24. 10 Tips for a Perfect Essay Score Artwork

The Dominate Test Prep Podcast

This show is designed to take the guesswork out of preparing for your standardized test and equip you with practical how-to's for getting more right answers on test day, successfully navigating the admissions process, getting accepted to your dream school, and succeeding in the classroom. Our episodes deliver expert advice from the industry's top test prep instructors and admissions consultants as we endeavor to prepare you for success not only on test day, but also in your future profession and life beyond. Oh, and did we mention that we have a lot of fun? You will too, as we embark on this important next chapter of your education together. Thanks for listening!

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The Dominate Test Prep Podcast

24. 10 Tips for a Perfect Essay Score

June 02, 2020 • Brett Ethridge / Dominate Test Prep

Most standardized tests have an essay component, and in this episode of The Dominate Test Prep Podcast we're going to cover the 10 most important things you should do when crafting your essay response to ensure that you get a high score on test day -- perhaps even a perfect one!

We start by explaining what the graders are looking for. Once you know the components of a high-scoring essay, you can craft your strategy for writing an effective essay yourself. Knowing is half the battle, as they say.

Then we go through 10 tips for helping you get a perfect essay score and discuss:

The importance of understanding the question prompt and answering all aspects of it (with examples);
What you should do during the first 5 minutes before you start writing;
The role of a clear thesis sentence and where it should appear in your essay;
How to organize your essay for maximum effectiveness;
Where you should pull your supporting examples from (for both the Issue Essay and Argument Essay) for the main body paragraphs of your essay;
How long your essay should ideally be;
Things you can do to improve your "fluency of language" so that your essay reads well;
And more!

Whether you're naturally a strong writer or not, there are a lot of things you can do to write an essay that the readers will find favor with on test day. By the end of this episode, you'll know what they are and how to implement them. Enjoy!

FROM THE MAILBAG

Be sure to listen all the way to the end of the show where we answer the following question from one of our listeners:

"Is it better to go through the Official Guide first or start by going through a coaching program like yours?"

RESOURCES

Here are direct links to the resources mentioned in this episode that will help you prepare for the Analytical Writing (Essay) portion of your exam:

Score-level examples of a sample Issue Essay task
Pool of sample Issue Essay prompts for you to practice
Score-level examples of a sample Argument Essay task
Pool of sample Argument Essay prompts for you to practice
GRE Analytical Writing Course (relevant for exams other than the GRE as well)
Additional comprehensive prep courses to help you prepare for all aspects of your standardized test
Improve your overall writing: The Little Red Writing Book, by Brandon Royal
Improve your grammar: The Little Gold Grammar Book, by Brandon Royal

A DOSE OF MOTIVATION

"The scariest moment is always just before you start." — Stephen King

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