Do I have reason to be concerned over the disparity between my analysis of an issue score vs. analysis of an argument? Through the Measured Success program I received a 6 on the analysis of an argument and a 4 on the analysis of an issue. Since the issue was not something I had background on or interest in I did not have as much to write about. Even though the quality of writing was the same, I received a 4 on every metric. Would you recommend re-doing the essay or not worrying about it?

Do you have any recommendations for how to prepare for issues I do not have background on or interest in (especially with regards to length of the essay)? Thanks!

I wouldn't worry about it too much, as a 4 is still a "good enough" score.

It's possible to get a very boring (to you) topic; I've had that happen before, too, and it is harder to write an essay about it. (I once got one - not on the GMAT - that asked me to discuss whether I thought politics and societal trends influenced fashion or the reverse. Ugh.)

The key thing is to be able to brainstorm a couple of good examples. If you've got 2 good examples, then you can still write a decent essay.

If you've got OG12, it has a list of essay topics in the essay chapter. You can use those to practice brainstorming examples. Choose a random one every day and spend 3 min brainstorming. If you choose one, read it, and think, "Yes! I love this topic!" then skip it and pick a more boring one. :)

Also, if you write well (and you do, or you wouldn't have gotten a 6 on the other one!), then you can get away with just two examples, not three.

This article might be of interest to you:
http://www.beatthegmat.com/mba/2009/12/ ... -no-thanks

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Stacey Koprince
Instructor
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ManhattanGMAT