ESSAY EXAMS: IF YOU CAN’T AVOID THEM, ACE THEM!

For many students, one of the most dreaded features of every semester is the essay exam. It’s just you, the blue book, and the clock--a situation fraught with pressure. If you know the material well, of course, your job will be simpler. But by using some straightforward, practical strategies, you can make your essay exams easier to write and more successful as well.

First, study with essay questions in mind. Many students try to learn long lists of facts and definitions, but don’t think about how they fit together. If you’re studying modern American history, for instance, you may memorize facts about World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, and the Gulf War--but what story do these facts tell? Do they represent different kinds of US approaches to warfare and diplomacy? Different uses of tactics and technology? Different stages of the US’s position as a world power? Try to see every fact you learn not only as an isolated particle of information, but as part of larger systems of information. This will help you anticipate many kinds of essay questions and feel more confident about drawing the connections between them. And if your book has sample questions at the ends of the chapters, plan answers for them, or create and trade sample essay questions with a study partner.

Second, learn two examples for every key idea. One factor that separates outstanding essay answers from merely adequate ones is the number of examples a student provides. So if you’re studying the differences between elitist and popular democracy, make sure you can give several examples of each one (for instance, Electoral college vs. direct elections, age and income restrictions on officeholders vs. open candidacy). And just as important, be able to explain why these are good examples for the key points. In an essay exam, explaining your reasoning is a critical factor to your success.

Once you go into the exam, examine the question carefully for clues to the expected answer. If the question says "Compare the Bennets and the Bingleys as examples of English families," you’re expected to do two things: explain what a typical English family is, then set the Bennets and the Bingleys against that description and show where they agree with it and where they diverge. If the question says "Name the chief cause of the Civil War," you’ll be expected to argue for the importance of one single point, not many. If the question says "Show how Lyndon Johnson’s policies in Vietnam grew out of the policies of his predecessors from 1941 on," you’ll be expected to identify those predecessors and their policies, and show by cause-and-effect how their positions led to Johnson’s. The biggest rule for success on an essay exam answer is this: Do what the question asks you to do. Laying down a smokescreen or beating around the bush won’t win you many points--and it can cost you some, if the professor happens to dislike bull.

Then plan your answer. The minute or two it takes you to scribble a few notes or phrases on the back of your test or inside of your bluebook is well worth the time; this lets you put down your initial impressions so that you won’t forget them. Then number them, or draw arrows to indicate what order in which you want to tackle them. Use this mini-outline to help you shape your answer, and to remind you what key points you want to include. Making this outline also calms you down, and serves as a warmup for your brain, so that the actual answer-writing comes more smoothly to you.

Now, write your answer, skipping lines. This lets you write at a reasonable pace, and helps you see the shape of your answer as it appears. Make sure you have a clear introduction, even if it’s only a restating of the question: "LBJ’s policies in Vietnam were a direct result of the policies of the Presidents who went before him." Then build up your answer, sticking to your outline so that your essay doesn’t wander. As you tackle each point, remember the examples you memorized earlier, and put them in. Add a sentence after each example explaining why it’s a good example. Then, in your conclusion, sum up the points you’ve just made.

Finally, put in trail markers to help your instructor read the answer and eliminate the worst mistakes. Here’s the biggest reason to skip lines: it lets you go back when you’re done and put in obvious markers to help your instructor follow your reasoning. If your original is missing transition words like "First," "Therefore," "In conclusion," "However," or the like, you can squeeze them in above the lines with a caret (^) to mark where they go. You can also add additional examples to amplify or clarify points. These trail markers are very important, because most instructors read essay answers fairly quickly. They like to see signs of organization and planning, and trail markers create a positive impression in their minds; that can only help your grade. Likewise, while no professor expects an in-class essay exam to be perfect, they expect major names and terms to be spelled correctly. If you’re not sure of a spelling, add the abbreviation (sp?) after a word to let the professor know you too had doubts. Make sure you put in periods, question marks, and appropriate quotation marks.

To write a good essay exam, then, you need to study strategically; plan your answer; and get straight to the point. Deal with the question specifically and without wandering from your main point, and summarize your chief points at the end. Then add your trail markers, check for obvious mistakes, and--hopefully--turn in a successful exam!