How to Take an Essay Exam

Essay exams are tough because they require you to do a lot more thinking than a multiple-choice or true-or-false exam.

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bluebooks
• Stress Relief Products
• Women's Watches
• Pencils
• Ballpoint Pens
• Pencils
• Backpacks
• Pencils

1. Look over the entire exam so that you know all the tasks that lie before you.

2. Order the questions according to what you know best. Start with the one you feel you can answer best.

3. Set a time limit for each question, and stick to it.

4. Make an outline to structure your answer. Follow your outline as you write.

5. Don't look over your answer once you're done; instead, move on to the next question. If you have time left over, then go over your answers.

6. Remember to pay more attention to content than to style. Your teacher understands the tight constraints of an essay exam and will make allowances.

Tips & Warnings

• Your most effective weapon in taking an essay exam is studying well. (See "How to Study for an Essay Exam.")
• Bring a watch so that you don't have to rely on anyone else's timekeeping.
• If your teacher likes certain buzzwords, throw them in. Just make sure you use them correctly.
• If you feel a time crunch, don't panic. Instead, take a deep breath, and spend a minute or two thinking about how to rebudget your time.

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on 8/15/2007 If you run out of time on one question, leave it and get on with the others. But leave yourself a blank page or two so that you come come back to it if you have time. At the end of your time limit, rule a line through any pages that are still blank so that the examiner doesn't see a blank page and think you haven't answered any of the rest!

on 2/10/2006 The first step in the writing process would be to read the question. Not skim, but fully read it. Make sure you understand exactly what you have to include in your essay.

Before you begin the essay, make an outline! Even if space isn't specifically provided to make an outline, at least find room to make bullets or something. Outlines help you organize your ideas into specific paragraphs. That way, you don't forget to put in something, your ideas go together, and your essay is most likely smooth and coherent.

When writing the essay, follow your outline. Make new paragraphs noticeable, your essay shouldn't be one long paragraph.

Take deep breaths occasionally if you are overwhelmed.

When you finish your essay, proofread it for any typos or anything you want to change. Try to utilize all the time given to you.

When the time is up, instead of worrying about how you did on your essay or if you left anything out of it, think about something else. There's nothing more that can be done about the essay, so it is best to relax and maybe congratulate yourself on getting through the essay.

on 1/6/2006 Pay attention to the teacher, professor, or any other person that teaches your class. Tape record lectures and take notes all the time.

on 11/22/2005 Don't waffle. For most exams, get straight to the point and stick to the question! When you sit down, give yourself time limits (normally about a mark a minute, although this does vary), allow two minutes per question for a quick plan. That way, if you don't have time to finish writing a question, you still get a few marks for the plan. Often, writing a plan and a short, focused conclusion, can get you the same marks as several pages of waffle.
Focus, range, judgment.
Point, explain, example.

on 11/22/2005 For great sounding essays, I have memorized words such as "manifest" and "inherently" to "beef up" even the most pathetic composition. Instead of "Their names said a lot about them." try "The characters' expressive appellations reavealed some of the most profound facets of their personalities."