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How to Prepare for an Essay Exam

Last Updated: April 20, 2023

This article was co-authored by Michelle Golden, PhD . Michelle Golden is an English teacher in Athens, Georgia. She received her MA in Language Arts Teacher Education in 2008 and received her PhD in English from Georgia State University in 2015. This article has been viewed 137,699 times.

The dreaded essay exam. Whether you like it or not, at some point in your life you are certain to encounter an exam composed entirely of essays. In the days leading up to the exam you may feel anxious or downright sick to your stomach. Fortunately, with a little bit of preparation and practice, you can turn any pre-exam jitters into a feeling of confidence, which will allow you to successfully tackle any essay exam.

Participating in Class

• Actively participate. It’s important to find a participation method that works for you, whether that’s asking thought-provoking questions or commenting on the reading. Active participation just means involving yourself in some way, so even if you don’t feel comfortable speaking at length in front of your peers, try to ask a question every now and then.
• Free yourself from distractions. Put away your cell phone or tablet and concentrate on listening and taking good notes. Now is not the time to work on homework for another class or to catch up with friends on Facebook.

• Always have a notebook on hand. It is helpful to use one notebook per subject or course, so that you don’t confuse yourself when looking back.
• Be sure to date your notes so that you can quickly reference or find the subject material covered on the exam.
• If you struggle with taking notes, ask the instructor if you can record the lecture. You can then go back and listen to the recording and either take notes at your own pace or review any parts of the lecture, which will be relevant for the exam.

• Take notes on what you’ve read and have questions ready for class.
• Follow the schedule for reading assignments. Typically readings are broken out in a way that is both manageable and topical. If, however, you find yourself unable to keep up with the readings, speak with your instructor about a schedule that suits your particular needs. For example, if readings are assigned for every other day of class, you may need to break it out such that you are reading a portion every day.

Reviewing the Material

• In addition to having one notebook per course, it may be helpful to also have an individual course binder or folder, which contains all course materials.
• Take your organization to the next level by categorizing according to exams. Don’t throw away previous notes or materials from past exams. They may come in handy for midterm or final exams. Instead, organize the materials as if they were chapters, with chapter one being the first exam and so forth and so on.

• Limit phone calls and any other distractions such as texting. It might help to turn your phone and other devices to silent mode while you’re studying.
• The TV should always be off while you’re preparing for an exam.
• If you want to listen to music, be sure it’s something that is relaxing or peaceful. Also, keep the music at a low level. Otherwise, music can easily become a distraction.

• Get into the habit of reviewing class materials after each course. This will help to ease anxiety leading up to the exam, as you won’t have as much to review and will be able to clear up any questions that arise, prior to the big day.
• Cramming doesn’t work. Multiple studies have shown that spacing out learning was more effective than cramming. [2] X Research source What’s more, cramming only increases the feeling of desperation which leads to panic, and then to test anxiety.

• Creating an outline will also come in handy when drafting essay responses, so give yourself some practice and start with your class materials.

Practicing Ahead of Time

• Don’t wait until the night before to outline answers. As you’re studying and organizing your class materials, come up with potential questions along the way. You can then go back and review and revise as necessary.
• Some instructors do specify a word count for essays. Don’t focus on counting words though. Write what you can and look for opportunities to flesh out your answers without being overly wordy.

• Identify - typically short and direct answers will do.
• Explain - requires a more detailed answer.
• Compare - look for connections.
• Argue - address this from your own perspective.

• This is a good opportunity to proofread your work and to look for any grammatical errors as well.
• Have a friend, parent or peer look over your essay as well. It is often helpful to have a fresh set of eyes review your work and provide feedback.

Community Q&A

• For open-notes or open-book tests, study thoroughly anyway. This will prepare you for other exams or tests where you're not allowed to use notes, and will allow for you to complete the test faster and easier because you won't need to search for everything in the book or your notes. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Be positive. If you are negative and believe you will not do well, chances are that you will perform the way you expect to. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
• Practice writing. Be sure you can write fairly well in other situations so that you can express your ideas clearly. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

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• ↑ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/essay-exams/
• ↑ http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140917-the-worst-way-to-learn

About this article

If you’re worried about an upcoming essay exam, start reviewing your class notes by topic. One helpful way to prepare for your essay exam is to create a potential outline for each theme. For example, if you’re studying Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, you might come up with an essay outline about the themes of the play. Once you have a few of these outlines, do practice essays at home under timed conditions, using old exams or questions you can see from your outline. Additionally, make it easier to prepare for future exams by attending all classes, doing the assigned readings and taking clear notes. Keep reading for more tips, including how to understand what the essay questions are asking of you. Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Study for an Essay Test

And the Rest will Follow

• Writing Essays
• Writing Research Papers
• English Grammar
• M.Ed., Education Administration, University of Georgia
• B.A., History, Armstrong State University

Test day is here. You’ve packed your brain full of definitions, dates, and details, preparing for a marathon of multiple choice and true & false questions, and now you’re staring at a single, solitary, terrifying essay question.

How could this happen? You’re suddenly fighting for your life (okay, a grade), and your only weapons are a blank piece of paper and a pencil. What can you do? Next time, prepare for the test as if you know it will be an essay test.​

Why Do Teachers Use Essay Questions?

Essay questions are based on themes and overall ideas. Teachers like to use essay questions because they give students the opportunity to express everything they’ve learned over the weeks or months, using their own words. Essay test answers reveal more than the bare facts, though. When submitting essay answers, students are expected to cover lots of information in an organized, sensible manner.

But what if you prepare for an essay question and the teacher doesn’t ask one? No problem. If you use these tips and understand the themes and ideas of the test period, the other questions will come easily.

4 Essay Question Study Tips

• Review chapter titles. Textbook chapters often refer to themes. Look at each relevant title and think of smaller ideas, chains of events, and relevant terms that fit within that theme.
• As you take notes, look for teacher code words. If you hear your teacher use words like “once again we see” or “another similar event occurred,” make note of it. Anything that indicates a pattern or chain of events is key.
• Think of a theme every day. Every few nights as you review your class notes , look for themes. Come up with your own essay questions based on your themes.
• Practice your essay questions. As you do, make sure you use vocabulary terms found in your notes and text. Underline them as you go, and go back to review their relevance.

If you take effective notes and think in terms of themes as you study each night, you’ll be prepared for every type of test question. You’ll soon find that, in understanding the theme of each lesson or chapter, you’ll begin to think more like your teacher thinks. You will also begin to form a deeper understanding of the test material overall.

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The best ways to prepare for an essay exam

College students are often intimidated by essay exams, a common final exam format for courses in the humanities and social sciences. Because the exam itself provides so little structure for your answers, it can feel impossible to get all of your thoughts on paper in an organized way without running out of time. As someone who has graded a lot of college students’ exams, I’ve realized that students most often lose points because they don’t realize that an exam essay is a specific genre of writing that you can practice in advance , even if you don’t know the exact questions you’ll be answering. By developing a strategy for success in writing exam essays, you’ll be able to make sure that the material you worked hard all semester to learn shows up in your answers on the day of the test.

Before the Exam

1. brainstorm possible exam questions..

A good way to do this is to make two lists: one of all the lessons or units you’ve covered (for example, all the authors you’ve read for an English class, or all the historical events you’ve covered in a history class), and another of all the major concepts and key terms that you’ve talked about in the class. Then you can mix and match items from these lists to form potential questions. For example, if you were taking a theatre class, you might come up with a question like, “How do Eugene O’Neill and Tennessee Williams use the techniques of psychological realism?”. O’Neill and Williams would come from your list of authors, and psychological realism would come from your list of key terms.

Other good examples of exam questions are discussion questions your instructor asked in class and any prompts you had for papers during the semester. While it’s unlikely your instructor will replicate any of these exact questions on the exam, reviewing what kinds of questions she asks will help you remember what key terms or concepts are particularly important to her. Write down several sample questions and outline the main ideas you would want to include in your answer.

2. Practice your essay-writing strategy using your sample questions.

I recommend practicing the three steps with a timer set for five minutes—these steps are for preparing and organizing an essay (not actually writing it), so you want to practice doing them relatively quickly. They’ll give you a clear structure to fill in.

The first thing to do when you start an essay is to quickly brainstorm a list of everything you can think of in relationship to that question: key terms, details, facts, dates, authors—whatever seems relevant. This should just be a quick task of getting everything in your head on paper.

Then figure out your claim . Answers to essay questions should have an argument that clearly answers the question and that makes a claim that is debatable (as opposed to factual or descriptive). If you’re having trouble, an easy format for writing an argument is “Although ____________, ______________.” For example, your claim could be, “Although both O’Neill and Williams use realism in their plays, Williams is more interested in how psychological realism can be achieved through design elements.” (This format works especially well for compare-contrast questions.)

Finally, outline the essay. The argument will come first, in the introduction, and then map out the main point you want to cover in each body paragraph.

During the Exam

1. keep track of time..

When the exam starts, write down the end time, and then write down when you should finish each section—for example, if it’s a three-hour exam, and you have five essays to write, you might choose to give yourself 30 minutes per essay, which leaves you 30 minutes at the end to reread your work. Make sure you stick to your schedule—you don’t want to spend a lot of time perfecting one essay and then run out of time for the rest. Many instructors will give partial credit even for an unfinished or messy essay, but they can’t give you any points for an essay you didn’t write at all. 

2. Follow the essay-writing strategy you practiced: list, claim, outline, write .

Don’t bother including big general statements like, “Playwrights are always interested in psychology,” in your essays—just get straight to the specific points you want to cover. Sticking to your outline will help keep your essay organized, which will make it easier for you to cover all your main points in the available time. Staying organized will also make it easier for your instructor to follow your train of thought when she’s grading.

Most of what you write in an essay is analysis of how the evidence you’ve chosen supports the argument you’re making. If you get stuck writing, ask yourself, “How does this evidence support my claim?” . 

3. Go in confident.

You know you’re well-prepared—don’t let nerves get in your way! Eat a good breakfast, listen to your favorite song on the way to the exam, bring a bottle of water and lots of extra pens and pencils, and show up early. (And if you have a mental health condition or learning disability that can lead to test-taking anxiety, talk to the office of disability services at your school well in advance of the exam. They may be able to provide you with test-taking accommodations like a quiet room or extra time.) An essay exam is a chance for you to show off what you’ve learned this semester—it’s not meant to trick you. (Multiple choice exams are actually the place to worry about trick questions.) Instructors generally want you to do well on the final exam, so try to think of the exam as a great capstone for your hard work in the class. Good luck! 

After growing up on a farm in Iowa, Danielle moved to Massachusetts, where she studied English with a citation (minor) in Spanish at Harvard University. At Harvard, Danielle was elected to Phi Beta Kappa as a junior and graduated summa cum laude a year later. She spent most of her free time in college in the theatre shop, building sets with power tools.  Danielle went on to earn her Master's degree in Renaissance Literature at the University of Cambridge, before accepting a Global Academic Fellowship in Writing at New York University Abu Dhabi for the following year. She is currently a PhD student in English and Theatre, and a member of the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society, at Columbia University.

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Exam preparation: Strategies for essay exams

Essay exams test you on “the big picture”-- relationships between major concepts and themes in the course. Here are some suggestions on how to prepare for and write these exams.

Exam preparation

Learn the material with the exam format in mind.

• Find out as much information as possible about the exam –- e.g., whether there will be choice –- and guide your studying accordingly.
• Think, and make notes or concept maps, about relationships between themes, ideas and patterns that recur through the course. See the guide Listening & Note-taking and Learning & Studying for information on concept mapping.
• Compare/contrast and think about what you agree and disagree with, and why.

Focus your studying by finding and anticipating questions

• Find sample questions in the textbook or on previous exams, study guides, or online sources.
• Looking  for patterns of questions in any tests you  have already written in the course;
• Looking at the course outline for major themes;
• Checking your notes for what the professor has emphasized in class;
• Asking yourself what kind of questions you would ask if you were the professor;
• Brainstorming questions with a study group.
• Organize supporting evidence logically around a central argument.
• Memorize your outlines or key points.
• A couple of days before the exam, practice writing answers to questions under timed conditions.

If the professor distributes questions in advance

• Make sure you have thought through each question and have at least an outline answer for each.
• Unless the professor has instructed you to work alone, divide the questions among a few people, with each responsible for a full answer to one or more questions. Review, think about, and supplement answers composed by other people.

Right before the exam

• Free write about the course for about 5 minutes as a warm-up.

Exam writing

Read carefully.

• Look for instructions as to whether there is choice on the exam.
• Circle key words in questions (e.g.: discuss, compare/contrast, analyze, evaluate, main evidence for, 2 examples) for information on the meaning of certain question words.
• See information on learning and studying techniques on the SLC page for Exam Preparation .

Manage your time

• At the beginning of the exam, divide the time you have by the number of marks on the test to figure out how much time you should spend for each mark and each question. Leave time for review.
• If the exam is mixed format, do the multiple choice, true/ false or matching section first. These types of questions contain information that may help you answer the essay part.
• If you can choose which questions to answer, choose quickly and don’t change your mind.
• Start by answering the easiest question, progressing to the most difficult at the end.
• Generally write in sentences and paragraphs but switch to point form if you are running out of time.

Things to include and/or exclude in your answers

• Include general statements supported by specific details and examples.
• Discuss relationships between facts and concepts, rather than just listing facts.
• Include one item of information (concept, detail, or example) for every mark the essay is worth.
• Limit personal feelings/ anecdotes/ speculation unless specifically asked for these.

Follow a writing process

• Use the first 1/10 to 1/5 of time for a question to make an outline or concept map.
• Organize the plan around a central thesis statement.
• Order your subtopics as logically as possible, making for easier transitions in the essay.
• To avoid going off topic, stick to the outline as you write.
• Hand in the outline. Some professors or TAs may give marks for material written on it.
• Write the essay quickly, using clear, concise sentences.
• Include key words from the question in your thesis statement.
• Body paragraph each containing one main idea, with a topic sentence linking back to the thesis statement, and transition words (e.g.:  although, however) between paragraphs.
• A short summary as a conclusion, if you have time.
• If it is easier, leave a space for the introduction and write the body first.
• As you write, leave space for corrections/additional points by double-spacing.
• Review the essay to make sure its content matches your thesis statement.  If not, change the thesis.

Further sources and attribution

For more information on exam preparation and writing strategies, see our Exams  pages.

Some suggestions in this handout were adapted from “ Fastfacts – Short-Answer and Essay Exams” on the University of Guelph Library web site; “Resources – Exam Strategies” on the St. Francis Xavier University Writing Centre web site; and “Writing Tips – In-Class Essay Exams” and “Writing Tips – Standardized Test Essay Exams” on the Center for Writing Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign web site

How To Prepare For An English Essay Exam? 10 Must-Know Tips

As students, we often find ourselves at the crossroads of preparing for exams, each bringing its unique set of challenges and expectations. Among the diverse array of assessments, English essay exams stand out as a test of not just our knowledge but also our ability to convey it articulately and persuasively. Mastering the art of preparing for these exams is an invaluable skill, and in this blog, we’re going to delve into the comprehensive guide that can help you get an answer to – How To Prepare For An English Essay Exam?

Whether you’re in high school, or college, or pursuing an advanced degree, the tips and strategies you’ll discover here will empower you to approach English essay exams with confidence and competence. And, if you’re seeking additional support and guidance, remember that Ignite Training Institute offers the very best tutoring for English , helping you unlock your full potential.

Table of Contents

How To Prepare For An English Essay Exam? 10 Tips

5 accidental errors to avoid in your essay writing, what to include/exclude in essay writing, ignite training institute: best english tutors in dubai.

Preparing for an English essay exam demands a well-structured approach to effectively convey your thoughts and knowledge. Here are essential pointers to guide your preparation and ensure your success:

1. Understand Exam Structure

Begin by thoroughly understanding the exam format. This includes the number of questions you’ll be required to answer, the types of essays you’ll need to write, and any time constraints imposed. This foundational knowledge will help you plan your study and exam strategies more effectively.

2. Review Comprehensive Material

Revisit your class notes, textbooks, and any relevant reading materials. This comprehensive review ensures that you have a firm grasp of the topics and concepts that might be included in the exam. A deep understanding of the material will allow you to provide more insightful and well-supported responses.

3. Create A Study Schedule

Planning your study schedule is crucial. Allocate dedicated time for each topic or subject matter, ensuring you can cover all relevant material before the exam. Sticking to your schedule will help manage your time efficiently.

4. Practice Writing Essays

Practice makes perfect. Regularly write sample essays on a range of topics to enhance your writing skills. This practice not only helps you become more comfortable with the essay format but also sharpens your ability to express your ideas clearly and concisely.

5. Analyse Essay Prompts

Carefully dissect the essay prompts or questions you might encounter. Pay special attention to keywords like ‘analyze,’ ‘compare,’ or ‘discuss.’ Understanding these prompts thoroughly will help you tailor your responses to meet the specific requirements of each question.

6. Develop An Effective Outline

Before diving into your essays, create a structured outline. This should include sections for the introduction, main points or arguments, and a conclusion. A well-structured outline serves as a roadmap, helping you maintain a logical flow and coherence in your essays

7. Enhance Vocabulary

Broaden your lexicon by acquiring new words and idiomatic expressions. Incorporating these into your essays not only adds depth and richness to your writing but also showcases your command of the language, which can positively influence your exam results.

8. Proofread & Edit

After writing your essays, don’t overlook the importance of proofreading and editing. Conduct a comprehensive review of your work to pinpoint any grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. Effective editing ensures that your essays are clear, and error-free, and convey your ideas effectively.

9. Seek Feedback

Share your practice essays with teachers, peers, or online writing communities. Constructive feedback can provide valuable insights into areas where you can improve, helping you refine your writing skills.

10. Master Time Management

During the exam, time management is crucial. Allocate a specific amount of time to each essay, but always reserve some time for reviewing and making any necessary revisions. Effective time management ensures that you can complete all essay questions within the allotted time frame and maintain the quality of your responses.

Related: 10 Tips On How To Prepare For English Board Exam Class 10

It’s essential to navigate the path of precision and clarity carefully. To ensure your writing shines, steer clear of these five accidental errors that can impact the quality and impact of your essays.

1. Grammatical & Spelling Mistakes

One of the most common errors in essay writing is grammatical and spelling mistakes. These errors can distract your readers and undermine the credibility of your writing. Always proofread your work carefully, and consider using grammar and spell-check tools to catch these errors.

2. Run-On Sentences & Sentence Fragments

Avoid overly long sentences that can make your writing confusing. At the same time, steer clear of sentence fragments that lack a subject or verb, as they disrupt the flow of your essay. Clear and effective communication relies on proper sentence structure.

3. Inconsistent Verb Tense

Maintain consistent verb tense throughout your essay. Shifting between past, present, and future tense can confuse your readers and disrupt the coherence of your writing. Choose a tense that suits your narrative and stick to it.

4. Misused Words & Homophones

Be vigilant about using the correct words and avoiding homophones (words that sound the same but have different meanings). Common examples include “there” and “their,” “your” and “you’re,” or “its” and “it’s.” Misusing these words can lead to misunderstandings.

5. Lack Of Clarity & Conciseness

Ensure your writing is clear and concise. Avoid unnecessary jargon, overly complex sentences, or vague language. Be direct and to the point, using words that convey your message effectively.

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The following steps outline what to include and exclude in essay writing, ensuring clarity, relevance, and conciseness in your work.

Include This In Essay:

1. Clear Thesis Statement: Your essay should begin with a clear and concise thesis statement that presents the main argument or purpose of your essay.

2. Relevant Evidence: Support your thesis with appropriate and credible evidence, such as facts, statistics, examples, or expert quotations.

3. Structured Organisation: Organise your essay into well-structured paragraphs, each addressing a single idea or point. Ensure a logical flow from one paragraph to the next.

4. Transitions: Use transitional phrases and words to guide your readers through your essay seamlessly, maintaining coherence and clarity.

5. Analysis: Go beyond presenting facts by analyzing and interpreting them. Explain the significance of your evidence and how it supports your thesis.

Exclude This In Essay:

1. Irrelevant Information: Stay on topic and avoid including information that doesn’t directly relate to your thesis or purpose.

2. Plagiarism: Never use someone else’s work without proper citation. Engaging in plagiarism is morally wrong and may lead to severe repercussions.

3. Personal Opinions Without Support: While personal opinions are acceptable, they should be supported by evidence and analysis. Avoid unsupported assertions.

4. Complex Language Unnecessarily: Avoid using complex words or jargon for the sake of it. Make sure your writing is easily understandable for your target readers.

5. Redundancy: Do not repeat the same information or ideas throughout your essay. Aim for brevity and lucidity in your writing.

Related: AP Exam Test Dates 2024: A Student’s Guide To Strategize

Ignite Training Institute is a leading destination for English tutoring in Dubai. With a team of highly qualified and experienced English tutors, they provide top-notch language instruction that caters to various proficiency levels and objectives.

Whether you’re looking to improve your conversational skills, prepare for exams, or enhance your professional communication, Ignite Training Institute offers tailored programs to meet your specific needs. Their commitment to delivering results is backed by a track record of student success, making them the go-to choice for anyone seeking the best English tutoring services in Dubai.

1. How Can I Write An English Essay Fast? 

To write an English essay quickly, plan your essay structure, focus on your main points, and avoid perfectionism during the initial draft, reserving time for revisions and editing afterward.

2. How Can I Get Good Marks In Exam Essays?

To earn good marks in an exam essay, understand the essay prompt thoroughly, create a clear and structured outline, provide strong evidence, and ensure your writing is well-organized and error-free.

3. How Can I Write A Good English Essay?

To write a good English essay, clearly express a strong thesis, support it with well-researched evidence, and ensure your writing is coherent, well-structured, and free from grammatical and spelling errors.

In conclusion, preparing for an English essay exam is a journey that requires careful planning, practice, and a solid strategy. By understanding the exam format, reviewing the material diligently, practicing your writing skills, and managing your time effectively, you can boost your confidence and increase your chances of success. 

Remember, preparation is not just about acquiring knowledge; it’s about developing the ability to articulate your thoughts coherently and persuasively. So, embrace the process, stay focused, and with dedication, you can navigate your English essay exams with skill and assurance, achieving the results you aspire to. Good luck with your exams!

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How to Prepare for a Test

Last Updated: July 1, 2024 References

This article was co-authored by Jai Flicker and by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD . Jai Flicker is an Academic Tutor and the CEO and Founder of Lifeworks Learning Center, a San Francisco Bay Area-based business focused on providing tutoring, parental support, test preparation, college essay writing help, and psychoeducational evaluations to help students transform their attitude toward learning. Jai has over 20 years of experience in the education management industry. He holds a BA in Philosophy from the University of California, San Diego. This article has been viewed 192,525 times.

Tests are a necessary part of school life—at some point, you'll have to prove how much you've learned. If you tend to stress out about tests and feverishly cram, you're not alone—but there are better ways to prepare for a test. Here, we've gathered some tips on how to study for your next test, including scheduling regular study sessions, finding different ways to study the material, and taking care of yourself the night before and day of the test.

Study Tips to Prepare for a Test

Turn in your homework on time, review your notes every day, and study in small increments to retain more information. Get a good night’s sleep before your test and eat a healthy breakfast in the morning. Arrive at your test location early and perform breathing exercises to reduce stress.

Start studying several weeks before the exam.

• For example, if you have a test on April 30, you might plan study sessions on the 29th, 28th, 25th, 22nd, 18th, and 15th. Notice that the dates are going backward from the exam date, so your first study session is on the 15th, 2 weeks before the exam.
• If you haven't yet covered all the material that will be on the exam by your first study session, don't worry about it! Just focus on what you have covered and add the other material in as you get to it.

Study in short bursts to retain more information.

• If you need to have a couple of study sessions in a row, plan a break of at least 10-15 minutes in between. That allows your brain to rest and process what you've studied.

Set specific goals for each study session.

• For example, if you planned 6 study sessions, you might take a practice test the first session, then spend the next 2 sessions on the material you had problems with in the practice test. Then, you could take another practice test and reassess your knowledge to plan the rest of your sessions.
• It may be helpful to start each study session with the topics that you struggle with the most—then move onto easier subjects that you feel more confident in.
• Reader Poll: We asked 293 wikiHow readers about how they organize their studying, and 49% of them said that they tackle the most difficult topics first, while they have the most energy . [Take Poll]

Study in a quiet area.

• If there's not a good place to study at home, you might study in the library instead. Many libraries have study carrels or rooms you can sign up to use.

Go for a walk after each study session.

• If you have a recording related to the material you're studying—perhaps you found a related podcast or recorded your teacher's lectures—you might listen to that while you're walking to further reinforce your knowledge.

Take practice tests to assess your knowledge.

• Don't neglect areas you're strong in! You still need to review those areas—you just don't need to spend as much time on them.
• Try to take your test under simulated test conditions. For example, if you only have an hour to complete the test, set a timer for one hour before you begin. You might even get a friend or family member to "proctor" your practice test for you.

Joseph Meyer

Review basic concepts before diving into advanced topics. Identifying the gaps in your knowledge helps you avoid difficulties later on. Take an assessment or get your teacher's advice on where you can improve. Practice targeted exercises to build a strong foundation so you can confidently tackle new lessons.

Create flashcards for quick review.

• For example, waiting in line is the perfect time to go through a few flashcards.
• You can also give your flashcards to a friend or family member so they can quiz you.

Make a mind map if you're a visual learner.

• You might also look into computer apps that help you construct mind maps and other study tools. Many are available for free while others require a subscription. Just search online or ask your teacher if they know of any apps they might recommend.

Read your notes out loud.

• If you find that you stumble over something when you read aloud, it might be that you aren't that familiar with that concept yet. Go over it again until you understand it.

Teach the subject to someone else.

• Younger children are great for this because you'll need to explain more advanced concepts to them using language they'll understand. Putting terminology into your own words like this can help you uncover things you might not completely understand about the material.

Make up your own test questions.

• For example, if you have a history test on the French Revolution, one of your questions might be "What motivated the people who originally revolted against the French king?"
• As another example, if you have a math test, you might create your own math problems to solve based on the formulas introduced in your class.
• If you have access to your teacher's old tests, use those to get an idea of the types of questions your teacher typically asks. That'll make it easier to come up with your own questions.

Get a study group together.

• Don't forget to include a little time to socialize as well! For example, you might get some classmates together to study for 30 minutes, then watch the latest episode of a TV show you all enjoy.

Attend review sessions offered by your teacher.

• Most teachers offer review sessions within a week of the test or after all the material to be tested has been covered in class. Sometimes these are regular class sessions, but they might also be offered at a different time.

Get at least 8 hours of sleep the night before.

• It's a good idea to try to go to bed a little earlier than you normally do the night before the test. Do something relaxing before bed, such as taking a bath.
• You might find it hard to fall asleep, especially if you're nervous about the test—and that's normal! But avoid taking a sleeping pill, which could make you groggy the next day.

Eat a nutritious breakfast the morning of the test.

• If you normally have a cup of coffee in the morning, don't skip it before the test—you don't want caffeine withdrawal to hamper your performance. At the same time, don't over-indulge. Too much caffeine can make you jittery and unfocused, so limit yourself to a single cup.

Give yourself plenty of time to travel to the test location.

• If you've never been to the testing location before, you might want to do a dry run so you're more familiar with the area and know how to get there.

Do deep breathing exercises right before the test.

• Continue breathing this way for 3 to 5 minutes, keeping your focus solely on your breath. If you find that your mind wanders or you start worrying about the test, gently pull your mind back to your breath.

Supercharge Your Studying with this Expert Series

Expert Q&A

Reader Videos

• Schedule a meeting with your teacher to go over your graded test. They can help you understand where you went wrong so you know how to better prepare in the future. [16] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• After your test, reward yourself for a job well done! Doing something fun, such as going shopping or watching a movie, will also keep you from worrying about how you did on the test. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Search online for videos or podcasts about the material you're studying. They can help engage you and reinforce what you learned in class. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• Avoid cramming, which can increase your anxiety levels. If you haven't studied adequately, just focus on the main concepts of the class and try to understand the big picture. [17] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Don't consume alcohol or other drugs the night before the test. While it might be tempting to "take the edge off," these substances will cloud your thinking and make it hard to focus. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Change negative self-talk, which can increase your anxiety and make the test more difficult. For example, instead of saying "I'm going to fail this test," you could say "I've worked hard to prepare for this test. I'm going to do okay." Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ Jai Flicker. Academic Tutor. Expert Interview. 20 May 2020.
• ↑ https://blog.suny.edu/2013/12/scientifically-the-best-ways-to-prepare-for-final-exams/
• ↑ http://academicsupport.uw.edu/study-skills/preparing-for-tests/
• ↑ https://www.lynchburg.edu/academics/tutoring-academic-support/test-preparation/
• ↑ https://www.harrisschool.edu/unusual-study-tips-for-your-next-test/
• ↑ https://www.albany.edu/main/features/2004/12-04/1exams/exams.html

About This Article

To prepare for a test, review your notes every day after school, focusing on the main concepts for each topic. After each study session, review what you’ve learned by using flashcards or the questions at the end of each chapter. Additionally, try sticking notes with important concepts where you’ll see them often, like the bathroom mirror or the inside of your locker, to reinforce what you’re studying throughout the day. Once you’ve studied all the information, try taking a practice test to see what you still need to work on. To learn more, like how to deal with stress and anxiety the night before a test, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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English Assessment Preparation

How to prepare for your english assessment.

We've outlined what you can expect from your English assessment, including what content will be covered and the format it will take. We've also provided some resources to help you prepare.

Assessment Content and Format  

In your Accuplacer WritePlacer assessment, you’ll be provided with a short passage and you’ll be asked to respond to it by writing a multi-paragraph essay to develop a point of view and support it with arguments and examples.   

• You will have  80 minutes  to plan and write the essay. 
• Your essay must be  300-600 words .   
• Use of dictionary is not allowed 

Your response will be evaluated on the following criteria: 

• Purpose and Focus  – Have you addressed the topic? Have you presented the information clearly and logically?  
• Organization and Structure  – Have you connected and ordered your ideas?   
• Development and Support  – Have you developed and supported your ideas? 
• Sentence variety and Style –  Are your sentences varied in length and style, demonstrating control of vocabulary, voice, and structure?  
• Mechanical Conventions  – Have you used correct grammar and spelling?   
• Critical Thinking  – Have you communicated your point of view and demonstrated consistent relationships among ideas?  
• Read the passage and the question carefully so your essay addresses the topic.  
• Before you start writing, take some time to plan your essay. 
• Be sure to develop a clear point of view.  
• Follow a standard essay format: introduction, body paragraph(s), and conclusion.   
• Relate each paragraph to your main argument. Relate each sentence in your paragraph to the paragraph’s topic sentence.    

Essay Preparation

For more information, review: 

• WritePlacer Sample Essays  

GBC Tutoring and Learning Centre (TLC) writing resources

Assessment Content

The ACCUPLACER Next Generation Reading Comprehension Test includes four types of questions.   

• Information and Ideas questions  focus on determining central ideas and themes of a passage, summary of a passage, and understanding relationships between ideas presented. 
• Rhetoric questions  focus on analyzing a passage for the author’s word choice, text structure, point of view, purpose and arguments used.  
• Synthesis questions  focus on relating the information and ideas from different texts. 
• Vocabulary questions  focus on finding the meaning of word and phrases used in contexts.  

Assessment Format 

• 20 questions, multiple choice 
• The test software will select questions based on your previous answers. Answer all the questions to the best of your ability and do not skip any, as you cannot go back.   
• No time limit (on average, students take 30 – 60 minutes) 
• Score range: 200-300 
• Use of a dictionary is not allowed 

Reading Comprehension Sample Questions 

  ACCUPLACER Next Generation Reading Sample Questions    

See pages 2-7.  The answer key is on pages 8-13. 

Free ACCUPLACER App  - ACCUPLACER has created an App containing a sample Reading Comprehension test. To find the sample test and review test content, please create an account. 

Admission Assessment Applicants

Free online English preparation, 3-week MSAP evening course.

Apply to MSAP

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How to Prepare on Your Own for the TJ Test

Roughly, there are four hurdles to tackle to get into TJ.

• The multiple-choice TJ exam given in December
• Teacher recommendations /Science and math course work/grades .
• The Student Information Sheet (SIS)
• The timed essay  written on the same day as the SIS in January.

Consult TJ admissions for a clear idea of the weighting of these components . Read  TJ’s website thoroughly .  See what courses are offered and what clubs exist.

Read and reread TJ’s Mission Statement below (from its website).  Discuss it with your parents and friends.  

The mission of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is to provide students a challenging learning environment focused on math, science, and technology, to inspire joy at the prospect of discovery, and to foster a culture of innovation based on ethical behavior and the shared interests of humanity.

At Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, we believe:

Critical thinking and problem solving skills are vital in addressing the complex societal and ethical issues of our time.

Students learn best in a community where academic disciplines are integrated, fostering an appreciation of how they interact and form a whole.

Global interdependence compels us to understand the languages, systems and diverse cultures of people throughout the world.

Literature, music and the arts are essential, timeless aspects of human existence.

The methods of science provide discipline to our search for structure in the world.

Research stems from a combination of fundamental knowledge, individual creativity and curiosity.

Effective communication is often the only difference between a good idea and a successful initiative.

Collaborative learning, athletics, and extracurricular activities develop leadership and interpersonal skills.

Responsibility and integrity are core principles in the pursuit of excellence.

Learning never ends.

What you can do on your own

There are many useful resources for improving your skills. Depending on how close you are to your goal you will need to adjust the amount of study to secure a good score.

MATH: I list this first because if you do nothing else, get your mental math skills honed. Your chance of making the second cut improves with a higher score. Sign up on the www.collegeboard.com website for its SAT question-of-the-day. Check out Khan Academy’s test preparation offerings.  Always look for the “one-minute solution” and do lots of timed practice.A good magazine to improve logic skills is Dell Logic Lover’s Logic Problems.   See below for additional book titles.

ESSAYS: If you aren’t getting “A”s on your essays start writing more. Have your parents or friends read your writing. Is it interesting? The more specific your writing, the more interesting it is to the reader. Do you repeat yourself? Are your sentences clear or muddled? Write letters/emails to your relatives (grandmothers are particularly happy to hear from their grandkids!) Avoid abbreviations becuz be4 u no it only kidz will understand u. Check your spelling and proof-read your essay by reading it aloud to yourself.  Practice your typing skills.

VERBAL:  TJ is now placing more emphasis on the verbal than before.  The single most valuable activity to improve your reading skills is to read 1-2 hours a day as your schedule permits. Read widely: Popular Mechanic, National Geographic, Science News, Scientific American, Discover Magazine, Muse, Smithsonian, news magazines, novels (anything written before 1960 will have a richer vocabulary), and biographies. Keep in mind that one of the two essays will be on some ethics and science issue so knowing a little bit about a lot of subjects might really pay off. Also, the more you explore now the easier it will be to decide what you want to study later in life.

Student Information Sheet: If you can, participate in summer camps or after school programs for STEM. The more you study STEM outside of school (even reading books/magazines from the library or articles on the internet) the more you show your dedication to the sorts of subjects you might study at TJ.  You don’t have to be involved through with STEM through an organization.  One of my favorite students decided he was going to do oyster farming.  He talked to fisherman, designed his own cages, and learned how to care for them (it is way more involved than you would think).  He did this all on his own.

I wish I could say there was one absolutely terrific book but I can’t. Most seem to have typos (this drives me crazy). As long as you keep that in mind and don’t linger on a nonsensical problem, they all provide good practice.   Also keep in mind that these books allot more time than the actual TJ test does . NY SHSAT gives 75 minutes per section instead of 60 minutes per section so adjust (shorten) time accordingly. All these books can be obtained through www.amazon.com

The Princeton Review Math Smart Getting a grip on basic math 2 nd Edition. This is a useful review book as is Advanced Math Smart .

Barron’s New York City SHSAT: Specialized High School Admissions Test (Barron’s How to Prepare for the New York City SHSAT) –

PrepMate Practice Tests for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST). The math is ok but harder than the TJ math. The writers   designed it with the “one-minute solution” in mind. Watch out for typos and don’t lose sleep over the verbal.    http://www.prepmate.com/ShowPage.asp?pid=TJHSST

Cracking the New York City Specialized High Schools Admissions Test , Second Edition (State Test Preparation Guides) by Princeton Review (Paperback – July 8, 2003 )

Kaplan New York City Specialized High Schools Admissions Test by Kaplan (Paperback – Aug. 5, 2008)

SHSAT: POWER PRACTICE by Learning Express, LLC. 20011 ISBN: 978-1-57685-776-2 www.learnatest.com Again, watch out for typos – especially in the answer keys.

The Official SAT Study Guide, 2nd edition by The College Board (Paperback – July 21, 2009.) They fixed the typos in the latest reprint of this edition.   If you can consistently score 600 or higher on the math without a calculator you are in good shape.             

The Elements of Style (Original Edition) by William Strunk (Paperback – Sept. 17, 2008). This is a must for every home library.

NEW RECOMMENDATION: MATH STUDY GUIDE for the SAT, ACT, and SAT Subject Tests , 2012 edition created by Richard F. Corn. “Covers pre-algebra through pre-calculus. ISBN 978-1-936214-62-4 Actually I would like you to tell me what you think of this book. I’ve only recently purchased it and it looks to be a promising review of math but I have only had time to read a few pages.

To contact  Kate (Dalby) vanSchaick write [email protected] or call 703-203-5796.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FALL TJ PREP CLASS SCHEDULE

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• Essay Exams

How to write an essay under exam conditions

This is a full analytical essay, which is written under exam conditions. In this kind of task, you will be required to give a response to a question or statement, using sources provided by your teacher.

You will be required to demonstrate a whole gamut of skills. You will need to:

• respond to stimulus provided for the exam
• use the sources to create a hypothesis in response to the key question /statement
• plan and write a complete essay within the exam time limit
• quote from a wide range of sources
• analyse and evaluate the sources you've used
• correctly reference all sources quoted in your essay

Whilst this seems like a lot to complete in an exam, planning will help accomplish most of this.

Most essay exams provide you with 10 minutes of perusal time. Use this time to plan out your hypothesis , topic sentences and what quotes from the sources you are going to use in each of your body paragraphs.

If you use this time well, your essay writing will remain clearly structured.

Understand the Key Question/Statement

The question or statement will not be provided before the test (therefore, the question is ‘unseen’).

Therefore, it is imperative that you take the time to read and understand what the statement or question is asking you to do before you begin planning your response.

Essay questions use a variety of terms and it is essential you understand what each of these mean if you are to answer properly. Here is a list of the most common terms and what they mean: 

An Example Planning Structure

Introduction

Your three main points that your body paragraphs will focus on

Paragraph 1

Topic Sentence

Sources chosen

Analysis and evaluation of sources

Paragraph 2

Paragraph 3

Restate hypothesis

Restate three main points that your body paragraphs focused on

Essay paragraph writing advice

How to write an Introductory Paragraph

This page explains the purpose of an introduction, how to structure one and provides examples for you to read.

How to write a Conclusion

This page explains the purpose of conclusions, how to structure them and provides examples for you to read.

How to write Body Paragraphs

This page explains the purpose of body paragraphs, how to structure them and provides examples for you to read.

Time Management

Managing the use of your time in an exam is crucial to doing well. Divide the time to make sure you have enough time to write each paragraph.

However, make sure you give yourself time at the end to check your work and proofread your writing.

For example:

If you have a 100-minute exam:

10 mins planning

10 mins for Intro

20 mins for each three Body Paragraphs

10 mins for Conclusion

10 mins proofreading.

Additional Resources

What do you need help with, download ready-to-use digital learning resources.

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Expert Guide to the AP Language and Composition Exam

Advanced Placement (AP)

With the 2023 AP English Language and Composition exam happening on Tuesday, May 9, it's time to make sure that you're familiar with all aspects of the exam. In this article, I'll give a brief overview of the test, do a deeper dive on each of the sections, discuss how the exam is scored, offer some strategies for studying, and finally wrap up with some essential exam day tips.

Exam Overview

The AP Language and Composition exam tests your rhetorical and composition skills. Essentially, how do authors construct effective arguments in their writing? What tools do they use? How can you use those tools to craft effective writing yourself? That is the essence of rhetorical analysis.

The exam has two parts: the first section is an hour-long, 45 question multiple-choice section. It includes five sets of questions, each based on a passage or passages. In this section, there will be 23-25 rhetorical analysis questions which test your rhetorical skills. There will also be 20-22 writing questions which require you to consider revisions to the texts you're shown.

The second section is free response. It starts with a 15-minute reading period, and then you'll have 120 minutes to write three analytical essays:

• One essay where you synthesize several provided texts to create an argument
• One essay where you analyze a nonfiction passage for its rhetorical construction
• One essay where you create an original argument in response to a prompt.

You will have about 40 minutes to write each essay, but no one will prompt you to move from essay to essay—you can structure the 120 minutes as you wish.

In the next sections I'll go over each section of the exam more closely—first multiple choice, and then free response.

The AP English Language and Composition Multiple-Choice

The multiple-choice section tests you on two main areas. The first is how well you can read and understand nonfiction passages for their use of rhetorical devices and tools. The second is how well you can "think like a writer" and make revisions to texts in composition questions.

You will be presented with five passages, about which you will receive a small amount of orienting information, e.g. "This passage is excerpted from a collection of essays on boating" or "This passage is excerpted from an essay written in 19th-century Haiti." Each passage will be followed by a set of questions.

There are, in general, eight question types you can expect to encounter on the multiple-choice section of the exam. I've taken my examples from the sample questions in the " Course and Exam Description ."

Magic eight-ball says there are eight types of multiple-choice questions!

Type 1: Reading Comprehension

These questions are focused on verifying that you understood what a certain part of the passage was saying on a concrete, literal level. You can identify these questions from phrases like "according to" "refers," etc. The best way to succeed on these questions is to go back and re-read the part of the passage referred to very carefully.

Type 2: Implication

These questions take reading comprehension one step further—they are primarily focused on what the author is implying without directly coming out and saying it. These questions will have a correct answer, though, based on evidence from the passage. Which interpretation offered in the answers does the passage most support? You can identify questions like these from words like "best supported," ‘"implies," "suggests," "inferred," and so on.

Type 3: Overall Passage and Author Questions

These questions ask about overall elements of the passage or the author, such as the author's attitude on the issue discussed, the purpose of the passage, the passage's overarching style, the audience for the passage, and so on.

You can identify these questions because they won't refer back to a specific moment in the text. For these questions, you'll need to think of the passage from a "bird's-eye view" and consider what all of the small details together are combining to say.

Type 4: Relationships Between Parts of the Text

Some questions will ask you to describe the relationship between two parts of the text, whether they are paragraphs or specific lines. You can identify these because they will usually explicitly ask about the relationship between two identified parts of the text, although sometimes they will instead ask about a relationship implicitly, by saying something like "compared to the rest of the passage."

Type 5: Interpretation of Imagery/Figurative Language

These questions will ask you about the deeper meaning or implication of figurative language or imagery that is used in the text. Essentially, why did the author choose to use this simile or this metaphor? What is s/he trying to accomplish?

You can generally identify questions like this because the question will specifically reference a moment of figurative language in the text. However, it might not be immediately apparent that the phrase being referenced is figurative, so you may need to go back and look at it in the passage to be sure of what kind of question you are facing.

Type 6: Purpose of Part of the Text

Still other questions will ask you to identify what purpose a particular part of the text serves in the author's larger argument. What is the author trying to accomplish with the particular moment in the text identified in the question?

You can identify these questions because they will generally explicitly ask what purpose a certain part of the text serves. You may also see words or phrases like "serves to" or "function."

Type 7: Rhetorical Strategy

These questions will ask you to identify a rhetorical strategy used by the author. They will often specifically use the phrase "rhetorical strategy," although sometimes you will be able to identify them instead through the answer choices, which offer different rhetorical strategies as possibilities.

Type 8: Composition

This is the newest question type, first seen in the 2019/2020 school year. For these questions, the student will need to act as though they are the writer and think through different choices writers need to make when writing or revising text.

These questions can involve changing the order of sentences or paragraphs, adding or omitting information to strengthen an argument or improve clarity, making changes to draw reader attention, and other composition-based choices.

Some very important stylish effects going on here.

The AP English Language and Composition Free Response

The free response section has a 15-minute reading period. After that time, you will have 120 minutes to write three essays that address three distinct tasks.

Because the first essay involves reading sources, it is suggested that you use the entire 15-minute reading period to read the sources and plan the first essay. However, you may want to glance at the other questions during the reading period so that ideas can percolate in the back of your mind as you work on the first essay.

Essay One: Synthesis

For this essay, you will be briefly oriented on an issue and then given anywhere from six to seven sources that provide various perspectives and information on the issue. You will then need to write an argumentative essay with support from the documents.

If this sounds a lot like a DBQ , as on the history AP exams, that's because it is! However, this essay is much more argumentative in nature—your goal is to persuade, not merely interpret the documents.

Example (documents not included, see 2022 free response questions ):

Essay Two: Rhetorical Analysis

In the second essay, you'll be presented with an excerpt from a nonfiction piece that advances an argument and asked to write an essay analyzing the rhetorical strategies used to construct the passage's argument. You will also be given some orienting information—where the passage was excerpted from, who wrote it, its approximate date, where it was published (if at all), and to whom it was directed.

Example (excerpt not included, see 2022 free response questions ):

Essay Three: Argument

In the third essay, you will be presented with an issue and asked to write a persuasive essay taking a position on the issue. You will need to support your position with evidence from your "reading, experience, and observations."

This doesn't look like a very well-constructed argument.

How The AP Language and Composition Exam Is Scored

The multiple-choice section of the exam is worth 45% of your score, and the free-response section is worth the other 55%. So each of the three free-response essays is worth about 18% of your score.

As on other APs, your raw score will be converted to a scaled score of 1-5. This exam has a relatively low 5 rate. Only 10% of test takers received a 5 in 2022 , although 56% of students received a score of 3 or higher.

In terms of how the raw score is obtained, the multiple-choice section is similar to other AP multiple-choice sections: you receive a point for every question you answer correctly, and there is no penalty for guessing.

The grading rubrics for the free-response questions were revamped in 2019. They are scored using analytic rubrics instead of holistic rubrics. For each free-response question, you will be given a score from 0-6. The rubrics assess three major areas:

#1: Thesis (0 to 1 points): Is there a thesis, and does it properly respond to the prompt?

#2: Evidence and Commentary (0 to 4 points): Does the essay include supporting evidence and analysis that is relevant, specific, well organized, and supports the thesis?

#3: Sophistication (0 to 1 points): Is the essay well-crafted and does it show a sufficiently nuanced understanding of the prompt?

Each scoring rubric broadly assesses these three factors. However, each task is also different in nature, so the rubrics do have some differences. I'll go over each rubric—and what it really means—for you here.

Synthesis Essay Rubrics

EVIDENCE AND COMMENTARY

SOPHISTICATION

Time to synthesize this dough into some cookies.

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Rubrics

Examine your texts closely!

Argumentative Essay Rubrics

The best kind of frenzy is a puppy frenzy!

AP English Language Prep Tips

Unlike its cousin, the AP English Literature and Composition exam, the AP Language and Composition exam (and course) have very little to do with fiction or poetry. So some students used to more traditional English classes may be somewhat at a loss as to what to do to prepare.

Luckily for you, I have a whole slate of preparation tips for you!

Read Nonfiction—In a Smart Way

A major thing you can do to prepare for the AP Lang and Comp exam is to read nonfiction— particularly nonfiction that argues a position , whether explicitly (like an op-ed) or implicitly (like many memoirs and personal essays). Read a variety of non-fiction genres and topics, and pay attention to the following:

• What is the author's argument?
• What evidence do they use to support their position?
• What rhetorical techniques and strategies do they use to build their argument?
• Are they persuasive? What counterarguments can you identify? Do they address them?

Thinking about these questions with all the reading you do will help you hone your rhetorical analysis skills.

Learn Rhetorical Terms and Strategies

Of course, if you're going to be analyzing the nonfiction works you read for their rhetorical techniques and strategies, you need to know what those are! You should learn a robust stable of rhetorical terms from your teacher, but here's my guide to the most important AP Language and Composition terms .

• We've compiled a list of 20 rhetorical devices you should know.
• A heroic individual from Riverside schools in Ohio uploaded this aggressively comprehensive list of rhetorical terms with examples. It's 27 pages long, and you definitely shouldn't expect to know all of these for the exam, but it's a useful resource for learning some new terms.
• Another great resource for learning about rhetorical analysis and how rhetorical devices are actually used is the YouTube Channel Teach Argument , which has videos rhetorically analyzing everything from Taylor Swift music videos to Super Bowl commercials. It's a fun way to think about rhetorical devices and get familiar with argumentative structures.
• Finally, a great book—which you might already use in your class—is " They Say, I Say. " This book provides an overview of rhetoric specifically for academic purposes, which will serve you well for AP preparation and beyond.

You also need to practice argumentative and persuasive writing. In particular, you should practice the writing styles that will be tested on the exam: synthesizing your own argument based on multiple outside sources, rhetorically analyzing another piece of writing in-depth, and creating a completely original argument based on your own evidence and experience.

You should be doing lots of writing assignments in your AP class to prepare, but thoughtful, additional writing will help. You don't necessarily need to turn all of the practice writing you do into polished pieces, either—just writing for yourself, while trying to address some of these tasks, will give you a low-pressure way to try out different rhetorical structures and argumentative moves, as well as practicing things like organization and developing your own writing style.

Not the most auspicious start to an argumentative essay.

Practice for the Exam

Finally, you'll need to practice specifically for the exam format. There are sample multiple-choice questions in the " AP Course and Exam Description ," and old free-response questions on the College Board website.

Unfortunately, the College Board hasn't officially released any complete exams from previous years for the AP English Language and Composition exam, but you might be able to find some that teachers have uploaded to school websites and so on by Googling "AP Language complete released exams." I also have a guide to AP Language and Composition practice tests .

Once you're prepped and ready to go, how can you do your best on the test?

AP Language and Composition Test Day Tips

Here are four key tips for test-day success.

You are one hundred percent success!

Interact With the Text

When you are reading passages, both on the multiple-choice section and for the first two free-response questions, interact with the text! Mark it up for things that seem important, devices you notice, the author's argument, and anything else that seems important to the rhetorical construction of the text. This will help you engage with the text and make it easier to answer questions or write an essay about the passage.

Think About Every Text's Overarching Purpose and Argument

Similarly, with every passage you read, consider the author's overarching purpose and argument. If you can confidently figure out what the author's primary assertion is, it will be easier to trace how all of the other aspects of the text play into the author's main point.

Plan Your Essays

The single most important thing you can do for yourself on the free-response section of the AP English Language exam is to spend a few minutes planning and outlining your essays before you start to write them.

Unlike on some other exams, where the content is the most important aspect of the essay, on the AP Language Exam, organization, a well-developed argument, and strong evidence are all critical to strong essay scores. An outline will help you with all of these things. You'll be able to make sure each part of your argument is logical, has sufficient evidence, and that your paragraphs are arranged in a way that is clear and flows well.

Anticipate and Address Counterarguments

Another thing you can do to give your free responses an extra boost is to identify counterarguments to your position and address them within your essay. This not only helps shore up your own position, but it's also a fairly sophisticated move in a timed essay that will win you kudos with AP graders.

Address counterarguments properly or they might get returned to sender!

Key Takeaways

The AP Language and Composition exam tests your rhetorical skills. The exam has two sections.

The first section is an hour-long, 45 question multiple-choice test based on the rhetorical techniques and composition choices.

The second section is a two-hour free-response section (with a 15-minute initial reading period) with three essay questions: one where you must synthesize given sources to make an original argument, one where you must rhetorically analyze a given passage, and one where you must create a wholly original argument about an issue with no outside sources given.

You'll receive one point for every correct answer on the multiple-choice section of the exam, which is worth 45% of your score. The free-response section is worth 55% of your score. For each free-response question, you'll get a score based on a rubric from 0-6. Your total raw score will be converted to a scaled score from 1-5.

Here are some test prep strategies for AP Lang:

#1 : Read nonfiction with an eye for rhetoric #2 : Learn rhetorical strategies and techniques #3 : Practice writing to deploy rhetorical skills #4 : Practice for the exam!

Here are some test-day success tips:

#1 : Interact with each passage you encounter! #2 : Consider every text's overarching purpose and argument. #3 : Keep track of time #4 : Plan your essays #5 : Identify and address counterarguments in your essays.

With all of this knowledge, you're ready to slay the AP English Language and Composition beast!

Noble knight, prepare to slay the AP dragon!

What's Next?

Want more AP Lang review? We have a complete collection of released AP Language practice tests , as well as a list of the AP Lang terms you need to know and a guide to the multiple choice section .

Taking the AP Literature exam? Check out our ultimate guide to the AP English Literature test and our list of AP Literature practice tests .

Taking other AP exams? See our Ultimate Guides to AP World History , AP US History , AP Chemistry , AP Biology , AP World History , and AP Human Geography .

Need more AP prep guidance? Check out how to study for AP exams and how to find AP practice tests .

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

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Ellen has extensive education mentorship experience and is deeply committed to helping students succeed in all areas of life. She received a BA from Harvard in Folklore and Mythology and is currently pursuing graduate studies at Columbia University.

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How to Prepare for a Timed Writing Exam

Timed essays are a favorite for standardized tests and college exams. They not only test your knowledge, but they test your ability to develop a coherent argument under pressure. The secret to a timed writing exam is preparation beforehand and avoiding rushing on the day of the exam. Here are some tips on how to write a great timed essay.

Manage Your Stress

One cause of poor performance on timed essays is anxiety. There are lots of scientific studies that show how anxiety affects brain function. If you’re stressed while reading the prompt, you may not even be able to understand it, let alone formulate a good response to it.

If you feel yourself starting to panic when the proctor or professor starts the clock, take a moment to calm yourself down. Close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths. Count to twenty. Then slowly open your eyes and with a calm mind start reading the essay prompt. Another thing that helps with stress is preparation. Find out which things can make you fail and how to avoid them!

Do Some Practice Runs

You won’t know the topic beforehand, but if you actually sit down and do a couple of practice essays on some plausible topics, you’ll be able to see where your weaknesses lie and how you can address them. For example, did you rush into the writing without thinking it through first? Did you need to go back and revise? Did you have enough time to make a sensible revision? Practicing first will not only help you remain more calm when it’s show time, it will also help you learn to pace yourself.

Think Before You Write

After reading the topic, give yourself some time to let your thoughts on it formulate. If you jump right in to your first idea, you may miss an opportunity to write an even better, more well-formed essay. A good way to decide what to write is to jot down notes on the different ideas that come up and then choose which one you think is the best one.

Make an Outline

Again, resist the urge to just start scribbling and dedicate time to preparing your essay first. Making an outline where you line up the points you wish to touch on will help guide your writing. It will also prevent you from forgetting what you wanted to say, a common problem with timed essays due to stress and pressure.

Make Sure You’re Answering the Question

Another common pitfall to avoid is failing to address the prompt. Again, this problem can be circumvented by slowing down. While making your outline, keep referring to the prompt. Does each part of your outline answer it? If not, what has to be changed to make sure you stay on course?

Don’t Write Filler

Even though this is a timed essay, you should dedicate your efforts to writing quality statements. Don’t write just to fill the space. This can be particularly tempting when writing the introduction which is where it’s most important for you to get to the point. Your thesis statement at the end of your introductory paragraph should be well-defined and strong. This will help the flow of the rest of your essay so give it your best effort.

Revision Tips

What if you followed all of the above advice but in the middle of writing had a new idea that would change your essay? Here you have to make a decision. Is the new idea so much better that it warrants changing your essay structure for it? AND do you have enough time to revise completely?

If so, then go back and revise the parts you’ve written so far. If you’re writing on paper, make sure you skip a line to leave room for revisions. On a computer, it’s much easier to revise, but you also run the risk of deleting work you wish to use later. If you’re revising on a computer, put the parts you want to take out in brackets. After you’ve finished writing and are doing a final edit , go back and take out the parts that are unnecessary.

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TSI Essay Guide

One challenging component of the TSI test is the essay question. You will be asked to write a persuasive essay on a controversial issue or an issue of current interest. The TSI essay will be evaluated on your organization, focus, development and support, sentence structure, and mechanical conventions. Fortunately, your essay is only required to be 300-600 words in length. A simple 5 paragraph essay will be more than sufficient. Scores on the essay section range from 1 to 8, with 8 being the highest.

An essay that is too short to be evaluated, written on a topic other than the one presented, or written in a language other than English, will be given a score of zero. The biggest differences between the low-scoring and high-scoring essays is LENGTH and CLARITY. Aim to achieve multiple paragraphs with good organization, and this essay should be fairly easy!

TSI Essay Tips and Strategies

• Understand that the TSI Essay will NOT require any outside knowledge. You are not expected to have any specific technical know-how or understanding of specific books or authors. The essay will be based off a provided prompt meant to spark your creativity. Everything you need to answer the question will be part of the prompt!
• Select one side only. Unlike real life where most of our opinions are a mix of gray, the TSI essay requires you to take a strong stand on one side and one side ONLY of the issue. You won’t be able to adequately argue a middle-of-the-road approach, and you risk appearing indecisive and muddling your essay.
• Remember that you will not be scored on your opinion. Don’t worry if you feel you are choosing a less commonly held position on the topic. The reader will NOT give you a lower score based on personal bias.
• Don’t change your position mid-essay. Even if you feel you’re running out of steam and you’re regretting your position on the topic, stay strong and finish the essay anyway. Don’t waffle, and don’t try to take a “middle of the road” approach. You don’t have time to go back and re-write the whole thing.
• No example is “too” specific. As long as you can argue logically that it supports your thesis, no example is “too” specific. Most essays are way too general. Aim to make the reader think, “wow, what extreme detail!” as they read. If you are using an example from personal experience, using some names, dates, places, and other concrete details can go a long way. Replace abstracts with absolutes.
• Incorporate the opposing side. A great way to strengthen your own argument is to acknowledge that there is in fact complexity to the issue. However, if you bring up and describe the opposing side, make sure to criticize it effectively and reiterate that your side is the only one that is valid. This is a great tool to use in your conclusion, although many students include it in an additional body paragraph.
• Keep the introduction and conclusion brief . Don’t take forever to get to the topic. The function of an introductory paragraph is to introduce the reader to the topic in the prompt, and then to clearly and forcefully state your position on it. More than 3-4 sentences is too long. In the conclusion, 1-2 sentences is great to reiterate your position and leave the essay with a closing idea. Save your writing-time for your body paragraphs!
• Use Transition Words . Scroll down to the bottom of this article to see a good list of common transition words. Be sure to use these words as you move between paragraphs! Always make sure the reader will understand why you are moving from one paragraph to the next paragraph!

TSI Essay Template

This is a sample outline for the TSI Essay. Notice we are aiming for 5 paragraphs total. You may opt for a shorter 4 paragraph version if 5 paragraphs are too many for you to write, but aim for 5 paragraphs if you can. If you have trouble completing 5 paragraphs, see if you can streamline your body paragraphs. They can often be bloated with unnecessary wordiness. Keep the introduction and the conclusion short and sweet.

Paragraph 1 — Introduction (3–4 sentences)

You will want to begin your essay with one of the following: a generalization about the topic, a quotation, a short anecdote to set-up the correctness of your position, a historical framework, or a piece of news illustrating the contemporariness of the issue. Admit the complexity of the issue.

You have two goals in the beginning part of the essay: to introduce the topic, and to express your opinion on it. Be sure to place your thesis as the final sentence in your introduction.

Paragraph 2 — First Example (4–6 sentences)

Start with your most-powerful or relevant example. Be specific. Your example can be from history, science, politics, business, entertainment, pop culture, current events, personal experience, etc. Anything can be an example, but choose ONE only for each paragraph. It needs to be something you are knowledgeable about and also something that you believe strongly supports your thesis. You have three tasks in your body paragraphs:

• Introduce your example.
• Describe it.
• Explain how it fully supports your thesis.

You should spend the majority of your body paragraph accomplishing the third step: explaining how it fully supports your thesis . Aim to convince the reader through very concrete details how your position on the issue is correct.

Paragraph 3 — Second Example (4–6 sentences)

Use a transition phrase to introduce the second example. Describe it, and explain again how it fully supports your thesis. You may refer to your first example if you need to, but prioritize a focus on your new example. Don’t mention your third example until you get to the third paragraph.

Paragraph 4 — Third Example (4–6 sentences)

Use a transition phrase again in the first topic sentence. Describe the example. Explain how it supports. Make sure you are elucidating for the reader how each example relates to the topic.

Paragraph 5 — Conclusion (2–4 sentences)

In your conclusion, introduce the opposing side. Explain their position in general terms. Refute their position. Then reinforce the correctness of your own thesis. This takes care of having to come up with a conclusion—you’ll already know what to do! Here’s how it might look:

Although ________ is demonstrably correct, some have argued that _______, believing that ________. However, this viewpoint on the present issue is negated by ________. Rather, __________. Therefore, in the long run,

TSI Essay Practice

Be sure to write at least 2–3 sample essays before your exam so you are comfortable with the format. Have a teacher, friend, or trusted relative read through your essay and give you feedback. You may want to start with our TSI Practice Test Essay .

We have also provided some more TSI essay prompts in the list below. You can use these TSI essay topics to write additional practice essays. Try to utilize the template that we have provided in order to structure your response.

TSI Essay Topics

1) Do works of art have the power to change people’s lives? Some people say a book or a movie has the power to do just that. Are they exaggerating, or can art have such a large impact of individuals?

2) Is an education a requirement for a successful career? Explain the topic and either agree or disagree with the statement, offering support for your position.

3) Scientists and politicians argue over whether global warming and climate control present a real threat to human welfare. Take a position on this issue and explain whether or not you believe this to be a serious problem for humanity.

Transition Words List

Agreement Words

• in the first place
• not only … but also
• as a matter of fact
• in like manner
• in addition
• coupled with
• in the same fashion / way
• first, second, third
• in the light of

Opposition Words

• in contrast
• different from
• of course …, but
• on the other hand
• on the contrary
• at the same time
• in spite of
• (and) still

Causation Words

• in the event that
• for the purpose of
• with this intention
• with this in mind
• in the hope that
• in order to

Example Words

• in other words
• to put it differently
• for one thing
• as an illustration
• in this case
• for this reason
• to put it another way
• that is to say
• with attention to

TSI Practice Test Essay >>

How to Prep for an Essay When You Don’t Know the Prompt

by Gretchen | Feb 28, 2017 | Academic Coaching , blog , Writing | 0 comments

Argh! It’s annoying having to prep for timed essays when you don’t know the prompt, isn’t it?

Recently I got this GREAT question from a student who stumbled across my videos on YouTube:

A junior in college named Yaya asked, “I have a timed essay coming up in January and don’t know the prompt. However, I do have the readings which are 4 different articles, and all kinda surround Angela Duckworth’s idea of Grit. Any ideas on how I can prepare for such essay??”

Yes! I DO have an idea. Watch the video for my complete answer to Yaya.

Hey there, don’t have time for the full video? No worries, I’ve got your back, here’s a summary:

The problem we’re looking at this week is how do you prepare for an essay when you don’t know what the prompt will be? For Yaya, this was causing her stress, and that’s completely understandable, after all, how do you prepare for something when you don’t know what you’re preparing for?

Then I’d create a chart like the one above. I’d list each of the readings and the themes, and I’d annotate every time I found the themes and I’d fill out the boxes. This way, I have a good understanding of the building blocks of each of these articles. Once you understand the core themes of the articles you should be very well prepared to write any essay on these readings.

An added step you could take is to consider or ask others, what some potential essay prompts from these articles could be, and then practice making an outline for them. Just from reading the titles and the subject matter, I could make an educated guess that one potential prompt they would give you is, “Analyze Grit, is it a good thing? If so why or why not?”

I hope this is helpful to you all, and if you want more tips like this, click here to check out my course which has a lot of tips for preparing for essays.

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How to Prepare for Test Essay Questions

SpeedyPrep has many CLEP™ review resources and courses that can help you prepare for the big tests. We have master teachers and college professors that have collaborated to create materials to help you feel confident and ready to answer the multiple-choice section of the CLEP™  exam. However, we do not offer resources and guidance for answering the essay portion of certain CLEP™ exams.

Because our CLEP™ exam review materials don’t cover the essay portion, we’ve compiled some tips that can still help when you come across this portion of the test. Take a look at some of our advice on preparing for essay prompts, and sign up for our CLEP exam review courses today!

Tip #1: Know What to Expect on the Test

Preparing for writing essays is great, but only if that test has an essay portion. Save yourself time (and use that time for preparing for other essential studying) and effort by understanding what the CLEP exam is going to be like.

CLEP™ Exams With Essay Questions

• College Composition
• College Composition Modular

CLEP™ Exams With Optional Essay Questions

• Analyzing and Interpreting Literature
• English Literature
• American Literature

Even if your CLEP exam does not feature a required essay portion, there will be plenty of other moments in life where you’ll be writing essays. Other college courses, and even some job applications, require you to write essays, which is why learning how to prepare and respond to writing prompts is still good knowledge to have.

Tip #2: Know Your Writing Strengths and Weaknesses

We all have areas for improvement when it comes to writing, just as we all have strengths. You might be an incredible fictional writer, but struggle when it comes to responding to a prompt. Your ideas are fantastic, but your writing conventions fall a bit short. No matter what you love (or hate) about writing, there’s always room to grow.

Tip #3: Practice Reading Essay Questions

This might sound silly, but it’s one of the most important things you can do to truly be successful when writing an essay. Think of it like this: if you went to play in a soccer game but started playing basketball on the field, it wouldn’t matter how much you prepared beforehand — you’d look pretty off, and you wouldn’t do well.

Similarly, you could be the best writer in the room, but if you don’t answer the essay question or address what it’s looking for, your score is going to suffer. Practice highlighting or circling keywords, especially verbs such as “compare,” “analyze,” and “summarize,” to name a few. Understand what those words mean, and know to look for them well before you take the CLEP exam.

In our next blog, we’ll go over a few more tips that can help ensure your CLEP exam review is headed in the right direction. SpeedyPrep offers incredible courses and resources to ensure you’re prepared to take the CLEP exam, which could lead to you getting college credit at a faster and more affordable manner. See some of CLEP exam review courses , and sign up with SpeedyPrep today!

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Writing a good Essay in UPSC Mains, Explained by Anudeep Durishetty

ForumIAS announcing GS Foundation Program for UPSC CSE 2025-26 from 10th August. Click Here for more information.

Novelist Stephen King put it beautifully when he said, “I write to find out what I think.”

Writing is a window to your thought process. What you write on paper will tell the reader how you think, how you argue and the way you substantiate your viewpoint. This is why for most competitive examinations and academic entrance tests, essay is mandatory.

In the Civil Services Exam too, we have a paper worth 250 marks, equivalent to a General Studies paper. Despite its importance, essay paper often does not get the attention it deserves from aspirants. First timers think they will write an excellent essay in the final exam itself, whereas experienced aspirants believe that since they had already studied a ton for GS, it will alone be enough to write a good essay. This is a fatal miscalculation.

I was one of those who made these errors in the past, and it is not a coincidence that I scored only 100 in CSE 2015. But in 2017, I devoted adequate time to this paper. I collected useful quotes, prepared notes and even made rough essay drafts for frequently asked topics. All this effort in essay paper helped me score 155.

What follows is an elaborate post on how you should tackle the Essay paper. I’ve organised the content as follows:

What UPSC says about the essay paper

How and from where to prepare?

Improving language and expression

• On subheadings and rough drafts
• What you must avoid
• How to write a powerful introduction?
• Developing the content of an Essay

Substantiating your arguments

• How to conclude an Essay
• My notes, quote collection and sample essays

“Candidates may be required to write essays on multiple topics. They will be expected to  keep closely to the subject of the essay,   to arrange their ideas in an orderly fashion, and to write concisely . Credit will be given for  effective and exact expression .”

Essay distinguishes itself from GS in the sense that in GS, marks will be awarded purely for content. But in essay, examiners will pay special attention to not just the content, but also the language, coherence and the way you organise your write-up.

So you must take adequate care to arrange your ideas properly and not commit any fundamental spelling or grammatical errors.

Most of the content you write in Essay will come from your GS preparation. Apart from this, the following sources will help:

• Reading non-fiction  helps you develop a matured thought process. Apart from imparting knowledge, they will also let you come across good figures of speech, art of argumentation, powerful rhetoric and unique content etc. For example, in an essay on Artificial Intelligence, I took arguments from Yuval Harari’s  Homo Deus  to argue that AI is an imminent threat to humanity. Or if you read  Why Nations Fail,  a book replete with examples, you will understand the importance of innovation, political and economic freedoms in propelling a nation forward. So my suggestion is, apart from UPSC related material, develop the hobby of reading non-fiction books. I do not mean to suggest that you should start reading one  non-fiction book per topic to get good scores in Essay, but reading them occasionally in your free time will benefit you in the long run.
• Referring to specific magazines:  For certain topics, you can refer to specific issues of Yojana/EPW/Economic Survey etc. Example: for an essay on tribal issues or public health, you can go through specific issues of these magazines for getting the latest statistics (IMR, MMR, malnutrition levels etc) and also about the positives and criticisms of govt schemes in that sector.
• Collecting good stories/anecdotes and quotes: Anecdotes, quotes and real life stories you see in newspapers and books which can be used in essay should be noted down. In most of my essays, I used to start with a relevant story or an anecdote that has the essay topic as its underlying theme. Apart from these, I also used a couple of quotes of eminent persons.

         List of quotes, anecdotes I collected are available in the link at the end of this article.

Language in essay must be simple and clear with as little jargon as possible. If you want to use complex definitional terms such as, say, ‘Constitutionalism’ or ‘Sanskritisation’ please define it in sentence just before you use it. Examiner will also understand clearly what you want to convey. Clear writing is clear thinking. And that is what any reader looks for.

Keep your sentences short and powerful. Long, winding sentences makes it difficult to read and understand. If you tack on one clause after another through conjunctions, what you get is a bad sentence sprawl.

Example of a bad sentence sprawl:

At the end of World War 2, on the one hand, while capitalism was successfully championed by the nations in North America and Europe, on the other hand, it was USSR that put Communism at the forefront due to which there was an ideological clash between the the two superpowers which had led to proxy wars in various parts of the globe, a nuclear arms race and a rapid deterioration of the security of the world.

(By the time readers finish reading it, they will lose their breath and the point of the sentence)

So I had a simple rule: If you run out of your breath while  reading a sentence, then probably you will have to break it into two.

Rewriting the aforementioned example after breaking it into two (which makes it much easier to read and comprehend):

After World War 2, while the North American and European nations championed capitalism, USSR put communism at the forefront. This ideological clash between the superpowers led to several proxy wars, a nuclear arms race and a rapid deterioration of world security.

There is no need to memorise complex words for writing a good essay. But an occasional use of a powerful word, or a good phrase definitely gives your write-up an edge.

Also, I believe that learning numerous words by rote will not make them stick in your brain for long. The best way to build your vocabulary is by reading non-fiction and English newspapers. While reading these, if you come across a good turn of phrase, or a word that you don’t recognise, please note it down in a book, find its meaning and understand the context in which the word was used. This helps in long term memory. Having a dictionary app on your phone also helps.

Building vocabulary is a slow process, but with consistency, anyone can become better at using an expansive set of words.

Subheadings & Rough Drafts

We can be a little innovative in our subheadings. Instead of bland subheadings such as ‘ Benefits of Nuclear Energy’  we can use “ Nuclear Energy: Promise or Peril?’  Similarly, for the essay on Social Media, instead of writing ‘ Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media ’, I wrote  “Social Media: A Double Edged Sword”

You can find my collection of a few such subheadings in the link to my notes, given at the end of the article.

I also prepared a rough draft for a few essay topics (link given at the end). You may need to modify the structure as per the demand of the question.

What you must avoid in Essay

• Do not focus excessively only on one point, or one dimension (such as the historical or political aspect) Your essay needs to be expansive and multi-dimensional.
• During preparation, we read a lot and it’s understandable that we feel strongly about certain topics. And since essay offers freedom to write, it’s very easy to get carried away with such a topic. But make sure that you write what is asked, not what you know or feel like. No  mann ki baat . Always stick to the subject of the topic. It helps to read the question in the midst of your essay to ensure that you are not steering away from the topic.
• If you are not comfortable writing about abstract philosophical topics (I am terrible at writing them), avoid such questions. Your choice of topic has no bearing on the marks and that is why, selecting an unpopular topic just for the sake of it is unwise. Also, if there’s a technical term in the question, be doubly sure that you understand it correctly. For instance, in 2014, there was a question on ‘standard tests’, which is a technical term. I misunderstood it and wrote a generic essay. I got 112.
• When you take a final stand on an issue, it’s best to avoid extreme or highly unpopular opinions. We are free to have any opinion in the privacy of our minds, but in UPSC essay why take that risk? For instance, in an essay on Capital Punishment, in the main body content, you should present a case for both abolition and retention. But when you take a stance, it’s best to be an abolitionist.
• No ranting. You might be a great fan of Karl Marx, but if there’s a question on Capitalism, do not rant or rail against it ? You must present both the positives and negatives of Capitalism and end the essay on a balanced note.
• Do not dedicate disproportionate amount of time for the first essay and scamper through the second. Both carry equal marks, so please invest equal time.

How to transition smoothly from one para to the next

This can be done in three ways.

Through a link sentence at the end of a para:

Here, at the end of a para, you write a sentence that signals to the examiner what’s coming next. For example, let’s say you have just written a para about the threat posed by Artificial Intelligence (AI) to jobs. At the end of that para you can write a link sentence—   “Further, we must be mindful of the fact that Artificial Intelligence poses a major challenge not just economically, but also ethically.”  And in the next para, you can write about the ethical issues concerning AI.

Through a question:

Instead of a link sentence, you can also add a question at the end of a para so that examiner’s attention is helplessly carried to the next. To take the similar example as above, the question can be something like—   “Thus we have examined the threat posed by AI to our economy, but what about the challenges brought by AI to our ethics and morals?”  And in the next para, you can write about the ethical issues concerning AI.

Signalling the shift at the start of next paragraph:

Here you can simply add a word or two at the beginning of a para that signals a shift in your subtopic. For example in an essay on  Globalisation , let’s say you have just written a para about its historical evolution and impact. You can start the next para with something like—  “Politically too, globalisation has had a tremendous impact……” This way examiner immediately knows what to expect.

These steps will ensure that the transition between paragraphs is not abrupt.

How to write a good Introduction to your Essay?

Essay introduction can be:

a fictitious incident or story (where you introduce a character); a real life anecdote; a quote; or a simple definition of the words in the question (not recommended in Essay)

In GS, definitional approach is a great way to introduce your answers. But in essay, they are rather stale, lacking in any human element. I always believe that a good way to start your essay is to have that touch of humanity and warmth in your introduction.

In my Mains exam, this was my introduction to the essay ‘Destiny of a nation is shaped in its classroom’

“The year was 1945. Towards the end of a gruesome world war, the world powers decided to carve up the Korean peninsula along the 38th parallel.

“Before partition, North and South Korea might have been homogeneous in every respect, but after the division, they steered onto different paths. While schools in the North chose to ‘educate’ their children in the worship of a cult leader, ideological indoctrination and servility, its southern counterpart focused on liberal education, innovation and economic growth.

“Today, almost seven decades later, the difference in the fates of these people and the trajectories of both these nations cannot be more stark. One is known for gross violation of human rights, while the other a champion of liberal democracy. One is known for gut-wrenching poverty, while the other unbridled prosperity.

“This only proves the age old adage that the destiny of a nation is indeed shaped in its classrooms.”

Similarly, for the Social Media essay, my introduction sought to bring to the fore the paradox of Social Media. I wrote on how social media was leveraged to crowdsource help and rescue during Chennai floods in 2015. At the same time, I mentioned how it was used nefariously in 2012 to cause mass exodus of northeast people from Bangalore. And taking cue from this introduction, in the main body, I discussed about the inherent selfishness and altruism associated with social media.

These real life stories, anecdotes and incidents are everywhere in our books and newspapers. So when you come across them, note down and ponder as to how you can use them in your essay.

Developing the Main Content from the Topic

This is like spinning the web from a thread. Depending on the topic, you can choose among the following options that fits best.

• Temporal: Past, present and future
• Sectoral: Media, Science & Tech, Business, Sports, Religion, Politics, Administration etc
• Walks of Life : Individual, Family, Professional workplace, Society, Community, National, Global
• Problem & Solution:  Concept (historical evolution+status), benefits, problems, solutions
• Standard : Social, Political, Economical, Administrative, International, Environmental, Historical, Scientific, Security/Defence, Legal

Example: for a topic like  “Has Globalisation delivered on its promise?”  I find the problem & solution method an apt way to develop your narrative. So choose as per the question.

In the main body of the essay, each para must have an argument or an idea and a reasoning to back that argument. You can substantiate it through a real life example, a statistic, an authentic committee or organisational report etc.

For example, if you are arguing that Capital punishment is an expensive form of justice, you should be able to given an example or a statistic or Law Commission’s opinion as to how the subjects of death penalty are overwhelmingly from poor communities.

Statistics, examples, expert opinions and constitutional provisions are crucial and they make your arguments authoritative.

Concluding an Essay

Conclusion needs to be on  a futuristic, optimistic note. You need to summarise the complete essay in 3-4 sentences, after which you can write your vision for future.

You can source some useful terms from the speeches of PM Modi. Phrases like  Sabka saath sabka vikas ,  Reform-Perform-Transform, Building A New India  etc can come handy.  Rhetoric, lofty expressions, constitutional ideals, sanskrit slokas and quotes are a good way to conclude your essay.

But suppose in your introduction, if you had written about a fictitious character, then it’s always advisable to end your write-up with a reference to that character. It gives a sense of completeness to the essay.

Readers should keep in mind that these notes are written rather haphazardly (I mean who makes notes thinking that in future, they might have to upload them publicly :D)

They are fragmented in certain pages, so you may not be able to comprehend them completely, but nevertheless I hope you take home something useful.

Link to handwritten notes:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1jmVMGOzAk2d9B5Y0HQ9XpVF5Mh2IXGku

Quote collection:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1jk71jLao60hHwJoTuGYaIDgJWccxa5Xn

List of Topics one needs to prepare:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1q0W0PeH-80EKt6ucJTFOVPUlmXvCIzd-

Sample Essays:  

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1jqfUi1FXdG0icBdJpdQvwH1wlAizCMvo

Read More at: https://anudeepdurishetty.in/ 

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All India Open Test(Simulator X)

Essay on How to Prepare For Exams

Exams are held to check the knowledge and potential of the students. Exams are like filters that assess the students of different sections. Many of us have exam phobia. We undergo a condition of tension and depression before the arrival of the examination. An unwanted fear distracts us from concentrating on our topics for the exam. The examination period becomes very difficult for us as we do not know where to start. We are confused with different queries in mind.

Short and Long Essay on How to Prepare For Exams in English

Essay on How to Prepare For Exams for students of class 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and class 12 in English in 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 500 words. Also find short How to Prepare For Exams essay 10 lines.

How to Prepare For Exams Essay 10 Lines (100 – 150 Words)

1) Exams are the critical periods of a student’s life.

2) Try to complete the entire syllabus before the commencement of exams.

3) Prefer smart study rather than studying the whole day and night.

4) You can solve previous years’ question papers for more confidence.

5) Revise all the chapters at least twice for remembrance.

6) Take sufficient sleep during the preparation to boost your memory.

7) Take 45 minutes of rest between the continuous study routine.

8) It is necessary to stay motivated while preparing for the exams.

9) Studying in the morning will make you understand things quickly.

10) Proper planning and time management helps in preparing for the exams.

Short Essay 250 Words – Smart Study for Exam Preparation

Introduction

The examination is a common thing that we all have faced in our life. It might be the examination in school, colleges, entrance, competitions, etc. These examinations help us in evaluating our knowledge and potential. We cannot escape from this and therefore always be ready to face it with good preparation to become successful in life.

Smart Study for Exam Preparation

Students have to face examinations either they are in school or college life. They get promoted to higher sections only after going through the examination. As the exams are closer the level of tension in students gets doubled. The smart way of studying helps us in doing good preparation for exams. It will also be beneficial for students who do not have studied regularly and have only last time for exam preparation.

• Read the important topics.
• Solve the previous year’s exam papers.
• Give more time to the subject that is weak.
• Never care about the preparations of the others.
• Eat nutritious food and sleep on time to be healthy and fit.
• Stay motivated and take necessary breaks after 45 minutes of studies.

Computer and Internet aids in preparation for Exams

The students get good tips for exam preparation with the help of the internet and computers. Every type of information along with different chapters with their videos is available on the internet. This might help the students to prepare for the difficult chapters.

Conclusio n

The entire life is like an examination and we need to do good preparation to get success at every step of life. The examination makes us more confident about the knowledge and potential that we possess. We must do our best efforts for exam preparation instead of developing fear from exams or waiting for the last moment preparation. The better we do today is the best we get tomorrow.

A long essay has been provided that contains different ways to prepare for the examination. I hope it might be very helpful to all the students regularly facing this fear.

How to Prepare for Exams and Get Rid of Exam Fear – Long Essay (1000 Words)

Exam time is one of the most difficult times in the life of students. They have to totally dedicate themselves to understand the syllabus and clear out the topics to be studied. It might be easy for the students who are regularly studying but not for all. I think during the exam period every student faces some problems and these problems create unwanted tension and fear from the examination. The parents and students both are bothered equally during examination months.

What are the Exams?

It is the way of accessing the student’s capability by conducting oral or written tests for different subjects. Generally, the months of March and April are termed examination months. The students start worrying and preparing notes to prepare for the examination. The parents of the students are also fully involved with them to guide their children during the examination. Exams are only the steps that upon passing will let us step ahead in our life and further help in achieving our aim.

What should Students do to Relieve the Stress of Examination?

Generally, we become much stressed as the exam months are closer. A lot of confusion exists within our minds. After getting the date sheet we become tenser as it is very difficult to decide what to prepare and how to prepare in an efficient way and score good marks. Many of us have pressure to bring excellent grades in the examination. It has always been seen that sometimes due to excessive stress the good students also score average marks.

Ways to Prepare for Exams:

There are many ways that might help us in getting relieved from the stress during the examination period. These techniques will not only help us relieve our stress but will also help us to score good marks in our examination.

• Begin by Planning – It is very necessary to develop a time table or study plan before starting our studies for examination. It will help us in deciding which subject to be prepared first and what to prepare at last. We can divide time for different subjects. More time can be given to our weaker subjects. This strategy will give us proper time designation for different subjects and each subject can be covered within a certain time. We must assure that we concentrate on studying the subject at the time allocated for the same. We can also refer to the previous year’s question papers to get an idea of the type of question paper and prepare accordingly.
• Develop the Habit of Studying in the Morning – Morning time is the best and appropriate time to study. Our mind and body are more energetic and stress-free during the early morning time. The subject matter can easily be understood and well reminded if we study during the morning hours.
• Best Way to Memorize whatever Read – Reading and writing are the two skills of learning. Many times it happens that we study and memorize different things by both reading and writing and while writing in exams we forget everything. Therefore in order to memorize whatever we have studied, we have to start studying in an efficient way. After studying we can explain the same to our friends or to ourselves. In this way, we can memorize the things we have studied for a longer time. We should not study continuously but take a short break after every 2-3 hours of study.
• Perform Workouts – A 10-20 minutes exercise will help us in managing the stress. This will make us more energetic and also help us to remain fit during exam time.
• Change the Place of Study – It sometimes happens that studying at the same place daily make us feel bored and less concentrated. We can change our place of study. We can sit sometimes in the garden or outside to study. The scene of nature will make us feel better and thus we can concentrate better on our studies.
• A Smart and Efficient Way of Studying – These days we are benefitted from different aid of learning and understanding the subjects. We can study by the visual, models, kinesthetic ways of learning methods. It is difficult to understand the theoretical concepts for many of us. We can study them by figures and flow charts. We can also opt for a group study with our friends.
• Be Healthy and Fit – We must remember that we have to be well and fit during the examination time. We have to take much care of ourselves. We need to sleep well, take a healthy diet, and do meditation to keep ourselves healthy and fit.
• Try to Study by Co-Relating different Subjects – In this universe, everything is directly or indirectly related to each other. Therefore we can study different subjects by co-relating different subjects. It will make our study easier and is a better way of understanding the concept. Co-relative studies are the best approach to make different subject studies more interesting.
• Be Optimistic – The exam time will not remain forever. It will also fly like a moment of time. The thoughts of enjoying and doing different activities after exams are over will motivate and help us to concentrate during the exams.

Are Preparation Strategies Really Helpful in Getting Rid of Exam Fear?

A lot of effort is required to win any competition in the same way exams need different preparation techniques to score well in exams. This can only happen when we prepare for our exams before our exams. It is not possible to become a topper at the last moment of preparation. The pre-exam strategies help us to prepare in a better way and also relieve our fear of the exam. The clearing of exams will promote us to a higher level and bring us close to our aim. In this way, we can state that efficient strategies are helpful in bringing us out of fear of the exams. Instead, it will motivate us to prepare for our exams in a better way.

The preparation of the examination requires the skill of time management. Everything is possible if we do things on time. We cannot depend on the last day for the preparation for the exam. The last day is meant for the revision and going through the underlined topics. We need to have sound sleep before every exam so that our mind is fresh and energetic on the day of the exam. If we follow the techniques for preparing for exams we can score well in our exams.

FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions

Ans . The exam was invented by an American businessman and philanthropist Henry Fischel.

Ans . Exams are important as it helps us to know our knowledge and potential.

Ans . The UPSC Civil Services Examination is considered the toughest exam in India.

Ans . It was Ancient China to conduct a test in the whole world known as imperial examination to fill the government vacancies.

Ans . Exams are the oral or written tests conducted to evaluate the knowledge and progress of students.

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Jul 17, 2024

Admissions tips: How to write a graduate admissions essay

An admissions essay is a standard part of the admissions application. To help, we’ve curated our top tips on how to write a standout graduate admissions essay.

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Everyone has a unique narrative, and we firmly believe that your qualifications go beyond what can be captured on your resume. But the question is, how will you distinguish yourself from the competition when applying to Johns Hopkins Carey Business School?

What to consider when writing a graduate school application essay The essay portion of the application is your opportunity to broaden our admissions team’s understanding of your abilities beyond what they can see on your transcript and resume. Writing an essay is your chance to share your unique strengths, personal history, journey of growth, and any additional qualities that show you are a strong candidate.

Preparing to write your essay Prior to starting your essay, read all prompts carefully. Take a moment to reflect on your reasons for pursuing a graduate business degree. It may be beneficial to have a pen and notepad at your disposal for this reflective exercise. Think about your personal journey and pinpoint pivotal moments in your growth and learning, then take note of how those moments have shaped you and your experiences, and how they could help guide you through your business school journey. Be sure to also use the correct formatting and avoid adding lists and bullet points to your essays.

Outline your thoughts Once you have a solid understanding of how to convey your personal journey within the context of the essay prompts, the next step is to construct an outline. As you shape the direction and flow of your essay, always keep your audience in mind. Our admissions team reviews thousands of application essays, so it’s crucial to find a creative hook that will make your story stand out.

Don’t overthink As you begin to write your first draft, allow your ideas to flow freely. Don’t fixate on grammar or finding the perfect words at this stage–simply capture your thoughts on paper. You can refine your essay in the second draft.

Step away After finishing your first draft, set it aside for a day or two before returning to edit it. Revisiting your work with a fresh outlook allows for a new perspective. During this second review, tackle the details of grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary. You might find it helpful to read your essay in reverse order to catch any typos.

Ask for feedback Once you feel your essay is in good shape, it’s highly recommended that you share your draft with an advisor, professor, trusted colleague, friend, or even your recommender. Gaining insights from a trustworthy source can enhance the quality of your essay and assist in identifying any typos or minor adjustments. While editing is an important step, it should not cut out your authentic voice and tone. When identifying a proofreader, make sure to find someone who knows your authentic voice and tone and can edit your paper while still preserving your natural voice and tone.

Finalize and submit You’re almost done! Before finalizing your essay submission, do one last review. Run a spell check and read your essay out loud to yourself. This approach can help you pinpoint areas that might require clarification or fine-tuning. As you review your final draft, be sure that you thoroughly addressed the question on the application.

Keep in mind that the essay portion of the application is your chance to set yourself apart Admissions team members want to hear your authentic voice, with a style that sounds natural and genuine. By sharing your authentic self, and your transformative experiences, passions, goals, and voice, you can leave a lasting impression.

Best of luck with the rest of your application journey!

Upcoming Carey application deadlines

The Fall 2025 Full-time MBA application is now open. Applications for all other Fall 2025 programs will open this fall. Please visit our upcoming deadlines webpage to view all application, decision, and deposit deadlines.

Full-time MBA Fall 2025: Early action application deadline

September 11, 2024

Part-time programs Spring 2025: Round 1 application deadline

October 9, 2024

Full-time MBA Fall 2025: Round 1 application deadline

October 23, 2024

Essays and Short Answer Prompts

The Penn application process includes a personal essay —which is sent to most schools you apply to—as well as a few short answer prompts . We read your words carefully, as they are yet another window into how you think, what you value, and how you see the world. Through your writing, we get a glimpse of what you might bring to our community—including your voice and creativity. 

Remember, you are the expert on your story. This is an opportunity for you to reflect and understand who you are now, and who you want to be in the future. You have the agency to choose the information you want to share. This is your story: your experiences, your ideas, your perspective.   

A Few Writing Tips

• Review the prompts thoroughly.  Be sure you’re answering the question or prompt being asked. Topics are chosen because the Admissions Committee wants to know specific things about you. If you don’t address them directly, we are left to make decisions regarding your application with incomplete information. 
• Consider your response carefully.  We understand that you may be writing responses for different schools and you may want to reuse material, but be sure to read through your response to make sure it is relevant to the prompt. 
• Double-check your writing.  Give yourself time to revisit your response. Try to avoid rushing your writing process so you have time to revise your work. Ultimately, it is up to you to polish and proofread your writing before you submit. 
• Do your research. Are there classes you’re eager to take? Research opportunities you’d love to pursue? A group or club you want to be a part of? This kind of specificity shows us you’re serious about Penn and have thought about how you’d spend your time here. 

2023-24 Short Answer and Essay Prompts

When answering these prompts, be precise when explaining both why you are applying to Penn and why you have chosen to apply to that specific undergraduate school. Some of our specialized programs will have additional essays to complete, but the  Penn short answer prompts should address your single-degree or single-school choice.  

• Write a short thank-you note to someone you have not yet thanked and would like to acknowledge. (We encourage you to share this note with that person, if possible, and reflect on the experience!) (150-200 words, not required for transfer applicants) 
• How will you explore community at Penn? Consider how Penn will help shape your perspective, and how your experiences and perspective will help shape Penn. (150-200 words) 
• The school-specific prompt is unique to the school to which you are applying. (For example, all applicants applying to the College of Arts and Sciences will respond to the prompt under the “College of Arts and Sciences” section). Considering the undergraduate school you have selected for your single-degree option, please respond to your school-specific prompt below.  

Transfer Essay (required for all transfer applicants): Please explain your reasons for transferring from your current institution and what you hope to gain by transferring to another institution. (4150 characters) 

Undergraduate School-Specific Short Answer Prompts

For students applying to coordinated dual-degree and specialized programs, please answer this question about your single-degree school choice; your interest in the coordinated dual-degree or specialized program may be addressed through the program-specific essay.  

Penn Nursing intends to meet the health needs of society in a global and multicultural world by preparing its students to impact healthcare by advancing science and promoting equity. What do you think this means for the future of nursing, and how do you see yourself contributing to our mission of promoting equity in healthcare? (150-200 words) 

To help inform your response, applicants are encouraged to learn more about  Penn Nursing’s mission and how we promote equity in healthcare . This information will help you develop a stronger understanding of our values and how they align with your own goals and aspirations. 

The flexible structure of The College of Arts and Sciences’ curriculum is designed to inspire exploration, foster connections, and help you create a path of study through general education courses and a major. What are you curious about and how would you take advantage of opportunities in the arts and sciences? (150-200 words) 

To help inform your response, applicants are encouraged to learn more about the  academic offerings within the College of Arts and Sciences .  This information will help you develop a stronger understanding of how the study of the liberal arts aligns with your own goals and aspirations. 

Wharton prepares its students to make an impact by applying business methods and economic theory to real-world problems, including economic, political, and social issues.  Please reflect on a current issue of importance to you and share how you hope a Wharton education would help you to explore it.  (150-200 words) 

To help inform your response, applicants are encouraged to learn more about  the foundations of a Wharton education . This information will help you better understand what you could learn by studying at Wharton and what you could do afterward. 

Penn Engineering prepares its students to become leaders in technology, by combining a strong foundation in the natural sciences and mathematics, exploration in the liberal arts, and depth of study in focused disciplinary majors. Please share how you hope to explore your engineering interests at Penn. (150-200 words) 

To help inform your response, applicants are encouraged to learn more about  Penn Engineering and its mission to prepare students for global leadership in technology . This information will help you develop a stronger understanding of academic pathways within Penn Engineering and how they align with your goals and interests. 

Coordinated Dual Degree and Specialized Program Essay Prompts

For students applying to coordinated dual-degree and specialized programs, please answer the program-specific essay below. 

** Numbers marked with double asterisks indicate a character count that only applies to transfer students applying through Common App.  

Why are you interested in the Digital Media Design (DMD) program at the University of Pennsylvania? (400-650 words / 3575 characters**) 

We encourage you to learn more about the DMD: Digital Media Design Program . 

The Huntsman Program supports the development of globally minded scholars who become engaged citizens, creative innovators, and ethical leaders in the public, private, and non-profit sectors in the United States and internationally. What draws you to a dual-degree program in business and international studies, and how would you use what you learn to contribute to a global issue where business and international affairs intersect? (400-650 words) 

The LSM program aims to provide students with a fundamental understanding of the life sciences and their management with an eye to identifying, advancing, and implementing innovations. What issues would you want to address using the understanding gained from such a program? Note that this essay should be distinct from your single degree essay. (400-650 words) 

• Explain how you will use the M&T program to explore your interest in business, engineering, and the intersection of the two. (400-650 words) 
• Describe a problem that you solved that showed leadership and creativity. (250 words) 

Describe your interests in modern networked information systems and technologies, such as the internet, and their impact on society, whether in terms of economics, communication, or the creation of beneficial content for society. Feel free to draw on examples from your own experiences as a user, developer, or student of technology. (400-650 words / 3575 characters**) 

Discuss your interest in nursing and health care management. How might Penn's coordinated dual-degree program in nursing and business help you meet your goals? (400-650 words) 

How do you envision your participation in the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER) furthering your interests in energy science and technology? Please include any past experiences (ex. academic, research, or extracurricular) that have led to your interest in the program. Additionally, please indicate why you are interested in pursuing dual degrees in science and engineering and which VIPER majors are most interesting to you at this time. (400-650 words) 

How to Self Prep for the 2024 GMAT (11th Edition)

The GMAT Focus is gone... Long live the GMAT Focus. As of July 2024, the GMAC has retired it's now temporary rebranding of the successor to the GMAT 10th Edition so that the test previously known as the GMAT Focus Edition, and all past GMAT exams, are now simply known as the GMAT. This is causing significant confusion among test takers and preppers, because there is now almost no way to readily differentiate between prep materials for the prior version of the exam that has been retired and the current version that was launched in November 2023, becoming the only available version of the exam as of February 2024.

How to Identify Old GMAT Study Materials

Obviously, it's not a good idea to prepare for an extinct exam, but many third-party prep materials, let alone static resources out there in far corners of the internet won't readily identify which is new and which is old. Unfortunately, it's on test takers themselves to ensure that the content they are relying upon is not outdated. So, here are some quick identifying characteristics you can use to make sure your prep resources are accurate:

Section Structure

The newest, and only current version of the GMAT has only three sections: Quantitative Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, and Data Insights. Each of which is exactly 45 minutes in duration. Any reference to an Integrated Reasoning section, Analytical Writing Section essay, or section length other than 45 minutes is an immediate indication that you are using outdated materials.

overall SCORING

The composite GMAT scoring scale still uses ten-point increments, but now those scores end with a units digit of 5, such as 505 or 705. If the resource you are using refers to any score ending in a 0, it's antiquated information and should not be used. Most tellingly, if anything refers to a 700+ score, it hasn't been fully updated for the new exam.

Section SCORING

The individual section scores for each the three 45-minute sections of the current GMAT are each on a single point scale of 60-90.  Avoid any resource that mentions score scales of 0-60 for the Verbal or Quantitative sections, as well as a scale of 1-8 for the Integrated Reasoning (now Data Insights) section.

Quantitative Section

The new GMAT quantitative section is solely comprised of 21 problem solving questions and only tests algebraic, arithmetic, and data analysis concepts.  If you find any plane geometry content in the resource you are using, it is outdated. Also, if the quantitative materials you have include Data Sufficiency content as part of the Quantitative section, then that resource has not been updated for the GMAT as it exists in 2024.

Verbal Section

The 11th Edition GMAT exam has only two types of questions in the Verbal section as well: self-contained single task Critical Reasoning problems and long Reading Comprehension passages with 3 or 4 questions pertaining to each passage.  Any reference to Sentence Corrections or grammar in third party resources is an immediate indicator that resource has not been updated for the latest version of the exam and should not be used.

Data Insights Section

What was formerly known as the "Integrated Reasoning" section has become "Data Insights" in the latest version of the GMAT. This section represents the largest change between the two tests and is the hardest section for current MBA candidates to prepare for with outdated GMAT practice materials.  The easiest way to identify a poor Data Insights practice resource is the lack of Data Sufficiency practice problems as part of this section as those are now one of five question formats it includes.

Current Official GMAT materials are best

A recent MyGuru student had very specific desire to focus on Data Insights based on her practice exam results she got from a prominent third-party GMAT prep resource that rhymes with Minceton Weview. She shared a 575 overall score broken down as 85 out of 90 for the Quantitative section, 80 out of 90 for the Verbal section, and 67 out of 90 for the Data Insights as evidence supporting her priorities.

As MyGuru's Director of Instruction , I am familiar with this particular resource's shortcomings as a former question writer and editor for it, so I immediately asked her to take an official GMAT practice exam from MBA.com to confirm where her exact instructional needs were. Her section scores inverted on the official practice test as an 85 in the third-party Quantitative section became a 67 on the official practice exam!

This one experience highlights several problems with relying primarily on third-party practice materials. 

• Questions are likely outdated. Even if the resource refers to the new version of the GMAT in marketing or introductory materials, the individual questions, and more importantly the themes those questions focus on, are probably not prioritizing the logic and problem solving that is most rewarded on the latest version of the GMAT.
• Questions are often derivative. For someone who has been writing GMAT (and other test) practice problems for nearly two decades, it was possible for me to refer directly to the official old practice problems that certain third-party problems were spun off from and to identify how the question wasn't as artful as the original it was based upon.  Third-party practice is best used as a supplement if you run out of official mba.com practice problems .
• Difficulty is hard to gauge. The latest version of the GMAT is very adaptive, so much so that it is possible to complete multiple attempts of their new practice exams and never see a duplicate question. This means that the official exam scores are highly adaptive and most third-party practice tests simply don't have enough depth to replicate the scoring algorithm for the GMAC.

Hold Yourself Accountable for study

Even though the GMAT is now a shorter exam with fewer concepts to prepare, it remains a difficult exam, so you'll need to commit to rigorous daily practice to achieve your goals. We at MyGuru believe that 2-4 months of daily study is still necessary, especially considering the smaller margin for error that this test has compared to its predecessor. After all, a 700 score is now a 645 according to the GMAC itself!

• Morning : Commit to 30-60 minutes of practice or lesson review
• Afternoon or Following Morning : Commit to 30-60 minutes of dedicated review of your prior work
• Practice Exams : At least three done and fully self-reviewed before test day

Of course, should you be interested in one-on-one tutoring from a true expert who can help you learn how to execute on test day please sign up for a free GMAT tutoring consultation today. However you choose to proceed, keep a positive attitude and remember this is supposed to be hard!

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Prepare for the AAMC PREview® Exam

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Prepare for the AAMC PREview® professional readiness exam with free resources from the AAMC.

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Prepare for the AAMC PREview ®  professional readiness exam with free resources from the AAMC.

The PREview exam is an opportunity to showcase your potential to develop into a well-rounded doctor. Below is free advice, strategies, and preparation resources to help you prepare to complete the PREview exam.

Preparation Resources

There are several steps you can take and resources available to help you prepare for the PREview  exam:

• The AAMC PREview Sample  includes sample questions to familiarize you with the structure of exam questions.
• The AAMC PREview Examinee Preparation Guide   explains the format, scoring, competencies assessed, and instructions for taking the exam, and it offers advice and strategies to help you prepare.
• AAMC PREview Exam Practice Exam 1
• AAMC PREview Exam Practice Exam 2
• The PREview Test Day Experience Video  is designed to help you become familiar with the activities that will take place when logging into and taking the PREview exam. It can be helpful for an examinee who is not familiar with our vendor, ProctorU, and it may be especially helpful for students who have not previously taken a remote-proctored, online exam. In the video, we will highlight the check-in process and the key functions and features of the exam platform, as well as submission and check-out.

Preparation Steps

• Review the nine professional competencies  and definitions measured by the PREview  exam, as each scenario you encounter will address one or more of these competencies.
• Familiarize yourself with the AAMC PREview Essentials and   what to expect on test day .
• After logging in, verify your information is correct and select the “I confirm the above name matches my government issued identification that I will present on test day” box. Click the “Save/Update” button
• Click the “Schedule Now” button
• Under “Available Exams,” click the “Write exam” button on the Platform Tutorial row
• You may take the tutorial as often as you wish until you begin your exam
• Check out the informational webinar(s) to become more familiar with the PREview  exam, including how to register, how to prepare, what to expect on test day, and how participating medical schools are incorporating the PREview  into their admissions processes (see the “Preparation Webinars” section).
• Come to the test rested and focused so you can put your best foot forward.

PREview Podcast

The popular podcast, All Access , provides listeners with a unique view into the medical school admissions process through a series of interviews with key admissions figures from around the country. The host, Christian Essman of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, invited the PREview team to talk about the exam and answer a lot of questions from a test taker’s perspective. The conversation was a lot of fun and is a wonderful way for PREview test takers to learn about the exam.  Listen to the PREview team on the All Access podcast !

PREview Webinars

Interested in learning about updates to the 2024 PREview testing year and resources to help you get ready for the exam? Watch the recording of the AAMC PREview Exam Nuts-n-Bolts webinar to learn about scheduling a testing session, accessing the practice exam and other preparation materials, workspace and environmental preparation, taking the exam and sharing scores with schools.

• @AAMCpremed

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Read the PREview Essentials for Testing Year 2024.

The AAMC is committed to providing all individuals with an opportunity to demonstrate their proficiency on the AAMC PREview ® exam. This includes ensuring access to persons with disabilities in accordance with relevant law.

There’s a lot of information to take in about the AAMC PREview ®  Exam. To get you started, here are 6 important things you need to know.