PREPARING FOR ESSAY EXAMINATION

    Review the syllabus of course outline. Be able to list all the major points to be covered and all first level detail points under each major point FROM MEMORY. This will help insure that you remember all the major points to be discussed in any essay question. If you write a great amount of detail about one major point and leave out two major points, your grade will be only 33%. You must remember to touch on all the major points.

    Review the text to the following :
 

• Major topics
• Sub-topics under each major topic
• Technical vocabulary
• Concepts, issues
• Relationships
• Cause and effects
• Principles, rules

• Write out questions you think the instructor will ask to test a student’s understanding. Then answer the questions yourself. Check to see if you are correct.
• Ask yourself questions about principle, concept, and issue.
• Ask yourself questions about causes, effects, etc.

TAKING THE ESSAY TEST

1. Read all the questions BEFORE you begin to work in any one of them. If you have options or choices, choose those you know best.

2. Check the numbers of points for each question and allot your time accordingly. If you spend 20 minutes on a 5- point question and have only 10 minutes for a 50 - point question, you may not be alloting your time effectively.

3. READ the question CAREFULLY. ( Many essay tests are failed because the student did not read the question carefully.)

        a. Identify what is asked for.

        b. Identify the aspects of the topic asked for.

        c. Identify the kind of activity required to answer the question, i.e., comparison,
            contrast, evaluation, etc.

4. Make a quick tentative outline before you begin to write. Include a statement that introduces your answer, and major and minor support topic sentences.

5. When you begin to write your answer, begin with a sentence which directly answers the question.  For example:

        Question: What were the effects of the Santa Barbara oil spill on the wildlife
                and the legislation?

        Answer: The Santa Barbara oil spill resulted in the death of various forms of
                wild life and stimulated both the local and national groups to seek preventative
                legislation.

This is only your beginning sentence. Now, you go into detail about each aspect of the
question. Re-writing the question in your answer’s opening sentence helps you
remembet the major ideas to be included. Including the question in your answer
lessons the tendency to ramble, also.

6. If you have time, re-read your answers. Make corrections.

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