Essay Exams

What this handout is about

At some time in your undergraduate career, you're going to have to write an essay exam. This thought can inspire a fair amount of fear: we struggle enough with essays when they aren't timed events based on unknown questions. The goal of this handout is to give you some easy and effective strategies that will help you take control of the situation and do your best.
Why do instructors give essay exams?

Essay exams are a useful tool for finding out if you can sort through a large body of information, figure out what is important, and explain why it is important. Essay exams challenge you to come up with key course ideas and put them in your own words and to use the interpretive or analytical skills you've practiced in the course.

Instructors want to see whether:

* You understand concepts that provide the basis for the course

* You can use those concepts to interpret specific materials

* You can make connections, see relationships, draw comparisons and contrasts

* You can synthesize diverse information in support of an original assertion

* You can justify your own evaluations based on appropriate criteria

* You can argue your own opinions with convincing evidence

* You can think critically and analytically about a subject