II wrote:Any thoughts on how best to prepare for the AWA section of the GMAT test ? Thanks in advance.

Consciously reading newspaper/magzine and then anylysing (and maybe writing crtiical review)
Though it's not that tough to ace in AWA section if your good at writing and CR.
some links @ resources section may help...
https://del.icio.us/beatthegmat/GMAT_Essays_AWA

Thanks aim. I also was able to download a collection of topics from the GMAC site mba.com. I suppose it is probably best to practice answering some of those.
Generally what should be a good word limit to aim for ?
Apologies in advance if I am asking questions which have already been asked on this forum !
Thanks.

As far as the number of lines go it depends on your ability to write well reasoned arguments quickly. I'd expect an essay that'd be at least rated 4.0 would be of this length.

Introduction; always state your position (3-5 lines)
I strongly believe in X [because of Y]. In the following paragraphs I intend to provide well reasoned arguments for the position I've taken.

Three well reasoned arguments (4-5 lines)

Optional conceding to the opponent view (3-5 lines)
While I believe in X I understand that those who believe in Y have some good reasons to do so. For example, ... ,.

Conclusion (2-3 lines) keep it brief.

In my opinion at a minimum an essay should be 20 lines. But a good essay should be targeting 25+ lines. Please remember Quality always trumps quantity when you write an essay. A well reasoned 20 line essay could easily get you a 6.0 while a poorly written 30 line essay could only get you a 4.0 for all your efforts.

Makes sense ... thanks.

Practice at least five sample essays and you will get how to perform well.

parore26 wrote:As far as the number of lines go it depends on your ability to write well reasoned arguments quickly. I'd expect an essay that'd be at least rated 4.0 would be of this length.

Introduction; always state your position (3-5 lines)
I strongly believe in X [because of Y]. In the following paragraphs I intend to provide well reasoned arguments for the position I've taken.

Three well reasoned arguments (4-5 lines)

Optional conceding to the opponent view (3-5 lines)
While I believe in X I understand that those who believe in Y have some good reasons to do so. For example, ... ,.

Conclusion (2-3 lines) keep it brief.

In my opinion at a minimum an essay should be 20 lines. But a good essay should be targeting 25+ lines. Please remember Quality always trumps quantity when you write an essay. A well reasoned 20 line essay could easily get you a 6.0 while a poorly written 30 line essay could only get you a 4.0 for all your efforts.

I agree with this. I got a 6.0 on my essays without studying any on AWA. Skipped it on every practice. (Think this was a bad idea for timing purposes...640-680 on MGMAT practices while 580 on actual due to not being able to finish either section)I can't type for crap either so I have to keep it short. I love essays. I can BS about almost anything especially business. I also used the standard 5-paragraph essay format that is taught in English 101--1)intro ending with thesis statement that will set up next three paragraphs. 2-4) paragraphs that support your thesis. 4) conclusion