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The Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) consists of two 30-minute sections, the Analysis of Issue essay and the Analysis of Argument essay. You will receive a grade from 1 to 6 on each and these will be sent with your GMAT scores.
Both a human grader and an "E-rater," a computerized grading
program, will grade your essays. If the graders disagree, your essays
will be sent to a third human grader. Not writing your essay in the proper
format for the E-rater could lead to a lower score. Throughout the guidebook
we provide tips on the E-rater and a section
exclusively about the E-rater.
The good news is that the AWA can be beaten.The essay topics are available for you to review beforehand. The structures for the AWA answers are simple and may be learned. In addition, while much GMAT preparation may appear "useless" and without any merit beyond test day, the skills, reasoning tools, and techniques you learn for the AWA may be applied to any essay or persuasive writing. These skills will help you throughout business school and beyond.
800score has graded thousands of essays from GMAT candidates and we have an unparalleled knowledge of where students go wrong.
Here are some tips before we get started:
- Grammar and spelling is, by and large, less important than structure
and content. Focus on structure and the formation of your argument.
- The E-rater's main impact is to put more value on highly structured writing and the use of "key" words and phrases that the it recognizes.
- Take many timed practice tests on a computer. Our sample essays on the site are designed for you to take timed practice essays and be evaluated.
- Do not procrastinate preparing for the AWA. Students tend to put off the AWA until it is too late and then they cannot adequately prepare.
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Chapter 1: AWA Introduction 
