Comments on: Tips for Taking Timed Essay Exams

By: Michael Trimm

Michael Trimm — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 17:17:08 +0000

A tip for doing well on any essay comes from my government teacher:

“Cut the flowery language, Senator Ostrich!”

Now for the Senator Ostrich part, you just had to be there…But readers do not need to see a bunch of big “advanced” words. There’s the popular acronym of KISS…Keep It Simple, Stupid. Not only do you waste time by trying to think of big words to include, it also muddles up your paper and bogs it down.

-Mike

By: Sleyder

Sleyder — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 03:06:20 +0000

Hello guys most of the time when i have to take any tests in colleges I always follow some step that I cosider very useful.

Well Focused :
Be sure to answer the question completely, that is, answer all parts of the question. Avoid “padding.” A lot of rambling and ranting is a sure sign that the writer doesn’t really know what the right answer is and hopes that somehow, something in that overgrown jungle of words was the correct answer.

Well Organized:
Don’t write in a haphazard “think-as-you-go” manner. Do some planning and be sure that what you write has a clearly marked introduction which both states the point(s) you are going to make and also, if possible, how you are going to proceed. In addition, the essay should have a clearly indicated conclusion which summarizes the material covered and emphasizes your thesis or main point.

Well Supported:
Do not just assert something is true, prove it. What facts, figures, examples, tests, etc. prove your point? In many cases, the difference between an A and a B as a grade is due to the effective use of supporting evidence.
Well Packaged
People who do not use conventions of language are thought of by their readers as less competent and less educated. If you need help with these or other writing skills, come to the Writing Lab!

By: Spaminator

Spaminator — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 07:05:52 +0000

Hey, great tips… I have also found that if you know the type of exam you are going into and the probable topic then planning the night before is good because you have all you resources with you and can insert as much information into a plan. After you have a plan write it out by hand a couple of times i found this to be a great help in studying for all types of exams.

By: Logic

Logic — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 04:25:41 +0000

These are pretty basic yet helpful tips on essay writing an essay in a defined period of time. This previous wed. [March 5th 2008] in which i was required to write a total of 5.5 pages of content on European history, particularly the 18th and 19th century with a span of 1.5 hours. The problem i faced was not lack of knowledge on the subject nor did i feel pressured by the constraints of time, it was the inability to clearly express my knowledge in essay form. Do you think it would be at all possible to make a “sister” article to this one with tips on being able to portray thoughts to paper in a form thats more coherent than gibberish? That would be most appreciated.

By: tastytreats

tastytreats — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 03:27:24 +0000

This is pretty cool. I am a senior in college right now, and I’m graduating in a couple of months. After reading this , I have found that I use most, if not all, of these tips for essay exams. I also found that you can apply some of these steps with “essay” questions that are additional to an exam (like multiple choice, short answer, and essay). I would have probably done better on a few of my exams if I had know some of this when I started college.

By: liberator

liberator — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 01:56:13 +0000

spend about 5 minuets collecting your thoughts that is what i always do and it has helped me a lot

By: Rene

Rene — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:28:09 +0000

“If one essay question is worth 50% of the test score, spend 50% of your time on it”

-I respectfully disagree.

I would recommend spending as much time needed on a question that is worth that much. That way, you will be granted the marks you deserve (depending on your final product), as opposed to the marks that you would obtain from a half done job because you didn’t give yourself enough time. At times it is important to think about the weight of the question and make sure you have answered it thoroughly- as you said, it is worth 50% of your exam…

By: Shutout

Shutout — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 19:35:57 +0000

Good tips, these are all the perfect ways for some to write better essays. “Collect your thoughts” i find this to help me the most. I use to always just spit words out onto the paper. And that is what got me into L1 English classes. Thankfully now I’m in L3 English classes

By: Sean Tomo

Sean Tomo — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 18:38:05 +0000

as i am going through my gcse exams this year i have really found these Really helpful.

another thing i suggest is to go to bed two hours earlier than normal and have some strong coffee on the morning exam to make your-self more vigalant

thanks for these!

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