Is a 4.5 on the analytical section bad?

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Jazmyn: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 6; Joined: Mon Dec 07, 2009 1:33 am

Is a 4.5 on the analytical section bad?

by Jazmyn » Fri Jun 04, 2010 6:45 pm

What can I do to improve this score?

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Source: Beat The GMAT — GMAT Strategy | Fri Jun 04, 2010 6:45 pm

grockit_andrea: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 357; Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2009 8:31 pm; Thanked: 128 times; Followed by:7 members

by grockit_andrea » Sat Jun 05, 2010 5:33 pm

The percentiles vary slightly at different times, but a 4.5 is definitely below the 50th percentile; it's not a high score. Ways to improve it would include reading sample essays and explanations to gain an understanding of what the readers are looking for, familiarizing yourself with different templates to see what kind of essay structure works best for you, and writing practice essays. Posting those essays on the AWA forum here will allow you to get feedback from other test-takers. For a fee, you can also have some practice essays scored by GMAT readers; information on that service is available on the GMAT website. Best of luck!

Andrea A.
Grockit Tutor
https://www.grockit.com

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Dan@VinciaPrep: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 384; Joined: Sun Nov 01, 2009 9:54 am; Location: Paris; Thanked: 92 times; Followed by:13 members

by Dan@VinciaPrep » Mon Jun 07, 2010 12:59 am

grockit_andrea wrote:The percentiles vary slightly at different times, but a 4.5 is definitely below the 50th percentile; it's not a high score. Ways to improve it would include reading sample essays and explanations to gain an understanding of what the readers are looking for, familiarizing yourself with different templates to see what kind of essay structure works best for you, and writing practice essays. Posting those essays on the AWA forum here will allow you to get feedback from other test-takers. For a fee, you can also have some practice essays scored by GMAT readers; information on that service is available on the GMAT website. Best of luck!

I agree with Andrea's advice on how to improve your score- especially using templates. However, even though a 4.5 is below the 50% percentile I still think it's an adequate score. The essay scores aren't used the schools' rankings, and therefore tend to carry less weight in the admissions process.

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