Beginning in October 1999, you will be able to provide valuable new information that graduate departments can factor into the admissions decision: your score on the new GRE Writing Assessment. This test will provide you the opportunity to demonstrate in a controlled testing situation the kinds of high-level thinking and writing skills generally recognized as essential for success in most graduate programs. The addition of this new writing assessment substantially expands the range of skills assessed by the GRE General Test and the GRE Subject Tests, including your ability to:

　　articulate complex ideas clearly and effectively

　　examine claims and accompanying evidence

　　support ideas with relevant reasons and examples

　　sustain a well-focused, coherent discussion

　　control the elements of standard written English

　　The assessment consists of two analytical writing tasks: a 45-minute Present Your Perspective on an Issue task and a 30-minute Analyze an Argument task. The Issue task states an opinion on an issue of general interest and asks test takers to address the issue from any perspective(s) they wish, so long as they provide relevant reasons and examples to explain and support their views. The Argument task presents a different challenge: it requires test takers to critique an argument by discussing how well reasoned they find it. Test takers are asked to consider the logical soundness of the argument rather than to agree or disagree with the position it presents. The two tasks are complementary in that one requires test takers to construct their own arguments by making claims and providing evidence supporting their positions on the issue, whereas the other requires them to critique someone elses argument by assessing its claims and evaluating the evidence it provides. Show you are prepared for graduate-level work by demonstrating your proficiency in critical reasoning and analytical writing. Actual test questions will be selected from the published pool of Issue and Argument Topics.

　　Your score on the GRE Writing Assessment can:

　　indicate your ability to make a successful transition to graduate-level work highlight academic strengths that are not captured by other tests or in your personal statement or writing samples contribute meaningful information that helps distinguish you from other candidates who present otherwise similar credentials