Block 2

Tackling the Essay and Verbal Tests

In this block, you find out what the GRE evaluators want to see on your essay and how they want you to think through the different types of questions you’ll see in the Verbal questions. I give you tips for successfully completing both parts of the exam, and you find some sample questions at the end of this block that help you try what you’ve learned and check your understanding.

Writing an Essay Well and Fast

The GRE starts with an essay exam in which you’re asked to analyze an issue. You’re given 30 minutes to write your essay before you encounter any other test question. As you prepare for the essay-writing portion, remember these overall goals:

• Write a well-organized, insightful essay that showcases your perspective and critical thinking.
• Pace yourself and complete the essay within 30 minutes.
• Write well and clearly, with few errors.
• Conserve your energy for the rest of the test.

Thirty minutes for an essay is plenty of time if you know what to do and if you’ve practiced. The more you practice, the more comfortable you’ll become with organizing your thoughts and expressing them in words within the time limit and under the pressure of the exam.

In this section, find out the writing and time-management techniques you need to give the essay evaluators what they want. I also guide you through the process of writing each essay, paragraph by paragraph. You can try an essay prompt and check your work against a sample essay in the upcoming section “Exploring a sample essay.”

On the GRE, you type your essay in a text box not unlike Windows Notepad or Mac TextEdit with formatting turned off. It features cut, copy, paste, and undo, but that’s it — no spell check, grammar check, or automated anything, so the burden of proofreading is on you.

Writing the Issue essay

In the Analyze an Issue task, the GRE gives you an issue statement and asks you to introduce and then support your position on that issue. The format is like this:

Where do you begin? What do they want? Only 29 minutes left! Getting started is the hardest part, and staying focused is the most important. With a game plan and a structure in place, you’re equipped to do both. There are many strategies for writing a good essay, but this approach is effective and you can quickly master it:

1. Read and understand the prompt.
2. Identify examples you already know about the issue.
3. Take a position that’s in line with your examples.
4. Write a four- to five-paragraph essay using the following outline as your guide:
   • First paragraph: Introduction stating your position
   • Second paragraph: Your best supporting detail
   • Third and possibly fourth paragraphs: One or two more supporting details
   • Final paragraph: Conclusion reiterating your position statement from your introduction

Step 1: Read and understand the prompt

The Issue Analysis essay prompt consists of an issue statement followed by instructions that tell you exactly what to do. The issue statements vary, and so do the accompanying instructions. Here are a few examples that illustrate how the instructions in Issue Analysis prompts may differ:

• Write a response expressing your agreement or disagreement with this statement and the reasoning you followed to arrive at your position. Be sure to consider ways in which the statement may or may not be true and how these considerations influence your position.
• Write a response expressing your agreement or disagreement with this statement and addressing the most compelling reasons and/or examples that may challenge your position.

• The prompt may consist of a statement and a response, like a brief two-part conversation. In that case, the instructions may look like this:

  Which do you find more compelling: Group A’s assertion or Group B’s response to it? Write a response in which you take a position and explain the reasoning you followed to arrive at your position.

At the time of this writing, ETS has made its entire pool of Issue Analysis topics available at www.ets.org/content/dam/ets-org/pdfs/gre/issue-pool.pdf. You don’t have to type this whole address in your browser. Just include the word “pool” in your online search: “GRE issue essay pool.” The list contains all the issue statements along with examples of the instructions that accompany those statements so you can develop a better feel for how the prompts may be worded and what they’re likely to instruct you to do.

You can use this list for extra practice, but don’t get bogged down by trying to practice on every topic — there are a lot of topics. Just read through some of them so you know what to expect. (We play a game in class called “topic roulette,” where we scroll through the list, randomly pick a topic, and then as a group discuss the essay. I’ve had students tell me later that the prompt they got on the exam was one we reviewed in class!)

Step 2: Identify examples you already know about the issue

Your first inclination may be to state your position on the issue and then try to come up with data to support it. This may work, but it may also backfire. I’ve seen students take a stand and then struggle to support it. You don’t have time for soul-searching or rewriting your intro a bunch of times. On the actual GRE, this approach would earn you an essay score of 2. Instead, find your supporting details and then base your position on those details. This way, no matter what, you can support the point you’re making, and the evaluators check off the first thing on their list.

Before taking a position, use your scratch paper to write down five supporting details related to the issue statement. Along with each supporting detail, write down which side of the issue you think it supports. For the earlier prompt on handmade versus mass-produced goods, such a list may look something like this:

• Your mass-produced Casio wristwatch versus your uncle’s handmade Patek Philippe — favors cheap manufacturing
• An off-the-rack suit versus a tailored suit — favors handmade quality
• Your HP computer versus your friend’s custom-built PC from catalog-ordered parts — can go either way
• The $60 Raspberry Pi pocket-sized computer — can go either way
• Your Toyota 4Runner versus your great grandpa’s Ford Model T — favors mass production, but this example can easily be refuted by discussing the technology

Don’t worry if your examples aren’t perfect — you’re racing the clock, so just throw down some ideas. You need only two or three examples, so writing down five gives you room to discard a couple.

Your examples can be taken from personal or professional experiences, your reading, or other general background knowledge you possess. What have you seen, done, or heard that formed your opinion on this issue? You may find that your examples support the opposite of your initial response; you want to discover that before writing the introduction.

Step 3: Take a position that’s in line with your examples

From your examples, formulate your position. I know, you may feel like you’re working backwards, but you want to take the position that you know you can support. This essay isn’t a personal statement — it’s a test of your ability to compose a clear, coherent train of thought. In this case, your best examples favor cheap manufacturing over handmade quality. So run with that, even if you personally disagree. If necessary, adjust your personal position for the essay. Your goal isn’t self-expression; it’s to score a perfect 6.

You’re not making a commitment here. You’re simply writing an essay to be graded. No one is going to bring this essay up in ten years when you’re running for office. In fact, no one sees your essay ever again, and believe me, students and I have tried. If your supporting examples don’t fit your inherent position, this half hour isn’t the time for self-discovery about why or why not. Your task is one thing: Write a Level 6 essay. It’s okay to declare something that you don’t feel. Just look at your examples and write from a position that these examples can support.

The examples you wrote in Step 2 give you a good sense of where your essay will go. Now that your examples are down on paper and you’ve gathered your thoughts, you’re ready to write your introduction.

Step 4: Write your Issue essay

You’ve laid the groundwork for writing your essay. You’ve read the statement and the instructions, identified supporting details, and...