In 2005 collegeboard added the infamous essay to the sat, but the sat it’s not the only test to include this daunting section. In fact the bulk of both of the english advanced placement exams is comprised of timed essays. The skill of writing a logical essay on an unfamiliar topic isn’t only required for high school students. Students pursuing postgraduate studies will find themselves face to face with this task in both the gre and the gmat exams.

If that wasn’t bad enough, timed essays also find themselves on career path exams such as the foreign service officer test for american diplomats. So why are so many exams including timed essays? because the skill of writing a sound essay in standard written english is a hard one to find. The sole reason the essay portion was added to the sat was because universities were finding that entering freshmen could not write on the college level and many colleges wanted a way to evaluate student’s ability to express ideas, develop a point of view, and use language effectively. The ultimate goal of the essay is to force high school students to be better writers by making high schools teach better writing. Different tests will have different standards in which they evaluate a test takers writing ability. In writing, it is important to show a wide range of experience and sophisticated knowledge.

Students should always remember to write in the active voice, keep on topic, write in the given lines,pick only one side to argue, and know how to correctly spell and punctuate. The judges are looking for good organization, specific examples, and a smooth presentation. Another key to getting a high score on a timed essay is based on the structure of the essay. This includes the opening and closing sentences, paragraph and sentence length, and the use of transition words to help the flow of the thesis. It will need to be structurally sound, effective, persuasive and make logical sense.

Creating five paragraphs that include three detailed examples is the standard for a great essay. Generally speaking, judging will be done on the overall impression of the paper, so it must sound smart. The judges are looking for things that will make your paper stand out among all the papers they will be reading. Start off with a great hook to grab their attention and end with an amazing statement that sums up your thesis. It can take time for students to effectively get their thoughts down in essay form.

Students who are studying for any essay portion of an exam should write at least ten timed essays before the big day. Practice with similar topics as the ones that will show up on your tests and in the format the test will be given. In the sat and ap exams students must hand write their essays, while in the gre and fsot exams the writing is done on computer. Knowing and practicing in the format of the actual test will greatly enhance the chances of a great score on any essay. It is not always easy, but with time and practice any one can write the perfect timed essay. If youre facing a timed essay very soon too soon to read, reflect upon, and digest my more detailed timed essays: planning and organizing in a crunch this handout offers some very basic, very quick tips.

Revise your thesis statement before you turn in your paper, so it looks like the conclusion you stumbled across was the one you planned from the start. if you are, at this moment, frantically cramming for tomorrow mornings exam, that first tip may not sound all that useful. Procrastination is probably the biggest reason why bright students sometimes get poor grades. Start early! you can also plan your time during the test itself. Your professor knows which paragraphs are harder to write, and will evaluate them accordingly. Does the question ask you to evaluate? if so, dont fill your page with a summary.

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Likewise, if the question asks for evidence, dont spend all your time giving your own personal opinions. Start with the larger essay questions, so that you answer them before you burn out or run out of time. If one essay question is worth 50% of the test score, spend 50% of your time on it. as long as your additions and changes are legible, your instructor will probably be happy to see signs of revision. I often grade a university composition competency test, and sometimes have to fail well written papers that fail to address the assigned topic. If the question asks you to explain a topic, then a paragraph that presents your personal opinion wont be of much help. If the question asks you to present a specific example, then a paragraph that summarizes what some people say about the topic wont be very useful.

If you are going to get anywhere in an essay, you need to know where you are going. Jot down an outline, or draw an idea map. an idea map is like a family tree for your thesis. start with the trunk a circle in the center of your paper. draw lines that connect that central idea to main branches circles that represent subtopics , and keep fanning out in that manner. if one particular branch is fruitful, cut it off and make it a separate entity.

you should identify and avoid the deadwood in advance before you find yourself out on a limb. sorry ill try to leaf the puns alone i wood knot want you to be board. get right to the point. dont bury your best points under an avalanche of fluff. the author of the above passage not only wastes time composing six sentences before getting to her thesis the very last sentence , she also clouds the issue by bringing up topics religion, music, and communism that she has no intention of ever mentioning again. she could have spent that time on more depth, or on proofreading, or even on some other section of the test.

Note: simply tacking on additional paragraphs or inserting words is not revision see: revision vs. Sometimes, in the middle of a difficult paragraph, students will glance back at the question, and get a new idea. They will then hastily back out of their current paragraph, and provide a rough transition like: but an even more important aspect is. they continue in this manner, like a builder who keeps breaking down walls to add new wings onto a house.

To avoid this problem before it starts, see the previous tip, or this nifty handout on blueprinting. To handle this problem when it occurs, dont automatically add to the end of an essay write in the margins, or draw a line to indicate where you want to insert a new paragraph. Leave space to revise too write on every other line and leave the backs of pages blank, so you will have room to make legible insertions if you need to. Obviously, if you are writing your test on a computer, you should just insert and rearrange text as you would normally.