I agree that it's wise to conserve your energy for the nasty multiple-choice questions, but skipping the essays is a little bit risky. AWA isn't a hugely important component of your MBA profile, but a score of zero really wouldn't be too flattering. At worst, the adcom could look at your (flawlessly polished?) admissions essays and wonder whether you really have the skill to write them yourself.

Ideally, you want to get a decent score on AWA without expending too much energy. Don't be too ambitious with your essays--just make sure that your structure (introduction with a clear thesis, two or three supporting paragraphs with solid topic sentences, conclusion) is nice and clear, and don't worry about making the essays worthy of a Pulitzer. If you have time, practice your AWA just so that you get comfortable cutting corners and writing lazily. Train yourself to produce a tolerable essay while exerting minimal energy.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

gmatninja wrote:I agree that it's wise to conserve your energy for the nasty multiple-choice questions, but skipping the essays is a little bit risky. AWA isn't a hugely important component of your MBA profile, but a score of zero really wouldn't be too flattering. At worst, the adcom could look at your (flawlessly polished?) admissions essays and wonder whether you really have the skill to write them yourself.

Ideally, you want to get a decent score on AWA without expending too much energy. Don't be too ambitious with your essays--just make sure that your structure (introduction with a clear thesis, two or three supporting paragraphs with solid topic sentences, conclusion) is nice and clear, and don't worry about making the essays worthy of a Pulitzer. If you have time, practice your AWA just so that you get comfortable cutting corners and writing lazily. Train yourself to produce a tolerable essay while exerting minimal energy.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

thank you! That's what I'm going to do.