BEFORE THE EXAM

Prepare thoroughly!  This is the key to doing well on an essay exam.  In order to write a good essay, you need to know what you’re writing about.  Try to do as much work as you can outside of class, so there will be less to do when you have a time limit.  You may find the following techniques helpful in preparing for an essay exam:

Talk to the professor!  Learn the format of the exam.  Will you have a choice of essays?  What is the professor looking for?  How much time will you have?

Go over sample questions.  Many professors will give sample questions, or some type of review sheet.  Use it!  It is the best way to anticipate what’s going to be on your test.  If the professor doesn’t give you review questions, write your own.

Study in a group.  Once you have a list of sample questions, answer them with a group of classmates.  They can give you details that you probably would have forgotten.  Choose your group wisely, though; you will want to work with people who have similar study habits.

View this file for a more detailed description of effective study strategies.

DURING THE EXAM

If you study well, then the hard work will be out of the way.  The exam should be the easy part, especially if you remember the following guidelines:

Don’t Panic!  If you have studied, you probably know the answer.  But in order to write coherently, you must keep a clear head.

Plan your time for the whole exam.  Allot time for each question based on the number of points it is worth.  Make yourself stick to the time limits you have set for yourself.

Plan your time for each question.  Generally, if you are writing a 20-minute question, about half of the time will be needed for writing and the other half for all the thinking work.  Although the thinking work is the harder and more essential, writing will take an equal amount of time because your hand works more slowly than your brain.

Read the question carefully! View this file to learn how to interpret an essay exam question.   Be certain that you understand exactly what is being asked.  Underline key words and phrases.  Then frame the question, find relevant details and form your answer.

Frame the question
Create a grid to represent the question.  Many questions provide both directions of the grid.
EXAMPLE: Compare and contrast Hedda Gabler and Emma Bovary in goals, character, and outcome.  Framed, this question would look like the following:

Other questions provide only one direction of a grid.  These questions appear to be simpler because they are shorter and seem to involve fewer issues.  In reality they are more difficult because the student is asked to think of the conceptual categories into which the question can (and must) be divided.

Find the Facts
Think about the works in question and the particular facts you are being asked to speak of.  Not everything that you have learned or studied will necessarily be relevant to a particular essay exam.  Fill in each cell in the grid with relevant information.

Form your answer
Look at the information in your grid and look for patterns.  If some cells are empty, that may be a hint about some significant difference between the works being discussed.  Decide what the one or two (maybe even three) basic things you want to say are and make a quick, sketchy outline.  Then write your answer out.
 

Alternate planning method.  If your mind does not work in the logical, deductive method outlined above, try the following as an alternative.

Have an explicit thesis.  You can often just rework the question.  For example, if you are asked to explain the attitudes of the environmental philosophers towards the Enlightenment, you could begin your essay with the simple thesis:  “The ideas of the Enlightenment have come under sharp attack from environmental philosophers.”  This type of simple, purposeful sentence will focus the rest of the essay and help provide a coherent answer.

Check your time when you’re two-thirds of the way through your time limit to see that you are roughly halfway through your outline.  If you’re falling behind, quickly jot down what you had planned to say – either in outline form to one side, or within the essay, leaving space to elaborate.

Allow time at the end to write a conclusion and to quickly review and revise.

Use all of your time.  Normally an exam is designed to last most, if not all, of a class period.  If you finish very early, your answer might not be as complete as others.

Essay Exam Checklist
• Bring bluebooks. Bring one more than you think you’ll need.
• Bring extra (sharpened) pencils and (working) pens.
• Bring your “lucky” pen or pencil.  Just about everyone has one, and it will be surprisingly reassuring to have it there.
• Bring a watch!  This is critical to planning your time well.  Don’t count on a working clock being in the room.