Will a 4.0 in AWA hurt?

by **Guest** Fri Jul 11, 2008 6:46 am

hi - I got a 670 (47Q 35V) and just found out that I got a 4.0 AWA (21%). That was my 4th attempt and I'm shooting for schools ranked 15-30. Will this be a significant detractor?

Thanks

by **mdinerstein** Fri Jul 11, 2008 1:40 pm

Hi Guest,

That's difficult to say. We ask our students to achieve at least a 50th percentile on the AWA section because schools, in general, want their students to be able to write well under pressure. However, I would say that the bigger issue is not that you are scoring low on the AWA, but that you are scoring low in the AWA -and- the Verbal section of the GMAT. You might be able to get by with just a low AWA, but the lower verbal score will definitely tip them off that your English skills are not up to snuff.

Then again, it really does differ from school to school, so before you study and take the test again, check out their average GMAT score breakdowns.

As far as taking the test a 5th time, I would caution to make sure you are prepared to knock the verbal section out of the park. Students who take the exam upwards of 5 times, especially without showing improvement, start to raise suspicions at the admissions departments. Stacey, would you have any other advice for this student?

by **StaceyKoprince** Mon Jul 14, 2008 11:47 pm

I would definitely go ask this same question in the Admissions consulting thread - they know a lot more about admissions than we do. I agree with Mike that the AWA score doesn't matter so much (4.0 is generally good enough) but the bigger question I have is - where do you want to apply? It really just depends on the school. For the very top schools, your scores are a little on the low side, but maybe your GPA is high. If you're not going for the absolute top schools, then your scores are likely fine.