Things You'll Need:
- Blue book or paper
- Pencil, pen or keyboard
- Watch
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Step 1
There is one secret the holds to true to earning a top grade on any essay exam: ATFQ or answer the question.
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Step 2
Write clearly and legible. Better yet, type if you are given the option. It is difficult to earn points if the grader can not read what you wrote. They are reading many, many essays. Make their job easier and you will be rewarded.
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Step 3
Budget your time. You need to answer all the questions to get a perfect score. If you skip questions because you run out of time you will lose all the points associated with question(s) not answered. Would be lawyers sitting for the bar exam fail every year not because they do not know the material but because they budgeted their time poorly when writing.
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Step 4
Watch for key words in test questions that give you directions or instructions and follow them. For example, if the exam asked you to outline or briefly describe, do not write a dissertation. If the exam describes a controversy and asks how you would decide, explain who wins and why rather than the merits of each side. When the exam tells you how to answer, answer as asked.
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Step 5
Write an outline before you begin writing. Your answer will be better and if you do not have time to finish you have given an answer in outline form.
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Step 6
Stick to your outline. You have a plan. Write as though you do. Be sure to have a clear thesis statement articulating your answer/hypothesis. Use proper paragraphs with a clear topic sentence for each paragraph. Write a concluding statement.
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Step 7
Proofread your work if time allows.
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Step 8
If you finish early and have proofread your work, resist the temptation to add more extraneous information. If it does not add to your argument, do not state it. Long is not necessarily better.
