Join Vince Kotchian for an in-depth discussion in this video Overview of the GRE essays, part of Test Prep: GRE.
- [Voiceover] So, the first section of the GRE is the analytical writing assessment, which is better known as the essays. In this video, I'll go over the basics of both essays and give you an overview of how to prepare for them. So, there are two separate essay assignments on the GRE. There's an Issue essay, in which you'll provide your point of view on a prompt, and an Argument essay, for which you'll analyze a brief argument. Once you take the real GRE, each of your responses will be scored from 1 to 6, and then those scores will be averaged, rounded to the nearest half-point.
So, the first thing that I recommend you do to prepare for the essays is to read what ETS, the creator of the GRE, has to say about them on its website. So there, you'll find an overview of both types of essays, sample essay responses, with some greater commentary, and a complete listing of all possible prompts for each type of essay. So once you've started to read through this site, start to brainstorm some prompts, too. Just pick a prompt and pretend you're preparing to write an essay about it. Write down whatever ideas you think you can come up with, and just do this for as many prompts as you possibly can, so that you increase the chances that the prompts you see on test day will be familiar to you.
Next, actually begin writing some essays of each type. Don't worry about timing at first, just write them untimed, and then practice more timed essays as you feel more and more confident. Compare your essays to the sample ones on ETS' website and if you can, get someone you know who's a good writer to critique your responses, or work with a tutor who specializes in the GRE. So finally, make sure that you practice the essays. For most people, it's really not fun to sit down and write for 30 minutes. But since ETS publishes all possible essay topics on its site, this is a section of the test that you can really prepare well for.
Author
Released
3/11/2016- Setting your GRE goals
- Preparing a study timeline and choosing materials
- Analyzing sample GRE essay prompts
- Learning easier ways to solve GRE math problems
- Studying arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis
- Improving vocabulary and reading comprehension skills
- Using technique for sentence equivalence and text completion questions
- Reading difficult passages
- Learning methods to solve different kinds of comprehension questions
- Developing effective test-taking strategies
Skill Level Beginner
Duration
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Introduction
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Welcome1m 3s
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What you should know1m 30s
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1. Welcome to the GRE
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Structure of the GRE2m 21s
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GRE scoring1m 35s
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2. Preparation and Test-Taking Strategies
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Prepare a study timeline2m 2s
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Build your study sequence1m 44s
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3. The GRE Analytical Writing Assessment
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Overview of the GRE essays1m 52s
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Issue essay examples1m 57s
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Argument essay flaws2m 44s
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Analyze an issue essay2m 55s
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Analyze an argument essay2m 42s
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4. GRE Quantitative Introduction
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Build math concepts2m 2s
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Test-taking math skills2m 15s
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Build mental math skills3m 30s
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5. GRE Quantitative Techniques
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Using the calculator2m 19s
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Estimation technique3m 8s
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Backsolving technique3m 21s
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Translation technique2m 25s
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Adding numbers technique2m 41s
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Find patterns technique3m 43s
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Trial-and-error technique3m 27s
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6. GRE Arithmetic
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Number properties3m 46s
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Decimals3m 9s
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Mental percents2m 55s
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Percent change3m 36s
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Ratios and proportions4m 20s
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Exponents2m 7s
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More exponents2m 7s
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Fake exponent rules2m 10s
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Scientific notation3m 32s
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Square roots3m 45s
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Cube and fourth roots2m 34s
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7. GRE Algebra
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Operations with expressions3m 46s
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Multiplying expressions1m 42s
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Algebraic identities3m 5s
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Linear equations2m 1s
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Quadratic equations4m 5s
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Linear inequalities1m 37s
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Functions4m 6s
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Symbol functions58s
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Coordinate geometry4m 26s
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Function graphs1m 5s
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Distance between points2m 56s
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Equation of a line3m 16s
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Finding intercepts2m 15s
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Special slopes3m 2s
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Circle equations2m 47s
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8. GRE Word Problems
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Averages3m 29s
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Mixtures2m 24s
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Rate3m 21s
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Work3m 53s
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System of equations2m 53s
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Interest4m 46s
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Number lines1m 39s
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Sequence word problems3m 18s
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9. GRE Geometry
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Angles2m 4s
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Parallel lines2m 19s
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Polygons2m 37s
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Triangles4m 2s
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Pythagorean theorem3m 11s
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Special right triangles3m 51s
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Area of a triangle2m 30s
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Congruent triangles2m 17s
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Similar triangles2m 40s
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Quadrilaterals4m 30s
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Circles3m 6s
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Boxes5m 1s
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Cylinders3m 26s
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10. GRE Data Analysis and Statistics
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Frequency1m 22s
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Standard deviation2m 48s
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Normal distribution2m 21s
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Venn diagram problems2m 15s
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Permutations3m 23s
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Combinations3m 35s
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Basic probability3m 21s
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Either/or probability3m 42s
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Graph and chart questions2m 33s
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11. GRE Verbal Reasoning
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Overview of verbal reasoning2m 10s
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How to build vocabulary3m 7s
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Reading efficiently2m 35s
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12. Question Type: Text Completion
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Overview of text completions2m 30s
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Use signposts2m 23s
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Triple-blank text completion4m 22s
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Analyze complex sentences2m 23s
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Review text completions1m 23s
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13. Question Type: Sentence Equivalence
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14. Question Type: Reading Comprehension
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Read for the big picture5m 49s
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Read critically3m 48s
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Basic question technique3m 27s
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Detail questions2m 33s
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Whole passage questions3m 26s
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Word-in-context questions2m 29s
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Inference questions3m 41s
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Wrong answer types1m 55s
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15. Question Type: Function
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Review function questions1m 15s
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16. Question Type: Logic
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Overview of logic questions1m 42s
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Logic question technique1m 26s
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Weaken an argument technique3m 39s
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Explain a paradox3m 36s
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Wrong answer types1m 30s
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Review logic questions1m 6s
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Conclusion
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GRE test-taking strategies2m 34s
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Conclusion and next steps1m 25s
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Video: Overview of the GRE essays