For a high-scoring Argument essay, you need to accomplish these four basic tasks:

1. Identify and analyze the Argument’s key elements.



2. Organize, develop, and express your critique in a coherent and logically convincing manner..



3. Support your ideas with sound reasons and supporting examples.



4. Demonstrate adequate control of the elements of Standard Written English (grammar, syntax, and usage).

Just as for the Issue Analysis, you should spend some time up front thinking about what you will write and how you will organize your ideas. Again, save some time at the end to proofread and fine-tune your essay. Here’s a 7-step game plan to help you budget your time so you can accomplish all four tasks listed above within your 30-minute time limit (suggested times are parenthesized):

1. Read the Argument, and identify its conclusions (1 min.).



2. Examine the Argument’s evidence to determine how strongly it supports the Argument’s conclusion(s). (3 min.).



3. Organize and prioritize your points of critique (1 min.).



4. Compose a brief introduction (2 min.).



5. Compose the body of your response (16 min.).



6. Compose a brief concluding (2 min.).



7. Proofread for significant mechanical problems (5 min.).

Notice that, by following the suggested times for each step, you’ll spend about 5 minutes planning your essay, 20 minutes writing it, and 5 minutes proofreading it.

Success Keys for Writing a GMAT Argument-Analysis Essay

In the following paragraphs, we’ve distilled our very best advice for GMAT Argument-Analysis down to bite-sized nuggets that you can easily digest. Many of them reiterate suggestions we’ve already made—suggestions that are well worth underscoring. Others are new here.

Ferreting Out the Flaws Is Half the Battle

Built into each and every GMAT Argument are at least three or four distinct reasoning problems. That’s how the test-makers design them. To earn a high score, first and foremost, your essay must identify these problems. After brainstorming and making notes, if you haven’t isolated at least three major flaws, then you can be sure that you’ve missed at least one. Read the Argument again—very carefully. (Even a few overlooked words can be key.)

Ration your time to be sure the reader knows you’ve recognized each and every problem listed in your notes. Don’t worry if 30 minutes isn’t enough time for you to discuss each problem in detail. When it comes to analyzing GMAT Arguments, remember that breadth is better than depth.

Viewpoints and Opinions Don’t Matter—At All

In sharp contrast to the Issue essay, your Argument essay is not the place to present viewpoints or opinions about an issue that the Argument might touch up on. Your analysis must focus strictly on the Argument’s logical features and on how strongly its evidence supports its conclusions.

For instance, consider an Argument for electing a certain political candidate because she has a record of being tough on crime. In an Issue essay involving the problem of violent crime, it would be perfectly appropriate to present various viewpoints on this social issue—weighing alternative approaches to the problem in general. But these viewpoints are irrelevant to the Argument writing task.

Don’t Leave Any Point of Critique Without Support

Don’t neglect to support each point of your critique with at least one example or counterexample that helps the reader understand the particular flaw you’re pointing out. Keep your examples and counterexamples hypothetical (“What if . . . ,” “Suppose that . . . ,” or It’s possible that . . .” or “Perhaps . . .” ) You don’t need to go into great detail; one or two for each point of critique will suffice. Unless you provide some support for each point of critique, your score might suffer.

But what if you think you won’t have enough time to provide supporting detail for each and every point of critique in your notes? Don’t despair. Look for two or three points that are related to the same item of evidence (for example, points that all involve the same statistical survey). Then, plan to touch briefly on each one in the same paragraph. Grouping them together this way will make sense to the reader, who might not notice what’s missing as much as the fact that you’re very organized!

Don’t Look for the “Fatal Flaw”; Instead, Treat Every Problem as a Contributing Cause of Death

Avoid dwelling on one particular flaw that you think is the most serious one—or on one realistic example or counterexample that you think, if true, would spell certain death for the entire Argument. Otherwise, you risk running out of time to identify all the problems you’ve listed in your notes.

Also, don’t try to rank any flaw as “more serious” or “less serious” than another. True, one particular flaw might be more damaging to an Argument than others. But by identifying it as “the most serious problem with the Argument,” you’re committing yourself to defend this claim, by weighing that problem against all the others. Do you really have time for this kind of analysis? No! Nor do the GMAT readers expect or want this from you. In short, you’re best off applying equal treatment to each of the Argument’s problems.

There’s No Need to Impress with Technical Terminology

Scholars in the academic fields of Critical Reasoning and Logic rely on all sorts of formal terminology (much of which comes from the Latin language), for the kinds of reasoning flaws that you’ll find in GMAT Arguments. For example, post hoc reasoning refers to faulty “After this, therefore because of this” reasoning. But you won’t score any points with GMAT readers by tossing around such terminology in your Argument essay. Besides, if you refer a technical term, you’ll then need to define it for the reader, which will only consume your precious time. So don’t bother!

Go with the Logical Flow

Try to organize your points of critique to reflect the Argument’s line of reasoning—from its evidence and assumptions to its intermediate conclusion (if any), then to its final conclusion. Fortunately, most GMAT Arguments are already organized this way—so that your points of critique can simply follow the quoted Argument from beginning to end.

But don’t assume that this sequence will be the most logical one. Regardless of the sequence of ideas in the quoted Argument, try to group together all your points of critique that involve the same item of evidence (for example, a statistical survey or study). Also, it makes logical sense to address problems involving the Argument’s intermediate conclusion before those involving its final conclusion.

Look Organized and in Control

As with the Issue essay, use every means at your disposal to show that reader that, even under significant time pressure, you know how to organize your ideas and convey them in writing. Use logical paragraph breaks, present your points of critique in a logical sequence, and try to save time for brief introductory and concluding paragraphs.

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