very important, nor is it because it is just too easy to score high on the AWA. It is because, there is nobody to tell you how important the AWA is, and more importantly, how easy it is to crack it, if you know exactly what to do. Yes, there are a few tips that tell you what to do and what not to do, but nowhere on the internet will you find an advanced guide for the AWA.

It is not just the students who ignore the analytical writing section. Most test prep companies just give out a few tips on how to write the AWA and expect you to get a decent score. But at CrunchPrep, we strive for perfection. We don’t want you to settle for anything less than a perfect score on what is the most neglected section on the GRE.

And that is why, we at CrunchPrep, have created a complete, and advanced guide that breaks down the steps you need to take to score a perfect 6.0 on the Analytical Writing Section.

Here’s what you will learn in The Advanced Guide to GRE Analytical Writing :

Chapter 1: Introduction to GRE Analytical Writing – Getting to know everything about the writing section on the GRE will not only fetch you a perfect score, but also help you become a better writer. In this chapter, we have detailed everything you need to know about the Analytical Writing Section, and have answered all the questions about the AWA section that you may have in mind.

Chapter 2: Issue Essay vs Argument Essay: 11 Key Differences – Avoid getting confused between the two types of AWA Essays by understanding these 11 key differences. These 11 key differences between the Issue essay and the Argument essay will help you learn in depth about both the essay types and how to tackle them easily.

Chapter 3: 7 Major Factors That Boost Your AWA Score – Learning the various factors that affect your AWA score positively will help you write better, and score higher on the AWA. These 7 factors have a profound impact on how much you can score on the AWA section. Make sure you have them all in place, and a perfect score isn’t too far away.

Chapter 4: The 6 Step Process to Conquer AWA – These 6 steps when followed in the given order, will help you conquer the AWA section on the GRE. Tackle even the toughest of AWA Essay questions with these simple steps. We have included a step by step process for both the Issue and Argument essay questions.

Chapter 5: Examples and Analyses of Perfect 6.0 AWA Essays – Knowing how a perfect AWA Essay should look like will help you write perfect sounding, high scoring essays. We have included appropriate sample essays as examples, and have also added our analyses in the form of expert commentary on why the essays deserve perfect 6.0 scores.

Chapter 6: 6 Types of False Reasoning You Should Avoid on the Argument Essay – Be wary of these 6 types of false reasoning traps on the Argument Essay, and getting a 6.0 score will be a cakewalk. We have also included a checklist for the argument essay task, in order to make things easier for you.

Chapter 7: How to Finish an Essay in 20 Minutes: 9 Effective Strategies to Save Time on the AWA Section – Sit back, relax and watch as others end up with unfinished essays. Learn these effective time management strategies and finish off your essay in 20 minutes, while everyone else is still busy writing the second paragraph.

Chapter 8: Top 101 Transitional Words and Phrases You Should Use to Score a 6.0 on the AWA Section – Turn your average essay into a phenomenal piece of literature with these top transitional words. Use these words and phrases and your essay will read like a great story.

Chapter 9: 27 Mistakes You Should Avoid When Writing Your AWA Essays – Better safe than sorry. Learning where you can falter will help you be aware. Avoiding these 27 mistakes will help you get a higher score on the AWA section.

Bonus Chapter: Mind-Blowing Templates to Score a 6.0 on the AWA Section – The most advanced AWA Essay templates you will ever find on the internet. These AWA templates are designed to give you an unfair advantage on test day. Go check them out!

Click here to read The Advanced Guide to GRE Analytical Writing right now! With over 71 tips, techniques, and strategies, this will probably be the most useful, the most resourceful, and the most important guide you will ever read in the course of your AWA prep.

I hope you enjoy the advanced guide to GRE Analytical Writing. If you follow the steps Sachin and I laid out, you’ll notice an increase in your AWA score very quickly and also finish writing your essays much faster.

We put in huge amount of time and a wealth of knowledge and experience into creating the most comprehensive GRE Analytical Writing guide in the world, to help you ace the AWA section. If you think this is very helpful, or if you really loved it, share it with your friends right now! Our goal is to help as many students as we can. So what are you waiting for? Go share or tweet the living daylights out of this guide!

And yeah, if you happen to have any other tips that we didn’t mention here, or if you would like to share your experiences and strategies with us and our students, let us know in the comments section! We will be happy to add them to the list.

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3 Comments to “The Advanced Guide to GRE Analytical Writing”

Hello Jitta,

The write-up on the AWA section was engrossing and cogent. However, I could not download the templates from chapter – 10. I confirmed my email id and got back but it still asks for reconfirmation. Can you please look into this?

Shan, thanks for the kind words 🙂

I am sorry to hear that you couldn’t download the templates. I just did a fix so it should work now. Could you click the download button at the bottom of the AWA guide and click the confirmation link? When you do that, you should be able to download the templates. Happy studying!

Your site is amazing. It was full of tips for me. I really appreciate your effort. Wish you best.

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How Long Should GRE Essays Be?

We take a head first dive into how long the gre essay should be.

Perhaps you’ve been studying for the GRE for weeks and are feeling pretty good about the verbal and quant sections. So finally, you turn your attention to the analytical writing section. You understand what’s being asked of you in terms of the analytical writing task, but the question naturally becomes how long do this essay need to be?  That question is answered in detail below.

About The GRE Essay

In considering the different sections on the GRE, it’s easy to wrap our heads around the Verbal and Quant sections . They’re well defined, objective and quantifiable. You’re presented a question, you analyze and solve it, enter your answer, and move on. These parameters give us comfort .

But the Analytical Writing (AW) section is open-ended and students are given limited information and guidelines in terms of essay length , structure and content. There is no maximum or minimum word count for the essay and no concrete direction on these points.

In addition, Educational Testing Service (ETS) , the administrators of the GRE , have been very reluctant to share any secrets in terms of their preferences on essay length and structure. We know the essays are co-graded by a human and a computer (e-rater), but we don’t know exactly what criteria they’re looking at.

How To Write A GRE Essay

Never fear! We’ve done the hard work for you by collecting and analyzing all the available data we could get our hands on to help you optimize your essay length. Here are the main takeaways:

• Longer is generally better
• 550 to 650 words is ideal
• Scores go up with length, then drop off

Longer is Better

One of the main conclusions from our analysis is that longer essays are generally better. And this makes sense — on the whole, longer essays are more likely to be better reasoned , contain examples and support the points being made. In addition, it gives the writer more opportunity to showcase their writing skills and ability to thoroughly think through a range of issues in less time.

Give Me 600 Words

For whatever reason, the magic number seems to be around 600 . To be more precise, it’s more of a magic “range,” and that window falls between 550 and 650 words . This seems to be the ideal length to most effectively draft an introduction, make and support your points with well-reasoned arguments and examples, and wrap it up with a tidy conclusion.

This also seems to be a result of the nature of GRE essay prompts . Any shorter and your essay lacks reasoning and support; any longer and you risk rambling. Which brings me to the next point.

What Goes Up, Must Come Down

While the data shows that longer is better, that only holds true to a certain point. After 650 words, the average AW score starts to drop off . It’s not a cliff drop-off, but there is a very real and significant decline in average score. Longer is better, but too long and you begin to ramble .

Your sentences turn into run-ons, your reasoned points become clouded and jumbled, and the grader loses interest. This makes sense. Students can’t be reasonably expected in 30 short minutes to read a prompt, analyze it, outline an answer, and draft a well-crafted 800+ word essay with reasoning and examples. There’s just no way .

Quality, Not Just Quantity

Now that you know more is better (up to a point), do not fall into the trap of just thinking that if you slap 600 words on a page you’ll get a decent score. That would be a serious mistake. Like many things in life, quality is equally as important (if not more) as quantity . The content of your essay must still be top notch.

To substantiate this point, check out this in-depth post from prep company Achievable on GRE essays. They took over 1,000 student essays and had them graded by multiple GRE tutors, then crunched the numbers using machine learning to determine what has the biggest impact on a GRE essay score . Their findings are packed with data and some awesome visuals. I highly suggest you check it out.

GRE Writing Tips

Clarity & Reasoning.  Perhaps the most important overarching goal of the AW section is to write a coherent, well-reasoned essay with supporting points and examples. Despite everything said above, this is more important than the length of the essay. After reading the prompt, develop your positions fully and organize the essay coherently. Explain your reasoning for the positions you take. Don’t just make statements and move on, provide clear, well-reasoned arguments to support it.

Structure.  There is nothing that makes an article or essay more unreadable that large blocks of text. People see a large text block and immediately fall half-asleep. Spoon-feed the reader in short, digestible, easy-to-read chunks. Start with a brief introductory paragraph, with four to six short body paragraphs making your points (i.e. the meat) and a short concluding paragraph to summarize everything. Follow this simple formula and you’ll be fine.

Diction & Sentence Variety.  Toss out the thesaurus. You don’t need to use large, fancy words or scientific terminology on the GRE to get a better score . Use intelligent, to-the-point vocabulary. This will help make your writing clear and won’t give your grader pause. Additionally, break up your sentences. Don’t use the same compound sentence time and time again. Mix in short punchy sentences and different sentence structures. This will keep your writing interesting.

Spelling & Grammar.  Although ETS says that small typographical and grammatical errors that do not interfere with the substance of the essay do not affect your score, I’d still recommend steering clear of relying on that assurance. Human graders are just that — human. If you have a couple errors in the first paragraph or two, they will notice this and could likely jade their impression of your writing. Take the time to make sure your spelling and grammar is on point before submitting.

Time Management.  Finally, make the most of your test time by managing it properly. Read the question and specific instructions carefully to ensure your understanding of what is expected in your response. Take a few minutes to plan your response before composing it. Allow for a few minutes at the end to review, proofread and correct any spelling or grammar errors that might be a distraction to the reader.

To sum it up, keep your essay in the 550- to 650-word range , follow the tips above, and you’ll be just fine.

GRE Writing Prompts & Examples

For reference, here is one example of an issue essay question :

“We learn our most valuable lessons in life from struggling with our limitations rather than from enjoying our successes.”

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim. In developing and supporting your position, be sure to address the most compelling reasons and/or examples that could be used to challenge your position.

Writing plan. Before writing, carefully read the issue and the specific instructions that follow it. Think about the issue. If it is broad in scope, narrow it down to something specific. Think about your own feelings and experiences and draw from them. Make notes and develop your position . When writing your response, be sure not to deviate from the question. The key is stay focused and present a cogent argument, yet still infused with reason and experience.

How long should a GRE essay be?

After considering average grades and self-reported data, it appears the ideal length of a GRE essay is 550 to 650 words. Any shorter and you risk the essay being underdeveloped. Any longer and it is likely rambling.

What is the right GRE essay length?

When it comes to the AW section of the GRE, longer is better, until a point. The perfect length of GRE essays is somewhere between 550 and 650 words. But any longer and you may be hurting your score.

GRE study guide: Analytical Writing section

Posted by  | December 4 2019

The GRE’s Analytical Writing section requires you to write two essays in one hour — one Issue essay and one Argument essay. You’ll be scored based on your ability to formulate a thesis statement and how well you argue your statement in the following paragraphs. While writing two essays in one hour sounds intimidating, it’s doable with the right planning and practice. Here are some tips for getting started.

Become familiar with sample topics. Educational Testing Services (ETS) — the creators of the GRE — publishes the entire pool of Issues and Argument topics on their website. The topics that you’ll see on your test will be taken from those pools, so becoming familiar and practicing with the topics listed will be an extremely helpful resource. ETS also has sample scored Issue and Argument essay responses available so you can see the difference between writing quality and scores.

Practice with GRE essay prompts. Like most subject matter, the best way to get better at writing and formulating an argument is to keep practicing. Here are some helpful tips for practicing writing an essay: 

• ETS has 328 published GRE essay topics , any of which can appear on the Analytical Writing section.
• Grade yourself with the official standards set by GRE rubrics. If you don’t think you can be objective enough, find a friend to score it for you.  
• Keep within the 30-minute time limit. 
• If you are taking the computer-based GRE, practice writing your essay using POWERPREP Online or another word processor. 
• Leave time to edit your essay. 

Outline your essay before writing. Outlining your arguments before putting them into words will help you organize your thoughts and construct a cohesive argument. Begin by determining your thesis, then briefly outline your two to four examples or points of analysis that you will go into your body paragraphs. Complete your outline with a few bullet points under each of your points of analysis that explain how each supports your thesis. 

How to organize your essay  

Issue essays. The Issue essay section will provide you with an issue statement followed by a specific task that will tell you how to respond to the issue. Consider using this sample template for your essay: 

• Introduction. Start your introduction with a sentence that restates the issue followed by your thesis statement, or your main argument. In the following sentences, introduce your specific reasons and evidence you will provide in the following body paragraphs. A good rule of thumb is to have one sentence for each of the following body paragraphs.
• Body paragraphs (2–4). Your body paragraphs should introduce a main piece of evidence, provide an explanation on how the evidence relates to the topic, and demonstrate how your evidence supports your thesis
• Conclusion. Briefly summarize the points you’ve made in a way that slightly mirrors your introduction. 

Argument essays. The Argument essay section will provide you with an argument and asks you to analyze it based on logic. Consider using this sample template for your essay: 

• Introduction. Your introduction should restate the author’s opinion, summarize the facts provided to you that led to the author’s opinion or conclusion, and state your thesis in the final sentence on your view of the opinion based on evidence. 
• Body paragraphs (2–4). Your body paragraphs should introduce a flaw in the argument or an example of insufficient evidence, explain why that example is flawed, and offer alternative evidence such as alternate possibilities that the author did not include.
• Conclusion . Briefly summarize your thesis again and possibly provide some suggestions for changes that would strengthen the argument.

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GRE Essay Prompts

The GRE Analytical Writing section requires you to write two essays—one will be an analysis of an issue and the other will be an analysis of an argument. You will have 30 minutes for each essay. Try your hand at these GRE essay prompts, and read our explanations for what makes a great GRE essay. We pulled these sample questions from our book GRE Premium Prep and from our GRE prep course  materials.

The GRE Issue Essay

The Issue Essay of the GRE requires you to present your opinion on the provided topic.

Issue Topic

You will be given a brief quotation that states or implies an issue of general interest and specific instructions on how to respond to that issue. You will have 30 minutes to plan and compose a response in which you develop a position on the issue according the specific instructions. A response to any other issue will receive a score of zero.

A high-scoring Issue essay accomplishes four key tasks: (1) considers the complexities of the issue; (2) supports the position with relevant examples; (3) is clear and well organized; (4) demonstrates superior facility with the conventions of standard written English. Make sure that you respond to the specific instructions and support your position on the issue with reasons and examples drawn from such areas as your reading, experience, observations, and/or academic studies.

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The GRE Argument Essay

The Argument Essay of the GRE asks you to examine and critique the logic of an argument.

Argument Topic

You will be given a short passage that presents an argument, or an argument to be completed, and specific instructions on how to respond to that passage. You will have 30 minutes to plan and compose a response in which you analyze the passage according to specific instructions. A response to any other issue will receive a score of zero.

A high-scoring Argument essay accomplishes these tasks: (1) clearly identifies and insightfully analyzes important features of the argument; (2) develops ideas clearly and logically with smooth transitions; (3) effectively supports the main points of the critique; (4) demonstrates superior facility with the conventions of standard written English. Note that you are NOT being asked to present your own views on the subject. Make sure you that you respond to the specific instructions and support your analysis with relevant reasons and/or examples.

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How Long Should GRE Essays Be?

It’s strange how you can answer the same question in 20 words or 20,000. The GRE essays are proof of this. The writing portions ask you to demonstrate subject knowledge and analytical ability.

For students anxious about test-taking or writing specifically, the essay length can be one of the most frustrating and unclear aspects. How long should GRE essays be? How much material is sufficient to offer a fully developed argument?

Understandably, there’s a degree of ambiguity in terms of the length the exam scorers will expect. Here, we explain tips for writing GRE essays so that you can submit material with sufficient depth and length to achieve a solid score.

Check out our Best GRE Prep Course  here to know which is the best GRE prep course for you.

How to Write a GRE Essay with the Best Length

Data suggests that the highest-scoring GRE essays tend to be around 600 words.

However, when you’re in the middle of taking an exam, you won’t have time to count how many words you’ve written.

Even though the ETS is reticent about how it grades GRE essays, you can still prepare effectively. The GRE essay requires candidates to offer a concise but complete solution to a problem. There is no minimum or maximum word or page count.

So how long should GRE essays be to fulfill the criteria?

The answer is to make a few vital points relevant to the question, backed up with evidence. Below, we’ll cover how long an argument should be, what it should include, and writing tips for creating a well-supported argument.

You can also see our post on GRE vs LSAT for comparison and conversion guide.

1. Practice for Length and Time

The GRE has two essay components , each timed for 30 minutes: an “issue analysis” and an “argument analysis” essay.

The best way to plan for these without knowing the prompts is to practice before test day. Time yourself for 30 minutes writing in response to the various topic pools. The ETS has published sample prompts from previous topic pools that you can use to practice the issue essay and the argument essay .

After you reach the 30-minute mark, re-read your writing. Consider if each point is relevant and how much you were able to write in that time.

2. Choose Your Best Angles

Before test day, you’ll also want to develop solid exam-writing habits. The first is brainstorming.

Note down the points you intend to make. Which arguments best address the question? Prioritize the most important sections.

The 5 minutes you spend planning a good essay are valuable to your score . The 15 minutes you spend grinding out 200 words of filler are not.

That said, you don’t want to prioritize expertise over relevance. Address the question in front of you, not the question that would allow you to show off your knowledge.

Try for three to five supporting ideas to create a fully fleshed-out argument.

3. Structure for Coherent Organization

The point you consider most relevant to the question should be the point you lead with, and each paragraph should build on the previous one. You’ll want to plan for this with a solid organizational structure.

Before you start writing, structure your arguments so that one leads logically to the next.

Your essay should be more than the sum of its parts, and organization is an essential element of a clear and convincing essay. Disjointed arguments make it difficult for the reader to understand what you’re trying to tell them.

4. Write Fully Developed Paragraphs

A supporting body paragraph should contain one, fully developed idea. Before you start writing, try to visualize how much you have to say about each point you’re making. Each paragraph should include:

• Your argument (expressed in the topic sentence)
• Supporting evidence
• Analysis of the evidence
• Explanation tying the argument & evidence back to the essay problem

There’s no hard-and-fast rule for how long an argumentative paragraph should be, and sometimes you need multiple sentences to explain an idea. Still, 3-5 sentences is a good benchmark.

You can also check out our post on How Many Times Can You Take The GRE here.

5. Use Relevant Examples & Evidence

For every point, brainstorm evidence to support your case . The more you have prepared for each argument, the better. The phrasing of the question may make some evidence more relevant than others.

Briefly summarize the evidence and explain how it addresses the question. Data is nothing without context, so only use it if you can explain why it’s relevant!

6. Finish Strong with the Conclusion

Nobody likes a half-baked ending — make sure you write a conclusion ! Your conclusion should summarize and connect the main points of your essay and address the fundamental question of the essay.

It’s also an opportunity to show why your writing is not only relevant to the task at hand but a potential contribution to a larger debate. Don’t introduce new ideas, but do suggest possible directions that your essay could lead.

For you to have more idea, see our post on How Long Is The GRE and also our post on How Hard Is The GRE here.

Conclusion—How Long Should GRE Essays Be?

Hopefully, this has answered your concerns about how long should GRE essays be. There isn’t a definitive answer, but the tips here should allow you to write a thoughtful, well-supported essay, and that is what the ETS scorers want to see.

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Gre prep online guides and tips, how is the gre essay scored.

Your GRE Writing score is a kind of cyborg measurement that averages together both human and machine ratings and melds them into an Analytical Writing score on a scale of 0-6. But how does a human grade the essay? Is the computer grader trustworthy?

In this article, we’ll explain the details of the GRE essay scoring process and the rubrics used by the human graders to derive your two essay scores.

Feature image credit: Seems Legit – panel 3 of 6 /used under CC BY-SA 4.0 /Cropped and resized from original.

GRE Writing Scores: A Roadmap

The GRE essay scoring process is a little complicated because it involves both human and computer graders . Each essay (analyze an issue and analyze an argument) is first graded by a trained human grader on a scale of 1-6. The scale used for essay scoring is holistic, which means you won’t automatically get points off after a certain number of errors. Instead, you’ll be graded on the overall quality of your essays.

Your essay is next sent through the e-rater , which is described on the GRE website as “a computerized program developed by ETS that is capable of identifying essay features related to writing proficiency.” The e-rater program likely grades essays on quantifiable metrics like level of vocabulary difficulty, sentence structure, length of essay (word count and number of paragraphs), and so on. Because it’s pretty difficult to write a program that can judge an essay based on content, it’s possible you could fool the e-rater with a long off-topic essay that uses high-level vocabulary.

But that’s where the human essay graders come in. If the human and computer graders “closely agree,” then the average of their two scores is the score you receive for that essay task. However, if the two scores do not “closely agree, ” then a second human is brought in to grade and the final score is the average of the two human-assigned scores . So if you tried to sneak an off-topic essay by the e-rater, it would be caught by the human grader and a second human grader would be brought in. Even if the human grader scored your essay way higher than the e-rater, you’d still end up with two human graders.

After both of your essays have been scored by e-rater and human grader(s), your overall GRE Writing score is then calculated. To get this number, your scores on the Issue and Argument task are averaged together to give you a final Analytical Writing score on a scale of 0-6 (with 0.5 increments). For instance, if you got a 4/6 on the Issues essay but a 5/6 on the Argument essay, your total GRE Analytical Writing score would be 4.5.

Quick side note: we've created the world's leading online GRE prep program that adapts to you and your strengths and weaknesses. Not sure what to study? Confused by how to improve your score? We give you minute by minute guide.

You don't NEED a prep program to get a great GRE score. But we believe PrepScholar is the best GRE prep program available right now , especially if you find it hard to organize your study schedule and don't know what to study .

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GRE Essay Scoring: Issue Task

The Analyze an Issue task on GRE Writing asks test takers to read a statement about an issue, take a position, and develop and support that position with evidence and reasoning. For your essay to score highly, you’ll need a clear thesis statement presenting your point of view and multiple examples that back up your claims . How well you accomplish this task dictates how well you’ll do on the Issue essay.

Fortunately, ETS is very up front about what specific benchmarks Issue essays need to meet to reach each score level. Below, I’ve listed the descriptions for 6-, 4-, and 2-scoring Issue essays.

As the above table shows, the holistic GRE Writing score is arrived at by assessing an essay’s quality across many different dimensions: analysis, ideas, development, support, organization, vocabulary & sentence structure. The guiding principle that is used to differentiate between different score levels across all areas, however, is precision .

The more precise you are in formulating an opinion on the issue, in developing and supporting your thinking, in organizing your thinking, and in choosing your words to convey your thinking, the better GRE Writing score you’ll get.

GRE Essay Scoring: Argument Task

The GRE argumentative essay task requires test takers to read an argument and analyze it. The specifics of how this analysis should be done varies from task to task (read more about the eight different kinds of argumentative essay prompts in this article ), but basically you’ll have to evaluate the position or recommendation put forward and decide whether or not it’s reasonable .

Below are the different characteristics of essays scoring a 6, 4, or 2 on the Argument task . As you go through, you may notice some similarities between it and the rubric for the Issue task.

Again, as with the Issue task, the main dimension that separates different score points for the GRE Argument task is level of precision . Instead of being judged on precision in formulating an opinion on an issue, your essay will be judged on precision in analyzing and explaining your analysis of the given argument. Similar to the Issues essay, however, high-scoring Argument essays will still need to demonstrate precision in ideas, development, support, organization, and vocabulary.

How Are GRE Writing Scores Evaluated by Grad Schools?

Now that you understand how the GRE essay scoring works, the question becomes how much grad schools care about GRE Writing scores. The near-unanimous answer, based on the number of schools and programs I researched, seems to be a resounding “not much.”

If schools really want applicants to have specific test scores, they’ll list GRE Writing score cutoffs on their websites (more about what a good GRE Writing score is here ). For the most part, though, as long as you get a 4.0 or above, you’ll be fine, even for the most competitive programs. Find out more about how your GRE score plays into graduate school admissions here .

What’s Next?

Want to learn more about how scoring works on the GRE? Try our complete guide to GRE scoring . If you took the old GRE, you can follow our instructions to learn how to convert your old GRE score to its equivalent new GRE score .

Hoping for more essay-specific scoring advice? We tell you how to get a perfect six on the Issue and Argument essays here .

Need some quick tips to boost your GRE Writing score? Then you should be sure to read our collection of the best strategies and tips to improve your score here .

Ready to improve your GRE score by 7 points?

Author: Laura Staffaroni

Laura graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College with a BA in Music and Psychology, and earned a Master's degree in Composition from the Longy School of Music of Bard College. She scored 99 percentile scores on the SAT and GRE and loves advising students on how to excel and fulfill their college and grad school dreams. View all posts by Laura Staffaroni

How Long Should a GRE Essay be?

Usually, if someone is asked what they got on the GRE, it’s normal to address your Verbal and Quantitative score . If written out, some people won’t even take the time to write something along the lines of “156 Verbal, 158 Quantitative.” They will simply use V and Q to denote the sections . Many test-takers tend to overlook and be underprepared for the essay portion of the exam. However, you can bet your bottom dollar that graduate and MBA programs will be looking at your essay score . 

I will admit that it is not uncommon for graduate and MBA programs to primarily focus on the Verbal and Quantitative scores of the GRE. With that said, having a strong essay score can help give your application a competitive edge. In this article we will discuss what the GRE Essay prompts are, how the measure is scored, and tips on writing a solid response, including how long the GRE essay should be. 

The GRE Essay Section

The GRE will kick off with the Analytical Writing section, where you will have one hour to write two essays. You will be given thirty minutes to write each one. Hence, you cannot choose to use forty minutes of your one hour on the first essay and twenty minutes on your second essay. Once the thirty minutes is up, you will be taken to the second essay prompt, even if you are in the middle of typing out a sentence. 

Furthermore, the thirty minutes will not start once you begin typing. You will have to read the prompt, plan out your essay, write your essay, and proofread your essay all in thirty minutes. It is stressful. Test-takers who go in unprepared can find themselves starting off the GRE extremely flustered, which does not set them up for success for the rest of the exam. 

The GRE Essay Scoring 

Some of you might know that if you take the computer-delivered GRE, which almost all of you will, you can choose to “Report Your Scores” after your exam ends. At this time, the computer will display your Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning scores right then and there. However, due to how the Analytical Writing measure is scored, you will not be able to see how you did on your essays until your official score report is released about two weeks later.

Each essay will be scored by a human reader along with a computer system, known as the E-Rater. ETS created the E-Rater in order to scan your essay and look for a variance in sentence structure, vocabulary used, overall length, and format which it can then use to identify your writing proficiency. The E-Rater will give your essay a score ranging from zero to six. The human reader will also provide a score within the same range. 

If the human reader and E-Rater both give your essay a similar score, the average of their two scores becomes that essay’s score. If the scores given were very different, a second human reader will read your essay and grade it from zero to six. In this case, your final score for that essay will be the average of the two human readers scores. 

At this point, your two essays that now have scores ranging from zero to six will be averaged to create your official Analytical Writing section score. This score will also range from zero to six in half-point increments. 

The GRE Essay Prompts

The Analytical Writing measure is composed of two tasks: Analyze an Issue and Analyze an Argument. 

The Issue task will broadly speak to an issue and provide instructions on how to respond to that issue. This essay is probably the most similar to what you have done in school. You will need to consider the issue from multiple points of view and then take a stance on the topic. You will need to demonstrate your critical reasoning skills by using logical examples to support your claim. 

The Argument task will not ask you to build an argument but to evaluate an argument provided to you. You will not be asked to state whether or not you agree or disagree with the argument made. If you do, it is likely you will receive a low score. Instead, you will need to address the logical solidity of the argument. In other words, what parts of the argument need to be evaluated more and why. 

How Long Should a GRE Essay Be?

There is no official length requirement for the GRE essays. For example, if your essay is three paragraphs you will not automatically receive a score of zero or one. Similarly, a six paragraph essay will not automatically receive a score of five. The logical evaluation you provide is more important than length, but it will be hard to write a fully developed analysis of the argument and issue tasks in three paragraphs. 

You should aim to have each essay be five paragraphs and roughly five hundred words (give or take). Your five paragraphs should consist of the following:

• Introduction
• Body Paragraph 1
• Body Paragraph 2
• Body Paragraph 3

For an in-depth explanation of how to structure each paragraph, check out our article “How to Write a GRE Essay.” 

Tips for Writing a Good GRE Essay

Table of Contents

1. Practice 

When it comes to practicing for the GRE, it is not uncommon to practice everything but the timed essays. At the test prep company I work for, we have a saying that “smooth is fast.” If you want your Analytical Writing section to go smoothly, which will lead to you maneuvering through the section quickly, you must be willing to practice. Let me tell you, it is a terrible feeling to have the clock run out as you are in the middle of typing out a sentence on test day. 

Practicing will allow you to build up a great familiarity with the structure of the essay prompts. How ETS asks you to respond to the Issue and Argument will always be the same. Furthermore, you will get very comfortable with the basic outline of your essays (i.e. how you put together your intro, body paragraphs, and conclusions). Metaphorically, it will be like playing “Hide-and-Go-Seek” in your own home versus someone else’s home on test day. 

Hence, when taking the POWERPREP exams on your ETS account, do not skip over the Analytical Writing sections. Also, read through all the example essays provided by ETS in the Official GRE Verbal Reasoning Guide and reflect on how they were put together. For other writing resources, check out this list of the best GRE prep books , including those that provide essay practice.

2. Take the Time to Plan

On test day, take a few minutes to plan out your essay before you start typing away. Often, we feel so pressed for time we immediately dive into our introduction paragraph before using our scratch paper to create a basic outline. Trust me, time spent doing this is well worth the effort.

Students who do not spend time drafting their essays before they start typing tend to end up with jumbled ideas that have no concrete focus. You must think about what you want to say as a whole and ask yourself the most basic question, “Does it make sense?” Starting to write early on may lead to a longer essay, but if it does not logically flow the amount of words will do little to increase your score.

3. Prepare Examples

When seeking out any test prep expert’s advise on the Analytical Writing section, they will emphasize the importance of the examples you use. You want your examples to be very specific. They can come from history, literature, olympic sports, pop culture, politics, personal examples, current events, and so on. Feel free to be creative with your examples as well! 

Personally, I think current events are wonderful to draw from, and by using them you are demonstrating that you care about society and have opinions on how to improve it (something graduate schools are looking for from applicants). I tell my students to watch the news or read The Economis t for two weeks leading up to their test day. Take the time to really reflect on a couple events and develop an opinion about them. 

4. Analyze and Then Analyze Some More

It is not enough to have specific examples written throughout your body paragraphs that demonstrate your expertise if they do not truly support your claim. Many test-takers write the introduction to their body paragraph, follow it up with examples, and then conclude the paragraph. They write zero analysis explaining HOW the examples support their thesis. 

Not only do you need to have sentences dedicated to analyzing your examples, the amount of these sentences should exceed the amount of example sentences. Remember, your number one goal is to show the reader you are an analytical person and can think deeply (hence, “Analytical” Writing measure). 

How Long Should a GRE Essay Be? Summary

The Analytical Writing section will give you one hour to write two essays. One will require you to address the soundness of an argument and the other will ask you to create your own argument based off a given issue. Although there is no official length requirement for the GRE essays, you will still want to make them five paragraphs and aim for five hundred words. For general GRE studying resources, check out our list of the best GRE prep courses .

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May 8, 2024

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

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Using AI to predict grade point average from college application essays

by PNAS Nexus

Jonah Berger and Olivier Toubia used natural language processing to understand what drives academic success. The authors analyzed over 20,000 college application essays from a large public university that attracts students from a range of racial, cultural, and economic backgrounds and found that the semantic volume of the writing, or how much ground an application essay covered predicted college performance, as measured by grade point average.

They published their findings in PNAS Nexus .

Essays that covered more semantic ground predicted higher grades. Similarly, essays with smaller conceptual jumps between successive parts of its discourse predicted higher grades.

These trends held even when researchers controlled for factors including SAT score, parents' education, gender, ethnicity, college major, essay topics, and essay length. Some of these factors, such as parents' education and the student's SAT scores, encode information about family background , suggesting that the linguistic features of semantic volume and speed are not determined solely by socioeconomic status.

According to the authors, the results demonstrate that the topography of thought, or the way people express and organize their ideas, can provide insight into their likely future success.

Journal information: PNAS Nexus

Provided by PNAS Nexus

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