GMAT Essays (AWA)

i got 5.0 for my awa in gmat.how good is it?

Hi lazymonster--

A 5.0 AWA is acceptable for most top bschools, though it's on the low side. This score is in the 57th percentile. FWIW, the average AWA is 4.4 (by comparison, the average GMAT total score is 542). You definitely would not need to retest the GMAT in an attempt to raise a 5.0 AWA; you're probably fine with this (if the AWA is lower than that, it might be reason enough to retest, even though the AWA is perhaps the least important aspect of the entire application - this would need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by looking at the whole package).

The one issue to keep in mind with an AWA score in this range: If your application essays are too perfect, and you have a 5.0 AWA or lower, then the adcom will likely suspect that you had a lot of help with the application. If you're getting outside input into your essays, be very careful about how you do so - you obviously would never ever want someone else to write your essays for you, but even if you have a friend who offers just to help you edit them, you should be very conservative about how you adopt his suggestions.

Hope this helps!
EssaySnark

essaysnark wrote:Hi lazymonster--

A 5.0 AWA is acceptable for most top bschools, though it's on the low side. This score is in the 57th percentile. FWIW, the average AWA is 4.4 (by comparison, the average GMAT total score is 542). You definitely would not need to retest the GMAT in an attempt to raise a 5.0 AWA; you're probably fine with this (if the AWA is lower than that, it might be reason enough to retest, even though the AWA is perhaps the least important aspect of the entire application - this would need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by looking at the whole package).

The one issue to keep in mind with an AWA score in this range: If your application essays are too perfect, and you have a 5.0 AWA or lower, then the adcom will likely suspect that you had a lot of help with the application. If you're getting outside input into your essays, be very careful about how you do so - you obviously would never ever want someone else to write your essays for you, but even if you have a friend who offers just to help you edit them, you should be very conservative about how you adopt his suggestions.

Hope this helps!
EssaySnark

What if someone scores like a 4.0 ?

vaibhavgupta wrote:What if someone scores like a 4.0 ?

Hi vaibhavgupta--

As we said, it needs to be evaluated holistically, and it very much depends on the school we're talking about, so it's hard to offer a definitive answer. A 4.0 AWA is a bit of a red flag for the adcom at any MBA program. But, if everything else lines up, then it might not be a showstopper for you. If the overall GMAT score is borderline -- and especially if the verbal GMAT score is low (28 or lower) then you might seriously consider retesting. We have, on occasion, advised a client to retest *just* to bring up the AWA score when it was in the 4.0 range - but it's rare that we'd do so. In most cases, the AWA alone is not a major factor in a school's decision.

As you move down the school rankings, then a low AWA score would probably be even less of an issue for you. So, if you're targeting a Top 10 school, this should be looked at carefully. But, for school ranked around #30 or below, then it may not matter that much.

Hope this helps!
EssaySnark

essaysnark wrote:

vaibhavgupta wrote:What if someone scores like a 4.0 ?

Hi vaibhavgupta--

As we said, it needs to be evaluated holistically, and it very much depends on the school we're talking about, so it's hard to offer a definitive answer. A 4.0 AWA is a bit of a red flag for the adcom at any MBA program. But, if everything else lines up, then it might not be a showstopper for you. If the overall GMAT score is borderline -- and especially if the verbal GMAT score is low (28 or lower) then you might seriously consider retesting. We have, on occasion, advised a client to retest *just* to bring up the AWA score when it was in the 4.0 range - but it's rare that we'd do so. In most cases, the AWA alone is not a major factor in a school's decision.

As you move down the school rankings, then a low AWA score would probably be even less of an issue for you. So, if you're targeting a Top 10 school, this should be looked at carefully. But, for school ranked around #30 or below, then it may not matter that much.

Hope this helps!
EssaySnark

I actually havent taken GMAT (scheduled in Nov) but wondering how much impact it would have on my app for an MSC prog ..
( i will also not give TOEFL as i have a letter stating english as medium of instruction in bachelors)

Oh! Well, if you haven't taken the GMAT yet, then just be sure to practice and prepare for the AWA, too. Sometimes people overlook that part -- it used to be that the AWA wasn't considered important, but it definitely IS important, and a good score will help an application to any program that accepts the GMAT. Most people we see get a 5.0 or above with no problem (higher score obviously adds more value).

Good luck with your studies!

essaysnark wrote:Oh! Well, if you haven't taken the GMAT yet, then just be sure to practice and prepare for the AWA, too. Sometimes people overlook that part -- it used to be that the AWA wasn't considered important, but it definitely IS important, and a good score will help an application to any program that accepts the GMAT. Most people we see get a 5.0 or above with no problem (higher score obviously adds more value).

Good luck with your studies!

To be honest, i m still confused on how to effectively study for AWA. since it might not be the most important part, i do not want to over stress on it and on the other hand don't want to get a bad score.

i want to tell something frankly whant i have done for awa.
i didnt practice not even one essay and i didnt read newspaper daily.my first practice essay is my real test essay even then i got a score of 5.0.so dont worry about awa stuff much.go through some general reading material and news paper atleast 30 min a day.i m sure u will get a score 6 easily.all the best.

lazymonster wrote:i want to tell something frankly whant i have done for awa.
i didnt practice not even one essay and i didnt read newspaper daily.my first practice essay is my real test essay even then i got a score of 5.0.so dont worry about awa stuff much.go through some general reading material and news paper atleast 30 min a day.i m sure u will get a score 6 easily.all the best.

Well, i read newspaper daily and am an avid biographies reader..
and i plan to just go through one or two samples of a prefect 6 (from OG) ..
Hopefully that will do the trick ! Thanks!

Hey Vaibhav,

If you search for AWA templates, you will get a bunch of great stuff from BTG, gclub etc. Too many users have posted that by going through this templates and practicing for a day or two, they scored pefect 6.0 in AWA. I heard from a recent test taker that Veritas AWA guide is excellent.

prodizy wrote:Hey Vaibhav,

If you search for AWA templates, you will get a bunch of great stuff from BTG, gclub etc. Too many users have posted that by going through this templates and practicing for a day or two, they scored pefect 6.0 in AWA. I heard from a recent test taker that Veritas AWA guide is excellent.

Ok .. is there a particular structure that is expected of us?