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(Introduction)

All GMAT test takers and, beginning in October 2002, all GRE test takers must compose two essays as part of their testing experience. The two essay tasks, while quite distinct from each other, are essentially the same on the GRE as on the GMAT:

Present Your Perspective on an Issue (GRE) or Analysis of an Issue (GMAT): In this essay you adopt a position on a given issue of broad intellectual interest, and support that position with reasons and/or examples (45-minute time limit on the GRE; 30-minute limit on the GMAT).

Analyze an Argument (GRE) or Analysis of an Argument (GMAT): In this essay you analyze a paragraph-length argument, pointing out and discussing problems with its line of reasoning, adequacy and use of evidence, and internal logic (30-minute time limit on both exams).

During your GRE or GMAT (both of which are now administered only by computer) the computerized testing system will randomly select your essay questions from its large database—or "pool"—of official questions. Educational Testing Service (the test maker) has revealed its complete pool of essay questions for each of the two exams.

Graduate admissions officials are relying increasingly on GRE and GMAT essay scores to predict graduate-level academic performance—and, in turn, to make admissions choices among similarly qualified applicants. The moral is clear: You'd better take the essay portion of your exam seriously! Fortunately, you've come to the right place, so to speak. This book will give you the competitive edge you need to gain admission to your first-choice graduate program or B-school.

Essay-phobic? You're Not Alone!

Okay, you've committed yourself to taking the GRE (or GMAT). Perhaps you've already bought one of those big, thick test-prep books to help you get ready for your exam. But if you're like most test takers, you've put off any earnest attempt to prepare for the two essays, focusing instead on the exam's multiple-choice sections. Why do so many test takers neglect Analytical Writing when it comes to GRE and GMAT prep? Probably for one or more of the following reasons:

• The task is intimidating because there's no room for guesswork. During the exam's multiple-choice sections you can score points by making lucky, random guesses and by making so-called "educated" guesses (by eliminating some answer choices). But it's impossible to fake your way through the essay sections.

• Scoring the essays is so subjective. It's difficult to know what the readers will reward you for and where you stand in relation to other test takers—or so you think.

• Writing essays is such hard work. Organizing and composing an essay inherently requires far more activity, both mentally and physically, than analyzing and answering a multiple-choice question.

• There are so many possible essay questions, but so little time to get ready for them. Since ETS has pre-disclosed all of the questions, you might feel you're at a competitive disadvantage unless you're ready for each and every one of them. And given a pool that contains hundreds of questions, who has the time, let alone the brain power, to get ready for every single one? Not you. "So why bother even trying," you think.

Take heart: Nearly all your peers experience similar insecurities about the GRE (or GMAT) writing tasks. What's more, by picking up this book you've taken an important first step toward overcoming yours!

Some Testing Terminology You Should Know

Throughout this book I refer to various acronyms and other terms that the test makers use and that you should know. This first one is for GRE as well as GMAT test takers:

ETS (Educational Testing Service). This is the non-profit organization that creates the GRE and GMAT, administers the exams, and reports exam scores to the graduate schools. ETS also conducts ongoing research projects aimed at improving its tests.

GRE Terminology

• GRE General Test or GRE (Graduate Record Exam). Sitting for this exam is a prerequisite for admission to many college and university graduate (Masters and Ph.D.) programs. The GRE is designed to measure a broad range of verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing abilities. The exam is offered only by computer now (except in some remote locations outside the U.S.).
  NOTE: Do not confuse the GRE General Test with the GRE subject tests. Each subject test is designed to gauge the test taker's knowledge of one particular academic field. GRE subject tests are administered separately from the GRE General Test.

• Analytical Writing section. This is the section of the GRE that includes the two writing tasks. This test section is new on the GRE as of October 2002.

• GRE Writing Assessment. This is a stand-alone test that is identical to the Analytical Writing section of the new GRE. ETS began administering the GRE Writing Assessment in the fall of 1999, and will continue to do so through December 2002. On January 1, 2003, ETS will discontinue the stand-alone GRE Writing Assessment.

• Present Your Perspective on an Issue. This is the name of one of the two writing tasks on the Analytical Writing section of the GRE. Throughout this book I refer to it by the single word "Issue" (using an uppercase "I").

• Analyze an Argument. This is the name of the other writing task on the Analytical Writing section of the GRE. Throughout this book I refer to it by the single word "Argument" (using an uppercase "A").

GMAT Terminology

• GMAT CAT (Graduate Management Admission Test, Computer-Adaptive Test). Sitting for this exam is a prerequisite for matriculation at most graduate-business schools (MBA programs). The GMAT is designed to measure a broad range of verbal, quantitative and analytical writing abilities. Since the GMAT is offered only by computer now (except in some remote locations outside the U.S.), the acronym "GMAT" is synonymous with "GMAT CAT."

• GMAC (Graduate Management Admission Council). This policy-making organization guides business schools in establishing their admission requirements and guidelines. GMAC also confers with ETS about possible refinements in the GMAT and about possible changes in policies and procedures with respect to GMAT evaluation and score reporting. GMAC is comprised primarily of administrators from various graduate management schools.

• AWA (Analytical Writing Assessment). This is the term that GMAC and ETS use in referring to the two GMAT essay sections as a unit—and to the single score that ETS awards for both essays.

• Analysis of an Issue. This is the name of one of the two GMAT essay sections. Throughout this book I refer to it by the single word "Issue" (using an uppercase "I").

• Analysis of an Argument. This is the name of the other GMAT essay section. Throughout this book I refer to it by the single word "Argument" (using an uppercase "A").

The Official "Pools" of GRE and GMAT Essay Questions

During your GRE (or GMAT) the computerized testing system will randomly select your Issue and Argument questions from a large database, or "pool." (You won't know ahead of time which particular questions the testing system will present to you.) ETS has pre-disclosed its complete pool of essay questions for each of the two exams. To get the greatest possible benefit from this book, especially from the sample essays in Parts 5-8, you should obtain your official list. They're available online, and the GMAT list is also available in print. (For details, see below.)

The Pool of GRE Essay Questions

The official list (pool) of GRE Analytical Writing questions currently consists of nearly 250 Issue topics and nearly 250 Arguments. Here are two different ways to obtain the complete list:

• View the list, free of charge and without registration, at the official GRE website (www.gre.org). Follow the link to the description of the GRE General Test, then locate the description of the Analytical Writing section. There you'll find separate links to the list of Issues and list of Arguments.

• Link directly to the Issue and Argument lists from my GRE Analytical Writing website.

The Pool of GMAT Essay Questions

The official list (pool) of GMAT essay questions (for the admissions year 2001-02) consists of 125 Issues and 125 Arguments. Here are three different ways to obtain the list:

• Download the list, free of charge and without registration, from the GMAC's official GMAT website (www.mba.com). The list is available only as a .PDF (portable document format) file, not as an HTML file (Web page). A single file contains all 125 Arguments and 125 Issues. The file is 38 pages in length; you'll find the Arguments on pages 1-25, and the Issues on pages 26-38.
  NOTE: To view the .PDF file you'll need Adobe's Acrobat Reader software. In all likelihood, Acrobat Reader is already installed on your computer. If it isn't, you'll find instructions for downloading and installing it when you come across the .PDF file at the official GMAT website.

• Download the .PDF file described above via my GMAT Analytical Writing website.

• ETS publishes the GMAT essay questions in a printed publication: The Official Guide for GMAT Review ($19.95). The questions are not published in the official GMAT Information Bulletin (free from ETS).

What You'll Learn from this Book

This book is designed as a stand-alone resource for GRE and GMAT essay preparation. In Parts 1-4 you'll learn how to brainstorm for, organize, and compose your best possible GRE or GMAT essays—all within the constraints of the exam's testing environment. Then, in Parts 5-8, you'll learn how to apply what you read in Parts 1-4, by studying model responses to a variety of Issues and Arguments from the official pools.

About Part 1 of this Book

Part 1 is your primer, where you'll familiarize yourself with both essay sections (Issue and Argument). In Part 1 you'll learn

• about the ground rules for the two essay sections
• what typical Issues and Arguments look like
• about the Writing Assessment computer interface
• what to expect of the exam's special word processor
• how your essays are scored, evaluated and reported

About Parts 2 and 3 of this Book

Parts 2 and 3 provide the basic training you need to score your best on your Issue essay and Argument essay, respectively. These two parts walk you, step-by-step, through the process of

• analyzing the Issue (or Argument), to ensure your ideas are the type that the readers reward with a top score
• outlining and organizing your essay, to achieve a cohesive product in which your ideas flow logically, and coherently, from one to the next
• allocating your time to ensure a good balance between depth and breadth, so that you don't end up with either a truncated, a rough-draft, or an outline-only essay

Part 2 also provides brainstorming suggestions and resources for the Issue essay—to help ensure that you're not caught without anything to say about the issue at hand. Part 3 also goes into great depth about the various logical fallacies and other reasoning problems that the test makers build into GRE and GMAT Arguments—and that you must recognize in order to score high on your Argument essay. You'll learn how to discuss each type of problem in an articulate manner, thereby leaving a distinctly positive impression with the reader.

About Part 4 of this Book

In scoring your essays, GRE and GMAT readers take into account not just your ideas but also how effectively your words, phrases, and sentences communicate those ideas. To ensure yourself a top score, you should strive to demonstrate to the reader

• an appropriately mature writing style
• good control of the elements of Standard Written English (grammar, sentence construction and sentence sense)
• a solid command of the English language—through proper diction (word choice and usage) and idioms

Part 4 contains a style guide, a grammar review, and vocabulary, usage and idiom guidelines to help you accomplish all this.

About Parts 5-8 of this Book

Parts 5-8 contain my responses to some of the Issues and Arguments from the official GRE and GMAT pools. (Parts 5 and 6 are for GRE test takers only; Parts 7 and 8 are for GMAT test takers only.) As you read these essays, keep in mind that I did not compose them under timed conditions. Also, I did quite a bit of fine-tuning to make them better models for you to study. So don't be concerned if your essays aren't as polished as mine. Be realistic about what you can produce under exam conditions.

How to Use the Essays in Parts 5-8

My essays are intended to provide you with substantive, organizational, and style ideas for composing your essays. There's nothing wrong with borrowing ideas, reasons and transitional phrases from my samples, then incorporate them into your own practice essays until they naturally become part of your arsenal. Do try, however, to include your own examples, especially in your Issue essay, and be sure that in both essays you express your ideas in your own words.

How NOT to Use the Essays in Parts 5-8

Whatever you do, do not try to memorize my essays. Why not? The total number of questions in the official pool is many times greater than the number I provide in this book. So even if you memorize all forty of my GRE (or GMAT) essays, odds are that the computerized testing system will deal you an unfamiliar hand. Besides, GRE and GMAT readers will have access to this book, and they'll be on the lookout for plagiarism.

Matching the Essays to the Questions in the Official Pool

You'll notice that the essays in Parts 5-8 are not accompanied by the questions themselves. ETS does not permit me to reprint its official exam questions. So in the first paragraph of each essay I recapitulate the Issue or Argument at hand—for your reference. Nevertheless, if you have access to the official pool you should by all means consult the actual questions to which my essays respond. To match an essay to its question, refer to the essay's number, which corresponds to its position in the official pool (at the time this book goes to print). For example, an essay that is labeled "Issue No. 13" would correspond to the thirteenth Issue in the official list. (The questions in the official lists are not numbered; so you should generate a printout of the lists, then number the questions on your printout.)

NOTE: From time to time the test maker might change the sequence in a pool (or remove or add questions). Be sure to check my update page at this book's website for the latest information.

Additional Resources for GRE and GMAT Analytical Writing

Although this book is your best single resource for GRE and GMAT essay preparation, it should not necessarily be your only resource. If you have more time to get ready for your exam, supplement this book with one of my other two Analytical Writing test-prep books (both published by Peterson's):

GRE—Answers to the Real Essay Questions. This book contains my essays for 250 official GRE questions (125 Issues, 125 Arguments). More information is available at the book's Internet Edition.

GMAT CAT—Answers to the Real Essay Questions. The book's second edition contains model essays for 230 official GMAT questions (115 Issues, 115 Arguments). More information is available at the book's Internet Edition.