This week we have one major conceptual goal: to learn how to take in-class essay examinations. Understanding how to take essay examinations will be vital for your up-coming midterm and other examinations in college. What follows is a detailed account of how to succeed at in-class exams.
The purpose of an essay examination is to test your knowledge of a subject and your ability to write about it coherently and professionally. Since this is a writing class, I am more interested in your ability to write clear, coherent, and professional prose in a limited period of time. Our goal in this class is also to master the skills necessary to do well on in-class exams.
You probably know by now that there is not a single magic bullet to doing well on essay exams. Each instructor has their own particular style of teaching and their own interests. Nonetheless, here are some common strategies that you can use in order to do well on the midterm in this class and in all your subsequent college classes:
- Anticipate the types of questions you might be asked. Midterms should not be arbitrary. The goal of a midterm is to assesses your knowledge of what has been discussed in the class. Make a list of all the key terms, concepts presented, the issues raised, and the assignments given in the class. This should give you a fairly good idea of the content of the exam. Of course, this is much harder to do if you haven't attended class or done the reading. Our midterm will be unusual because you will know the text you will be writing about and you will know the type of question before hand. You will also be permitted fairly substantial notes.
- Read the exam carefully. This may seem obvious, but many students have sabotaged an in-class essay by ignoring the prompt. Underline key words such as divide, classify, evaluate, compare and contrast, and analyze, and then respect the difference between these tasks. Exam questions will generally suggest the type of answer to be given and the structure of the essay.
- Sketch out a plan for your essay. Just as in your take home essays, writing is a process. Obviously, you don't have the time for a full draft, but you do have time to plan your essay. Spend about ten to fifteen minutes determining what you have to say and how you are going to say it.
- Offer strong evidence for your claims. Even if you don't have textual materials in front of you and therefore can't cite a text directly, all your claims will require evidence, even if it has to be paraphrased out of necessity. For our midterm, you will have most everything that you need to cite in front of you. Therefore, I expect textual citations to be used.
- Come to a conclusion. Even if you run short on time, find a moment to write a paragraph that brings your ideas together. Don't just repeat the topic sentences of your paragraphs. Add something new--an implication or extrapolation--to chew on.
- Keep the tone serious. Write essay examinations in a high or middle style. Avoid a personal point of view unless the question invites you to enter your opinion on a controversy. (I will do so.) Given the press of time, you can get away with contractions and some standard abbreviations. But make sure the essay reads like prose and not a text message.
- Don't panic. Keep your eye on the clock, but don't panic. If you've prepared for the exam and start with a plan, you may find first-rate ideas materializing in the process of writing. Even if they don't, keep writing. Remember, our fifth point in our class philosophy: Get it done! You'll get no credit for blank pages.
- Get the details right. At the end of the exam, take time to insert corrections and proofread your exam. Add transition words and phrases if you haven't done so already. Check your grammar, mechanics, and spelling. Write legibly or print. Double-space your essay to allow room for corrections and additions. But don't spread your words too far apart. A blue book with just a few sentences per page undermines your authority; it looks juvenile.
Homework:
13.2:
Read the above text.
Final Paper 3
14.1:
Midterm exam. Bring the following:
- A large bluebook exam.
- A photocopy of the text
- 1 page of notes, single-sided
- A blue or black pen for writing your exam
- A red pen or pencil for editing your exam
- A dictionary for unfamiliar vocabulary (optional)
