ETS has its pool of issue and argument topics (from the analytical writing section of the GRE) published on its website: http://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/analytical_writing/issue/pool and www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/prepare/analytical_writing/argument/pool. As quoted directly from the website, "When you take the test, you will be presented with one [issue or argument] topic from this pool." Would it be a good idea to briefly read every topic and form an outline/thesis for each one? I figure it would be a lot easier to answer a question on the actual GRE that I've already seen and thought of before, but I could be totally wrong.
Is this an effective strategy?
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I guess if you have time, that could work, but it seems a little excessive in my opinion, especially if you don't have a lot of time on your hands. Maybe you could outline a few from different topics, and maybe focus on topics that you aren't too confident in? Some of the prompts may be similar, or related to the same topic, so making a thesis and outline for every single one might end up being redundant. And I would suggest only doing this for the issue. I prepared for this just by picking a prompt at random from the ETS pool and writing an essay within the time limit.
For the topics I wasn't too familiar with, I tried to read well-written articles online related to the topic. I think reading more, especially academic writing, not only gives you more perspective on the topic, but also helps with vocab and the verbal section in general.
For argument, I would suggest finding a list of the most common logical fallacies and practice identifying them in the samples, and then pick a random prompt and write an essay. I used Magoosh to study for the GRE, and they had videos explaining the different kinds of fallacies to look for in the argument portion. Magoosh also had good videos on how to manage your time for the writing section.
Hope this helps! This is all just my opinion. Everyone learns differently and this is what seemed to work for me.
For the topics I wasn't too familiar with, I tried to read well-written articles online related to the topic. I think reading more, especially academic writing, not only gives you more perspective on the topic, but also helps with vocab and the verbal section in general.
For argument, I would suggest finding a list of the most common logical fallacies and practice identifying them in the samples, and then pick a random prompt and write an essay. I used Magoosh to study for the GRE, and they had videos explaining the different kinds of fallacies to look for in the argument portion. Magoosh also had good videos on how to manage your time for the writing section.
Hope this helps! This is all just my opinion. Everyone learns differently and this is what seemed to work for me.
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I would suggest in lieu of forming an outline/thesis for each one, you read through them all and identify common themes, and then write practice essays for a selection of topics encompassing the common themes. I did this, and like the above poster, did additional research on topics I felt shaky on.
I haven't looked at the topic pool in over a year, but I seem to remember that government and its role in art, education, society, etc, is a pretty common one, as well as education more generally, government, society, the use and limits of power, and personal choice.
For the argument essay, I definitely don't suggest working on each topic. If you've written a few argument essays successfully, you should be good. They all use the same strategy. I didn't use Magoosh, but it sounds like a good resource for how to pick apart the argument essay. Good luck!
I haven't looked at the topic pool in over a year, but I seem to remember that government and its role in art, education, society, etc, is a pretty common one, as well as education more generally, government, society, the use and limits of power, and personal choice.
For the argument essay, I definitely don't suggest working on each topic. If you've written a few argument essays successfully, you should be good. They all use the same strategy. I didn't use Magoosh, but it sounds like a good resource for how to pick apart the argument essay. Good luck!
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That couldn't hurt, obviously. I think it's overkill though unless you feel your writing is weak. Time is limited, and I haven't really seen schools that care about your writing other than making sure you get a 4. If you've done enough practice to feel confident that you can get a 4 then your time is probably better spent studying the other sections. Moving your writing score from a 4 to a 5 doesn't help you much but picking up a few points on the other sections can make a massive difference to your acceptance rate.
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A previous poster mentioned reading more. I think that is the best thing you can do for both your writing and your verbal section. Reading a newspaper daily that has more dense writing (the new york times/ wall street journal instead of your local paper/USA Today) can make your verbal score better and get you some ideas that can be incorporated into your writing.
