AWA

i looked at one in Kaplan , and it was so urealistically huge
i don't see any possible way to write an essay of this size, this accuracy, and this structure in 30 min.

I didn't prepare at all and got 6.0 on my last AWA. The most important thing is to have a number of paragraphs that discusses different perspectives and factors. Oh, and they LOVE when you use examples to support your points.

I prepared a little before the AWA, just so I wouldn't be rattled before the quant and verbal came up. I wrote out the essays for the GMATPrep practice exams and wrote another practice one based on questions in the OG.

Take a look at the sample essays in the OG, they show what you need to get a 4, 5, or 6. It's too bad there is only 1 example topic with sample essays. There is a nice list of words/phrases you should use in your essays, such as "there is insufficient evidence," "the author fails to establish," etc. It was posted on this board somewhere.

I had a pretty defined structure for essays in my head, 1 paragraph intro, 2 body paragraphs, and 1 conclusion paragraph. I got a 6.0.

it's a good structure, considering you only have 30 min. to write.
i took my GMAT yesterday, so i don't know my score for awa yet

How did ya do? By Kaplan's I ment only their template, intro, arg1, arg2, conclusion.

i got 630, at this point i am happy with my score.
i will not be accepted to your 700-club though

630 is a good score. i am no where near 700 club myself. 660 on first try, going to try again on nov 4th

Tips for the AWA:

1. Organize your thoughts and list your ideas (the noteboards are available during the AWA section)
2. Try to have a template ready for your write-up - this is only possible since you pretty much know the format of the questions (analysis, argument). Documents in legalese are a great source for good formats to analyze an issue or argument.
3. There is no word limit. So, dont constrain yourself unnecessarily but at the same time, dont be verbose - remember that the human reader is a graduate student probably earning less than minimum wage to read your (and a 100 other) write-ups. They wont be too interested in a book.
4. IMHO. including references to real-life events/facts helps your essays (did it both times and got 6.0 on each ocassion). Of course, the references should be appropriate in the context of your essay.

I think the template suggestions in PR's GMAT prep book are decent. The most important thing to remember is that you should use the AWA sections as warm-up for the real thing. Good luck!