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LET'S BE BRUTALLY HONEST ABOUT THE AWA

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LET'S BE BRUTALLY HONEST ABOUT THE AWA

by skang357 » Mon Apr 27, 2009 5:47 pm
The schools can care less for them right??

As long as you get above a 4, they know that at least you can speak English.

They will look more closely into the score if you also took a TOEFL or you are not a native English speaker.

But for people like me who can put a coherent sentence on top of another one and can write a paragraph, is there a need to score a 5.5 or a 6 on this AWA???

I received a 5.5 on the first GMAT I took because I actually used my brain to actually write an essay.

The next time I took the GMAT, I spent 5 minutes on each section of the AWA and received a 4.

I got over 90% on the V and I"m a native English speaker and my essays are good.

Is adcomm going to put a strike against me for getting a 4 on the AWA???

I"m going to do a GMAT retake. Do I feel that it's worth the time and effort to prepare for the AWA? NO!

I feel that spending 1 hour before the actual GMAT by wracking your brain to come up with some essay will lower your performance when it comes time to write the actual GMAT. YOU MIGHT GET A LOWER SCORE IF YOU WORK TOO HARD ON THE AWA. SO MY STRATEGY IS TO NOT WORK ON THEM AT ALL.. LOL HAHA

MAYBE THIS TIME I WILL SPEND 10 MINUTES ON EACH SECTION AS OPPOSED TO THE 5 I SPENT LAST TIME. I WILL TRY TO GET A 4.5 OR A 5.

Any thoughts to the above?
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by 4seasoncentre » Tue Apr 28, 2009 6:33 am
I agree that no one should lose sleep over the AWA, but you should put a reasonable amount of effort into it.

If you can do well in the verbal section, then you are probably capable of generating a clear argument and have a strong command of the English language.

There are no strict guidelines for the format, so you can wing your way through and still do well. I personally think I wrote the full practise essays for just one of the two GMAT preps and still scored a 6, so it certainly doesn't require a lot of preparation to do well.

It is important to keep in mind that GMAT scores are valid for five years. Perhaps in those five years you might be applying to other business schools, or for scholarships.

As well, the application process is subjective. Even if schools don't officially consider your AWA score, it could affect their decision if you are near the borderline of acceptance.

Also consider when you are bragging about your GMAT score and then someone asks you your AWA, you wanna tell them something good!

Finally, you DO have the option of a break and the essays are only an hour so I don't think it is a huge drain on one's energy. If nothing else it helps settle you into the testing centre.
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A few more points on whether the AWA is important

by Jose Ferreira » Wed Apr 29, 2009 9:49 am
One more reason why the AWA is a part of the GMAT is to ensure you really did write that A+ admissions essay. If you are an applicant, native or non-native English speaker, who applies to B-School with a knock-out admissions essay, they may very well go to your AWA score to verify that you didn't hire someone to write it.

While there's nothing fishy about a tremendous admissions essay being paired with an AWA score of 5.5 or 6, perhaps a dean of admissions will give a second look (and not in a good way) to the outstanding essay you sent in that is coupled with an AWA score 3.5 or 4.

Look, there are a lot of shady people out there who will pay someone to write their entire applications! If the GMAT gives you an opportunity to excel in some way, then prepare for it. If you are a good writer anyway, then you probably will not have to prepare as comprehensively, but your AWA should be a representative sample of you, whether that means you score a 3, 4, or 6.

Additionally, the last tally I saw is that a score of 6 puts you in the 87th percentile. 13% of applicants get a perfect score! It's not the equivalent of shooting for an 800 by any stretch. In the name of competition, give yourself every advantage you can in the application game.
Last edited by Jose Ferreira on Wed Apr 29, 2009 2:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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by VP_Jim » Wed Apr 29, 2009 10:20 am
I'm with Jose on this one. While it's true that the AWA probably isn't as important as virtually every other part of your application (with the possible exceptions described above), don't you want to put your best foot forward?

If you're applying to top b-schools with <20% acceptance rates, you need to give admissions committees every reason to accept you. Even minor plusses, such as a 6.0 on the essays, might help get you over the hump.

I like to give my students a little hypothetical: it's you vs. someone else for the final spot in the HBS incoming class. You have equivalent work experience, went to similar colleges with similar majors, have the same GPA and GMAT score... but you scored a 6.0 on the essays and the other applicant scored a 4.0. Who do you think will get the spot?

It sounds like you are capable of scoring a 6.0 on the essays - so go for it!
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