4a. Strategy
Changes
Does the E-rater impact human graders?
The
E-rater potentially puts pressure on human graders. Human graders
will create problems if they constantly disagree with the E-rater
and force third graders to look over the essay (this raises cost).
Although this is speculative and ETS employees refuse to confirm
it, the only logical conclusion is that human graders must try
to conform to E-rater standards. In this way, the E-rater
acts as a managerial tool to double-check graders and keep them
in line. Subjectivity and bias are an anathema to standardized
tests such as the GMAT. The bottom line: don't rely on your essay
being appealing to the human grader and hope he will give you
a high grade to counter a low E-rater grade. Try to follow the
E-rater rules.
What are the implications
for the GMAT student?
On the Issue Essay:
You
should not try any bold or original approaches in your essay.
The essay should be written in a simple and organized fashion.
If you write a boldly original piece, do not expect the human
grader to acknowledge the quality of your writing.
On the Argument Essay:
The
E-rater makes more sense on the Argument Essay because it is
able to tell if you have identified the argument's logical flaw.
The E-rater stores hundreds of essays for each essay question
and you should use keywords that correspond the stored "6"
essays. When you have identified the logical flaws the essay
questions, (use our "usual suspects"
section to identify logical flaws), make sure to state the precise
logical flaws. This way the E-rater is able to detect that you
have identified the correct logical flaws.
Fooling the E-rater:
- Make your essay highly rigid
in structure. Make it look, in its organization, like other 5
and 6 essays.
- Clearly demarcate sections using
phrases such as "for example", "therefore",
etc..
- Use qualifiers judiciously.
The E-rater will associate careful use of qualifiers with high
scorers.
- Read our 20
Real Essays essays to get a flavor for how "6"
score writing is done.
- Use the exact terminology we
do in the Usual Suspects section to
identify logical reasoning flaws in the Argument Section.
Errors that will ruin your
score with the E-rater (DO NOT):
1. Write an essay in a unique
and creative fashion.
The E-rater will be evaluating you relative to other writers,
so a unique argument structure will always backfire.
2. Misspell key phrases, such
as "for example" and "therefore". The E-rater will not pick this up and
assume that you did not use transition phrases.
3. Throw in jokes and other
unneeded commentary.
The E-rater will not detect the meaning under your writing, only
its structure, so making clever comments will not raise your
score.
4. Use unusual references
that no other business school student would use. The E-rater uses other scorers as a
template based on how well you resemble other scorers. On the
Analysis of Issue question, if you do use unusual examples, try
to use concept keywords and a tight structure.
5. Avoid or overuse qualifiers such as "likely",
"should", etc.. (link to qualifiers). Smart people
use qualifiers, which means the high scorers in the E-rater's
database will be filled with essays saturated with qualifiers.
However, do not overuse qualifiers or it will dilute your essay.
6. Use a unique and clever
rhetorical device that spices up your essay.
7. Follow Steve Jobs' clever
advertising campaign for Apple "Think Different". For the AWA it is "Think the Same".
You want to write as "6" scorers write. The Analysis
of Issue section, in particular, is an exercise in conformity.
Write opinions in the mainstream of intellectual thought.
>>continue to About
the E-rater: International Students (page 3 of 3 Chapter 4)