How to approach essay questions with ease

Essay style exams are becoming increasingly popular in both job and
college applications. This is because essays show an applicant's
ability to think logically and clearly. If you're going to be a
taking an exam like this, keep these 7 things in mind to help
improve your score.

1. Read Each Question Carefully

When you're working on an essay style exam, take a look at each
question and determine the topic and type of answer needed. Read
the question very carefully. Often, test takers simply scan
questions and then start writing, thinking that they'll save time.

However, that's the worst thing you can do. Take a few minutes to
completely understand the question so you can answer it correctly.
If you need to, circle the key words in the question so you can
glance at it every so often to make sure you stay on topic.

2. Give Your Ideas Room to Flow

When you first sit down and begin to read the question or
questions, you might start thinking of responses right away. That's
fine. Take a moment to jot these ideas down the margin of your test
booklet. Use short phrases or even single words that will help you
remember your initial thoughts. Doing this will help you release
creativity and clarity that you might otherwise spend on
remembering your original thoughts. Because you have these thoughts
written down, you can simply let go of them. Just take a moment to
capture every thought that comes into your mind as you read through
the questions.

3. Use the Stress

It's natural to experience elevated stress during an exam as you
work hard to process information faster than usual. Even so, you
can use this to your advantage. Focus completely on the test before
you and tune out any other noises or distractions in the room. If
you focus completely, you'll have a much better chance of saying
exactly what you want. Stress can help you think and form logical
thoughts faster when you're working. So accept the stress as a
positive, and let it work for you.

4. Use an Outline

On average, it takes about 2 minutes to outline an essay and that is
time very well spent. Once you thoroughly understand the question
and have jotted down a few immediate thoughts, sketch an outline
for the essay to follow. The subheadings of the outline will turn
into the first sentences of your paragraphs, saving you time and
making it easy to establish a logical progression of thought.

5. Control Any Urges To Ramble

Using an outline will also prevent you from rambling. The person
who will be reading your essays has been trained to spot rambling.
Stay focused at all times and use your outline as a guide. State
your key points and move on. Don't elaborate on the topic just to
fill up white space on the paper.

6. Time's Up

When the allowable time is up, immediately stop and go on to the
next question. Don't waste any time putting the "finishing
touches" on your essay. You may need this time to complete the
remaining questions. The questions might even be getting
progressively harder so you need to force yourself to move on.

7. Finishing

You may not be satisfied with your finished essay and this is a
completely normal response. Essay-style tests don't have definitive
answers, like multiple choice tests do. Keep in mind that the
scorers of your essays understand the time limits you were under
and therefore are not looking for perfection. You will be scored on
your progression of ideas and the ability to communicate your key
points. Stay focused during the exam and you will finish well.

For more study strategies that get results in the real world, get
my book, "Get the Best Grades with the Least Amount of Effort" at

http://www.get-better-grades.com/

Onward and upward!
Dr Marc Dussault

posted by naq