ANALYTICAL WRITING ASSESSMENT

ANALYTICAL WRITING ASSESSMENT

This section tests the writing ability of an examinee.

• There are basically 2 types of essays-
  
  Analysis of Argument (AOA) and Analysis of Issue (AOI)
• The time permitted for writing each essay is 30 minutes.
The essay is read by two readers who each mark the essay with a grade from 0-6, in 0.5 point increments with a mean score of 4.1. If the two scores are within one point of each other, they are averaged. If there is more than one point difference, the essays are read by a third reader.
• Most B- schools offering GMAT do not give much importance to this section. Rather the verbal and quantitative sections are ranked higher and sometimes this section is totally ignored by the B-schools in the selection criteria.
  
• The two essays of the Analytical Writing Assessment section are graded on a scale of 0 – 6. The scoring is as follows:
0 An illegible essay or obviously not written on the assigned topic. 1 An essay that is fundamentally deficient.
2 An essay that is seriously flawed.
3 An essay that is seriously limited.
4 An essay that is merely adequate.
5 An essay that is strong.
6 An essay that is outstanding.

• The "Total Score", comprising the quantitative and verbal sections, is exclusive of the analytical writing assessment (AWA).