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I. Predict Questions From Your Notes II. Practice Writing Answers to the Questions You Predict III. Plan Your Approach to Answering the Actual Test Question Tips on Writing an Essay Exam NOTE: Examination writing is often considered a skill. This skill can be improved by instruction and following certain steps in writing the exam. These steps are: 1. Set up a time schedule. If six questions are to be answered in 45 minutes, allow yourself only 5 minutes for each. When the time is up for one question, stop writing and begin the next. The-re will be 15 minutes remaining when the last question is completed. The incomplete answers can be finished during that time. If one question is worth more points, allot more time to write it. 2. Read through the questions once. Answers will come to mind immediately for some questions. Write down key words, listings, etc. now when they are fresh in mind. Otherwise these ideas may be blocked (or be unavailable) when the time comes to write the later questions. This reduces "clutching" or panic. Note: usually FEAR disrupts thoughts! 3. Before attempting to answer a question, I look at the directive words. Your instructor may give specific directions on how to write your answer. If he/she wants you to evaluate a philosophical theory, you won't get full credit if you just describe the theory. Make sure you know what you are being asked to do. 4. Outline the answer before writing. Whether the instructor realized it or not, he/she is greatly influenced by the compactness and clarity of an organized answer. It is usually time consuming and futile to just start writing and hope the answer will come to you. A well presented answer that has less information is many times graded better than a poorly presented and long winded answer where the instructor has to search for the information included in the answer. 5. Take time to write an introduction and a summary. The introduction will consist of the main point to be made; the summary is simply a paraphrasing of the introduction. A good essay has a beginning and an ending and is very satisfying to the reader. Be sure that your answer is direct and really answers the question. 6. Take time at the end to re-read the essay. When writing in haste, one tends to misspell words, omit words or phrases, omit parts of questions, and misstate dates and figures. In a word--PROOFREAD!!! 7. Qualify answers when in doubt. It is better to say "toward the end of the 19th century" than to say "in 1894" when you can't remember if its 1884 or 1894. When possible, avoid very deflate statements, unless specified in the question. |
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Before the Final Review | Final Review | What to do the day of the Exam | How to Take an Objective Tests | How to Prepare for and Write Essay Tests |
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