Aside from taking notes in class, the type of writing you will be asked to do most often for courses in nearly all disciplines will probably be answering timed essay questions. These essays are really not so different from the ones you write as assignments, except for two significant points: you can't get feedback from a peer or the instructor, and only rarely are you given the chance to do serious revision.

 The good news is that, for the most part, understanding and communicating are rewarded more than are mere memorization or repetition of details. To write a successful essay exam, you need, therefore, to be able to recall relevant information and to organize it in a clear way, generating a thesis and building to a conclusion. Instructors give essay tests to determine whether students can make connections among various ideas, apply course information to new situations, and (most important) demonstrate that they have made the information their own. 

Preparation Strategies
 
 

1. Take good notes throughout the course. Look for connections as you review.

 

 

2. As you study for the exam, create your own essay questions. Practice answering them as a timed writing. Talk to other people about how they write essay answers.

 

 

3. Analyze essay exams you have written in the past. Examine each one sentence by sentence, then review it again in relation to the instructor's written comments. 
4. Just before you go to class to take the exam, write for ten or fifteen minutes as a way to break through any anxiety you may be feeling. 

 

 

Read and mark up all the questions before you begin to plan your answer. Pay close attention to the verbs as action words, asking you to do something with the specified information. Vague verbs may signal that the instructor doesn't have a clear idea of what she wants. Ask for clarification.

 If the teacher refuses to accept questions, brainstorm on paper what you can do to meet the requirements of the question. Use the nouns in the question to help you develop a format for your answer. The more systematic the structure you can provide, the better organized (and therefore more readable) your essay will be. 

Ask about the criteria the instructor will be using to grade the exam. Will she take off points for spelling and grammatical errors? How much knowledge should you assume the reader has? Will she allow you to turn in whatever prewriting and draft you do, as well as the revised version of the essay? 

When you draft your answer, you are writing for yourself, to get as much relevant information down on paper as quickly as possible. Don't think about handwriting or spelling or other mechanics at this stage. 

When you revise, however, you are writing for the reader, to make sure that the organization that is clear to you is clear to her. Check that the format of your answer is immediately visible. If not, you might consider including a short abstract describing what the essay does. 

Reread the essay slowly. Do more details come to mind? Is there anything you should delete? Have you met all the criteria? Does your essay answer all parts of the question? Is your handwriting legible? (Unless instructed otherwise by your teacher, write on every other line, on only one side of the sheet of paper.)
 

Keywords (What exactly are you supposed to be doing?)
 
 

• Analyze


 Break X down into its parts. Identify the parts and demonstrate how they relate to each other to make the whole. 

• Assess/ Criticize/Evaluate


 Develop a clear set of criteria and determine whether the elements meet those standards.
 
 

• Classify


 Break X into categories.
 
 

• Compare/Contrast


 Find important similarities and differences between two items that reveal a significant issue about them. Emphasize similarities if you are asked to compare, differences if you are asked to contrast.
 
 

• Define/Identify


 What makes X what it is? How is it different from other members of the same class?
 
 

• Discuss/ Examine


 Analyze or evaluate the topic, generating your own question, going beyond mere summarization.
 
 

• Illustrate


 Use a specific example to clarify the characteristics of X.
 
 

• Outline/ Trace/ Review/State


 Organize main and subordinate points to classify the elements or stages of development of X.
 
 

• Prove/Validate


 Provide clear logical reasons and/or cite factual evidence to convince the reader of the truth of X.
 
 

Trace the development of human thought. Compare and contrast it to the development of three other categories of thought. Be specific.