: How can I improve my analytical writing for a standardized test? I will be taking the GRE test, which is an exam for students from non-English speaking countries who want to go to the US

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To prepare specifically for the GRE essay portions, you can get test prep books which explain the rubric by which they are graded, or go online to the ETS web site. I found this link: www.ets.org/Media/Tests/GRE/pdf/awintro.pdf , which includes specific examples of essays with different scores.

Getting a good grade on the GRE essays is a skill that can be a little different from writing a good essay in general, because essays are graded rather quickly with a specific rubric. Writing that is poetic and beautiful but does not fit the rubric will likely receive a lower score (personally, I had trouble translating my writing style-- which always received excellent grades in college classes-- into a high-scoring GRE style). In my experience, writing that is "too" concise (and thus shorter than average) can actually hurt your score. Working on mastering the "formula" that the graders are looking for, and then making it your own and demonstrating good reasoning skills, is helpful. Again, the info provided by the ETS (they produce the test) in the above link helps with this.

You can practice reasoning and analyses in ways beyond mere essay writing. Read news articles and formulate pros and cons of the positions described. Discuss issues with intelligent people and think about what kinds of arguments are convincing, and what kind of knowledge would support those arguments. Practice thinking about both sides of an issue and trying to imagine how someone might argue against your own position, yet also practice explaining why one side of an argument is sounder than another.

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