120 Sample GRE Essay Topics for Practicing

Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) is a popular graduate admission test conducted by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) for candidates who wish to pursue their graduate studies or MS studies abroad. It is one of the largest assessment programs for admissions that are accepted by many universities and colleges across the world. This test is composed of different sections. Out of them all, Analytical Writing is a major section that is designed to assess the candidates’ analytical writing and critical thinking skills. In this blog post, let us have a detailed look at the GRE Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) and some GRE samples or analytical essay topics that would help the test takers.

An Overview of GRE Analytical Writing

The GRE test contains a 60-minute Analytical Writing Section, in which the candidates will have to answer two different types of questions.

1. Analyze an issue
2. Analyze an argument

To address each question, the candidates will be given 30 minutes. This section is mainly included in the GRE to evaluate how effectively the candidates express complex ideas while maintaining a focused and logical discussion. In simple words, GRE analytical writing will assess the overall critical thinking ability and analytical skills of the candidates.

Here, in detail let us have a glance at the two question types.

Analyze an Issue

For the ‘analyze an issue’ question, as a candidate, you will have to present your thoughts about a given issue. But before answering this question, carefully read and understand the instructions and information provided in the question. Specifically, in this question, you would be given how to evaluate the given issue, and the test would also expect you to follow the same. Remember, if you fail to follow the instructions, then it will become tough for you to earn a good score.

The ‘analyze an issue’ question will have nearly 6 types of variations. When addressing this kind of question, you will have to present a compelling case for your viewpoints on the central issue as per the specific instructions.

Note that, according to the official notification of ETS, for analyzing an issue task, you would be asked to write on any one of the following types of instructions.

Type 1: Agree/ disagree with a statement

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold and explain how these considerations shape your position.

Type 2: Agree/ disagree with a recommendation

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the recommendation and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, describe specific circumstances in which adopting the recommendation would or would not be advantageous and explain how these examples shape your position.

Type 3: Agree/ disagree with a claim

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim. In developing and supporting your position, be sure to address the most compelling reasons and/or examples that you can use to challenge your position.

Type 4: Which view aligns with your own?

Write a response in which you discuss which view more closely aligns with your position and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should address both of the views presented.

Type 5: Agree/ disagree with a claim and its basis

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim and the reasons on which that claim is based.

Type 6: Explain your views on a policy

Write a response in which you discuss your views on the policy and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider the possible consequences of implementing the policy and explain how these consequences shape your position.

Analyze an Argument

For the ‘analyze an argument’ question, as a test taker, you will have to evaluate the given argument based on logical validity. This question doesn’t require your personal opinions. Here, you should discuss the logical soundness of a case by examining the reasoning line and the use of evidence. Before answering this question, you should carefully read the argument and understand the instructions provided in the question.

When reading the argument, make sure to concentrate on the following.

• What evidence or proof is given in the prompt paragraph?
• What is explicitly stated or claimed in the prompt passage?
• What is assumed or supposed, without evidence in the essay question?
• What is not stated, but necessarily follows from or underlies what is stated?

In general, the ‘analyze an argument’ question will have nearly 8 types of instructions. When answering this kind of question, based on the specific instructions provided in the question you will have to critically analyze and evaluate the given argument logically.

As per the official website of ETS, for analyzing an argument task, you would be expected to present the analytical or argumentative essay on any type of instruction as mentioned below.

Type 1: Evaluate an Argument and Evidence

Write a response in which you discuss what specific evidence is essential to evaluate the argument and explain how the evidence would weaken or strengthen the argument.

Type 2: Examine Assumptions and Implications

Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on these assumptions, and what the implications are for the argument if the assumptions prove unwarranted.

Type 3: Evaluate a Recommendation and its basis

Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered to decide whether the recommendation and the argument on which it is based are reasonable. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the recommendation.

Type 4: Evaluate Advice and Questions

Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered to decide whether the advice and the argument on which it is based are reasonable. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the advice.

Type 5: Evaluate a Recommendation’s likely results

Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered to decide whether the recommendation is likely to have the predicted result. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the recommendation.

Type 6: Evaluate a Prediction and its basis

Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered to decide whether the prediction and the argument on which it is based are reasonable. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the prediction.

Type 7: Discuss Alternative Explanations

Write a response in which you discuss one or more alternative explanations that could rival the proposed explanation and explain how your explanation(s) can plausibly account for the facts presented in the argument.

Type 8: Evaluate a Conclusion and its basis

Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be addressed to decide whether the conclusion and the argument on which it is based are reasonable. Be sure to explain how the answers to the questions would help to evaluate the conclusion.

List of Sample GRE Essay Topics

Are you looking for sample GRE Essay Topics? Great! Here, we have presented a list of important GRE Essay topics on issues and arguments of different difficulty levels.

Practice them all to build your analytical writing and critical thinking skills.

Latest GRE Essay Topics

The following are some latest GRE essay prompts. Practicing the latest GRE essay topics will enable you to stay updated on current issues, develop relevant examples, and showcase contemporary perspectives effectively.

1. How is happiness related to new experiences?
2. The quality of life depends on how developed a city is.
3. Art museums should be free and open to the general public.
4. A leader should promote innovation and change.
5. Excellent and creative filmmakers should be hired to create films to deliver complimentary public messages.
6. Leaders of a developing country should concentrate on modernization.
7. Elect Leaders. Don’t Select Leaders.
8. Learning and exploring is human nature.
9. Students should finance their education with part-time work while they study.
10. Scientific fields of study require more critical thinking and research than other areas of study.

GRE Essay Topics for AWA

Do you need excellent essay topics for the GRE Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA)? Get help from the list published here. In the list, we have included some incredible GRE essay prompts for AWA on various subjects.

1. Governments should place few, if any, restrictions on scientific research and development.
2. The luxuries and conveniences of contemporary life prevent people from developing into truly strong and independent individuals.
3. Though often considered an objective pursuit, learning about the historical past requires creativity.
4. We learn our most valuable lessons in life from struggling with our limitations rather than from enjoying our successes.
5. In any field — business, politics, education, government — those in power should be required to step down after five years.
6. The general welfare of a nation’s people is a better indication of that nation’s greatness than the achievements of its rulers, artists, or scientists.
7. The best test of an argument is the argument’s ability to convince someone with an opposing viewpoint.
8. It is more harmful to compromise one’s own beliefs than to adhere to them.
9. Major policy decisions should always be left to politicians and other government experts.
10. Educational institutions should actively encourage their students to choose fields of study that will prepare them for lucrative careers.

Argumentative GRE Essay Topics

To demonstrate your critical thinking and persuasion skills, in your argumentative GRE essay, you will have to present a claim, support it with evidence, and address counterarguments. The following are some argumentative GRE essay topics you may choose to write about during your practice session.

1. Engineers need practical training more than theoretical training
2. Students should get college credit till they complete their studies
3. True beauty is found not in the exceptional but in the commonplace
4. Natural beauty is more relaxing compared to human-made beautiful creations
5. French philosophy of the XIX to XX centuries
6. Prospects and problems of modern civilization
7. A voting system should be made online for disabled people
8. Philosophy is a very important academic discipline
9. Learning continuously can make a person able to reach perfection
10. A person’s career choice depends on his/her socio-cultural background
11. AI (artificial intelligence) and ML (machine learning) must be integrated with healthcare and education
12. Social workers must become more aware of service users’ experiences, as they can influence and affect their interaction with them.
13. The radical dark side of digitalization that promotes anxiety, frustration, and stress among employees
14. Student loans must be provided by high schools and colleges to all vulnerable students
15. People have the power to bring suitability and reduce the adverse impact of global warming

Also read:  Best Argumentative Essay Topics and Ideas For 2023

GRE Essay Topics on Analyzing an Issue

Evaluate your critical thinking with the below-suggested collection of GRE essay topics on analyzing an issue. All these topics will be helpful for you to test your ability to articulate and support complex arguments on various subjects.

1. Scientists are the key to a nation’s success in the fields of medical science and aerospace science
2. Multinational companies should not engage in tax evasion and tax avoidance practices
3. Governments should offer college and university education free of charge to all students.
4. Educational institutions should dissuade students from pursuing fields of study in which they are unlikely to succeed.
5. Teachers’ salaries should be based on their student’s academic performance.
6. Society should make efforts to save endangered species only if the potential extinction of those species is the result of human activities.
7. Competition for high grades seriously limits the quality of learning at all levels of education.
8. Students should always question what they are taught instead of accepting it passively.
9. Young people should be encouraged to pursue long-term, realistic goals rather than seek immediate fame and recognition.
10. The human mind will always be superior to machines because machines are the only tools of human minds.
11. Politicians should pursue common ground and reasonable consensus rather than elusive ideals.
12. People’s attitudes are determined more by their immediate situation or surroundings than by society as a whole.
13. College students should base their choice of a field of study on the availability of jobs in that field.
14. The increasingly rapid pace of life today causes more problems than it solves.
15. People should undertake risky actions only after they have carefully considered their consequences.

GRE Essay Topics for Analytical Writing

Sharpen your analytical skills with the comprehensive list of GRE essay topics for analytical writing we have recommended below. We have designed these topics to assess your ability to analyze complex information, identify patterns, and construct clear, persuasive arguments.

1. Colleges and universities should require their students to spend at least one semester studying in a foreign country.
2. All parents should be required to volunteer time at their children’s schools.
3. Knowing about the past cannot help people to make important decisions today.
4. The effectiveness of a country’s leaders is best measured by examining the well-being of that country’s citizens.
5. To be an effective leader, a public official must maintain the highest ethical and moral standards.
6. The most effective way to understand contemporary culture is to analyze the trends of its youth.
7. Nations should pass laws to preserve any remaining wilderness areas in their natural state.
8. Educators should take students’ interests into account when planning the content of the courses they teach.
9. In most professions and academic fields, imagination is more important than knowledge.
10. True success can be measured primarily in terms of the goals one sets for oneself.
11. The best test of an argument is the argument’s ability to convince someone with an opposing viewpoint.
12. Formal education tends to restrain our minds and spirits rather than set them free.
13. A person needs to have strong interpersonal skills to become a successful person in personal and professional life
14. Every country should revise its constitution at a certain interval based on its current socio-political status
15. Educators should base their assessment of students on the ability to explain the ideas, trends, and concepts that those facts illustrate.

Best GRE Essay Ideas for College Assignments

Have your instructor asked you to create your college assignments on any GRE essay topics of your choice? If yes, then for preparing your college assignments, the collection of these best GRE essay questions might be useful to you.

1. Success in life can be driven by sustained efforts
2. Discuss the issues associated with the philosophy of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance
3. Obedience and discipline are the keys to success
4. Strongly ethical political leaders can ensure the health and well-being of a country and its citizens
5. Every country needs to ensure free access to food, shelter, education, and healthcare for people living below the poverty line
6. Success in personal life can be driven by faithfulness and respect for each other
7. Rapid industrialization is one of the best ways to grow from a developing country to a developed country
8. A male and a female should be treated equally in every field of education and employment
9. The government of every country should ensure free education for children
10. Political parties should uphold people from the backward classes
11. Businesses should submit to close regulation and monitoring by government authority: Explain
12. Why it is believed that scientific fields of study require more critical thinking and research compared to other fields of study?
13. A leader’s main goal should be to promote innovation and change: Analyse this statement with real examples
14. A person in authority should always encourage those under him or her to share their thoughts and ideas.
15. Art museums should charge little or no money for admission and should be as open to the public as possible

Also read:   Engaging College Essay Topics for Academic Writing

Simple GRE Analytical Essay Topics

If you wish to develop your essay writing and analytical skills, then begin your practice by composing essays on simple GRE analytical essay topics or ideas we have suggested in the list published here.

1. Reservation systems in developed countries need to be abolished
2. Parents should take care of their children’s mental health and well-being on a priority basis
3. Government should develop strict laws and regulations to stop domestic violence
4. The rapid adoption of technology is becoming a curse for low-skilled aged employees of a country
5. Science fiction can significantly influence a culture’s study of science
6. The caste system should be abolished in every nation to ensure equality and inclusion
7. Sociologists can bring radical changes in society in a better direction
8. Powerful nations need to concentrate on reducing the negative impacts of climate change on the environment
9. Government should switch to renewable energy sources to ensure environmental sustainability
10. Terrorism and instability can be stopped or reduced by eliminating corruption
11. Technology and human activities that go with it inevitably lead to a greater degree of pollution and environmental damage
12. Artificial intelligence, robotics, and machine learning are shaping the world of business
13. Modernization of trade and commerce should be the main goal of the business leaders of every developing nation
14. Leaders who are in significant positions of power should be democratically elected, not appointed
15. Governments must hire accomplished filmmakers to create films that deliver important social messages to the general public

Interesting GRE Essay Ideas

When you practice writing GRE essays, concentrate on exciting topics. You may improve your writing abilities when you work on topics you have strong knowledge of and are genuinely interested in. These are a few fascinating GRE essay prompts for you to focus on.

1. The best method to guarantee that every student receives enough assistance and materials from the teacher is to set a restriction on the size of the classroom.
2. “School regulations should take employers’ needs into account just as much as students’ and instructors’ needs.”
3. “People who go back to school after some time spent working can get more out of their degree.”
4. “Educating residents of the city and the immediate surrounding region should be a university’s first focus; international students should be a secondary priority.”
5. At any stage throughout their education, “students should not use loans to pay for their tuition or their living expenses.”
6. Universities should restrict the number of classes a student can take in a particular semester, according to the following claim
7. It is essential to encourage college students to pursue their interests rather than the programs that seem most likely to result in employment.
8. Researchers should concentrate their efforts on topics that are most likely to help the greatest number of people.
9. Nations should stop providing funding for the arts when a sizable portion of their populace is going hungry or unemployed.
10. If it doesn’t come from a subject matter expert, critical evaluation of a piece of work in any field is of little value.

Popular GRE Essay Topics

In this section, we have suggested a few popular GRE essay questions for you to practice. By working on commonly asked GRE essay topics, you may develop your writing skills, and build confidence in articulating arguments.

1. Discuss the impact of technology on human relationships.
2. Argue for or against standardized testing in schools.
3. Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of globalization.
4. Critique an argument that a new public health campaign will reduce obesity rates.
5. Analyze an argument that companies should prioritize employees’ work-life balance to increase productivity.
6. Evaluate an argument that companies have a moral obligation to prioritize profits over social responsibility.
7. Should economic growth take precedence over environmental concerns?
8. Will artificial intelligence benefit or harm society in the long run?
9. Analyze an argument that investing in public transportation will reduce traffic congestion.
10. Critique an argument that a company’s new product will be a commercial success.
11. Money laundering is one of the contributing factors to terrorism- Discuss
12. Lack of awareness regarding self-health and poor lifestyle of teenagers are the major causes of the health issues they face- Analyze
13. Teenagers face a lot of problems, from cyberbullying to sex to academic and peer pressure- Discuss
14. Failure, defeat, ruined relationships, health issues, obesity, and thus unhappiness can all result from a lack of self-discipline- Examine
15. Negative experiences and family history are the two key factors causing Social anxiety disorder symptoms- Discuss.

GRE Essay Topics – Analyzing an Argument

Listed below are some sample argument topics from ETS for the analytical writing section of the GRE Test.

1. The following was a part of an application for a small-business loan by a group of developers in the city of Monroe.

“A jazz music club in Monroe would be a tremendously profitable enterprise. Currently, the nearest jazz club is 65 miles away; thus, the proposed new jazz club in Monroe, the C-Note, would have the local market all to itself. Plus, jazz is extremely popular in Monroe: over 100,000 people attended Monroe’s annual jazz festival last summer; several well-known jazz musicians live in Monroe; and the highest-rated radio program in Monroe is ‘Jazz Nightly,’ which airs every weeknight at 7 P.M. Finally, a nationwide study indicates that the typical jazz fan spends close to $1,000 per year on jazz entertainment.”

Write a response in which you discuss what specific evidence is necessary to evaluate the argument and explain how the evidence would weaken or strengthen the argument.

2. The following appeared in an editorial in a local newspaper.

“Commuters complain that increased rush-hour traffic on Blue Highway between the suburbs and the city center has doubled their commuting time. The favored proposal of the motorists’ lobby is to widen the highway, adding lanes of traffic. Opponents note that last year’s addition of a lane to the nearby Green Highway was followed by a worsening of traffic jams on it. Their suggested alternative proposal is adding a bicycle lane to Blue Highway. Many area residents are keen bicyclists. A bicycle lane would encourage them to use bicycles to commute, it is argued, thereby reducing rush-hour traffic.”

Write a response in which you discuss what questions would need to be answered to decide whether the recommendation and the argument on which it is based are reasonable. Be sure to explain how the answers to these questions would help to evaluate the recommendation.

3. The following appeared in a magazine.

A recent sales study indicates that consumption of seafood dishes in Bay City restaurants has increased by 30 percent during the past five years. Yet there are no currently operating city restaurants whose specialty is seafood. Moreover, the majority of families in Bay City are two-income families, and a nationwide study has shown that such families eat significantly fewer home-cooked meals than they did a decade ago but at the same time express more concern about healthful eating. Therefore, the new Captain Seafood restaurant that specializes in seafood should be quite popular and profitable.

Write a response in which you discuss what specific evidence is essential to evaluate the argument and explain how the evidence would weaken or strengthen the argument.

4. The following appeared in a memorandum from the owner of Movies Galore, a chain of movie rental stores.

“Because of declining profits, we must reduce operating expenses at Movies Galore’s ten movie-rental stores. Raising prices is not a good option, since we are famous for our low prices. Instead, we should reduce our operating hours. Last month our store in downtown Marston reduced its hours by closing at 6:00 p.m. rather than 9:00 p.m. and reduced its overall inventory by no longer stocking any DVDs released more than five years ago. Since we have received very few customer complaints about these new policies, we should now adopt them at all other Movies Galore stores as our best strategies for improving profits.”

Write a response in which you discuss what specific evidence is necessary to evaluate the argument and explain how the evidence would weaken or strengthen the argument.

5. The following appeared in a memo from a vice president of Quiot Manufacturing.

“During the past year, Quiot Manufacturing had 30% more on-the-job accidents than at the nearby Panoply Industries plant, where the work shifts are one hour shorter than ours. Experts say that significant contributing factors in many on-the-job accidents are fatigue and sleep deprivation among workers. Therefore, to reduce the number of on-the-job accidents at Quiot and thereby increase productivity, we should shorten each of our three work shifts by one hour so that employees will get adequate amounts of sleep.”

Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on these assumptions and what the implications are for the argument if the assumptions prove unwarranted.

Wrapping Up

If you want to obtain a high GRE score, then regularly attend the online GRE mock tests or try to find answers for as many GRE AWA practice test questions as possible. Especially, by dealing with the sample GRE essay topics suggested in this blog post, you will be better prepared to tackle the analytical writing section with confidence. When you are attempting to answer sample GRE essay questions, make sure to stick to the 30-minute time limit for each analytical essay prompt. Also, while practicing, use a simple word processor to type your essays so that you will get the best practice for the computer-based GRE. Most importantly, to strengthen your weak spots, after writing your practice essays, review and grade what you have written.