Now that I am done with GMAT (My Experience with GMAT) with an AWA score of 5.5 I can give some gyan on improving your AWA score in GMAT and something about preparation.
1. Be consistent in preparation - Read a lot, may be one or two essays a day. No need to spend more than 5-10 minutes per day on this. But avoid last minute reading. Many people concentrate on the AWA only in the last few days and try to cram everything they read. This is a bad strategy unless you are a news reporter or someone who is a skilled writer.
2. Do not use heavy lingo - Try to gather strong arguments and not heavy phrases or jargon. Essay should be written in simple language and the reader should be able to comprehend.
3. Have arguments that are strong -Think with a cool head and list down all the arguments that you think are relevant here. Also think about what other information you could add. If you come across a lot of arguments, do not write all your arguments in the essay. As it might go very long and remember time is always ticking. Stick to the strongest points.
4. Think through the essay first, and outline how you want to format it. Dont just start the essay as soon as you see the topic.
5. Assumptions - Most of the times the statements being provided are based on some assumptions. Read them carefully and find out the hidden assumptions.
6. When preparing for essays - Do not just blindly read the essays. Read the subject first, what is asked and then try to list down points. No need to write the whole essay, and then when you read the essay, see what are the points you missed and how you could have improved the structure of the essay.
7. The format and structure of the essay - while there is no template to follow for essays, you must space them out carefully. Separate logical statements into paragraphs. Think about how your ideas should be conveyed to someone who reads them. Starting and concluding statements should be strong and have an impact on the reader.
8. Grammar - Your essays should have ideally no grammatical errors. But it is fine to have a few mistakes here and there but not too many.
9. Revise - You must read it once before submitting. Its is a MUST to do.
10. Save time for the end - For revision and do further editing you must save some time. Do not write till the end. And do not try to write a very long essay. Two to three strong arguments are often good enough.
11. While taking prep tests, take them once in a while. This helps in making you ready for the actual test in which you will have to sit through long hours. If you can attempt the AWA in each test. But in the last 2-3 tests that you take (mostly GMAT prep tests) , you must take the AWA seriously. Send them to friends for review as well if you can. It helps.
12. Read from trusted sources - Do not read from just any source. Buy a book or a CD. Reading magazines and newspapers also helps but when it comes to essays you must have a collection of some good AWA essays to read and get a feel.
13. Read the instructions and tips from the GMAT official guide very carefully. I read them twice, once when starting the preparation and then one day before GMAT (i had nothing to do that day ;))
14. Do not panic if till the last day you are not confident about your essays. Remember AWA is the easiest part of the whole GMAT test. So take it lightly and do not worry too much.
15. If you can not write grammatically correct sentences, then you must refer to a good grammar book and have a solid grounding in English grammar before thinking about GMAT.
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