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PROVEN ways to boost your GRE essay score

Introduction

If you are trying to boost your GRE essay score, you should know that this is easier than it seems. Simply follow these proven strategies and your score will automatically improve:



1. Write the essay in advance

The first thing you should do is write the essay in advance. This will give you a chance to think about the question, write a rough draft, change it if necessary, and make sure that you understand what's expected of you. You don't want to spend too much time on this part because it will be very difficult for them when they read through thousands of essays and try to pick out those that are good enough.

2. Keep it succinct

If you're trying to impress the GRE evaluators, it's best not to use too many words. The evaluators are looking for concise essays that get right to the point and avoid unnecessary fluff. Keep your sentences short and simple; make sure that each paragraph has a single idea or purpose; don't go off on tangents or spend time explaining things that aren't relevant (or interesting). In other words: keep it succinct!

3. Follow the suggested format

Prepare to write your GRE essay by following the suggested format. You will be given a prompt and asked to respond in a specific way, so you must be prepared with ideas and an outline before you begin writing. If you don't follow this format, your essay will not be graded correctly, and score 160+ on GER verbal reasoning.

The best way to prepare is by practicing with past prompts--the ETS publishes these on its website. You can also find practice questions at Kaplan or other test prep companies (and probably in some textbooks).

4. Proofread, proofread, and proofread again!

Proofreading is the most important step in the essay writing process. When you're proofreading your essay, it's important to take a break from it and come back to it later. Reading out loud can help you catch mistakes that are easy to miss when reading silently. You should also check for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, as well as logical flow and coherence (i.e., whether each paragraph is related to its neighbor).

5. Avoid buzzwords and cliches

Avoid buzzwords and cliche.

Your essay should be a reflection of your own voice, not something that sounds like it was written by a machine or a robot. That being said, there are certain words and phrases that tend to sound generic no matter who's using them--and they won't help you stand out among the thousands of other applicants vying for admission into top graduate schools. These include words like "unique," "innovative," "cutting edge," etc., which have been used so many times in college essays that they now seem trite and overused (if not straight-up clichéd). Avoid these at all costs to score high on GRE easily!

6. Be confident but not arrogant

The key to avoiding arrogance is to use language that acknowledges the possibility of error. Phrases like "I believe," "I think," or even "this is my opinion" will help you avoid sounding too cocky.

As far as words go, it's better not to use terms like "definitely" or "undoubtedly" because they imply absolute certainty; instead of saying something like "this is definitely true," try something along the lines of "it appears that..."

Finally--and this may come as a surprise--you should also avoid using words like definitely/undoubtedly in your essay!

[Read More: How to Create a GRE Study Plan for 3 Months?]

GRE essays can be hard to write, but with these tips, you'll have a much better experience!

  • Read the prompt carefully and thoroughly.
  • Write down keywords from the prompt as you read it, so you can use them in your essay later on (this is also helpful if English isn't your first language).
  • Begin writing an answer before thinking too much about what exactly it should say; this will help prevent writer's block later on in the process when all of your ideas seem bad and useless!

Conclusion

In the end, it all comes down to practice. The more essays you write and perfect, the more likely you are to get a high score on the GRE. So don't be afraid to take several practice tests before taking the real thing! We can help you out with the best GRE Coaching from experts.

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