GRE Argument Essay Samples: Analytical Writing
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The GRE test is among the most common admission requirements for graduate school. Similar to the SAT, this exam looks to mainly evaluate various aptitude skills such as critical thinking, quantitative, and verbal reasoning skills. The objective is to assist graduate schools to choose students who rightly fit their programs. Therefore, how you handle these tests is usually the distinction between getting admission or, unfortunately, being rejected to the graduate school of your choice. As a prospective student, it would be well-judged to dedicate yourself fully to understanding the nature and requirements of these tests.
The argument essay for your GRE test is typically in the analytical writing section, which usually comes first. This certainly implies that there is a tad bit more pressure on handling this part. It may, after all, set the precedence on how you handle the subsequent sections. That may not always be the case. However, it is essential to nail down the critical elements of each section, independent of the others. This article seeks explicitly to give you a comprehensive GRE insight into the argument essay, ensuring you have a firm understanding of what it entails in its entirety. Thus, what would also be expected of you.
As you will find out from GRE argument essay samples, these essays are quite different from the conventional essays that you have been writing. Hence, it is essential to first understand the argument essay, in and of itself, before you go ahead and sit for it. Typically, an argument essay in GRE will provide an author’s view about a specific matter. Your task, in this case, is to discuss the logic and credibility behind the author’s argument. This includes identifying and stipulating the line of the thought through which the author arrived at his argument. In this case, you are allowed to demonstrate sections where the author’s argument does not hold up credibly. Whereby you can also include more information to the argument to give it the necessary credibility.
It is prudent always to remember that your point of view is not necessary when it comes to the GRE argument essay. Your aim is simply critiquing what is already providing while evaluating its credibility. This is among the reasons why most students consider the argument essay quite complicated. Granted, having 30 minutes to go through an essay and substantiate whether the argument holds up or does not can be difficult. However, it is not always bleak. There are steps that you can take in the right direction that will guide you through the essay.
GRE Argument Essay Topics: How to Prepare for the Argument Essay
Suffice it to say, you need ample preparation for this essay, and there is no easy way to go about it. It is all about practice. You need to start by taking notes on various topics officially recognized by GRE for the argument essay. Since this is not an exam scenario, you should go ahead and utilize other resources at your disposal.
The practice is what will ultimately set you apart. Therefore, if you are really keen on passing your argument essay, you ought to dedicate your time and effort appropriately. The following guidelines should take you through the preparation process adequately.
- Time yourself when taking the argument essay for the GRE. The only way you can be aptly prepared for the real deal is through practicing under the exam conditions. Ensure that you do not take any longer than the required 30 minutes.
- You should vary the GRE argument essay prompts that you attempt. Pick prompts from different directives to get the scope of each. This way, you will be fully armored for whatever will be coming your way.
- You ought to also exclusively use editing functions that are available on GRE tests. Therefore, make an effort to find an appropriate Word Processor that covers all the necessary elements. Familiarity is essentially what we are trying to build, and this should go a long way in achieving just that.
- Once you are done with the essay, evaluate it through the official GRE criterion. This allows you to assess your strengths and weaknesses in the argument essay promptly. It is all about improvement at this point. Hence, the scores should not particularly matter as long as you see a gradual improvement in relevant areas. Besides, with enough practice, you will witness the improvement yourself.
From the GRE website, you will have access to the updated list of GRE argument essay topics and prompts. On each preparation session, pick at least a prompt from each of the available directives. The first couple of minutes should be spent on intensive brainstorming while taking essential notes at the same time. With each subsequent session you take, you edge farther from getting stuck on the actual test and closer to excelling.
If you find your writing skills inadequate for the GRE essay, you still have the chance to improve. It would be shrewd at this point to look out for a writing-skills book specific for the GRE essays. The book should focus on developing your rhetorical writing skills, proper language use while highlighting related problems to a GRE essay. These basic skills will significantly improve your output.
GRE Argument Essay Template: Argumentative Essay Structure
It is worth having in mind that the argument essay requires quite contrary to the issue essay. With enough practice before sitting for the test, you do not need this reminder. The assumption, at this point, is that you are considerably versed in the argumentative essay. Where you are fully aware of what it entails and, subsequently, what is expected of you.
Looking through our GRE argument essay samples pdf, you will find that your argument essay should ideally consist of 5 paragraphs. We consider this adequate room for you to criticize, improve, and reiterate your analysis of the argument provided. It is utterly critical that your GRE essay always refers back to the direction of the shortcomings of the argument. These references should be specific and direct, with no room for ambiguity. It follows then that all your points should be explicit and clear.
In our GRE argument essay template, this is how we suggest that you develop your argument essay.
- Introduction – This should take up a maximum of 4 sentences. It should clearly demonstrate that you have a decent understanding of the argument. This implies that you should have a clear understanding of the assumptions, supporting evidence, and conclusion of the argument before you start writing. To hit the jackpot, simply reiterate the author’s opinion. In the next sentence, sum up the facts for the author’s conclusion. Lastly, provide your thesis as to why the argument in question is flawed.
- Unsupported assumptions – In the second paragraph, identify the main assumptions that are likely to be false, hence weakening the author’s conclusion. The objective is not to nullify the conclusion but to demonstrate that more in-depth research would have shown the author his argument’s flaws. This can be achieved in 6 sentences.
- Weak evidence – This is the paragraph where you pick out another assumption from the argument and illustrate how a better approach, in terms of reasoning or evidence, weakens the argument. 5 sentences suffice for this paragraph.
- Vague language – This is an optional paragraph where you target the author’s terminology and vagueness at that. Unless you have enough time on your hands, you should not necessarily consider this part.
- Strengthening the argument – This is where you extend an olive branch to the author. Therefore, you should include ideas that you think would enhance the author’s central ideas. Here, you are demonstrating how more evidence could support and defend the author’s argument. Similarly, this should take up about 5 sentences.
- Conclusion – This is where you reiterate the initial thesis and where the author needs to put in more work. The reader should easily identify why and how you found the argument inconclusive. The conclusion is typically short and will only take about 2 sentences.
There are some elements you can look out for to put forward an argument essay that is substantially strong for your GRE test. The first one is spotting the inadequacy in the argument provided. Here, you filter out generalizations that may be false, evidence that is not adequately supported, and statistics that may have been misleading. Secondly, remember that you do not need to address all the assumptions. Pick out about three against which you have enough conviction to mount a solid argument.
Additionally, you should remember to stay away from the first-person narrative. The trick here lies in using the third person and referring to the author openly. Lastly, ensure that your statements are declarative. You want to show the reader that you are confident of the assumptions you have found while making a strong case as to why.
GRE Argument Essay Tips: During the Test
Well, this is what you have been preparing for immensely. As such, you are looking for a sterling grade in the argument essay and subsequently enrolling in your desired graduate school. Hence, it is advisable to ensure that you do not get it remotely wrong in the 30 minutes that make the actual difference. Here are a few GRE argument essay tips that you should have and keep in mind.
- Take your time before you start writing or typing the argument essay. An average of 3 minutes is adequate to run through the ideas, taking notes as they come. Evaluate the ideas and establish the most practical order in which you want to present them.
- Ensure that you consistently support every point that you make. This should either be an astute example or a compelling reason in defense of the point you have stated. This is a cardinal rule for GRE essays.
- You should organize and present your points in such a way that the reader can easily follow your thought process. This is more vital than the ideas you formulate themselves. Here, ensure that you express yourself as clearly and effectively as you possibly can. The paragraphs should have a logical flow and breaks. To achieve a consistent flow, make use of transition words and phrases.
- Despite the introduction and conclusion are optional, you can consider including them if you think that time is on your side. These bookends build on the cohesiveness of the argument essay, just as they show proper organization to the reader.
- For practical reasons, do not dwell on the technicalities of the writing itself; grammatical, syntactical, and typographical errors are not particularly appealing. However, getting hung up on eliminating these might take up a lot of your limited time. Your content is what is paramount to the reader. As long as you have expressed your ideas clearly, they may choose to overlook some of the errors for apparent reasons.
- Go straight to the point. Do not use unnecessary terminologies and vocabulary in an attempt to impress your reader. Well, if you can use it soundly, by all means, go forth. Simply put, elaborate on your own points in your own words.
- Lastly, but certainly not the least, reserve about two minutes to proofread and edit your work accordingly. At this point, you should only be contending with minor corrections and polishing on your argument essay. To be on the safe side, stick to minor revisions as time will probably be running out.
We believe that from this guideline, you have learned more than just how to write GRE argument essay. This guideline has equipped you to handle the imminent argument essay for your GRE tests remarkably. Remember that it is all about repetition. Ergo, practice, practice, practice. At the end of the day, you will savor that excellent score as you finally get to the graduate school that you have always desired. If you have any queries that you would like to be specifically addressed, you can have a look at our argument essay GRE example. Alternatively, and far much better, you can reach out to us. We are committed to helping you all the way. Whether you are looking for GRE argument essay pool answers or GRE sample argument essay responses, we have you well-covered.
