7 Tips for a Perfect GRE Issue Essay

Practice makes perfect! You can study for the GRE online by looking up the AWA prompts and practicing writing several of them within the 30-minute guideline. The only way to get comfortable with the time constraints is to practice them, so set up test-like conditions and get to work. If you’re a good writer, you might be tempted to take the GRE essay portion without practicing. That’s not a great idea–the issue essay is a different kind of essay than you’ve probably had to write in school, and you might miss the mark if you don’t practice. On the issue essay you’re not writing literary criticism or rhetorical analysis, but rather something more akin to a very direct, concise email to a very busy boss or professor. Get used to the idea that the issue essay isn’t about how well you make things flow or how pretty it sounds; it’s about how clearly you can get information across.

Between full practice essays, students can build their planning skills with a five-minute brainstorming exercise. Choose an official GRE Issue prompt, read its specific instructions, and list reasons and examples for different positions. Then select a position and outline two or three supporting points.

For each point, jot down an example and a brief explanation of how it supports the thesis. This exercise helps students recognize when an argument needs more support before they begin writing.

Before writing, test takers should choose a position they can explain and support with relevant reasons and examples. The introduction should state that position clearly, and each body paragraph should develop a distinct supporting point.

A clear position does not require complete agreement or disagreement. An essay can acknowledge exceptions or explain that a claim applies only under certain conditions, provided those qualifications are consistent with the thesis.

Students should read the full instructions before outlining. Depending on the prompt, the response may need to address opposing arguments, compare two views, or consider the consequences of a policy. A prepared structure should help organize the response without replacing the analysis the prompt requires.

Examples can come from history, literature, current events, personal experience, or a plausible hypothetical situation. The important distinction is between a specific, well-explained example and a vague assertion.

Test takers should choose examples they can describe accurately and connect directly to their reasoning. An impressive name or event adds little unless the essay explains how it supports the position.

You can choose examples from a wide range of subjects, including personal experience, pop culture, history, sports, literature, current events, politics, etc. But, don’t let your examples take over the essay. For instance, if you’re using a historical example, be careful that you don’t let the bulk of your essay become a summary of that event or a history paper equivalent. Your whole goal on the issue essay is to prove a point, so only use an example if it’s going to back up your argument.

A useful body paragraph does more than name an example. It should:

• State the point the example supports.
• Describe the relevant details.
• Explain why those details support the point.
• Connect the reasoning to the essay’s overall position.

For example, an essay supporting hands-on learning should not stop at stating that internships are valuable. It could explain how an engineering internship requires students to apply classroom principles to a design problem, evaluate practical constraints, and revise a solution. Those details show why practical experience can strengthen academic learning.

Students should prioritize fully developed reasoning over a target word count. Adding more examples or repeating the thesis does not strengthen an essay unless the additional material advances the argument.

In general, you should avoid writing in first person on the issue essay. Saying things like “I believe” or “in my opinion” adds unnecessary words since the reader already knows that the issue essay is written from your perspective. First-person pronouns should ONLY appear in a body paragraph if you are using personal experience as an example. Never use “I” in your introductory or concluding paragraphs.

Clear, direct writing makes an argument easier to follow. Test takers should state their claims and explain the reasoning behind them rather than leave a series of rhetorical questions unanswered.

Precise, familiar language is more useful than elaborate vocabulary used incorrectly. Sentence variety can improve readability, but complicated phrasing should not obscure the point.

Transitions should explain how ideas relate. Phrases such as “for example,” “however,” and “as a result” can introduce evidence, acknowledge a contrast, or show a consequence. The connection must also make sense: adding a transition word cannot substitute for explaining the relationship between two ideas.

When the task calls for opposing views or limitations, test takers should address them where they fit logically in the discussion. A body paragraph often provides enough space to explain a counterargument and show whether it weakens, qualifies, or leaves the thesis intact.

The conclusion should bring the reasoning together and reinforce the essay’s position. It should not introduce a major objection that the remaining space cannot adequately address.