3.5 is not a bad awa score for someone who is not a native speaker of English. Besides, applicants often give way more importance to GRE score than what it actually deserves. Your GRE and awa scores are irrelevant to the admissions committee unless they are really low, say below 300 and 3.0 respectively.
Will retaking the GRE multiple times cause grad schools to think you're not smart or good at taking tests, thus hurting your chances of admission? Fortunately, the answer is a resounding “no!” Many people take the GRE more than once in order to get their highest score.
AWA or Analytical Writing Assessment is scored separately. As a matter of fact, it does not really matter to your admission prospects.
Yes, the essays are not part of your total GRE score and are instead scored on a separate scale out of 6.0 in increment of 0.5. Agreed; from the admissions point of view, a difference of 0.5 – 1 point on the GRE Essay doesn't make or break your chances of getting into your dream school.
A high GRE Analytical Writing score won't help you get admitted to a top graduate program, but a below average score can keep you out of one. The Analytical Writing measure assesses critical thinking and analytical writing capabilities.
GRE essays are scored on a scale of 0 to 6 in half-point increments, with 6 being the highest. Two graders read and score each essay. If the graders' scores differ by more than one point, the essay goes to a third grader who also scores it.
BONUS: Know how the GRE Analytical Writing Essays are scoredYour GRE essays will be scored by half-point increments, from 0 to 6 (highest). Two graders will score both this issue essay and your argument essay. A third grader will also score your essays if your two initial graders' scores differ by more than one point.
All you have to do is skip both AWA essays. And if you already taken the GRE and have scored really well on both essays what is there to lose, right? The answer is an awful lot, depending on the programs you are applying to. For the most part, skipping the AWA essays may be disastrous.
GRE scores range from 130 to 170 per section. The GRE max score is 340 (combined scores range from 260-340). Another important fact when considering “good” scores: The average GRE score is about 305, or 150 in Verbal and around 154 in Quant.
Remember that the Verbal and Quantitative portions of the GRE are scored between 130–170, and the average score falls somewhere around 150-152. The Analytical Writing section of the GRE is scored between 0 and 6 in half-point increments, and the average hits somewhere around 3.5.
