You'll have 30 minutes for each of the two essays—the "Analyze an Issue" and "Analyze an Argument" tasks. Expert tutors recommend spending roughly 5 minutes planning, 20 minutes writing, and 5 minutes reviewing. The key is developing a pre-writing routine so you don't waste time staring at a blank screen. Tutors help you practice this timing repeatedly with sample prompts so it becomes automatic on test day, reducing anxiety and helping you write more confidently under pressure.

The "Analyze an Issue" essay asks you to present your perspective on a general statement—you get to take a position and support it with examples. The "Analyze an Argument" essay requires you to critique someone else's reasoning by identifying logical flaws and unsupported assumptions—you don't give your own opinion, just analyze the argument's weaknesses. Most students find the Argument task more challenging because it's less about what you think and more about spotting logical gaps. Tutoring on both formats ensures you're comfortable with the different skill sets each demands.

The top mistakes include: (1) jumping straight into writing without a clear plan, leading to rambling or off-topic arguments; (2) using vague examples instead of specific, concrete ones that strengthen your point; (3) spending too much time on the first essay and rushing the second; and (4) confusing the task—giving personal opinion on an Argument prompt instead of analyzing flaws. Personalized tutoring focuses on breaking these habits early through practice and feedback, so you catch and correct them before test day.

Each essay is evaluated on a 6-point scale by trained raters (typically two human readers per essay), and those scores are averaged. Raters look for how well you develop ideas, organize your thoughts, support claims with examples, control language, and follow the task instructions. Your final Analytical Writing score is the average of both essays, reported in half-point increments. Understanding these criteria helps you know exactly what graders are looking for—tutors use the official GRE scoring rubric to show you how to structure essays that hit these benchmarks.

Most students benefit from 4-8 weeks of focused Analytical Writing practice, though this depends on your baseline comfort with essay writing and your target score. A typical prep schedule includes understanding both task types (1 week), practicing timed essays with feedback (3-4 weeks), and refining based on mistakes (2-3 weeks). Working with a tutor accelerates this because you get personalized feedback on each essay rather than guessing what needs to improve. If you're already strong in writing, you might need less time; if it's a weak area, more focused practice is worth the investment.

Varsity Tutors connects you with tutors who specialize in GRE prep and have deep expertise in the Analytical Writing section. When you get matched with a tutor, they review your writing samples, identify specific weak areas, and create a personalized plan to strengthen your essays. Since Brooklyn has over 290,000 students across the city, there's strong demand for quality GRE prep—Varsity Tutors helps you find someone whose teaching style fits your learning needs and whose schedule works for you.