Analyze: Explain the what, where, who, when, why, and how. Include pros and cons, strengths and weaknesses, etc. Compare: Discuss the similarities and differences between two or more things. Don’t forget to explain why the comparison is useful. Contrast: Discuss how two or more things are different or distinguish between them. Don’t forget to explain why the contrast is useful. Define: State what something means, does, achieves, etc. Describe: List characteristics or traits of something. You may also need to summarize something, such as an essay prompt that asks “Describe the major events that led to the American Revolution. " Discuss: This is more analytical. You usually begin by describing something and then present arguments for or against it. You may need to analyze the advantages or disadvantages of your subject. Evaluate: Offer the pros and cons, positives and negatives for a subject. You may be asked to evaluate a statement for logical support, or evaluate an argument for weaknesses. Explain: Explain why or how something happened, or justify your position on something. Prove: Usually reserved for more scientific or objective essays. You may be asked to include evidence and research to build a case for a specific position or set of hypotheses. Summarize: Usually, this means to list the major ideas or themes of a subject. It could also ask you to present the main ideas in order to then fully discuss them. Most essay questions will not ask for pure summary without anything else.
Raise your hand and wait for your teacher to come over to you or approach your teacher’s desk to ask your question. This way you will be less likely to disrupt other test takers.
Take a moment to consider your organization before you start writing your answer. What information should come first, second, third, etc. ? In many cases, the traditional 5-paragraph essay structure works well. Start with an introductory paragraph, use 3 paragraphs in the body of the article to explain different points, and finish with a concluding paragraph. It can also be really helpful to draft a quick outline of your essay before you start writing.
You may want to make a list of facts and figures that you want to include in your essay answer. That way you can refer to this list as you write your answer. It’s best to write down all the important key topics or ideas before you get started composing your answer. That way, you can check back to make sure you haven’t missed anything. [5] X Research source
For example, imagine that your essay question asks: “Should the FIFA World Cup be awarded to countries with human rights violations? Explain and support your answer. " You might restate this as “Countries with human rights violations should not be awarded the FIFA World Cup because this rewards a nation’s poor treatment of its citizens. " This will be the thesis that you support with examples and explanation.
For example, whether you argue that the FIFA World Cup should or should not be awarded to countries with human rights violations, you will want to address the opposing side’s argument. However, it needs to be clear where your essay stands about the matter. Often, essay questions end up saying things along the lines of “There are many similarities and differences between X and Y. " This does not offer a clear position and can result in a bad grade.
If you are required to write your answer by hand, then take care to make your writing legible and neat. Some professors may deduct points if they cannot read what you have written.
If you get to a point during the exam where you feel too anxious to focus, put down your pencil (or take your hands off of the keyboard), close your eyes, and take a deep breath. Stretch your arms and imagine that you are somewhere pleasant for a few moments. When you have completed this brief exercise, open up your eyes and resume the exam.
For example, if the exam period is one hour long and you have to answer three questions in that time frame, then you should plan to spend no more than 20 minutes on each question. Look at the weight of the questions, if applicable. For example, if there are five 10-point short-answers and a 50-point essay, plan to spend more time on the essay because it is worth significantly more. Don’t get stuck spending so much time on the short-answers that you don’t have time to develop a complex essay.
This strategy is even more important if the exam has multiple essay questions. If you take too much time on the first question, then you may not have enough time to answer the other questions on the exam.
If you feel like you are straying away from the question, reread the question and review any notes that you made to help guide you. After you get refocused, then continue writing your answer. Try to allow yourself enough time to go back and tighten up connections between your points. A few well-placed transitions can really bump up your grade.
