sample gmat essay

GMAT Sample Essays

All GMAT students know the Argument essay comes first in the test, before we get to the more important Quantitative and Verbal sections, so it’s important not to exhaust ourselves in this first part of the exam. One way to stay fresh for the rest of the exam is to have a good idea of what a high-scoring essay looks like, so we have provided some GMAT sample essays to review. Below we look at a “6” and discuss why it would have likely received a perfect score, then we examine a “4” and discuss how it could have been strengthened. You can find more example essays in the GMAT Official Guide. Happy writing!

ESSAY QUESTION #1:

The following appeared in the editorial section of a national news magazine:

“The rating system for electronic games is similar to the movie rating system in that it provides consumers with a quick reference so that they can determine if the subject matter and contents are appropriate. This electronic game rating system is not working because it is self-regulated and the fines for violating the rating system are nominal. As a result an independent body should oversee the game industry and companies that knowingly violate the rating system should be prohibited from releasing a game for two years.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. Point out flaws in the argument’s logic and analyze the argument’s underlying assumptions. In addition, evaluate how supporting evidence is used and what evidence might counter the argument’s conclusion. You may also discuss what additional evidence could be used to strengthen the argument or what changes would make the argument more logically sound.

The author concludes that electronic game rating system is not working compared to the movie rating system. He gives reasoning for the argument by stating that electronic companies ability to self manage and regulate the rating system is part of the problem. Author also gives reason for what needs to be done in order for electronic rating system to work, but his reasons are weak. In the next few paragraphs, I will explain why the author’s reasons are weak and what could strengthen the argument.

First, the author mentions that by hiring an independent company to oversee the operation of the electronic rating system would solve the issue. This big assumption that author makes here is that he assumes independent company would do a better job in rating games than electronic game companies themselves. If the electronic gaming companies had a better understanding on how to improve, they might themselves do a better job than independent company to oversee the ratings.

Second, the author mentions that if an electronic company violates the rating system rule, then the penalty would be to prohibit that company from releasing any games for two years. This is another weak point the makes to support his argument because if the electronic company regular product-life cycle is to release each gave every two years, this penalty wouldn’t hurt the company at all. Also, there is not way of assessing how many year of prohibition would be adequate.

Author could have strengthen his argument, if he provided some data point such as from the movie industry to defend this stance that making independent company oversee and prohibition of movie release actually worked in the long-run. Perhaps, some research data that showed making these changes would actually work, would benefit the author’s overall argument stance.

Therefore, the author’s argument that electronic game rating system is not working is weak. Both of the points he made regarding independent company oversee and violation penalty are weak without data showing that it might work.

RECAP: The first thing that stands out in this essay is the organization. The paragraphs as clearly laid out and succinct, and each begin with a great transition word or phrase. The introductory paragraph, while unfortunately uses some unneeded self-reference, clearly demonstrates an understanding of the presented argument, which is mandatory of all “6” essays. Each flaw is then pointed out in a body paragraph, and the author then chooses to include a nice “how to strengthen” paragraph to demonstrate that he/she knows the argument at a more advanced level! The conclusion is clear, and reinforces the claims previously made. While no means perfect, the strong reasoning and clarity of organization definitely give this author a “6”!

ESSAY QUESTION #2:

Political organizations that advocate the use of violence to achieve their goals should be prohibited from operating within our country. Such groups are only interested in achieving short term goals which lead to more serious long term problems.

Political organizations that advocate the use of violence to achieve its goals can sometimes lead to destruction and devastation. However, that claim that such groups are detrimental to society does not follow the same line of reasoning. These groups might be of great help to certain sections of society. Also the claim that short term solutions can only lead to more serious long term problems is stated without any evidence. Hence the above argument is flawed.

Firstly, political organizations might be of great help to certain sections of society. Take for example the Indian National Congress party that helped tons of Indian’s voice their views to the British government during the British rule in india. Although this political organization advocated the use of violence, the organization was critical to India becoming a free of British rule in 1947.

Secondly, the argument assumes that short term solutions lead to more serious long term problems. Short term solutions are often very important in achieving long term goals, irrespective of whether the organizations advocate violence or not. The argument must also state clearly what constitutes violence. In a free country, such as the United States, to prohibit any political organization is to put a hold on their freedom. As long as the violence or aggressive behavior is not illegal, one can not prohibit a political organization from operating.

Thus although the argument seems to convey a valid point, that political organizations that advocate the use of violence should be prohibited from operating, it is worded to strongly and lacks evidence to support its claims that these groups are detrimental to society.

RECAP: The major difference between these two essays is length. More is not always better, but a student who can write 5-6 paragraphs within the given time frame definitely will stand out as a better planner, and as someone who already had a workable template. Furthermore, some minor grammar and spelling mistakes interfere with the essay’s clarity. The thesis, “Hence the above argument is flawed, “ is not as strongly worded as it could be, and doesn’t stand on its own as a powerful statement. The conclusion also seems to weaken the essay by admitting the argument conveys “a valid point.” This concession, without being more specific, weakens the overall thesis. The takeaway: length, specificity, and strength of argument will take this “4” to a “6.”

More AWA Resources: GMAT Essay Writing Guide

Analytical Writing Assessment

You can download for free the list of current Argument essay prompts used on the GMAT. This PDF file is provided by the GMAC. Although it is lengthy, we recommend that you read through the entire list of essay topics in advanced of taking the GMAT. You should also pick at random at least 20 topics and spend five minutes brainstorming and outlining an essay. Furthermore, we suggest that you pick at random at least five more topics and spend 30 minutes writing out a full essay.

GMAT Analytical Writing Approach and Scoring

Your essay is judged on how well-structured and well-supported it is, and to a lesser extent on your usage of standard written English. The essay should be written in a straightforward, somewhat formulaic manner. A creative, nuanced writing style will not be rewarded. You must type your essay into the bare-bones word processor provided. Copy, cut, paste, redo, and undo are the only functions available. We suggest that you spend a few minutes brainstorming and outlining your essay before you begin writing. Also be sure to leave a few minutes at the end to proof-read your essay.

The AWA section does not factor whatsoever into your main 200-800 GMAT score. You get a separate AWA score on a scale from 0 to 6 , in half-point increments. Your essay is graded separately by two readers: a college faculty member and a computer scoring program. If the two scores are within one point of each other, as is typically the case, the two scores are averaged to derive your AWA score. If the two scores are more than one point apart, however, another human reader will evaluate your essay. The AWA section is not particularly difficult . In fact, 13% of test takers score a perfect 6.0 and 82% score 4.0 or above. Because of this, most business schools primarily use the AWA score to ensure that foreign students can write well and to verify that the essays included on your business school applications are consistent with your AWA writing abilities.

Sample GMAT Analytical Writing Essay Topic

Let’s try a sample Argument essay topic. Brainstorm flaws on your own and perhaps even write out a full essay before viewing the explanation and sample essay.

The following appeared as part of an article in the business section of a local newspaper:

“Ronnie’s Auto Body Shop commenced business four months ago at the location formerly occupied by the Mystique Beauty Parlor. Ronnie’s Auto must be doing well at this location, because it intends to open a big body shop in an adjacent town. Mystique, on the other hand, has seen a lower volume of business in its first year at its new location compared to the prior year at its former location. Mystique definitely erred in shifting to its new location; its former location is a better site.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.

Explanation to Problem

As with all Argument essay prompts, this prompt contains several flaws. Let’s briefly outline the problems with this argument before presenting a full essay that encompasses these points. The sample essay that follows would receive a top score of 6.

Illogical comparison between Ronnie’s Auto Body Shop and Mystique Beauty Parlor. These are very different types of businesses, and a good location for one may be a poor location for the other.
Assumes that Ronnie’s Auto Body Shop has been successful, but offers insufficient evidence for this. Ronnie’s Auto may be opening a big body shop in an adjacent town because the current location is poor.
Inappropriately concludes that Mystique erred in shifting locations. Once again, offers insufficient evidence for this. Lower volume of business is vaguely defined, may not be a long-term concern, and perhaps is not even relevant.

Sample Essay

The author offers a flawed argument in claiming that Mystique erred in shifting locations and that its former location is a better site. The author offers insufficient evidence for these claims while providing an illogical comparison. In particular, the author assumes that Ronnie’s Auto Body Shop has been successful in Mystique’s former location. Second, the author overlooks the differences in the two business types. Third, the author inappropriately equates a lower volume of business to a poor decision by Mystique regarding location. Let’s elaborate on each of these issues in turn.

One problem in the argument is that the author assumes that Ronnie’s Auto is doing well at its current location. The only evidence that the author offers in support of this claim is that Ronnie’s Auto intends to open a big body shop in an adjacent town. But there are many possible reasons as to why Ronnie’s Auto plans to open a large shop in another town. Most notably, perhaps the existing location is performing poorly and Ronnie’s Auto plans to close this location after opening up elsewhere.

A second problem in the argument is the apples-to-oranges comparison between an auto body shop and a beauty parlor. The customer base for the two businesses is probably very different. Even if Ronnie’s Auto is doing well at its current location, a totally different type of business with a totally different customer base would not necessarily do well at the same location. Perhaps Ronnie’s Auto is located in a commercial area with similar types of businesses (e.g. other auto repair and parts businesses). Mystique Beauty Parlor is unlikely to thrive in such a location, since its customers would probably not want to receive beauty treatments in such an area.

Finally, a third problem is that the author concludes based solely on “lower volume of business” that Mystique erred in shifting locations. But how much lower is Mystique’s volume of business in the new location? Perhaps the drop in business volume is very small. In fact, we would expect some drop when moving to a new location, as it takes time to reestablish a customer base. The new location may hold much greater long-term promise, and future business volume may be much higher. We also do not know what volume of business really means. By volume, does the author mean customers or revenue? Either way, a lower volume of business does not necessarily mean lower profits. Perhaps Mystique’s lease and other costs are lower at the new location, resulting in higher profits. If so, we cannot claim that Mystique make a mistake in moving. But even if the move did result in lower profits, the move was not a mistake unless Mystique’s owners have this as a primary concern. Perhaps profit is secondary to Mystique’s owners, and they moved the beauty parlor to a location that affords them other benefits such as a better quality of life.

In conclusion, the author’s claims that Mystique erred in shifting locations and that its former location is better are unsupported. As discussed above, there are far too many unknown variables for the author to make such a definite conclusion. Had the author considered the points discussed above, the argument could have been presented more thoughtfully.

GMAT essay topics: Expert tips for a high-scoring performance

The GMAT essay, also known as the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA), is a section of the GMAT exam that can often be intimidating for test-takers. However, with the right preparation and understanding of the essay topics, test-takers can excel and achieve a high score.

The AWA section is designed to evaluate the test-taker's ability to analyse arguments, express ideas clearly and concisely, and support their viewpoints with evidence. This section consists of two types of essay prompts, an Analysis of an Issue and an Analysis of an Argument, each of which requires specific skills and strategies.

In this article, we will provide expert examples of both types of GMAT essay topics and tips on how to approach them to help you achieve a high-scoring performance in the AWA section.

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The GMAT essay, also known as the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA), is a section of the GMAT exam that requires you to write two essays within a total of 60 minutes.

There are two types of essay prompts in the GMAT AWA section:

Analysis of an Argument
Analysis of an Issue

In this type of essay prompt, you will be given an argument that you need to analyse and critique. You will be required to identify the assumptions that the argument makes and evaluate the evidence that it provides. You will need to explain why the argument is flawed or weak and suggest ways to improve it.

In this type of essay prompt, you will be given a statement or question related to a social or political issue, and you will be asked to take a stance on the issue and support your position with evidence and examples. You will need to provide a clear argument and present evidence that supports your viewpoint.

GMAT Analytical Writing Section

The GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment section assesses your ability to analyse arguments and communicate your thoughts effectively in written form. In this section, you are presented with an argument or an issue prompt and are required to critically evaluate and provide a well-structured response within a given time frame.

Although the AWA section is not as heavily weighted as the Quantitative and Verbal sections, it still plays a role in showcasing your analytical abilities and written communication skills to business schools. A well-written essay in the AWA section can leave a positive impression on the admissions committee and contribute to your overall application.

The construction of a new highway through the rural town of Pineville is essential to improve connectivity and drive economic growth. Discuss the validity of this argument and evaluate its potential impact on the community.
The introduction of a mandatory recycling program in our city is necessary to combat the growing environmental concerns and promote sustainable practices. Analyse the reasoning behind this argument and assess its potential effectiveness.
Expanding the public library's operating hours in the urban neighbourhood of Riverton will provide greater access to educational resources and foster a culture of lifelong learning. Evaluate the logic behind this proposal and its potential benefits for the community.
Establishing stricter regulations on the use of single-use plastics is crucial to mitigate the environmental damage caused by plastic pollution. Assess the reasoning behind this argument and discuss its potential impact on businesses and consumers.
The implementation of a tax incentive program to encourage the adoption of solar energy systems in residential areas will promote renewable energy usage and reduce carbon emissions. Evaluate the logic behind this proposal and its potential long-term effects.
Constructing a new sports stadium in the city centre will not only revitalise the local economy but also enhance the city's reputation as a sports destination. Analyse the soundness of this argument and its potential implications for the community.
Implementing stricter gun control measures is necessary to address the rising concerns of public safety and reduce gun-related violence. Evaluate the reasoning behind this argument and discuss the potential challenges associated with its implementation.
The introduction of a comprehensive sex education curriculum in schools is vital to promote safe and responsible behaviour among adolescents. Assess the validity of this argument and discuss the potential benefits and drawbacks of such an initiative.
Investing in the development of affordable housing units in urban areas is essential to address the housing crisis and ensure social equity. Analyse the rationale behind this proposal and evaluate its potential impact on both residents and the local economy.
The implementation of stricter regulations on the advertising and sale of unhealthy food products will contribute to improving public health and combating the obesity epidemic. Discuss the validity of this argument and its potential implications for businesses and consumers.
Increasing funding for arts and culture programs in schools can have a positive impact on students' creativity, critical thinking skills, and overall academic performance. Evaluate the logic behind this proposal and discuss its potential benefits for the education system.
Enforcing mandatory financial literacy courses in high schools will equip students with essential skills to make informed decisions and achieve long-term financial stability. Assess the reasoning behind this argument and discuss the potential outcomes of such an educational initiative.
The adoption of telecommuting policies in organisations can lead to improved work-life balance, increased employee satisfaction, and enhanced productivity. Analyse the reasoning behind this proposal and discuss its potential advantages and challenges for both employers and employees.
Investing in the development of public parks and green spaces in urban areas can have numerous benefits, including improved mental and physical well-being, enhanced community cohesion, and increased property values. Evaluate the soundness of this argument and its potential impact on urban environments.
Introducing a universal basic income program can help alleviate poverty, reduce income inequality, and provide individuals with a safety net in an increasingly automated world. Analyse the reasoning behind this proposal and discuss its potential implications for society and the economy.
Discuss the impact of social media on interpersonal communication and relationships.
To what extent should governments prioritise funding for space exploration?
Explain your views on the role of artificial intelligence in shaping the future of work.
Discuss the ethical considerations of genetic engineering and its potential impact on society.
Explain your perspective on the effectiveness of affirmative action policies in promoting equality.
To what extent should the government regulate the sharing economy platforms such as Uber and Airbnb?
Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of the globalisation of markets and its impact on local economies.
Explain your views on the role of government in promoting sustainable development.
Discuss the ethical implications of data privacy and the use of personal information by technology companies.
Explain your perspective on the importance of arts and humanities education in today's society.
Discuss the impact of climate change on global food security and the role of international cooperation.
Explain your views on the ethical considerations surrounding animal testing in scientific research.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of remote work for employees and organisations.
Explain your perspective on the role of the government in regulating the use of social media platforms.
Discuss the implications of income inequality and the role of government in addressing this issue.

GMAT practice questions provide an opportunity to develop and refine your critical thinking, analytical, and writing skills. By engaging with a variety of prompts, you can familiarise yourself with different argument structures, evaluate evidence, and effectively express your ideas within the given time constraint.

We have listed ten GMAT sample questions that cover a range of topics and argument types to challenge you to analyse arguments, identify flaws, consider counterarguments, and develop well-structured responses.

GMAT sample question #1

The following appeared in a company memo:

Our new advertising campaign was a great success. The number of customers visiting our website increased by 50% in the first month after the campaign's launch. Therefore, the campaign should be credited with attracting new customers and boosting sales.' Discuss how well-reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion, analyse the argument's assumptions and evidence.

GMAT sample question #2

The following appeared in a research paper:

Implementing a four-day workweek will significantly enhance employee productivity. A survey conducted among companies that adopted a shorter workweek showed a 20% increase in employee output and a 15% decrease in absenteeism rates. Therefore, all organisations should consider adopting a four-day workweek to boost efficiency.' Discuss how well-reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion, analyse the argument's assumptions and evidence.

GMAT sample question #3

The following appeared in a political campaign speech:

Increasing the minimum wage will improve the economy and reduce income inequality. Studies have shown that when the minimum wage is raised, low-income workers experience a rise in their earnings, leading to increased consumer spending. As a result, businesses thrive, unemployment rates decrease, and the wealth gap narrows. Therefore, it is imperative to raise the minimum wage to stimulate economic growth.' Discuss how well-reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion, analyse the argument's assumptions and evidence.

GMAT sample question #4

The following appeared in a blog post:

Investing in early childhood education is crucial for fostering future academic success. Research has consistently shown that children who receive quality early education perform better academically and are more likely to graduate from high school and pursue higher education. Therefore, policymakers should prioritise funding and expanding early childhood education programs.' Discuss how well-reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion, analyse the argument's assumptions and evidence.

GMAT sample question #5

The following appeared in a marketing presentation:

Social media marketing is the most effective strategy for reaching and engaging with the target audience. A survey conducted among consumers revealed that 75% of respondents made a purchase based on social media ads or recommendations from influencers. Therefore, companies should allocate a significant portion of their marketing budget to social media campaigns to maximise their reach and sales.' Discuss how well-reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion, analyse the argument's assumptions and evidence.

GMAT sample question #6

Prompt: Evaluate the argument that increasing taxes on sugary beverages will effectively reduce the prevalence of obesity and improve public health. Discuss the key assumptions and evidence used to support this claim, and identify any potential counterarguments or limitations that may challenge the effectiveness of this approach.

In your analysis, you should consider the relationship between sugary beverage consumption and obesity rates, as well as the potential impact of higher taxes on consumer behaviour. Additionally, assess the strength of the evidence presented to support the argument and examine any potential flaws or biases in the data. Consider alternative approaches to tackling obesity, such as education campaigns or regulations on advertising, and discuss their potential advantages or disadvantages. Ultimately, evaluate the argument's overall persuasiveness and suggest any additional evidence or considerations that could strengthen or weaken the case for increased taxes on sugary beverages.

GMAT sample question #7

Prompt: Analyse the argument that social media platforms should be held legally responsible for moderating user-generated content. Evaluate the reasons and evidence presented to support this viewpoint, and discuss the potential consequences of imposing legal obligations on these platforms. Consider issues such as freedom of speech, platform liability, and the challenges of content moderation at scale. Additionally, explore alternative approaches to addressing harmful or illegal content online and discuss their potential advantages or drawbacks. Finally, assess the feasibility and potential effectiveness of different regulatory or self-regulatory measures in ensuring a safe and responsible online environment.

GMAT sample question #8

Prompt: Evaluate the argument that increasing access to higher education will lead to greater socioeconomic mobility and reduce income inequality. Analyse the evidence and reasoning used to support this claim, and consider potential counterarguments or limitations to this approach. Assess the impact of factors such as rising tuition costs, disparities in educational quality, and the relevance of certain degrees in the job market. Explore alternative strategies for promoting social mobility, such as vocational training or income redistribution, and discuss their potential advantages or disadvantages. Ultimately, critically examine the argument's validity and provide recommendations or additional considerations that may strengthen or weaken the case for increasing access to higher education.

GMAT sample question #9

Prompt: Analyse the argument that the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agriculture is essential for ensuring global food security. Evaluate the evidence and reasoning presented to support this claim, and discuss any potential counterarguments or concerns related to the environmental, health, or socioeconomic impacts of GMOs. Assess the effectiveness of current regulations and labelling practices in addressing these concerns, and explore alternative approaches to achieving food security, such as organic farming or agroecology. Finally, critically evaluate the overall persuasiveness of the argument and provide recommendations or additional considerations that may enhance or challenge the case for GMO usage.

GMAT sample question #10

Prompt: Evaluate the argument that implementing a universal basic income (UBI) would be an effective solution to address poverty and income inequality. Analyse the evidence and reasoning used to support this viewpoint, and consider potential counterarguments or limitations of a UBI system. Assess the economic implications, including funding mechanisms and potential effects on workforce participation and productivity. Explore alternative policies or approaches to poverty alleviation, such as targeted welfare programs or job creation initiatives, and discuss their potential advantages or disadvantages. Ultimately, critically examine the argument's validity and provide recommendations or additional considerations that may strengthen or weaken the case for implementing a universal basic income.

GMAT essay topics

Some common topics that may be covered in the GMAT essays include:

The research indicates that the success of a shopping mall is directly related to its location. Therefore, we should build a new shopping mall in the small town of Oakville, which has a growing population and no competition from other shopping malls. Discuss how well-reasoned you find this argument.
To remain competitive, companies need to embrace new technologies, including artificial intelligence and automation. Employees who resist these changes are hindering progress and putting their jobs at risk.' Evaluate the argument presented in the editorial.
Our company should offer tuition reimbursement to all employees who want to pursue a degree or certification. This will increase employee loyalty, productivity, and skill level, which will benefit the company in the long run.' Discuss the validity of this recommendation.
Our new cleaning products are environmentally friendly and safe for use around children and pets. You can trust our products to not only clean effectively, but also protect your family and the planet. Evaluate the claims made in the advertisement."
The city should ban all smoking in public parks. Secondhand smoke is a health hazard to all park visitors, and it is unfair to subject non-smokers to this danger. Evaluate the argument presented in the letter.

Tips for a high-scoring performance

Here are some expert tips to help you achieve a high-scoring performance on the GMAT essay.

The first step to writing a successful GMAT essay is to understand the prompt and the task. Take the time to read the prompt carefully and make sure you understand what is being asked of you. Pay close attention to the specific instructions, such as the length requirement, the number of examples you need to provide, and the time limit.

Before you start writing, take a few minutes to plan your essay. This will help you organise your thoughts and ensure that your essay is well-structured and easy to follow. Create an outline that includes your main points and supporting evidence, and make sure that your essay has a clear introduction, body, and conclusion.

For the Analysis of an Argument task, carefully analyse the argument presented in the prompt. Identify the assumptions and evidence used to support the argument, and consider whether these are valid and sufficient. For the Analysis of an Issue task, consider both sides of the issue and identify the strengths and weaknesses of each argument.

To support your arguments, use specific examples from your own experiences or the world around you. These examples should be relevant and support the points you are making in your essay. Be sure to explain how each example supports your argument.

The GMAT essay is not a test of your writing ability per se, but rather a test of your ability to analyze and evaluate arguments and express your ideas in a clear and concise manner. Use simple and straightforward language, avoid overly complex sentences or jargon, and be sure to proofread your essay for grammatical errors and spelling mistakes.

The GMAT essay should follow a standard essay format, with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Your introduction should provide an overview of your argument, while your body should provide supporting evidence and examples. Your conclusion should summarise your main points and restate your thesis statement concisely.

Like any skill, the ability to write a successful GMAT essay takes practice. Take advantage of the practice exams and sample essays provided by GMAC, the organisation that administers the GMAT exam. Consider working with a tutor or taking a prep course to help you improve your essay writing skills.

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The GMAT essay is an important part of the GMAT exam and requires careful preparation and planning. By following these expert tips, you can improve your chances of achieving a high score on the GMAT essay and increase your chances of being accepted into your dream MBA program.

Frequently asked questions

The GMAT essay, also known as the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA), is a section of the GMAT exam that assesses a candidate's ability to think critically and communicate ideas in written form.

The GMAT essay is scored on a scale of 0-6 in half-point increments. Two independent readers will score the essay, and if their scores differ by more than one point, a third reader will be brought in to resolve the discrepancy.

To prepare for the GMAT essay, candidates can practise writing essays using free GMAT essay prompts available online, develop a plan before writing, use specific examples to support their arguments and practise good grammar and syntax.

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GMAT Sample Questions

Hidden laptop with hands typing, displaying a test diagram above the keyboard

Want a preview of the question types you'll face on the GMAT? Try your hand at the GMAT practice questions below. Then, check your answers against our in-depth explanations to see how you did.

We pulled these GMAT sample questions from our book Cracking the GMAT and from our test prep course materials. For more GMAT practice, take a full-length practice test with us held under the same testing conditions as the real thing. Find out how you'd score, and get a personalized score report from us that shows your strengths and weaknesses.

GMAT Verbal Questions
GMAT Math Questions
GMAT Integrated Reasoning Questions
Essay Prompt

Below you'll find sample GMAT questions covering the three question types you'll encounter on the Verbal section: Sentence Correction , Critical Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension.

GMAT Sentence Correction Questions

1. In order to better differentiate its product from generic brands, the cereal company first hired a marketing firm that specializes in creating campaigns to build brand awareness and then retools its factory to produce a variety of different shapes of cereal. (A) then retools its factory to produce a variety of different shapes of cereal (B) retools its factory to produce a variety of different shapes of cereal (C) then retooled its factory to produce a variety of different shapes of cereal (D) then will retool its factory to produce a variety of different shapes of cereal (E) then produces a variety of different shapes of cereal through retooling its factory

Answer: (C) The actions of the cereal company are not in parallel form. First the company hired then it retools . Eliminate choice (A). Choice (B) still has the same error. Choice (D) changes the verb form incorrectly to the future tense. Choice (E) rewrites the sentence but retains the error.

[+] See the Answer

2. Believed to be one of the first widely read female authors of the Western world, Christine de Pizan's masterwork The Book of the City of the Ladies , was written in 1405 and is a history of the Western world from the woman's point-of-view. (A) Believed to be one of the first widely read female authors of the Western world (B) Written by one of the first widely read female authors of the Western world (C) One of the first widely read female authors of the Western world, as some believe (D) Written by what some believe as one of the first widely read female authors of the Western world (E) Believed by some as one of the first works by a widely read female author in the Western world

Answer: (B) As written, this sentence has a misplaced modifier error: the book, The Book of the City of the Ladies isn't believed by anyone to be an author— Christine de Pizan is. Choices (A) and (C) repeat that error and can be eliminated. Choices (B) and (D) both change the introductory phrase to clearly refer to a written work, but choice (D) uses the incorrect idiom believe as instead of the correct form, believe to be . Choice (E) repeats that idiom error.

GMAT Critical Reasoning Questions

1. One food writer wrote that reducing the amount of animal products in one's diet can contribute to better health and well-being. Based on this claim, some people are completely eliminating meat from their diets in order to be healthier. The argument above relies on which of the following assumptions?

Answer: (B) The argument states that some people are eliminating meat from their diets because reducing the amount of animal products in one's diet can lead to better health. Meat is only one type of animal product, however. The argument assumes that by eliminating meat, the people are reducing the total amount of animal products in their diets. Choice (A) addresses increasing the amount of vegetables and grains, but the argument just deals with animal products. Choice (B) correctly addresses the people who are eliminating meat and states that those people are not increasing their consumption of dairy, which is another instance of using animal products. Thus, these people are actually reducing the amount of animal products in their diets. Choice (C) addresses most food writers, who are irrelevant to this argument. Choice (D) addresses health lifestyles, which are irrelevant to this particular argument. Choice (E) addresses the reasons behind not eating animal products, which is irrelevant to the argument.

2. Studies reveal that a daily exercise regimen helps stroke survivors regain dexterity in their extremities. Being given an exercise routine and having a consultation with a doctor about the exercise routine have been shown to be effective mechanisms to get patients to exercise daily. From the above information, which of the following statements can be reasonably inferred? (A) A stroke survivor that is given a detailed exercise plan and consults her physician about the plan will regain full dexterity in her extremities. (B) If a stroke survivor is not given an exercise plan and does not consult with a doctor, she will not regain dexterity in her extremities. (C) Stroke survivors who are given an exercise routine and consult with a doctor about that routine will sometimes regain dexterity in their extremities. (D) Being given an exercise routine and having a consultation with a doctor about the routine is the best way to help a stroke survivor regain dexterity in their extremities. (E) Only being given an exercise routine is necessary to regenerate dexterity in the extremities of seniors who have suffered a stroke.

Answer: (C) This is an inference question, so evaluate the passage and then look for an answer choice that can be reasonably inferred from the information. The passage states that a daily exercise regimen helps stroke survivors regain dexterity in their extremities and that survivors who are given an exercise routine and who have a consultation with a doctor about the routine have been shown to be effective at getting patients to exercise daily . So it can be inferred that if a survivor is given a routine and consults with a doctor, they are more likely to exercise daily, which will help them regain dexterity. Choice (A) is an example of extreme language. The phrasing will regain full dexterity is not promised in the information in the passage, as the passage only states that a routine and consultations may help a survivor exercise more. Eliminate (A). Choice (B) is also an example of extreme language. There is no way to discern from the information provided that a strong survivor would not regain dexterity without an exercise routine and a consultation, so eliminate (B). Choice (C) is a reasonable inference to make from the information in the passage so keep (C). Choice (D) also contains the extreme language best way . The information does not compare this method with any other method so eliminate (D). Choice (E) is recycled language and does not address consulting with a doctor so eliminate (E). The correct answer is (C).

GMAT Reading Comprehension Questions

Although oft-maligned in modern culture, the pigeon once stood not only for speed and reliability but also for grace and beauty. Darwin himself became a pigeon fancier after beginning to work with the humble Columbia livia , discovering them to be more fascinating than he had formerly believed. During the Victorian age, in fact, raising show pigeons was a popular hobby, with new breeds continuously arising as amateur (and not-so-amateur) ornithologists crossed animals in the hopes of creating ever more fantastic creatures. One of the most sought-after varieties was known as the Almond Tumbler, a name presumably derived from the color of the birds combined with the distinctive flight style. Over the course of many generations, this bird was so manipulated as to have a beak so small as to prevent the adult birds from feeding their offspring. And yet, it was wildly popular, drawing high prices at auctions and high prizes at competitions. How then did an animal once so well-loved come to be so loathed? As recently as World War II, the military used pigeons to carry messages but today, many people would kick a pigeon before they would feed one. Perhaps it is just a problem of population density - a lack of esteem for that which is ubiquitous. Pigeons have become our constant urban companions and, as such, have been transformed from symbols of peace, plenty, and prosperity, to representatives of disease and decay.

1. The primary purpose of this passage is to (A) convince the reader of the nobility of the pigeon, based on its history as a symbol of virtue (B) dissuade the reader from mistreating a once-majestic animal that has fallen from favor (C) rebut claims that the pigeon carries disease any more frequently than do other domestic animals (D) promote a renewal of pigeon fancying and a resurgence of breeds such as the Almond Tumbler (E) suggest that there might be more to the story of some urban wildlife than is commonly known

Answer: (E) The passage gives a brief description of the pigeon's place in recent human history and then goes on to contrast that with modern perspectives of the birds. Choice (A) goes too far—the author doesn't give any indication of believing the pigeon to be noble. Choice (B) focuses too specifically on a side comment in the second paragraph. Choice (C) also focuses too specifically on a side comments—the passage is not primarily about disease. Choice (D) is too strong—the passage isn't really promoting any specific action. Choice (E) remains neutral and informational, as does the passage.

2. The case of the Almond Tumbler is most analogous to which of the following? (A) a strain of wheat that can be grown in plentiful quantities but loses much of its nutritional value in the process (B) Arabian horses that are able to run at phenomenal speeds due to centuries of careful breeding designed to enhance those physical attributes (C) vitamins that were purported to provide all of the necessary nutrients but have since been found not to be very effective (D) the dachshund, a popular breed of dog that is nonetheless prone to severe back problems, due to weaknesses exacerbated by targeted breeding (E) the wild rock doves that are most commonly found nesting in the faces of cliffs far from human habitation

Answer: (D) The Almond Tumbler is described as a breed of pigeon that was very popular during the Victorian era. The passage also mentions that the selective breeding used to create that particular kind of bird also led to tiny beaks that kept parent birds from feeding their babies. Therefore, the best analogy would be another animal that is popular even though it has problems due to its design. Choice (A) is incorrect because it leaves out the aspect of popularity. Choice (B) is only positive and you need something that's also negative. Choice (C) is not about something that has been bred for a specific purpose, nor does it deal with popularity. Choice (D) correctly refers to a popular animal with a common health problem. Choice (E) does not refer to pigeons that have been bred by humans.

3. The passage suggests that (A) pigeons were once known for flying with celerity (B) the Almond Tumbler was the most beautiful breed of pigeon (C) Darwin was infatuated with his fancy pigeons (D) modern pigeons are dirtier than the fancy pigeons of yore (E) only scientists should breed new kinds of animals

Answer: (A) For a question this open-ended, it's usually best to check each of the answers against the passage. Choice (A) appears to match the opening line of the passage, which states that the pigeon once stood not only for speed and reliability. Choice (B) goes too far—although many Victorians seems to have loved the Tumbler, there's no evidence that it was definitively the most beautiful. Choice (C) also goes too far—the passage mentions that Darwin was fascinated by his pigeons, not that he was infatuated. Choice (D) draws an incorrect assumption—the passage comments that the common opinion has changed, not the pigeon itself. Choice (E) is not supported by the passage, which states that amateurs, as well as trained individuals, bred pigeons.

Below you'll find GMAT sample questions covering the two question types you'll encounter on the Quantitative section: Problem Solving and Data Sufficiency.

Problem Solving Questions

1. A certain company sells tea in loose leaf and bagged form, and in five flavors: Darjeeling, earl grey, chamomile, peppermint, and orange pekoe. The company packages the tea in boxes that contain either 8 ounces of tea of the same flavor and the same form, or 8 ounces of tea of 4 different flavors and the same form. If the order in which the flavors are packed does not matter, how many different types of packages are possible? (A) 12 (B) 15 (C) 20 (D) 25 (E) 30

Answer: (C) Begin by figuring out how many different ways you can package the tea in boxes that contains 8 ounces of tea, all of the same flavor. There are five flavors, each flavor can come in either loose leaf or bagged form, so 5 flavors x 2 forms = 10 different ways to package the tea in boxes that contain only one flavor each. Now find the number of different ways to package 4 different flavors of the same form per box. In this case, you must choose 4 of 5 possible flavors, and order does not matter, so the formula is 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 ⁄ 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 = 5 different ways to combine the 4 flavors. Each combination can come in either loose leaf for bagged form, so you have 2 different forms x 5 different combinations = 10 total possible ways to combine the 4 flavors in either bagged or loose-leaf form. Thus, the total number of combinations is 10 + 10 = 20 total combinations. The answer is choice (C).

2. Karen sold her house at a loss of 25 percent of the price that she originally paid for the house, and then bought another house at a price of 30 percent less than the price she originally paid for her first house. If she sold the first house for $225,000, what was her net gain, in dollars, for the two transactions? (A) $15,000 (B) $25,000 (C) $60,000 (D) $75,000 (E) $90,000

Answer: (A) If Karen sold her first house for $225,000 and at a loss of 25 percent, then 25 percent of the original price equals $225,000. 75 ⁄ 100 x = 225,000, so x, or the price she originally paid, equals $300,000. Thus, Karen lost $75,000 on the sale of her first house. If she bought a second house for a price of 30 percent less than $300,000, then the second house cost $210,000, so she gained $90,0000. $90,000 - $75,000 = $15,000, so the answer is choice (A).

Sample Data Sufficiency Questions

1. In a certain company, at least 200 people own manual transmission vehicles. If 12 percent of the people who own manual transmission vehicles also own automatic transmission vehicles, do more people own automatic transmission vehicles than own manual transmission vehicles? (1) 5 percent of the people who own an automatic transmissions vehicle also own a manual transmission vehicle. (2) 15 people own both an automatic transmission vehicle and a manual transmission vehicle. (A) Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not sufficient. (B) Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not sufficient. (C) BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient. (D) EACH Statement ALONE is sufficient. (E) Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient to answer the question asked, and additional data are needed.

Answer: (A) According to statement (1), 5 percent of the people who own an automatic transmission vehicle also own a manual transmission vehicle. The question also indicates that 12 percent of the people who own a manual transmission vehicle also own an automatic transmission vehicle. Both figures relate to the total number who own both, so that means that 5 percent of the automatic transmission owners = 12 percent of the manual transmission owners. The overlap in ownership makes up a smaller percent of those who own automatic transmission vehicles, so there must be more people who own automatic transmission vehicles. Statement (1) is sufficient, so you can eliminate choices (B), (C), and (E). Statement (2) indicates that 15 people own both an automatic transmission vehicle and a manual transmission vehicle, so you know that 12 percent of the people who own a manual transmission is equal to 15 people. 12 ⁄ 100 = 15, so x = 125. Thus, there are 125 people who own a manual transmission vehicle. However, you have no further information to allow you to calculate the number of people who own automatic transmission vehicles, so statement (2) is insufficient. The answer is choice (A).

2. What is the value of x ⁄ 2 ? (1) x is 1 ⁄ 5 less than 9 ⁄ 10 (2) x is between 2 ⁄ 5 and 4 ⁄ 5 (A) Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not sufficient. (B) Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not sufficient. (C) BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient. (D) EACH Statement ALONE is sufficient. (E) Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient to answer the question asked, and additional data are needed.

Answer: (A) Statement (1) allows you to find the value of x, so you can answer the question. (If x is 1 ⁄ 5 less than 9 ⁄ 10 , then 9 ⁄ 10 - 1 ⁄ 5 = x. 1 ⁄ 5 = 2 ⁄ 10 , so x equals 9 ⁄ 10 - 2 ⁄ 10 = 7 ⁄ 10 . If x equals 7 ⁄ 10 , then x ⁄ 2 = 7 ⁄ 10 divided by 2, or 7 ⁄ 20 .) Statement (1) is sufficient, so eliminate choices (B), (C), and (E). According to statement (2), x is between 2 ⁄ 5 and 4 ⁄ 5 . That means that one possible value for x is 3 ⁄ 5 , but another possible value is 7 ⁄ 10 . Statement (2) is insufficient, so the answer is choice (A).

Below you'll find examples of how you'll be asked to use a chart, graph, or table to answer questions on the Integrated Reasoning section.

Sample Integrated Reasoning Questions

Item 1: Andre is buying gifts for his office staff. He wants to spend exactly $280 and he can buy either sweatshirts, which cost $22, or baseball caps, which cost $26. In the table below, choose the number of sweatshirts and the number of baseball caps that Andre should buy.

Answer: Sweatshirts, 8; Baseball caps 4 To solve this question, systematically test out the answer choices. The equation you need to solve is 22s + 26h = 280, in which both s and h are integers and s represents the number of sweatshirts and h represents the number of baseball caps. So, start with plugging in 4 for sweatshirts and see if the number of baseball caps is an integer. 22(4) +26h = 280 h = 7.38 Since the number of baseball caps is not an integer, Andre could not have bought 4 sweatshirts. Keep trying more sweatshirts one by one until you find an answer that will you an integer value for baseball caps. 8 sweatshirts will give you 4 baseball caps.

Question 2-1 The ratio of the U.S. population in 2000 to the U.S. population in 1900 is closest to __. (A) 1 to 4 (B) 2 to 7 (C) 2 to 1 (D) 3 to 1 (E) 11 to 3

Answer: (E, 11 to 3) According to the graph, the U.S. population in 2000 was a little bit more than 275 million, and the U.S. population in 1900 was a little over 75 million. Since the question asks what the ratio is "closest to," these numbers are good enough to approximate. 275 to 75 can be reduced by 5 to get 55 to 15, which can be reduced by 5 again to get 11 to 3. Alternatively, you could reduce 275 to 75 by 25 to get this same ratio.

Question 2-2 The U.S. population in 1950 was approximately __ of the U.S. population in 1850. (A) 800% (B) 600% (C) 200% (D) 85% (E) 15%

Answer: (B, 600%) The question asks what percent the U.S. population in 1950 is of the U.S. population in 1850. To get this you need to calculate population 1950 ⁄ population 1850 x 100. Since the U.S. population in 1950 is higher, you want something that is greater than 100%. Eliminate 85% and 15%. Since the sentence says "approximate" and also since the remaining answer choices are not close to each other, you can estimate the values. According to the chart, the population in 1950 was about 150 million and the population in 1850 was about 25 million. Therefore, you need to calculate 150 ⁄ 25 x 100 = 6 x 100 = 600%.

Question 2-3 The U.S. population increased by approximately __ from 1900 to 1950. (A) 25% (B) 33% (C) 50% (D) 100% (E) 200%

Answer: (D, 100%) To get percent increase, you need to use the formula difference ⁄ original x 100. The population in 1900 was about 75 million, and the population in 1950 was about 150 million. The difference between the two figures is 75 million. Therefore, the percent increase is 75 ⁄ 75 x 100 = 100%.

Below you'll find a sample Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) question. On the GMAT you'll have 30 minutes to write a critique of the argument.

Analysis of an Argument

The following appeared as part of a medical advertisement in a magazine.

A new medical test that allows the early detection of a particular disease will prevent the deaths of people all over the world who would otherwise die from the disease. The test has been extremely effective in allowing doctors to diagnose the disease six months to a year before it would have been spotted by conventional means.

Discuss how logically convincing you find this argument. In explaining your point of view, be sure to evaluate the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, it may be necessary to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what other explanations or counterexamples might weaken the arguments conclusion. You can also discuss what kind of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically persuasive, and what, if anything, would enable you to better evaluate its conclusion.

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GMAT Essay Template

Are you preparing for the GMAT AWA section? Are you not familiar with the GMAT essay template? Worry not! We will help you acquaint yourself with the GMAT essay template and how it can help you when attempting the AWA section.

The Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) is the only section in the GMAT that requires you to draft an essay, which is why it is also known as the “essay section”. Before we begin, let us take a quick look at the GMAT AWA section.

GMAT AWA

The GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment tests your ability to critically analyse an argument. Once you have critiqued the argument, you need to articulate your analysis in the form of a coherent, logically sound essay in standard written English. The AWA section consists of a task — Analysis of Argument, which you have to complete within 30 minutes. The Analysis of Argument requires you to analyse if the argument is logically sound or not. To do so, you must analyse the reasoning and the evidence used in the given argument. Hence, attempting the AWA section requires you to brush up on your critical thinking and logical reasoning skills. Since you have only 30 minutes to complete this writing task, you need to plan how to draft your essay. Having a GMAT essay template in hand will help you plan how you want your AWA essay to look. Let us have a look at how a GMAT essay template helps you with the same.

GMAT Essay Template: How it Helps?

The GMAT essay template refers to a rough outline of your AWA essay. Since you have to complete the writing task within a limited time frame, having a template in hand will help you draft an effective essay. The GMAT essay template also serves as a blueprint for your actual AWA essay. With a readymade blueprint in hand, you can approach the writing task with much ease. Additionally, an essay template helps you jot down all the main ideas of your essay before you begin your essay. Putting down your main ideas helps you organise them better and ensures your trail of thought isn’t disrupted. All in all, a GMAT essay template is a tool that ensures that you have drafted an effective and coherent essay.

GMAT Essay Template: A Sample Template

Most AWA essays that are scored between 5 to 6, have followed a similar template. Keeping this in mind, let us take a look at what an ideal GMAT essay template should contain. The ideal or effective GMAT essay template should contain the following:

Structure of the essay: The template must entail how you are going to structure your essay and should follow a paragraph-by-paragraph format.
Content: The template must mention the ideas or points that each paragraph must contain. Ideally, each paragraph should be limited to one main idea.
Pre-written phrases: The template must also contain certain phrases, keywords or sentence stems that you are planning to use in the paragraphs. You can use them to make a note of the flaws you have stumbled upon in the argument.

Now, let us take a look at a sample GMAT essay template. The sample GMAT essay template is as follows:

Introductory Paragraph: The introduction should not be longer than two to three lines. You have to quickly summarise the argument in your introduction and state your opinion on the same. Additionally, you can choose to state that the author’s argument is not all that bad.
Body Paragraph: The essay can have around two to three body paragraphs. Each paragraph must discuss one flaw that you have recognised in the argument. You need to support the claims you make with proper evidence. You can also explain how the flaw undermines the argument.
Conclusion Paragraph: You must conclude your essay by stating that the argument is flawed. You must also give a brief recap of your analysis and support it with a concluding statement. Additionally, you can also specify what the author could have done to improve their case and suggest ways for them to rectify the flaws in the argument.

The idea behind the GMAT essay template is to assist you in drafting an effective AWA essay. While this is a sample essay template, you can always use your own essay template. You can attempt a few AWA writing prompts and formulate your essay template to understand which one works for you. Additionally, you can go through various sample essays with high scores and mimic the essay template used in them as well.

We hope to have acquainted you with the GMAT essay template. Now that you are aware of how to use an essay template to draft an effective AWA essay, what are you waiting for? Start practising today and ace the AWA section.

All the best!

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GMAT Writing Sample Introduction

Home » 800score Free GMAT Prep Course » FREE GMAT PREP COURSE » GMAT Writing Sample Introduction

The GMAT Writing Sample asks you to write an essay in 35 minutes. It is wise to invest a few hours in preparation for your essay. Those who don’t prepare at all often write terrible essays. These essays might even be bad enough to endanger a student’s admission chances. Spend a few hours looking at sample essays to avoid any unnecessary mistakes.

The essay section is designed to test how well you can (1) organize a compelling argument using sound reasoning and supporting evidence and (2) express your thoughts clearly in written form. The essay section is NOT meant to test how many big vocabulary words you know, how much you know about the business or any other specific topic, or really even how creative you are.

The writing sample is a much lower priority than GMAT prep, so we suggest that you jump ahead to the GMAT course . Otherwise, you can divert about 20 minutes to review this page to review this content now or circle back to review it later.

What will the topic be?

You won’t be asked to write about a specific topic so much as you’ll be asked to respond to a specific scenario. The scenario will always be presented in the same form. Here’s a watered-down example (keep in mind that the scenario on your exam will be more involved):

John wants to buy a pet. He is choosing between a cat and a dog. He only has time to care for one pet. Write an essay in which you argue for the purchase of one type of pet over the other based on the following considerations:

John wants a pet that will be relatively maintenance-free.
John wants a pet that will be a true, loyal companion.

The first option, the cat, is a clean pet that does not typically damage or destroy household property. While the cat does need to be fed twice per day, it does not need to be taken for daily walks. The cat is very aloof and non-responsive to human interaction, but it does grow attached to its human owner over time.

The second option, the dog, requires daily attention. The dog has been known to damage household property, and it requires walks on a daily basis. With training, the dog can learn to be relatively self-sufficient. The dog responds to human interaction and craves the attention of its human owner, but it can’t communicate very well with humans.

As mentioned earlier, the scenario will always be presented in the same way. The first part will present a choice, the second part (the bullet statements) will present two considerations that need to be weighed in making that choice, and the third part will provide more information about the two choices at hand. Notice that there is no right or wrong answer here. In fact, the scenario is presented in such a way as to make it difficult to decide which option is better! They both have their pros and cons. What’s important is NOT which option you choose, but rather how you justify, or support, the choice that you do end up making.

How should I write my essay?

The following will outline a process for planning and writing your essay. It certainly isn’t the only way to do it, but it does provide a consistent, repeatable approach that you’ll be able to rely on.

Step 1: Compile information in grid form (5 minutes total for steps 1-3)

In the test booklet, set up a table that has the two choices along the top and the two considerations along the side. In the intersecting cells of the grid, include the appropriate pros and cons using a “+” before any pro and a “-“ before any con. For our example, it might look like this:

You’re familiar with cats and dogs, so it’s probably already obvious to you that a cat would be a good low-maintenance choice and a dog would be good for companionship. Keep in mind, however, that the scenario you will see on your exam will be much less familiar to you. Organizing the information in grid form will make it much easier for you to see the relative strengths and weaknesses of each choice.

Step 2: Decide on a “more important” consideration (5 minutes total for steps 1-3)

At this point, you want to make a decision. Is it more important for John that the pet be maintenance-free or that it be a loyal companion? Again, there’s no right answer. Even so, you need to decide which you will make more important. Choose one that you can easily justify (even if it’s a made-up justification). For example, we’ll decide:

“Having a loyal companion is more important than having a low-maintenance pet because true friendship trumps all else. If John has a true companion and friend, the daily maintenance will become a labor of love instead of a hassle.”

Step 3: Make your choice! (5 minutes total for steps 1-3)

Your decision in step 2 should lead you to a clear choice. In this case, if we deem companionship to be the more important consideration, then we’ll want to choose the dog (since the dog clearly has more compelling plusses in that part of the grid).

“John should pick the dog because it will serve as a more loyal companion than the cat will.”

Step 4: Write the essay (25 minutes)

Plan on structuring your essay the same way every time. Here’s an easy template to follow:

Essay Section Template Paragraph 1: A. Summarize the decision to be made. “The scenario presented above puts John in a position in which he will choose between purchasing a cat and purchasing a dog.” B. Acknowledge the complexity of the decision. “Given the considerations and characteristics of the choices at hand, this is a very difficult decision in that each choice has its merits.” C. State your opinion. “Even so, John would be better served by choosing the dog.” Paragraph 2: A. State why the primary consideration (the one you chose to be the primary consideration) is more important and how your choice satisfies this consideration. “First, it is more important to have a pet that serves as a loyal companion than it is to have a pet that is maintenance-free…” (justify this statement, even if it’s a made-up justification) or “The dog will be a loyal companion in that it will …” (use the information from the grid to show how) B. State why the other choice (cat) falls short in this regard. “The cat, on the other hand, is a poor match for anyone looking for a loyal pet …” (use the information from the grid to show how) Paragraph 3: State how your choice still does an okay job with the secondary consideration. “Furthermore, while the dog isn’t an ideal choice for someone wanting a maintenance-free pet, it can learn to be relatively self-sufficient…” (use any other information from the grid to support this) Paragraph 4: Summarize your argument

Step 5: Proofread! (5 minutes)

Spelling errors, misprints, grammatical errors, etc. will never go over well. While a few simple mistakes won’t kill you, you want to be sure your final essay is as clean as possible.

Practice this a few times on some real essay prompts and you should be all set. Good luck!

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Need a 6 on the GMAT Writing Sample section? Use the 800score guide.

The GMAT Writing Sample consists of one 30-minute section, the Analysis of an Argument essay. You will receive a grade from 1 to 6 on each and these will be sent with your GMAT scores.

The good news is that the GMAT Writing Sample can be beaten. The essay topics are available for you to review beforehand. The structures for the GMAT Writing Sample 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 GMAT Writing Sample may be applied to any essay or persuasive writing. Don’t worry about over-preparing for the GMAT Writing Sample section, because you’ll actually use this for the real world!

800score has graded tens of 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 are less important than structure and content.
Take many timed practice tests on a computer. We have 20 practice essays.

The guide is divided into these sections:

Chapter 1: Introduction (current page)
Chapter 2: Analysis of Argument
Chapter 3: Improving Your Writing
Chapter 4: Getting the Real Essay Questions
10 Most Common Errors
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Homepage > GMAT Preparation > GMAT Essay – List of AWA Topics – 50 Practice Questions on GMAT AWA 2023

GMAT Essay – List of AWA Topics – 50 Practice Questions on GMAT AWA 2023

Posted by Suheb Hussain | Jan 25, 2023 | GMAT Focus Edition , GMAT IR and AWA , GMAT Preparation

This document contains practice questions that will help you improve the AWA section or the GMAT essay section. Discuss in your GMAT essay how well-reasoned you find the argument. Here are some ways you can do that while writing your GMAT essay for the AWA section. In your discussion, be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.

We also recommend you read this article on how to score a perfect 6 on the GMAT AWA.

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GMAT Essay practice question 1

The following appeared as part of an article in a trade magazine:

“During a recent trial period in which government inspections at selected meat-processing plants were more frequent, the number of bacteria in samples of processed chicken decreased by 50 percent on average from the previous year’s level. If the government were to institute more frequent inspections, the incidence of stomach and intestinal infections throughout the country could thus be cut in half. In the meantime, consumers of Excel Meats should be safe from infection because Excel’s main processing plant has shown more improvement in eliminating bacterial contamination than any other plant cited in the government report.”

Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

GMAT Essay practice question 2

2. The following appeared as part of an annual report sent to stockholders by Olympic Foods, a processor of frozen foods:

“Over time, the costs of processing go down because as organizations learn how to do things better, they become more efficient. In color film processing, for example, the cost of a 3-by-5-inch print fell from 50 cents for five-day service in 1970 to 20 cents for one-day service in 1984. The same principle applies to the processing of food. And since Olympic Foods will soon celebrate its 25th birthday, we can expect that our long experience will enable us to minimize costs and thus maximize profits.”

GMAT AWA practice question 3

3. The following appeared in a memorandum from the business department of the Apogee Company:

“When the Apogee Company had all its operations in one location, it was more profitable than it is today. Therefore, the Apogee Company should close down its field offices and conduct all its operations from a single location. Such centralization would improve profitability by cutting costs and helping the company maintain better supervision of all employees.”

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GMAT Essay practice question 4

4. The following appeared in a memorandum issued by a large city’s council on the arts:

“In a recent citywide poll, 15 percent more residents said that they watch television programs about the visual arts than was the case in a poll conducted five years ago. During these past five years, the number of people visiting our city’s art museums has increased by a similar percentage. Since the corporate funding that supports public television, where most of the visual arts programs appear, is now being threatened with severe cuts, we can expect that attendance at our city’s art museums will also start to decrease. Thus some of the city’s funds for supporting the arts should be reallocated to public television.”

GMAT Essay practice question 5

5. The following appeared in an announcement issued by the publisher of The Mercury , a weekly newspaper:

“Since a competing lower-priced newspaper, The Bugle , was started five years ago, The Mercury ’s circulation has declined by 10,000 readers. The best way to get more people to read The Mercury is to reduce its price below that of The Bugle , at least until circulation increases to former levels. The increased circulation of The Mercury will attract more businesses to buy advertising space in the paper.”

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GMAT Essay practice question 6

6. The following appeared in a report presented for discussion at a meeting of the directors of a company that manufactures parts for heavy machinery:

“The falling revenues that the company is experiencing coincide with delays in manufacturing. These delays, in turn, are due in large part to poor planning in purchasing metals. Consider further that the manager of the department that handles purchasing of raw materials has an excellent background in general business, psychology, and sociology, but knows little about the properties of metals. The company should, therefore, move the purchasing manager to the sales department and bring in a scientist from the research division to be manager of the purchasing department.”

GMAT Essay practice question 7

7. The following appeared in a research paper written for an introductory economics course:

“For the past century, an increase in the number of residential building permits issued per month in a particular region has been a reliable indicator of coming improvements to that region’s economy. If the monthly number of residential building permits issued rises consistently for a few months, the local unemployment rate almost always falls and economic production increases. This well-established connection reveals an effective method by which a regional government can end a local economic downturn: relax regulations governing all construction so that many more building permits can be issued.”

Discuss how well reasoned . . .etc.

GMAT Essay practice question 8

8. The following appeared in a memorandum to the work-group supervisors of the GBS Company:

“The CoffeeCart beverage and food service located in the lobby of our main office building is not earning enough in sales to cover its costs, and so the cart may discontinue operating at GBS. Given the low staff morale, as evidenced by the increase in the number of employees leaving the company, the loss of this service could present a problem, especially since the staff morale questionnaire showed widespread dissatisfaction with the snack machines.

Therefore, supervisors should remind the employees in their group to patronize the cart—after all, it was leased for their convenience so that they would not have to walk over to the cafeteria on breaks.”

GMAT Essay practice question 9

9. The following appeared in a memorandum written by the chair of the music department to the president of Omega University:

“Mental health experts have observed that symptoms of mental illness are less pronounced in many patients after group music-therapy sessions, and job openings in the music-therapy field have increased during the past year. Consequently, graduates from our degree program for music therapists should have no trouble finding good positions. To help improve the financial status of Omega University, we should, therefore, expand our music-therapy degree program by increasing its enrollment targets.”

GMAT Essay practice question 10

10. The following appeared in a memorandum from the vice president of Gigantis, a development company that builds and leases retail store facilities:

“Nationwide over the past five years, sales have increased significantly at outlet stores that deal exclusively in reduced-price merchandise. Therefore, we should publicize the new mall that we are building at Pleasantville as a central location for outlet shopping and rent storage space only to outlet companies. By taking advantage of the success of outlet stores, this plan should help ensure full occupancy of the mall and enable us to recover quickly the costs of building the mall.”

11. The following appeared in a memorandum from the business planning department of Avia Airlines:

“Of all the cities in their region, Beaumont and Fletcher are showing the fastest growth in the number of new businesses. Therefore, Avia should establish a commuter route between them as a means of countering recent losses on its main passenger routes. And to make the commuter route more profitable from the outset, Avia should offer a 1/3 discount on tickets purchased within two days of the flight. Unlike tickets bought earlier, discount tickets will be nonrefundable, and so gain from their sale will be greater.”

12. The following appeared in a speech by a stockholder of Consolidated Industries at the company’s annual stockholders’ meeting:

“In the computer hardware division last year, profits fell significantly below projections, the product line decreased from 20 to only 5 items, and expenditures for employee benefits increased by 15 percent. Nevertheless, Consolidated’s board of directors has approved an annual salary of more than $1 million for our company’s chief executive officer. The present board members should be replaced because they are unconcerned about the increasing costs of employee benefits and salaries, in spite of the company’s problems generating income.”

13. The following appeared as part of a business plan by the Capital Idea investment firm:

“In recent years the worldwide demand for fish has grown, and improvements in fishing technology have made larger catches and thus increased supply possible: for example, last year’s tuna catch was 9 percent greater than the previous year’s. To capitalize on these trends, we should, therefore, invest in the new tartfish processing plant on Tartfish Island, where increasing revenues from tourism indicate a strong local economy.”

14. The following appeared as part of an article in a weekly newsmagazine:

“The country of Oleum can best solve the problem of its balance of trade deficit by further increasing the tax on its major import, crude oil. After Oleum increased the tax on imported crude oil four months ago, consumption of gasoline declined by 20 percent. Therefore, by imposing a second and significantly higher tax increase next year, Oleum will dramatically decrease its balance of trade deficit.”

15. The following appeared in a memorandum from the human resources department of HomeStyle, a house remodeling business:

“This year, despite HomeStyle’s move to new office space, we have seen a decline in both company morale and productivity, and a corresponding increase in administrative costs. To rectify these problems, we should begin using a newly developed software package for performance appraisal and feedback. Managers will save time by simply choosing comments from a preexisting list; then the software will automatically generate feedback for the employee. The human resources department at CounterBalance, the manufacturer of the countertops we install, reports satisfaction with the package.”

16. The following appeared in a memorandum written by the managing director of the Exeunt Theater Company:

“Now that we have moved to a larger theater, we can expect to increase our revenues from ticket sales. To further increase profits, we should start producing the plays that have been most successful when they were performed in our nation’s largest cities. In addition, we should hire the Adlib Theater Company’s director of fund-raising, since corporate contributions to Adlib have increased significantly over the three years that she has worked for Adlib.”

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17. The following appeared in a memorandum from a regional supervisor of post office operations:

“During a two-week study of postal operations, the Presto City post office handled about twice as many items as the Lento City post office, even though the cities are about the same size. Moreover, customer satisfaction appears to be higher in Presto City, since the study found fewer complaints regarding the Presto City post office. Therefore, the postmasters at these two offices should exchange assignments: the Presto City postmaster will solve the problems of inefficiency and customer dissatisfaction at the Lento City office while the Lento City postmaster learns firsthand the superior methods of Presto City.”

18. The following appeared in a memorandum from the human resources department of Diversified Manufacturing:

“Managers at our central office report that their employees tend to be most productive in the days immediately preceding a vacation. To help counteract our declining market share, we could increase the productivity of our professional staff members, who currently receive four weeks paid vacation a year, by limiting them to a maximum of one week’s continuous vacation time. They will thus take more vacation breaks during a year and give us more days of maximum productivity.”

19. The following appeared in a memorandum from the marketing department of a children’s clothing manufacturer:

“Our HuggyBunny brand is the bestselling brand of children’s clothing. Parents everywhere recognize the HuggyBunny logo as a mark of quality, and most of our customers show great brand loyalty. Sales reports have shown that parents are more likely to buy children’s clothes with the familiar HuggyBunny brand and logo than otherwise identical clothes without it. Therefore, if we use the HuggyBunny brand name and logo for the new line of clothing for teenagers that our company will soon be introducing, that clothing will sell better than it would if we labeled it with a new brand name and logo.”

20. The following appeared in a memorandum from the president of Aurora, a company that sells organic milk (milk produced without the use of chemical additives):

“Sales of organic food products in this country have tripled over the past five years. If Aurora is to profit from this continuing trend, we must diversify and start selling products such as organic orange juice and organic eggs in addition to our regular product line. With the recent increase of articles in health magazines questioning the safety of milk and other food products, customers are even more likely to buy our line of organic products. And to help ensure our successful expansion, we should hire the founder of a chain of health-food stores to serve as our vice president of marketing.”

21. The following appeared as part of an article in a newsletter for farmers:

“Users of Solacium, a medicinal herb now grown mainly in Asia, report that it relieves tension and promotes deep sleep. A recent study indicates that a large number of college students who took pills containing one of the ingredients in Solacium suffered less anxiety. To satisfy the anticipated demands for this very promising therapeutic herb and to reap the financial benefits, farmers in this country should begin growing it.”

22. The following appeared as part of the business plan of the Capital Idea investment firm:

“Across town in the Park Hill district, the Thespian Theater, Pizzazz Pizza, and the Niblick Golf Club have all had business increases over the past two years. Capital Idea should, therefore, invest in the Roxy Playhouse, the Slice-o’- Pizza, and the Divot Golf Club, three new businesses in the Irongate district. As a condition, we should require them to participate in a special program: Any customer who patronizes two of the businesses will receive a substantial discount at the third. By motivating customers to patronize all three, we will thus contribute to the profitability of each and maximize our return.”

23. The following appeared in a memorandum from the owner of Carlo’s Clothing to the staff:

“Since Disc Depot, the music store on the next block began a new radio advertising campaign last year, its business has grown dramatically, as evidenced by the large increase in foot traffic into the store. While the Disc Depot’s owners have apparently become wealthy enough to retire, profits at Carlo’s Clothing have remained stagnant for the past three years. In order to boost our sales and profits, we should, therefore, switch from newspaper advertising to frequent radio advertisements like those for Disc Depot.”

24. The following appeared in a letter to the editor of a River City newspaper:

“The Clio Development Group’s plan for a multilevel parking garage on Dock Street should be approved in order to strengthen the economy of the surrounding area. Although most of the buildings on the block would have to be demolished, they are among the oldest in the city and thus of little current economic value. Those who oppose the project should realize that historic preservation cannot be the only consideration: even Athens or Jerusalem will knock down old buildings to put up new ones that improve the local economy.”

25. The following appeared in a memorandum from the publisher to the staff of The Clarion , a large metropolitan newspaper:

“During the recent campaign for mayor, a clear majority of city readers who responded to our survey indicated a desire for more news about city government. To increase circulation, and thus our profits, we should therefore consistently devote a greater proportion of space in all editions of The Clarion to coverage of local news.”

26. The following appeared in a corporate planning memorandum for a company that develops amusement parks:

“Because travel from our country to foreign countries has increased dramatically in recent years, our next project should be a ‘World Tour’ theme park with replicas of famous foreign buildings, rides that have international themes, and refreshment stands to serve only foods from the country represented by the nearest ride. The best location would be near our capital city, which has large percentages of international residents and of children under the age of 16. Given the advantages of this site and the growing interest in foreign countries, the ‘World Tour’ theme park should be as successful as our space-travel theme park, where attendance has increased tenfold over the past decade.”

27. The following appeared in a letter to the editor of a River City newspaper:

“The Clio Development Group should not be permitted to build a multilevel parking garage on Dock Street since most of the buildings on the block would have to be demolished. Because these buildings were erected decades ago, they have historic significance and must, therefore, be preserved as economic assets in the effort to revitalize a restored riverfront area. Recall how Lakesburg has benefited from business increases in its historic downtown center. Moreover, there is plenty of vacant land for a parking lot elsewhere in River City.”

28. The following appeared in a letter to the editor of a local newspaper:

“Our city council’s neglect of the impoverished Railroad Flats neighborhood has left businesses with little incentive to locate there. Building a new professional football stadium in the neighborhood would solve this problem. Thousands of football fans would travel to the area to see games, and they would buy from local merchants, encouraging new businesses to open. So our city council should move quickly to fund the construction of a professional football stadium in Railroad Flats in order to help the neighborhood develop a thriving economy.”

29. The following appeared in a memorandum from the director of marketing for a pharmaceutical company:

“According to a survey of 5,000 urban residents, the prevalence of stress headaches increases with educational level, so that stress headaches occur most often among people with graduate-school degrees. It is well established that, nationally, higher educational levels usually correspond with higher levels of income. Therefore, in marketing our new pain remedy, Omnilixir, we should send free samples primarily to graduate students and to people with graduate degrees, and we should concentrate on advertising in professional journals rather than in general interest magazines.”

30. The following appeared as part of an editorial in the Waymarsh city newspaper:

“Last year the parents of first graders in our school district expressed satisfaction with the reading skills their children developed but complained strongly about their children’s math skills. To remedy this serious problem and improve our district’s elementary education, everyone in the teacher-training program at Waymarsh University should be required to take more courses in mathematics.”

31. The following appeared in a memorandum from the business office of the Lovin’ Cupful, a national restaurant chain:

“The Lovin’ Cupful franchises in our northeast region have begun serving customers Almost, a brand new powdered instant tea, in place of brewed tea. Waiters report that only about 2 percent of the customers have complained and that customers who want refills typically ask for ‘more tea.’ It appears, then, that 98 percent of the customers are perfectly happy with the switch, or else they cannot tell powdered instant from brewed tea. Therefore, in order to take advantage of the lower price per pound of Almost, all of our restaurants should begin substituting it for brewed tea.”

32. The following appeared as a memorandum from the vice-president of the Dolci candy company:

“Given the success of our premium and most expensive line of chocolate candies in a recent taste test and the consequent increase in sales, we should shift our business focus to producing additional lines of premium candy rather than our lower-priced, ordinary candies. When the current economic boom ends and consumers can no longer buy major luxury items, such as cars, they will still want to indulge in small luxuries, such as expensive candies.”

33. The following appeared in a memorandum from the director of research and development at Ready-to-Ware, a software engineering firm:

“The package of benefits and incentives that Ready-to-Ware offers to professional staff is too costly. Our quarterly profits have declined since the package was introduced two years ago, at the time of our incorporation. Moreover, the package had little positive effect, as we have had only marginal success in recruiting and training high-quality professional staff. To become more profitable again, Ready-to-Ware should, therefore, offer the reduced benefits package that was in place two years ago and use the savings to fund our current research and development initiatives.”

34. The following appeared in a memorandum from the assistant manager of Pageturner Books:

“Over the past two years, Pageturner’s profits have decreased by 5 percent, even though we have added a popular café as well as a music section selling CDs and tapes. At the same time, we have experienced an increase in the theft of merchandise. We should, therefore, follow the example of Thoreau Books, which increased its profits after putting copies of its most frequently stolen books on a high shelf behind the payment counter. By doing likewise with copies of the titles that our staff reported stolen last year, we too can increase profitability.”

35. The following appeared in a memorandum to a team developing accounting software for SmartPro Software, Inc.:

“Currently, more professional accountants use SmartPro accounting software than any other brand. However, in the market for personal accounting software for non-professionals to use in preparing their income tax returns, many of our competitors are outselling us. In surveys, our professional customers repeatedly say that they have chosen SmartPro Software because our most sophisticated software products include more advanced special features than competing brands. Therefore, the most effective way for us to increase sales of our personal accounting software for home users would clearly be to add the advanced special features that our professional software products currently offer.”

36. The following appeared in a memorandum written by the assistant manager of a store that sells gourmet food items from various countries:

“A local wine store made an interesting discovery last month: it sold more French than Italian wine on days when it played recordings of French accordion music, but it sold more Italian than French wine on days when Italian songs were played. Therefore, I recommend that we put food specialties from one particular country on sale for a week at a time and play only music from that country while the sale is going on. By this means we will increase our profits in the same way that the wine store did, and we will be able to predict more precisely what items we should stock at any given time.”

37. The following appeared in a memo to the Saluda town council from the town’s business manager:

“Research indicates that those who exercise regularly are hospitalized less than half as often as those who don’t exercise. By providing a well-equipped gym for Saluda’s municipal employees, we should be able to reduce the cost of our group health insurance coverage by approximately 50 percent and thereby achieve a balanced town budget.”

38. The following appeared as part of a letter to the editor of a local newspaper:

“Bayview High School is considering whether to require all of its students to wear uniforms while at school. Students attending Acorn Valley Academy, a private school in town, earn higher grades on average and are more likely to go on to college. Moreover, Acorn Valley reports few instances of tardiness, absenteeism, or discipline problems. Since Acorn Valley requires its students to wear uniforms, Bayview High School would do well to follow suit and require its students to wear uniforms as well.”

39. The following appeared as part of a memorandum from the loan department of the Frostbite National Bank:

“We should not approve the business loan application of the local group that wants to open a franchise outlet for the Kool Kone chain of ice cream parlors. Frostbite is known for its cold winters, and cold weather can mean slow ice cream sales. For example, even though Frostbite is a town of 10,000 people, it has only one ice cream spot—the Frigid Cow. Despite the lack of competition, the Frigid Cow’s net revenues fell by 10 percent last winter.”

40. The following appeared in a letter from a staff member in the office of admissions at Argent University:

“The most recent nationwide surveys show that undergraduates choose their major field primarily based on their perception of job prospects in that field. At our university, economics is now the most popular major, so students must perceive this field as having the best job prospects. Therefore, we can increase our enrollment if we focus our advertising and recruiting on publicizing the accomplishments of our best-known economics professors and the success of our economics graduates in finding employment.”

41. The following appeared as part of a business plan created by the management of the Take Heart Fitness Center:

“After opening the new swimming pool early last summer, Take Heart saw a 12 percent increase in the use of the center by its members. Therefore, in order to increase membership in Take Heart, we should continue to add new recreational facilities in subsequent years: for example, a multipurpose game room, a tennis court, and a miniature golf course. Being the only center in the area offering this range of activities would give us a competitive advantage in the health and recreation market.”

42. The following appeared as part of an article in the book section of a newspaper:

“Currently more and more books are becoming available in electronic form—either free-of-charge on the Internet or for a very low price-per-book on compact disc.* Thus literary classics are likely to be read more widely than ever before. People who couldn’t have purchased these works at bookstore prices will now be able to read them for little or no money; similarly, people who find it inconvenient to visit libraries and wait for books to be returned by other patrons will now have access to whatever classic they choose from their home or work computers. This increase in access to literary classics will radically affect the public taste in reading, creating a far more sophisticated and learned reading audience than has ever existed before.”

*A compact disc is a small portable disc capable of storing relatively large amounts of data that can be read by a computer.

43. The following appeared as an editorial in a magazine concerned with educational issues:

“In our country, the real earnings of men who have only a high-school degree have decreased significantly over the past 15 years, but those of male college graduates have remained about the same. Therefore, the key to improving the earnings of the next generation of workers is to send all students to college. Our country’s most important educational goal, then, should be to establish enough colleges and universities to accommodate all high school graduates.”

44. The following appeared in an editorial from a newspaper serving the town of Saluda:

“The Saluda Consolidated High School offers more than 200 different courses from which its students can choose. A much smaller private school down the street offers a basic curriculum of only 80 different courses, but it consistently sends a higher proportion of its graduating seniors on to college than Consolidated does. By eliminating at least half of the courses offered there and focusing on a basic curriculum, we could improve student performance at Consolidated and also save many tax dollars.”

45. The following appeared as part of an article in a trade magazine for breweries:

“Magic Hat Brewery recently released the results of a survey of visitors to its tasting room last year. Magic Hat reports that the majority of visitors asked to taste its low-calorie beers. To boost sales, other small breweries should brew low-calorie beers as well.”

46. The following appeared in a memorandum sent by a vice-president of the Nadir Company to the company’s human resources department:

“Nadir does not need to adopt the costly ‘family-friendly’ programs that have been proposed, such as part-time work, work at home, and job-sharing. When these programs were made available at the Summit Company, the leader in its industry, only a small percentage of employees participated in them. Rather than adversely affecting our profitability by offering these programs, we should concentrate on offering extensive training that will enable employees to increase their productivity.”

47. The following appeared in a letter to prospective students from the admissions office at Plateau College:

“Every person who earned an advanced degree in science or engineering from Olympus University last year received numerous offers of excellent jobs. Typically, many graduates of Plateau College have gone on to pursue advanced degrees at Olympus. Therefore, enrolling as an undergraduate at Plateau College is a wise choice for students who wish to ensure success in their careers.”

48. The following was excerpted from an article in a farming trade publication:

“Farmers who switched from synthetic to organic farming last year have seen their crop yields decline. Many of these farmers feel that it would be too expensive to resume synthetic farming at this point, given the money that they invested in organic farming supplies and equipment. But their investments will be relatively minor compared to the losses from continued lower crop yields. Organic farmers should switch to synthetic farming rather than persist in an unwise course. And the choice to farm organically is financially unwise, given that it was motivated by environmental rather than economic concerns.”

49. The following appeared as part of an article in a computer magazine:

“A year ago Apex Manufacturing bought its managers computers for their homes and paid for telephone connections so that they could access Apex computers and data files from home after normal business hours. Since last year, productivity at Apex has increased by 15 percent. Other companies can learn from the success at Apex: given home computers and access to company resources, employees will work additional hours at home and thereby increase company profits.”

50. The following appeared in the editorial section of a local paper:

“Applications for advertising spots on KMTV, our local cable television channel, decreased last year. Meanwhile, a neighboring town’s local channel, KOOP, changed its focus to farming issues and reported an increase in advertising applications for the year. To increase applications for its advertisement spots, KMTV should focus its programming on farming issues as well.”

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The 6 gmat essay tips that will help you ace the awa.

If you’re preparing for the GMAT, you’ve probably spent countless hours reviewing math concepts and mastering grammar skills. You’ve likely also spent time studying for the newer integrated reasoning section, too. But have you thought about the analytical writing assessment part of the GMAT?

If your answer is no, don’t worry! You’re not alone. Many test-takers go into test day without spending a lot of time preparing for the essay section of the GMAT, especially since it’s unclear how much (or even if) the GMAT essay even matters for getting into business school.

In this article, I’ll shed some light on the oft-forgotten GMAT AWA section. First, I’ll give you an overview of what’s actually on the AWA section. Next, I’ll discuss whether or not that score really matters for your admission to business school. Finally, I’ll tell share the top GMAT essay tips that are guaranteed to boost your GMAT essay score.

GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment Overview

The GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment is designed to measure your ability to think critically about a topic and then communicate your ideas about that topic. During the AWA section, you’ll be asked to analyze and critique an argument and judged on your ability to do so clearly, thoroughly, and thoughtfully.

The GMAT AWA section consists of one writing task: a 30-minute essay. You’ll complete the AWA portion of the GMAT first, before every other test section.

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For your GMAT essay, you’ll be asked to think critically about an argument that’s presented to you. You’re not supposed to give your opinion on the subject itself.

GMAT AWA scores range from 0 to 6, in half-point intervals. Every GMAT AWA response receives two independent scores. According to MBA.com, one of your scores may be performed by an essay-scoring engine. At least one of your GMAT AWA scores will be determined by a GMAT essay reader.

Your AWA score doesn’t affect your GMAT total score and is generally considered the least important of your GMAT scores.

The 6 Best GMAT Essay Tips

If you’re looking to achieve a GMAT essay score that’ll help you get into business school, these six GMAT Analytical Writing tips will help you achieve success.

#1: Follow the Directions

One of the most important GMAT essay tips is to understand the directions of the AWA section.

The AWA section specifically asks you to critique an argument on its strengths and weaknesses. AWA graders aren’t looking for a well-written, thoughtful opinion piece about the topic discussed in the prompt. They’re looking for you to analyze whether or not the argument itself was sound, and to back up that analysis with evidence from the text, and they’ll judge you on how well you accomplished that specific task. If you don’t follow the directions, you won’t achieve a high score.

#2: Develop a Clear Structure

Another one of the important GMAT writing tips is to take the time to set up your essay in a clear way.

You don’t need to write the most interesting or lengthy essay in the world to score well on the AWA section, but you do need to give your essay an easy-to-follow structure. Usually, that consists of an introduction, three to four well-developed body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Your introduction should restate the main argument of the prompt, then highlight the flaws in the argument that you’ll discuss in the body of the essay.

Each of the body paragraphs should focus on a specific flaw in the argument. First, you should highlight the flaw itself. Next, you’ll need to explain why that particular flaw is a flaw. Finally, you should highlight how the argument could’ve been made more clearly or more successfully.

In the conclusion, you’ll want to restate each of the reasons why the argument was flawed and summarize how those flaws affected the validity of the argument.

Following this clear, simple structure for your GMAT essay will help you achieve your goal score.

#3: Know the Common AWA Flaws

Your task for the GMAT AWA is to critique an argument given to you in a prompt. That means that you can assume the argument given is a weak one, since your job is basically to analyze its weaknesses.

GMAT AWA prompts typically have arguments that are weak in predictable ways. Be on the lookout for these common “flaws” that you’ll encounter in AWA prompts:

Causality: GMAT AWA prompts often contain errors in causality, which means that they attribute the wrong effect to the wrong cause . If you see an argument that uses causality, make sure you check to make sure that causality is correctly attributed and that there’s a provable causal relationship.

Vagueness: GMAT AWA prompts often contain vague terms or statistics that are used incorrectly to draw conclusions. For instance, a prompt might suggest that, out of a sample of 500 consumers, more are buying name-brand paper towels than generic paper towels. The use of the word “more,” in this case, isn’t specific enough because it doesn’t tell you exactly how many more people are buying name-brand paper towels. You can’t draw a definitive conclusion off of vague data.

Overconfidence: GMAT AWA prompts often contain overconfident language. You should be looking for the language in arguments to be thoughtful and well-balanced. Keep an eye out for words like “undoubtedly,” “definitely,” and “of course,” which indicate overconfidence.

#4: Practice

One of the best GMAT essay tips is to practice, practice, practice before you actually complete the GMAT AWA section on test day. You can find real, retired GMAT AWA prompts on the GMAT website for free. You can also purchase the GMAT Write tool to receive scores on practice AWA prompts if you’re really concerned about your score.

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Practicing will help you in a number of ways. First, practicing will help you master your timing. You’ll only have 30 minutes to craft a logical and well-reasoned essay on test day. The more you practice, the faster you’ll get at outlining and completing your essay.

As I mentioned in the previous GMAT writing tips, you’ll need to fully answer the correct prompt to achieve a good score on your GMAT essay. Practicing will help you get used to the structure of GMAT AWA prompts and help you get used to the types of questions you’ll see on test day.

Finally, practicing will help you get used the structure you need to employ to succeed on your GMAT essay. The more you practice, the more naturally you’ll be able to craft a complete introduction, body, and conclusion for each of your GMAT essays.

#5: Take Time to Outline

While outlining may seem like one of the more basic GMAT essay tips, taking five minutes at the beginning of the AWA section to sketch out a basic outline of your essay will really help you as you start to write.

Everyone outlines differently, but in general, I’d suggest having one to two bullet points for each paragraph that highlight the main ideas the paragraph will cover. Outlining will help you make sure you’ve covered all the main points you need to fully answer the question.

#6: Don’t Sweat the AWA Too Much

The final of my GMAT analytical writing tips is to not worry about the AWA section too much. As I mentioned in a previous section, the AWA section isn’t that important in the overall scheme of your GMAT score. It’d be a mistake to spend a lot of time and energy stressing over and preparing for the AWA section before you take the GMAT.

Spend between three to six hours preparing for the AWA, depending on how comfortable you are writing to the AWA’s structure. More often than not, that’s all the time test-takers need to achieve a solid AWA score.

Your GMAT AWA score won’t make or break your chance of admission to the business school of your dreams. An AWA score between 4-6 will sufficiently demonstrate your writing abilities to most admissions committees, and there’s not a huge advantage to scoring a perfect 6 on the AWA section.

An AWA score of below 4, however, will raise red flags for admissions committees who may question your communication abilities. So, it’s important to study for the AWA section to make sure your score is sufficient.

What’s Next?

Feeling set on GMAT analytical writing tips, but looking for more advice on other sections of the GMAT? We’ve got tons of in-depth, high-quality guides to help you master the content you’ll see on GMAT test day. Check out our guide to the GMAT verbal section to learn how to master the three GMAT question types or read our guide to the GMAT quant section to understand exactly what math you need to know to achieve your goal GMAT score.

Looking to make an in-depth, comprehensive GMAT study plan? Our guide to GMAT study plans provides four sample study plans that you can adapt to your needs. Pick and choose between one-month, three-month, and six-month study plans that are each designed to boost your GMAT score.

Setting a realistic goal score is a hugely important part of your GMAT prep. By setting a realistic goal score, you give yourself a target to work towards and a benchmark by which to measure your progress as you prep for the GMAT. In our guide to GMAT score requirements, you’ll learn about how to set a goal that makes sense for your abilities and needs as a test-taker.

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Author: Hayley Milliman

Hayley Milliman is a former teacher turned writer who blogs about education, history, and technology. When she was a teacher, Hayley's students regularly scored in the 99th percentile thanks to her passion for making topics digestible and accessible. In addition to her work for PrepScholar, Hayley is the author of Museum Hack's Guide to History's Fiercest Females. View all posts by Hayley Milliman

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GMAT AWA Topics – Sample Prompts

Before you start.

Remember that the AWA is testing your ability to effectively critique an argument being presented. There will be some common fallacies used in the prompts that you will need to address. Familiarize yourself with these flawed arguments so that you can quickly identify them as you write your essay:

Inappropriate Comparisons – comparing two things which are not necessarily similar, thus leading to a flawed conclusion. You will notice that in an inappropriate comparison, the argument will only note the similarities between two things with no explanation of why the differences do not change the outcome.

Example: "Dogs are highly motivated by food, which is a useful tool for training. Using this same method, you can help to encourage your children to repeat positive behaviors." This argument does not address early childhood development, nor does it address dog psychology – the person assumes that if a solution worked in one situation, it will work in the other.

Vague Language – using words such as "many", "few", "some", "more", or "less" without further qualification is often too vague to make a cogent point.

Example: "In Chicago, more people voted to add bike lanes than people did in Aurora, so it is clear that the citizens in Chicago are more pro-bike than the citizens in Aurora." This argument does not explain what 'more' means. Is it by percentage? Does it refer to raw number of votes, and if so, does it take into account the number of voters in Chicago vs. the number of voters in Aurora?

Correlation vs Causation – this common fallacy asserts that because something occurred, it must be a consequence of some specific variable observed before the result.

Example: "Students in Neighborhood A have higher test scores on average that students in Neighborhood B. Therefore, it is clear that the schools in Neighborhood A are better than the schools in Neighborhood B." This argument is flawed because it assumes the only meaningful variable in test scores was the school the children attend. This argument does not consider other various factors, such as poverty, school resources, home situations, and the parents' abilility to supplement educational opportunities, etc.

Sampling Issues – a case in which statistics are used inappropriately to compare unlike populations or to draw broad conclusions using a small sample.

Example: "56% of the reviews of Company A are negative, which shows that most customers are very unhappy with the service provided." The problem with this argument is that it does not address the percentage of overall customers who have written reviews. How do we know that this is representative of all customers vs. those who are upset about an issue and take the time to write a review?

Now that you have reviewed some common flawed arguments you may encounter, it is time to get started practicing!

Sample Prompt 1

The following appeared in the health section of a magazine on trends and lifestyles:

"People who use the artificial sweetener aspartame are better off consuming sugar, since aspartame can actually contribute to weight gain rather than weight loss. For example, high levels of aspartame have been shown to trigger a craving for food by depleting the brain of a chemical that registers satiety, or the sense of being full. Furthermore, studies suggest that sugars, if consumed after at least 45 minutes of continuous exercise, actually enhance the body’s ability to burn fat. Consequently, those who drink aspartame-sweetened juices after exercise will also lose this calorie-burning benefit. Thus, it appears that people consuming aspartame rather than sugar are unlikely to achieve their dietary goals."

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion, be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.

Sample Prompt 2

The following appeared in the opinion column of a financial magazine:

"On average, middle-aged consumers devote 39 percent of their retail expenditure to department store products and services, while for younger consumers the average is only 25 percent. Since the number of middle-aged people will increase dramatically within the next decade, department stores can expect retail sales to increase significantly during that period. Furthermore, to take advantage of the trend, these stores should begin to replace some of those products intended to attract the younger consumer with products intended to attract the middle-aged consumer."

Sample Prompt 3

The following appeared as part of an editorial in an industry newsletter:

"While trucking companies that deliver goods pay only a portion of highway maintenance costs and no property tax on the highways they use, railways spend billions per year maintaining and upgrading their facilities. The government should lower the railroad companies’ property taxes, since sending goods by rail is clearly a more appropriate mode of ground transportation than highway shipping. For one thing, trains consume only a third of the fuel a truck would use to carry the same load, making them a more cost-effective and environmentally sound mode of transport. Furthermore, since rail lines already exist, increases in rail traffic would not require building new lines at the expense of taxpaying citizens."

Sample Prompt 4

The following was excerpted from the speech of a spokesperson for Synthetic Farm Products, Inc.:

"Many farmers who invested in the equipment needed to make the switch from synthetic to organic fertilizers and pesticides feel that it would be too expensive to resume synthetic farming at this point. But studies of farmers who switched to organic farming last year indicate that their current crop yields are lower. Hence their purchase of organic farming equipment, a relatively minor investment compared to the losses that would result from continued lower crop yields, cannot justify persisting on an unwise course. And the choice to farm organically is financially unwise, given that it was motivated by environmental rather than economic concerns."

Sample Prompt 5

The following is part of a business plan created by the management of the Megamart grocery store:

"Our total sales have increased this year by 20 percent since we added a pharmacy section to our grocery store. Clearly, the customer’s main concern is the convenience afforded by one-stop shopping. The surest way to increase our profits over the next couple of years, therefore, is to add a clothing department along with an automotive supplies and repair shop. We should also plan to continue adding new departments and services, such as a restaurant and a garden shop, in subsequent years. Being the only store in the area that offers such a range of services will give us a competitive advantage over other local stores."

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GMAT essay topics | 3 examples included to ace the exam!

The gmat essay topics are distinct from most essays you’ve written in college. it involves critical thinking skills, how well you articulate the matter without picking a side, and so on. read on to know more, table of contents, all you need to know about the gmat essay section, gmat essay topics | things to keep in mind, example 1: it is an excerpt from the grocery store’s business plan, example 2: the publisher of the mercury, a weekly newspaper, issued the following announcement, example 3: protesters at waymarsh state college, #1. time your gmat essay practice, #2. write your gmat essays, #3. assess the quality of your gmat essays, key takeaways.

The GMAT essay section provides a one-paragraph prompt containing a specific argument. This document includes practice questions to help you improve your essay section , help you analyze how well you have reasoned the statement, and so on. While attempting the essay section, you have to keep certain aspects in mind. To help you nail the exam, here are some GMAT essay topics that you must practice positively.

Before proceeding ahead with the GMAT essay topics, here are a few things you need to keep in mind –

Ensure to analyze the argument’s logic and the incorporation of proof in the assertion during your discussion.
Consider the debatable assumptions that underpin thoughts and the possible theories or counterpoints that might undermine the conclusion.
You can also talk about what kind of evidence would help or hurt the argument.
Additionally, consider what changes to the debate would make it more logical and what would help you help assess its outcome.

GMAT essay topics |Examples that you must know of

Now that we’ve covered what the essay task requires, let’s first look at some sample GMAT essay topics from the official list.

No clear categories of provokes affect your assessment , but for a representative sample. It’s worth noting that the construction of each assertion does not fall within these boundaries; political prompts can employ the same flawed confrontational strategies as business or health and science prompts, for example.

Practicing GMAT essay topics before the actual exam

‘Even though we introduced a pharmacy segment to our supermarket this year, our overall sales have risen by 20%. The main concern of the customer is the convenience provided by one-stop shopping. Adding a clothing department and a vehicle supplies and repair shop is the most certain way to boost our profits in the coming years. In the coming years, we must also plan to add different departments and assistance, including a restaurant and a landscape shop. We will have a competitive edge over other local retailers since we are the only store in the district that offers such a wide range of services.’

Start writing answers wherein you discuss one or more clashing framework explanations and explain how the summaries can compensate for the proof stated in the proposition. Finally, look for logical flaws in the ending, facts, and rationale.

GMAT essay topics | 3 examples included to ace the exam!

‘Since the launch of a competing lower-priced newspaper, The Bugle, five years ago, The Mercury’s circulation has dropped by 10,000 readers.” The best way to encourage more people to read The Mercury is to lower its price less than that of the Bugle until circulation returns to pre-recession levels. Mercury’s increased circulation will entice more businesses to purchase ad space in the paper.’

Attempt writing responses in which you deliberate one or more contending framework explanations and describe how your descriptions can account for the evidence stated in the argument. Finally, examine the conclusion, evidence, and reasoning for logical flaws.

The following appeared in a local newspaper’s editorial section:

‘This past winter, 200 Waymarsh State College students marched to the state’s capital to hold rallies against proposed budget cuts to various state college programs. On the other hand, the other 12,000 Waymarsh students either remained on campus or left for the winter holidays, indicating that they were less concerned with their education. Because the non-protesters outnumber the protesters, they represent the state’s college students more. As a result, the state legislature should disregard the protesting students’ pleas.’

Start to write solutions in which you clarify a few conﬂicting arrangement reasons and illustrate how the overviews can make up the difference for the verification outlined in the hypothesis. Finally, take a glance for technical inaccuracies in the conclusion, factual information, and reasoning skills.

GMAT essay topics | Tips to ace the section!

The tips that follow will assist you in preparing for any GMAT essay topics you may encounter on test day –

When practicing GMAT essay topics, remember that you have a strict 30-minute time limit for your essay.

You should start writing all of your practice essays on a compute r to simulate the situations of the computer-based GMAT.

After you’ve completed your practice GMAT essays, try to grade them using the 6-point grading set of guidelines and by correlating your writing to the GMAC’s sample essay.

The GMAT essay is unlike most of the essays you’ve written in college.
The GMAC provides a list of the most formal GMAT essay topics asked in the exam.
Ensure to practice the essay topics every day.
The more you practice, the better you get at it.
Answer mock GMAT essays. It will help you grasp the technique of writing excellent essays.
Ensure that you articulate the matter well. Use your critical thinking skills for the same.

If you need assistance in your GMAT preparation, we are here for you. Get in touch with our experts today!

Liked this blog? Then read the blog on the GMAT score chart | 5 points to enhance your exam strategy!

Question 1: What happens if a student fails the GMAT?

Answer: A student can take the GMAT up to five times yearly. As a result, even if you fail once, you will be given another chance.

Question 2: What is the most effective method for preparing for the GMAT?

Answer: The most effective way to prepare for the GMAT is to continue attempting and solving practice papers. We also recommend that you thoroughly examine the most common GMAT questions.

Question 3: Can I find the GMAT essay topics for practice online?

Answer: You can find the GMAT essay topics for practice online. As a matter of fact, you can visit the GMAC site for mock papers.

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