how to do well in examination essay

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How to Do Well in Your Exams

Last Updated: April 20, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Nathan Fox, JD . Nathan Fox is an LSAT teacher, the co-host of the Thinking LSAT Podcast, and the co-founder of LSATdemon. Nathan is the author of six LSAT books including The Fox LSAT Logical Reasoning Encyclopedia. He scored a 179 on the February 2007 LSAT and holds a JD from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 79,931 times.

Exam time is here. If you want to do well in your exams, there are a lot of different things you can do to set yourself up for success. This article will walk you through the best way to study for your exams, but also things you can do besides studying that you may not have thought of that can make a huge difference come test day. Check out the tips below to get started!

Studying Tips

• Listen to the teacher upfront.
• Take down notes on what the teacher emphasizes.

• The time you use to revise before the exam should not be the moment you try to understand and comprehend certain knowledge. Your revision moment should rightfully be the moment of merely recalling what you have known. That being said, revision should not last longer than 4 hours. It all depends, however, because sometimes we might have more topics to go through.

• Remember to always relate ideas and concepts, rather than focusing entirely on memorization. Memorization doesn't help when a certain question is twisted. To relate concepts and ideas, you need to find your own way of relating them together.
• For instance, if you are studying osmosis, try to relate the concept in daily lives; use the pickling process, for example. You could then relate to hemolysis, cremation, hypertonic or hypotonic.
• This method works best for all subjects, particularly Additional Mathematics.

Joseph Meyer

Become an active learner. Learn from your mistakes in order to confidently tackle new lessons. Before jumping into advanced topics, make sure your skills in basic concepts are up to scratch. Utilize online resources and interactive exercises that provide instant feedback to solidify your understanding.

• For example, if you are studying the reactivity of elements in the periodic table, picture the main ideas. What happens when going down Group 1 and what happens when going down Group 17 and 18? How does it happen? Why it happens? Why is it the reactivity increases or decreases?

Before the Exam

On the Day of the Exam

Supercharge Your Studying with this Expert Series

Expert Q&A

• Being active (running, biking, etc.) before you start studying may help you concentrate and think about the problem more carefully. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Re-write some of your vital notes out in bullet points.It's easier to remember rather than reading a big paragraph. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Take it easy and study one main chapter properly instead of hurrying yourself to study every chapter. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• Don't be disappointed if your results are not good. Try harder in future exams, learning from the mistakes of this one. Review all the wrong answers in the exam so you won’t get it wrong again. Thanks Helpful 14 Not Helpful 0
• Don't let social media distract you. Thanks Helpful 14 Not Helpful 1
• Do not get into any fights or arguments with anyone. It will take a heavy toll on you and that might affect your studies. Thanks Helpful 7 Not Helpful 2
• Avoid playing video games,.watching TV, or using any gadgets. This will affect your concentration in exams. Thanks Helpful 5 Not Helpful 2

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/studying.html
• ↑ https://www.murdoch.edu.au/news/articles/the-art-of-note-taking-what-s-really-most-effective
• ↑ https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/studying-101-study-smarter-not-harder/
• ↑ https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/psn/2013/09/learning-secrets
• ↑ Nathan Fox, JD. LSAT Teacher, Founder of LSATdemon. Expert Interview. 15 November 2019.
• ↑ https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2015/nov/10-ways-motivate-yourself-study
• ↑ https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/effective-note-taking-in-class/

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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 137,181 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

You Might Also Like

• ↑ 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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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

What essay questions require

Exam questions can reach pretty far into the course materials, so you cannot hope to do well on them if you do not keep up with the readings and assignments from the beginning of the course. The most successful essay exam takers are prepared for anything reasonable, and they probably have some intelligent guesses about the content of the exam before they take it. How can you be a prepared exam taker? Try some of the following suggestions during the semester:

• Do the reading as the syllabus dictates; keeping up with the reading while the related concepts are being discussed in class saves you double the effort later.
• Go to lectures (and put away your phone, the newspaper, and that crossword puzzle!).
• Take careful notes that you’ll understand months later. If this is not your strong suit or the conventions for a particular discipline are different from what you are used to, ask your TA or the Learning Center for advice.
• Participate in your discussion sections; this will help you absorb the material better so you don’t have to study as hard.
• Organize small study groups with classmates to explore and review course materials throughout the semester. Others will catch things you might miss even when paying attention. This is not cheating. As long as what you write on the essay is your own work, formulating ideas and sharing notes is okay. In fact, it is a big part of the learning process.
• As an exam approaches, find out what you can about the form it will take. This will help you forecast the questions that will be on the exam, and prepare for them.

These suggestions will save you lots of time and misery later. Remember that you can’t cram weeks of information into a single day or night of study. So why put yourself in that position?

Now let’s focus on studying for the exam. You’ll notice the following suggestions are all based on organizing your study materials into manageable chunks of related material. If you have a plan of attack, you’ll feel more confident and your answers will be more clear. Here are some tips: 

• Don’t just memorize aimlessly; clarify the important issues of the course and use these issues to focus your understanding of specific facts and particular readings.
• Try to organize and prioritize the information into a thematic pattern. Look at what you’ve studied and find a way to put things into related groups. Find the fundamental ideas that have been emphasized throughout the course and organize your notes into broad categories. Think about how different categories relate to each other.
• Find out what you don’t know, but need to know, by making up test questions and trying to answer them. Studying in groups helps as well.

Taking the exam

Read the exam carefully.

• If you are given the entire exam at once and can determine your approach on your own, read the entire exam before you get started.
• Look at how many points each part earns you, and find hints for how long your answers should be.
• Figure out how much time you have and how best to use it. Write down the actual clock time that you expect to take in each section, and stick to it. This will help you avoid spending all your time on only one section. One strategy is to divide the available time according to percentage worth of the question. You don’t want to spend half of your time on something that is only worth one tenth of the total points.
• As you read, make tentative choices of the questions you will answer (if you have a choice). Don’t just answer the first essay question you encounter. Instead, read through all of the options. Jot down really brief ideas for each question before deciding.
• Remember that the easiest-looking question is not always as easy as it looks. Focus your attention on questions for which you can explain your answer most thoroughly, rather than settle on questions where you know the answer but can’t say why.

Analyze the questions

• Decide what you are being asked to do. If you skim the question to find the main “topic” and then rush to grasp any related ideas you can recall, you may become flustered, lose concentration, and even go blank. Try looking closely at what the question is directing you to do, and try to understand the sort of writing that will be required.
• Focus on what you do know about the question, not on what you don’t.
• Look at the active verbs in the assignment—they tell you what you should be doing. We’ve included some of these below, with some suggestions on what they might mean. (For help with this sort of detective work, see the Writing Center handout titled Reading Assignments.)

Information words, such as who, what, when, where, how, and why ask you to demonstrate what you know about the subject. Information words may include:

• define—give the subject’s meaning (according to someone or something). Sometimes you have to give more than one view on the subject’s meaning.
• explain why/how—give reasons why or examples of how something happened.
• illustrate—give descriptive examples of the subject and show how each is connected with the subject.
• summarize—briefly cover the important ideas you learned about the subject.
• trace—outline how something has changed or developed from an earlier time to its current form.
• research—gather material from outside sources about the subject, often with the implication or requirement that you will analyze what you’ve found.

Relation words ask you to demonstrate how things are connected. Relation words may include:

• compare—show how two or more things are similar (and, sometimes, different).
• contrast—show how two or more things are dissimilar.
• apply—use details that you’ve been given to demonstrate how an idea, theory, or concept works in a particular situation.
• cause—show how one event or series of events made something else happen.
• relate—show or describe the connections between things.

Interpretation words ask you to defend ideas of your own about the subject. Don’t see these words as requesting opinion alone (unless the assignment specifically says so), but as requiring opinion that is supported by concrete evidence. Remember examples, principles, definitions, or concepts from class or research and use them in your interpretation. Interpretation words may include:

• prove, justify—give reasons or examples to demonstrate how or why something is the truth.
• evaluate, respond, assess—state your opinion of the subject as good, bad, or some combination of the two, with examples and reasons (you may want to compare your subject to something else).
• support—give reasons or evidence for something you believe (be sure to state clearly what it is that you believe).
• synthesize—put two or more things together that haven’t been put together before; don’t just summarize one and then the other, and say that they are similar or different—you must provide a reason for putting them together (as opposed to compare and contrast—see above).
• analyze—look closely at the components of something to figure out how it works, what it might mean, or why it is important.
• argue—take a side and defend it (with proof) against the other side.

Plan your answers

Think about your time again. How much planning time you should take depends on how much time you have for each question and how many points each question is worth. Here are some general guidelines: 

• For short-answer definitions and identifications, just take a few seconds. Skip over any you don’t recognize fairly quickly, and come back to them when another question jogs your memory.
• For answers that require a paragraph or two, jot down several important ideas or specific examples that help to focus your thoughts.
• For longer answers, you will need to develop a much more definite strategy of organization. You only have time for one draft, so allow a reasonable amount of time—as much as a quarter of the time you’ve allotted for the question—for making notes, determining a thesis, and developing an outline.
• For questions with several parts (different requests or directions, a sequence of questions), make a list of the parts so that you do not miss or minimize one part. One way to be sure you answer them all is to number them in the question and in your outline.
• You may have to try two or three outlines or clusters before you hit on a workable plan. But be realistic—you want a plan you can develop within the limited time allotted for your answer. Your outline will have to be selective—not everything you know, but what you know that you can state clearly and keep to the point in the time available.

Again, focus on what you do know about the question, not on what you don’t.

Writing your answers

As with planning, your strategy for writing depends on the length of your answer:

• For short identifications and definitions, it is usually best to start with a general identifying statement and then move on to describe specific applications or explanations. Two sentences will almost always suffice, but make sure they are complete sentences. Find out whether the instructor wants definition alone, or definition and significance. Why is the identification term or object important?
• For longer answers, begin by stating your forecasting statement or thesis clearly and explicitly. Strive for focus, simplicity, and clarity. In stating your point and developing your answers, you may want to use important course vocabulary words from the question. For example, if the question is, “How does wisteria function as a representation of memory in Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom?” you may want to use the words wisteria, representation, memory, and Faulkner) in your thesis statement and answer. Use these important words or concepts throughout the answer.
• If you have devised a promising outline for your answer, then you will be able to forecast your overall plan and its subpoints in your opening sentence. Forecasting impresses readers and has the very practical advantage of making your answer easier to read. Also, if you don’t finish writing, it tells your reader what you would have said if you had finished (and may get you partial points).
• You might want to use briefer paragraphs than you ordinarily do and signal clear relations between paragraphs with transition phrases or sentences.
• As you move ahead with the writing, you may think of new subpoints or ideas to include in the essay. Stop briefly to make a note of these on your original outline. If they are most appropriately inserted in a section you’ve already written, write them neatly in the margin, at the top of the page, or on the last page, with arrows or marks to alert the reader to where they fit in your answer. Be as neat and clear as possible.
• Don’t pad your answer with irrelevancies and repetitions just to fill up space. Within the time available, write a comprehensive, specific answer.
• Watch the clock carefully to ensure that you do not spend too much time on one answer. You must be realistic about the time constraints of an essay exam. If you write one dazzling answer on an exam with three equally-weighted required questions, you earn only 33 points—not enough to pass at most colleges. This may seem unfair, but keep in mind that instructors plan exams to be reasonably comprehensive. They want you to write about the course materials in two or three or more ways, not just one way. Hint: if you finish a half-hour essay in 10 minutes, you may need to develop some of your ideas more fully.
• If you run out of time when you are writing an answer, jot down the remaining main ideas from your outline, just to show that you know the material and with more time could have continued your exposition.
• Double-space to leave room for additions, and strike through errors or changes with one straight line (avoid erasing or scribbling over). Keep things as clean as possible. You never know what will earn you partial credit.
• Write legibly and proofread. Remember that your instructor will likely be reading a large pile of exams. The more difficult they are to read, the more exasperated the instructor might become. Your instructor also cannot give you credit for what they cannot understand. A few minutes of careful proofreading can improve your grade.

Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind in writing essay exams is that you have a limited amount of time and space in which to get across the knowledge you have acquired and your ability to use it. Essay exams are not the place to be subtle or vague. It’s okay to have an obvious structure, even the five-paragraph essay format you may have been taught in high school. Introduce your main idea, have several paragraphs of support—each with a single point defended by specific examples, and conclude with a restatement of your main point and its significance.

Some physiological tips

Just think—we expect athletes to practice constantly and use everything in their abilities and situations in order to achieve success. Yet, somehow many students are convinced that one day’s worth of studying, no sleep, and some well-placed compliments (“Gee, Dr. So-and-so, I really enjoyed your last lecture”) are good preparation for a test. Essay exams are like any other testing situation in life: you’ll do best if you are prepared for what is expected of you, have practiced doing it before, and have arrived in the best shape to do it. You may not want to believe this, but it’s true: a good night’s sleep and a relaxed mind and body can do as much or more for you as any last-minute cram session. Colleges abound with tales of woe about students who slept through exams because they stayed up all night, wrote an essay on the wrong topic, forgot everything they studied, or freaked out in the exam and hyperventilated. If you are rested, breathing normally, and have brought along some healthy, energy-boosting snacks that you can eat or drink quietly, you are in a much better position to do a good job on the test. You aren’t going to write a good essay on something you figured out at 4 a.m. that morning. If you prepare yourself well throughout the semester, you don’t risk your whole grade on an overloaded, undernourished brain.

If for some reason you get yourself into this situation, take a minute every once in a while during the test to breathe deeply, stretch, and clear your brain. You need to be especially aware of the likelihood of errors, so check your essays thoroughly before you hand them in to make sure they answer the right questions and don’t have big oversights or mistakes (like saying “Hitler” when you really mean “Churchill”).

If you tend to go blank during exams, try studying in the same classroom in which the test will be given. Some research suggests that people attach ideas to their surroundings, so it might jog your memory to see the same things you were looking at while you studied.

Try good luck charms. Bring in something you associate with success or the support of your loved ones, and use it as a psychological boost.

Take all of the time you’ve been allotted. Reread, rework, and rethink your answers if you have extra time at the end, rather than giving up and handing the exam in the minute you’ve written your last sentence. Use every advantage you are given.

Remember that instructors do not want to see you trip up—they want to see you do well. With this in mind, try to relax and just do the best you can. The more you panic, the more mistakes you are liable to make. Put the test in perspective: will you die from a poor performance? Will you lose all of your friends? Will your entire future be destroyed? Remember: it’s just a test.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Axelrod, Rise B., and Charles R. Cooper. 2016. The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing , 11th ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martin’s.

Fowler, Ramsay H., and Jane E. Aaron. 2016. The Little, Brown Handbook , 13th ed. Boston: Pearson.

Gefvert, Constance J. 1988. The Confident Writer: A Norton Handbook , 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton and Company.

Kirszner, Laurie G. 1988. Writing: A College Rhetoric , 2nd ed. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.

Lunsford, Andrea A. 2015. The St. Martin’s Handbook , 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St Martin’s.

Woodman, Leonara, and Thomas P. Adler. 1988. The Writer’s Choices , 2nd ed. Northbrook, Illinois: Scott Foresman.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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They’re a necessary part of life, but they put us under immense pressure and can sometimes feel as though they’re designed to catch us out, or make us feel stupid. Because of this, many students crumble in an exam environment because nerves get the better of them. But exams don’t have to be scary, or fill you with dread. With the pressure of so many exams and so much material to learn and recite, you may feel you lack control of the situation at times; but follow these tips and you’ll soon find that there’s plenty you can do to grasp the bull by the horns and increase your chances of exam success.

In the run-up to the exam

To do well in an exam, you need to lay the best possible foundations for success. In the months and weeks leading up to the exam , boost your exam performance by doing the following.

Revise, learn new things and revise some more

You know what they say: “To fail to prepare is to prepare to fail”. No matter how well you think you know a subject, never rest on your laurels. Revision is a vital part of exam success, no matter how tedious it may seem, and even if you think you know a subject inside out , you can still enhance your chances of exam success by using ‘revision’ time to cover new, related ground. This will enable you to impress in the exam by dropping in extra facts and insights that other students in your class may not have covered. We’ve already covered effective revision techniques for the sciences and the humanities in separate articles, so have a read of those before you start revising.

Sit some practice papers

Get hold of some practice papers and sit them under exam conditions, giving them to a teacher to mark afterwards. You’ll probably have some mock exams organised by your school anyway, but extra practice never hurts. This will help you become accustomed to the format the exams will take, allowing you to get the hang of timings and enabling you to start to predict the styles of questions you can expect in the real thing. By studying the patterns of which questions appear again and again, you may even be able to predict what questions you’re likely to get on the day (be careful with this, though, and don’t plan your revision based entirely on it; exam-setters are wise to students doing this, and may throw a curveball by not including a particular question or topic, or adding a new style of question). What’s more, sitting practice papers will also expose any gaps there may be in your knowledge, so that you can focus more of your revision time on these areas.

Study the mark scheme and syllabus

Find out exactly what the examiners are looking for by having a thorough read of the mark scheme for each of your subjects and noting what sorts of things are awarded extra points (and whether points are deducted for anything). Looking at the syllabus should also give you an indication of the full range of topics you may be questioned on, so that nothing comes as a surprise when you turn over the question paper. At this stage, if you spot an area that you think needs work, ask a teacher for advice.

Immediately before the exam

If you followed the above tips, by the time you reach the 12 to 24 hours before your exam, you should be feeling confident with your level of knowledge, as well as how to deploy that knowledge effectively. Your focus now switches to physical and mental preparation for the exam itself.

Get a good night’s sleep

Never ‘pull an all-nighter’ the night before an exam. Sleep plays a vital role in converting knowledge from short-term to long-term memory, meaning that the things you’ve learned start to sink in while you’re sleeping. What’s more, it’s important to get a good night’s sleep so that you don’t have to contend with flagging concentration levels and lethargy in the exam room.

Eat brain food

If you’re in a morning exam slot, ensure you have a good breakfast before you set off. Porridge is a good thing to have as it releases its energy slowly, keeping you going throughout the morning and stopping hunger pangs from distracting you during your exam. If you’re in an afternoon exam slot, have a good lunch beforehand – ideally one containing proteins, such as eggs or fish. Don’t rely on the stimulants and sugars found in drinks such as coffee or Red Bull to get you through; their effects quickly wear off, and won’t last long enough to see you through the whole exam.

Read up on the exam rules and regulations

To avoid unnecessary extra stress on the day, it’s a good idea to be completely au fait with what’s allowed and what isn’t. For example, if you want to take a bottle of water into the exam room with you, you’ll almost certainly have to remove the label. Now’s the time to ensure that you have regulation equipment where necessary – for example, if you’re sitting a maths exam, check what kinds of calculator are permitted and for which papers.

Adjust your mindset

Don’t approach your exam with a negative mindset . There’s nothing worse than telling yourself “I’m going to fail”, “this is going to be awful” or “I’m not ready for this”. Thoughts like these can become self-fulfilling prophecy, so instead, try to fill your mind with positive thoughts. You’d be amazed at the power of positive thinking in an exam situation, and you’ll find that it increases your confidence and makes you better able to tackle the questions, no matter how difficult they may be. Tell yourself “I can do this”, and see the exam as an intellectual challenge and an opportunity to show off how much you’ve learned during your years at school, sixth form or university.

Last-minute revision

Have a last-minute skim through your subject crib sheets just before you go into the exam, so that the topics are fresh in your mind and you’re in the frame of mind for tackling this particular subject.

In the exam

The moment has arrived, and now it’s your chance to shine. Keep a level head and read on for some indispensable tips for effective exam technique.

Read every question thoroughly

Before you begin the exam, read the whole question paper very carefully, and then read it again. It’s vital that you understand exactly what’s being asked of you before you make your final selection of questions to answer. Choose the questions you think you can score the most points in, and remember that these may not necessarily be the ones that appear to be on the topics you know most about.

Plan what order you’ll tackle the questions in

Don’t waste lots of time on planning what order to tackle the questions in; a quick mental note to yourself will suffice as you’re reading through the question paper. Circle the questions you plan to answer. Tackle the easiest questions first, as this will mean that you’re quickly able to score points early on, ensuring you have a base level of marks before you start dealing with the trickier questions, which may take longer to complete.

Write an essay plan

Essays can quickly become unstructured in the pressure of an exam environment, when your inclination may be to ‘brain dump’ by writing down as much as you know or can remember about the topic. Beware of doing this; use your time effectively by only including relevant material, as concisely as possible. To help you do this, make a very quick essay plan before you start, outlining a rough structure and areas you want to cover. Don’t forget to include an introduction and a conclusion that pulls everything together.

Answer the question

Questions may be worded slightly differently to how you might expect, which may lead to an initial panic when you think you don’t know what you should be writing about. You’ll almost certainly find that once you read through it again, you have the knowledge to be able to tackle it effectively. Don’t make the mistake many students make, though:  answering the question you want to answer, rather than the one being asked. No matter how brilliant your essay, you’ll get little credit if it’s answering a different question. Don’t forget to note instructions such as “analyse” or “compare and contrast” and ensure you do as instructed.

Deploy quotes from other people and sources where you can

Without relying solely on the words of other people, you’ll impress in an exam if you can quote what others say about a particular topic and quote from original source material. This means that your answer, rather than being vague, will be sharp and well-informed, showing the examiner that you’re very familiar with the literature involved and comfortable using it to back up your arguments.

Don’t include more examples than you need to

You may be able to rattle off half a dozen examples to illustrate a particular point, but you don’t need to include all of them. One or two examples briefly cited will be enough to support your point, without wasting valuable time.

Don’t just regurgitate facts

Examiners see the same facts repeated all the time, so if you really want to impress, you’ll need to do more than just regurgitate. Show that you’re in command of the facts by deploying them intelligently, using them to illustrate your points and offering pertinent insights.

If you get stuck…

…try tackling a different question and then go back to the one you were stuck on. Focusing on something else for a bit should help clear your mental block and leave you with fresh inspiration for the problem question.

Closely monitor time

Plan how much time you’ll spend on each question according to how many marks are available for each question, and ensure you stick rigidly to these allocated times. If you don’t, you risk running out of time, and marks may sometimes be deducted for incomplete answers. Conversely, it’s not a good idea to leave the exam room early. If you find you have time left over, use it to read through your answers and possibly add extra paragraphs if additional points occur to you. If you’ve finished way before everyone else, there may be a reason for that – so study the questions and your answers carefully to ensure you’ve not missed anything important, and ensure you’ve answered the required number of questions.

Allow time for reading over your answers at the end

It’s best to allow time within each allotted question time for reading over your answer to check it makes sense, and to correct any ‘typos’ you may inadvertently have made.

After the exam

Phew – it’s over! Let’s end with a few final tips on what happens next.

Don’t look back

However tempting it is, don’t try to do a post-mortem of your exam performance. You can’t change what you wrote now, and stressing over what you should or shouldn’t have written isn’t going to do you any favours. Don’t, whatever you do, look back over your notes for that paper. It will only fill you with insecurity and doubt, possibly hampering your performance in other exams that you may have looming. Put your notes for that topic away in a drawer, without opening them, and forget about them.

Relax and re-focus

The chances are that you’ll have a run of exams rather than just one, so after each exam, factor in a bit of relaxation time and then turn your focus to the next subject.

If it went really badly…

We’re our own worst critic, so the chances are that the exam went a lot better than you thought it did. But if, on results day , your suspicions are confirmed, all is not lost:  you can always retake a paper as a last resort. And if you feel that the mark you’ve ended up with is bafflingly lower than you feel it should have been, you can also pay a small admin fee to have the paper remarked (which may push the marks up high enough to gain you a higher grade – but beware that it might also push your marks down). The secret of exam success lies primarily in diligent preparation, effective exam technique and a positive mental attitude. We hope you’ve found these tips useful; if you have any you think should be on this list, feel free to let us know in the comments section below. Good luck!

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.

Related: 10 Tips On How To Get Full Marks In Class 9 Maths Exam

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!

Related: Top 5 Easiest AP Exams: A Guide to Achieving Success

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How to tackle essay-based exams

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Regardless of whether they exhilarate you or exhaust you, essay-based exams are the backbone of testing in some faculties.

I used to think that just flipping through my notes was enough to study for essay-based exams—I would just write about what I remembered from the class, right?

Not so much. This type of exam does give you some flexibility in what you choose to write about, but it also requires careful studying beforehand and adjustments to how you approach essay-writing during the exam—not to mention a healthy dose of stamina to get you through.

Essay-based exams are challenging, and, as an undergrad, I often came out of them feeling like somebody had rearranged my brain with an electric mixer. However, having to prepare for and write one usually helped me understand the big picture of the course better.

You don’t have to learn to love them, but figuring out how to approach these kinds of exams can make them more manageable.

Strategically prepare with case studies and theory

Studying for an essay-based exam isn’t quite like studying for a multiple choice test . While both have their challenges, writing essays when you have a limited amount of time requires you to do a lot of active preparation beforehand. 

1. Use the review sheets to study efficiently

Most courses I’ve taken with essay-based exams have also provided a review sheet with topics and information about the exam beforehand.

This means that you often don’t have to review the entire course in depth to do well. If the professor gives you a list of say, 15 topics, and you know that there’s going to be 5 essay questions on the test, and you only need to write 3 essays in total, you can do a bit of math to figure out how many topics you’ll need to study to be prepared. 

Each essay question will probably require knowledge of more than just one topic in the course, but strategically focusing your studying can make you better prepared for the questions you’ll actually answer on the exam. 

2. Focus on flexible case studies

In courses like political science and history, I liked to spend a good portion of my prep time reviewing case studies that can be adapted for a number of essay topics. Prepare at least 3 or 4 case studies for each essay, with some backup. 

You can use these in different combinations depending on the essay question—you won’t have time to go extremely in-depth in the essay, but make sure you know the main points and how the case study relates to the theory of the course.  

3. Find links between examples and theory

Don’t neglect studying the theory—what have your course readings been arguing? Do you agree or disagree with them? It’s okay to have opinions that differ from the readings, but make sure you can back your arguments up with evidence. 

Consider what the overall themes of the course have been—how do all the topics link together? How can you link case studies together with course themes and theory?

Additionally, check out these tips if you're preparing for an English exam specifically!

Maintain a good pace while writing the exam

Once your preparation is done and you’re writing the exam itself, make sure you keep track of the time. If you have 2 hours to write 3 short essays, don’t spend 90 minutes perfecting your first essay only to realize you have half an hour to write both the second and third. 

Give yourself a few minutes at the beginning to read through the questions and plan your essays. Space out the essays so you have some time at the end as well—this gives you a bit of breathing room if you end up spending longer on a section or want to do some minor edits at the end. 

Commit to your thesis 

Whenever I wrote essays for assignments, I inevitably ended up readjusting my entire paper after I got further in my research and figured out what I actually wanted to focus on. While that freedom is nice when the due date is a week or two away, you won’t have the flexibility to change your thesis after a bit of writing in an exam scenario.

If you get halfway through your essay and feel you should've picked a different argument, you likely won’t have time to go back and restart. Whatever you end up writing, commit to it and be confident in your arguments—you’ve studied hard, so sell what you know!

Adjust your writing

The TA or professor marking your exam isn’t expecting a hyper-polished, publishable result here—they want to see that you can craft a solid argument and that you have a perspective on the course material. 

Of course, syntax, grammar, and  punctuation are still important, but keep your writing simple and to the point. Getting the information across is more important than showcasing your most eloquent writing. Focus on writing clear, straightforward sentences that reflect your understanding of the course, and save straining for colourful synonyms for your papers.

Lastly, don’t sweat the introduction and conclusion. All you need are a few sentences—the marks are in the discussion.

Writing essay-based exams takes practice, but with the right preparation you’ll find they’re a great way to cap off your understanding of the course!

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Essays in exams

How to write essays in exams.

How should I prepare?

Find out what you will be expected to do in the exam..

• How many essays will you have to write?
• How many marks will each one be worth?
• Will you have some choice or will you have to write on any and all topics covered by the subject?
• Will you be able to refer to notes or materials (open book)?
• Where will you sit the exam (at home or in an exam hall)?
• How long will you have to complete the exam?

Review your notes

Systematically review your notes and course material. As with any revision, your aim is to identify key topics, concepts and major theories or approaches.

Essays often ask you to integrate concepts from different topics and weeks, so try to take a holistic view and make connections as you review.

Review old exam papers

You can use past exam papers to:

• test yourself and monitor your progress.
• increase your knowledge and understanding of certain topics.
• help you to practise the types of questions you are going to encounter.
• familiarise yourself with the format of the exam itself.

Analyse the kinds of questions asked. Note the ‘direction’ words used, such as, ‘compare and contrast’, ‘discuss’, ‘evaluate’, ‘illustrate’.

Draft responses for the question you would find easiest and then the question you would find most difficult. This will help you to identify where your knowledge is satisfactory, incomplete or inadequate.

Look at the marks allocated to a question. How many points might you need to make to earn that many marks? Is broad coverage or depth expected?

Example of question requiring breadth :

‘Discuss the ten factors that contribute to heart disease’ - 30 marks.

Example of question requiring depth :

‘Discuss in detail two of the causes of greenhouse gas production and how they might be eliminated’ - 30 marks.

Identify possible exam topics

Looking at both your notes from this year and the past exam papers, try to anticipate the topics you will be asked to write on and possible questions.

This is a great activity to do with peers in study groups – together you’ll come up with a broader range of questions and approaches. If you work with others, don’t write out full answers and memorise them (your examiners will notice identical responses), instead jot down key points or ideas in your own words.

It won’t matter if you don’t guess exactly the question that appears in the exam. This gives your mind practice at imagining how the material could be organised in different ways to answer different questions.

What should I do during the exam?

Read all the questions carefully.

If you have a choice, identify the ones you might attempt. Re-read those and make a final selection.

Make some brief notes next to each of the questions you will attempt. Consider how you will respond to the question, the subject area/s you will be dealing with, and any main points or initial thoughts. This will give you something to start from, or build on, later in the exam when you are getting tired.

Calculate how much time you can spend on a question, relative to its mark value.

Start with the easiest task

If you have to write a few essays do the easiest one first.  If it’s just one essay, then begin with a section you’re comfortable with. This will help you to settle into the exam and develop your confidence.

Write a brief essay plan

Taing time to write a plan helps you to organise your thoughts and write efficiently. You don't have time for significant editing in an exam, so you want to get it right first time. Consider the following:

• What’s your argument regarding the essay question?
• How many paragraphs do you expect to write?
• What will be the topic of each paragraph?
• What supporting evidence or information will you provide for each major point you make?
• What is the most logical order in which to make your points so they develop and support your argument?

Write clearly

If you need to write your essay by hand, practice writing for extended periods of time. Handwriting for more than a few minutes can become uncomfortable if you’re used to typing everything and this might mean you can’t write everything you want, or worse, your examiner can’t read your writing.

Remember that the examiner will have just a few minutes to read and mark your response; don’t make their job harder.

Try to use the wording of the question in your first sentence

This helps you to stay on task and answer the question directly.

Use transition or connecting words

This will help organise your ideas and to make it easier for the examiner to follow your arguments.

For example: Firstly, … Secondly, …; In contrast to…; In addition…; As a result…

For example:

Question: ‘Compare the main features of orthogonal and oblique cutting processes ’.

Response : ‘ The main features of orthogonal and oblique cutting processes [topic] differ in three main ways. First , [connecting] …’

Include an introduction and conclusion

While introductions and conclusions can be quite basic in exam essays, they are worth including for the guidance they can provide you as a writer and especially for the examiner. Make them as clear and succinct as possible.

Include clear signal language: ‘This essay will argue that …’; ‘In conclusion, …’; ‘To sum up…’

Leave time to check your work

Check the logical flow, clarity of ideas and, most importantly, re-read the question and check that you have answered all parts of it . If you haven’t answered the question directly, you won't get the marks!

Thinking critically by connecting and evaluating ideas as you revise will help you to prepare for essay exams. While examiners do expect you to demonstrate your knowledge of the subject in your essay, they are more interested in your ability to produce a succinct response to the question in the form of a reasoned and well-organised argument.

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As a college student, you will often be faced with a variety of essay exams, from the short-answer essays of a few sentences to take-home exams which may require hours of planning and writing. Remember that essay exams require a comprehensive understanding of large amounts of information. Since exam questions can reach so far and wide into the course materials—and in such unpredictable ways—you cannot hope to do well on them if you are not keeping up with readings and assignments from the beginning of the course.

HOW TO PREPARE

Below are some tips to help prepare for an essay examination.

• First of all, do the reading, go to the lectures, take careful notes, participate in discussion sections and organize small study groups with classmates to explore and review course materials throughout the semester.
• As the exam approaches, find out what you can about the form it will take. Ask your instructor whether the questions will require short or long answers, how many questions there will be, whether you may choose which questions to answer, and what kinds of thinking and writing will be required of you.
• Try to avoid simply memorizing information aimlessly. As you study, you should be clarifying the important issues of the course and using these issues to focus your understanding of the specific facts and particular readings.
• Try to place all that you have learned into perspective, into a meaningful context. How do the pieces fit together? What fundamental ideas have the readings, the lectures, and the discussions seem to emphasize? How can those ideas help you to digest the information the course has covered?
• One good way to prepare yourself for an exam is by making up questions you think the instructor might give and then planning answers with classmates.
• Returning to your notes and to the assigned readings with specific questions in mind can help enormously in your process of understanding.
• It is helpful to remember that an essay exam tests more than your memory of specific information. You will often be asked to analyze and draw relationships between various texts, theories, or concepts that have been covered throughout the semester. You may even be presented with a text, theory, or concept that you have not seen before, and asked to discuss or analyze it in the context of the course materials with which you are already familiar.
• Of most importance, read the exam carefully. Before you answer a single question, read the entire exam and apportion your time realistically. Careful time management is crucial to your success on essay exams; giving some time to each question is always better than using up your time on only a few and never getting to the others.

Following are categories of exam questions, divided according to the sort of writing task involved.

Define or identify: Some questions require you to write a few sentences defining or identifying material from readings or lectures. Almost always such questions allow you only a few minutes to complete your answer.

Recall details of a specific source: Sometimes instructors will ask for straightforward summary or paraphrase of a specific source – a report, for example, or a book or film. Such questions hold the students to recounting details directly from the source and do not encourage interpretation or evaluation.

Explain the importance or significance: Another kind of essay exam question asks students to explain the importance or significance of something covered in the course. Such questions require you to use specific examples as the basis for a more general discussion of what has been studied. This will often involve interpreting a literary work by concentrating on a particular aspect of it.

Comment on a quotation: On essay exams, instructors will often ask students to comment on quotations they are seeing for the first time. Usually such quotations will express some surprising or controversial opinion that complements or challenges basic principles or ideas in the course. Sometimes the writer being quoted is identified, sometimes not. In fact, it is not unusual for instructors to write the quotation themselves.

Compare and contrast: One of the most favored essay exam questions is one which requires a comparison or contrast of the two or three principles, ideas, works, activities, or phenomena. This kind of question requires you to explore fully the relations between things of importance in the course, to analyze each thing separately, and then search out specific points of likeness or difference.

Synthesize information from various sources: In a course with several assigned readings, an instructor may give students an essay exam question which requires them to pull together (to synthesize) information from all the readings.

Summarize and explain causes and results: In humanities and social science courses much of what students study concerns the causes or results of trends, actions, and events. Therefore, it is not too surprising to find questions about causes and results on your exam. Sometimes the instructor expects students to recall causes or results from readings and lectures. At other times, the instructor may not have in mind any particular causes or results and wants to find out what students are able to propose.

Criticize or evaluate: Occasionally instructors will invite students to evaluate a concept or work. Nearly always, they want more than opinion: they expect a reasoned, documented judgment based on appropriate criteria. Such questions not only test students’ ability to recall and synthesize pertinent information; they also allow instructors to find out whether students can apply criteria taught in the course: whether they understand the standards of judgment that are basic to the subject matter.

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Writing Essays for Exams

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What is a well written answer to an essay question?

Well Focused

Be sure to answer the question completely, that is, answer all parts of the question. Avoid "padding." A lot of rambling and ranting is a sure sign that the writer doesn't really know what the right answer is and hopes that somehow, something in that overgrown jungle of words was the correct answer.

Well Organized

Don't write in a haphazard "think-as-you-go" manner. Do some planning and be sure that what you write has a clearly marked introduction which both states the point(s) you are going to make and also, if possible, how you are going to proceed. In addition, the essay should have a clearly indicated conclusion which summarizes the material covered and emphasizes your thesis or main point.

Well Supported

Do not just assert something is true, prove it. What facts, figures, examples, tests, etc. prove your point? In many cases, the difference between an A and a B as a grade is due to the effective use of supporting evidence.

Well Packaged

People who do not use conventions of language are thought of by their readers as less competent and less educated. If you need help with these or other writing skills, come to the Writing Lab

How do you write an effective essay exam?

• Read through all the questions carefully.
• Budget your time and decide which question(s) you will answer first.
• Underline the key word(s) which tell you what to do for each question.
• Choose an organizational pattern appropriate for each key word and plan your answers on scratch paper or in the margins.
• Write your answers as quickly and as legibly as you can; do not take the time to recopy.
• Begin each answer with one or two sentence thesis which summarizes your answer. If possible, phrase the statement so that it rephrases the question's essential terms into a statement (which therefore directly answers the essay question).
• Support your thesis with specific references to the material you have studied.
• Proofread your answer and correct errors in spelling and mechanics.

Specific organizational patterns and "key words"

Most essay questions will have one or more "key words" that indicate which organizational pattern you should use in your answer. The six most common organizational patterns for essay exams are definition, analysis, cause and effect, comparison/contrast, process analysis, and thesis-support.

Typical questions

• "Define X."
• "What is an X?"
• "Choose N terms from the following list and define them."

Q: "What is a fanzine?"

A: A fanzine is a magazine written, mimeographed, and distributed by and for science fiction or comic strip enthusiasts.

Avoid constructions such as "An encounter group is where ..." and "General semantics is when ... ."

• State the term to be defined.
• State the class of objects or concepts to which the term belongs.
• Differentiate the term from other members of the class by listing the term's distinguishing characteristics.

Tools you can use

• Details which describe the term
• Examples and incidents
• Comparisons to familiar terms
• Negation to state what the term is not
• Classification (i.e., break it down into parts)
• Examination of origins or causes
• Examination of results, effects, or uses

Analysis involves breaking something down into its components and discovering the parts that make up the whole.

• "Analyze X."
• "What are the components of X?"
• "What are the five different kinds of X?"
• "Discuss the different types of X."

Q: "Discuss the different services a junior college offers a community."

A: Thesis: A junior college offers the community at least three main types of educational services: vocational education for young people, continuing education for older people, and personal development for all individuals.

Outline for supporting details and examples. For example, if you were answering the example question, an outline might include:

• Vocational education
• Continuing education
• Personal development

Write the essay, describing each part or component and making transitions between each of your descriptions. Some useful transition words include:

• first, second, third, etc.
• in addition

Conclude the essay by emphasizing how each part you have described makes up the whole you have been asked to analyze.

Cause and Effect

Cause and effect involves tracing probable or known effects of a certain cause or examining one or more effects and discussing the reasonable or known cause(s).

Typical questions:

• "What are the causes of X?"
• "What led to X?"
• "Why did X occur?"
• "Why does X happen?"
• "What would be the effects of X?"

Q: "Define recession and discuss the probable effects a recession would have on today's society."

A: Thesis: A recession, which is a nationwide lull in business activity, would be detrimental to society in the following ways: it would .......A......., it would .......B......., and it would .......C....... .

The rest of the answer would explain, in some detail, the three effects: A, B, and C.

Useful transition words:

• consequently
• for this reason
• as a result

Comparison-Contrast

• "How does X differ from Y?"
• "Compare X and Y."
• "What are the advantages and disadvantages of X and Y?"

Q: "Which would you rather own—a compact car or a full-sized car?"

A: Thesis: I would own a compact car rather than a full-sized car for the following reasons: .......A......., .......B......., .......C......., and .......D....... .

Two patterns of development:

• Full-sized car

Disadvantages

• Compact car

Useful transition words

• on the other hand
• unlike A, B ...
• in the same way
• while both A and B are ..., only B ..
• nevertheless
• on the contrary
• while A is ..., B is ...
• "Describe how X is accomplished."
• "List the steps involved in X."
• "Explain what happened in X."
• "What is the procedure involved in X?"

Process (sometimes called process analysis)

This involves giving directions or telling the reader how to do something. It may involve discussing some complex procedure as a series of discrete steps. The organization is almost always chronological.

Q: "According to Richard Bolles' What Color Is Your Parachute?, what is the best procedure for finding a job?"

A: In What Color Is Your Parachute?, Richard Bolles lists seven steps that all job-hunters should follow: .....A....., .....B....., .....C....., .....D....., .....E....., .....F....., and .....G..... .

The remainder of the answer should discuss each of these seven steps in some detail.

• following this
• after, afterwards, after this
• subsequently
• simultaneously, concurrently

Thesis and Support

• "Discuss X."
• "A noted authority has said X. Do you agree or disagree?"
• "Defend or refute X."
• "Do you think that X is valid? Defend your position."

Thesis and support involves stating a clearly worded opinion or interpretation and then defending it with all the data, examples, facts, and so on that you can draw from the material you have studied.

Q: "Despite criticism, television is useful because it aids in the socializing process of our children."

A: Television hinders rather than helps in the socializing process of our children because .......A......., .......B......., and .......C....... .

The rest of the answer is devoted to developing arguments A, B, and C.

• it follows that

A. Which of the following two answers is the better one? Why?

Question: Discuss the contribution of William Morris to book design, using as an example his edition of the works of Chaucer.

a. William Morris's Chaucer was his masterpiece. It shows his interest in the Middle Ages. The type is based on medieval manuscript writing, and the decoration around the edges of the pages is like that used in medieval books. The large initial letters are typical of medieval design. Those letters were printed from woodcuts, which was the medieval way of printing. The illustrations were by Burn-Jones, one of the best artists in England at the time. Morris was able to get the most competent people to help him because he was so famous as a poet and a designer (the Morris chair) and wallpaper and other decorative items for the home. He designed the furnishings for his own home, which was widely admired among the sort of people he associated with. In this way he started the arts and crafts movement.

b. Morris's contribution to book design was to approach the problem as an artist or fine craftsman, rather than a mere printer who reproduced texts. He wanted to raise the standards of printing, which had fallen to a low point, by showing that truly beautiful books could be produced. His Chaucer was designed as a unified work of art or high craft. Since Chaucer lived in the Middle Ages, Morris decided to design a new type based on medieval script and to imitate the format of a medieval manuscript. This involved elaborate letters and large initials at the beginnings of verses, as well as wide borders of intertwined vines with leaves, fruit, and flowers in strong colors. The effect was so unusual that the book caused great excitement and inspired other printers to design beautiful rather than purely utilitarian books.

From James M. McCrimmon, Writing with a Purpose , 7th ed. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1980), pp. 261-263.

B. How would you plan the structure of the answers to these essay exam questions?

1. Was the X Act a continuation of earlier government policies or did it represent a departure from prior philosophies?

2. What seems to be the source of aggression in human beings? What can be done to lower the level of aggression in our society?

3. Choose one character from Novel X and, with specific references to the work, show how he or she functions as an "existential hero."

4. Define briefly the systems approach to business management. Illustrate how this differs from the traditional approach.

5. What is the cosmological argument? Does it prove that God exists?

6. Civil War historian Andy Bellum once wrote, "Blahblahblah blahed a blahblah, but of course if blahblah blahblahblahed the blah, then blahblahs are not blah but blahblah." To what extent and in what ways is the statement true? How is it false?

For more information on writing exam essays for the GED, please visit our Engagement area and go to the Community Writing and Education Station (CWEST) resources.

• Subject Guides

Academic writing: a practical guide

Examination writing.

• Academic writing
• The writing process
• Academic writing style
• Structure & cohesion
• Criticality in academic writing
• Working with evidence
• Referencing
• Assessment & feedback
• Dissertations
• Reflective writing
• Academic posters
• Feedback on Structure and Organisation
• Feedback on Argument, Analysis, and Critical Thinking
• Feedback on Writing Style and Clarity
• Feedback on Referencing and Research
• Feedback on Presentation and Proofreading

Examination writing is an essential element of most degree programmes. The resources on this page provide advice and guidance to help to ensure examination success. 

Types of examinations

An examination is: 

• an assessment of academic ability that contributes to the overall grades in a module within a degree.
• a test of a student's abilities in controlled conditions.
• a part of most degree programmes.
• an experience that few enjoy!
• a type of assessment that has many iterations and question types.

The information on this page will help you think through and make decisions about how you can succeed in university-level examinations.

Let's start by considering the different types of exams you may encounter: 

Types of Examinations [Google Slides]

Examination writing styles

There are many types of examination questions. They differ by subject area, where the exam is completed and according to what exactly is being examined. 

Each question type requires different techniques. You should always check the guidance issued within your module and department . The advice and guidance on this page is generic and does not replace that in your department. 

The main types of exam questions are explored in the resources below: 

Short answer questions [Google Slides]

Essays in examinations [Google Slides]

Using evidence in examinations

Using evidence in examinations is different to using it in reports, essays, dissertations and projects . This is because many exams are completed under controlled conditions there the student must rely on memory and so directly using evidence, with citations, is difficult. The amount and types of evidence required in exams varies considerably, and is obviously greater in an open book exam. 

The resources below offer generic advice and guidance on using evidence in exams. Please find the specific guidance within your modules. 

Using evidence in closed book examinations

In a closed book examination , the only information you have available is what you have learned and what you can remember. Therefore, there is a more limited expectation to cite specific sources of evidence. 

Many areas of knowledge, particularly the sciences expect you to remember a large number of facts and the relationship between the facts. For example, in a physics or engineering exam you might be expected to know what the second law of thermodynamics is; the emphasis is on what it is and how you use it, not citing a source you learned it from. 

See the resources below for ideas on how to prepare for using evidence in closed book examinations.

Using evidence in open book examinations

In open book examinations you are allowed to take materials that may be notes, books, articles or other named materials into the examination room. Or, this could be an examination that is completed at a distance where you have all possible information available.

Due to you having the information available, there is often an expectation that you will cite your sources, much as you do in assignments and reports. The guidance for each exam will specify the type of referencing required and exactly which sources are permitted and not allowed.

Using pre-released materials

Using evidence in exams that have pre-released materials is arguably the most difficult type of evidence use in exams . It is expected that you will have engaged with the materials, and there is often guidance on what you should do with them in advance. This means that when you answer the questions in the exam itself, you are expected to use the evidence provided and whatever you have gathered independently to support your argument, justify your thinking, and link to key theories/ideas in the questions.

Each exam will have guidance on how you should refer to the materials, be it by formal referencing, or directing the reader to ideas and facts derived from the materials, or other sources. Read the guidance carefully.

See the resources below for ideas on how to prepare for using evidence in exams involving pre-released materials.

Using evidence in exams completed remotely

In almost all cases that you complete an exam remotely (24 hour examinations for example) there is no limit to the information you have access to. There may however be limits to the sources you are allowed to cite and use in the exam. You must check the guidance for each exam carefully.

Due to you having access to materials, there is often an expectation that you cite sources. The assessment is also often focussed on how you use information, not what you can remember. This means that in essays the quality of your argument is even more important than in closed book exams, whilst in short answer questions/problem questions, your ability to apply methods and concepts is what is being assessed.

See the resources below for ideas on how to prepare for using evidence in exams completed remotely.

Also see our dedicated Criticality page for more information on using evidence to construct arguments:

What does the exam question want me to do?

A crucial part of success in examinations is to understand what the question is asking you to do. Within each question there are instructions and there may be ideas, theories, concepts and details. To succeed you have to unpack the exam question to determine what is and is not required. 

The resources below provide advice and guidance on how to unpack and explore different types of exam questions. As with all sections of this guide, please find the specific guidance within your module and/or programme. This is generic guidance. 

Instruction words in examinations

Instruction words in examination questions tell you the sort of answer you need to give. List or explain? Summarise or compare? Define or evaulate? Be descriptive or critical?

The resources below explore what each instruction word is asking you to do. You can practice your ability to follow the instructions by completing past papers, where available. 

Decoding examination questions

It is important to spend time dissecting and decoding examination questions, particularly those that require an essay-style answer. You need to be clear what exactly is being asked of you and what you need to include if you are to achieve high marks. 

The resources below are designed to offer support and guidance that is generic, to establish basic approaches that can be applied in all subject areas. But, it is very important that you check the guidance and advice in your department and in each specific module, to ensure that you are fulfilling what is expected by the particular exam you are sitting. 

Assessing exam answers

A crucial element of success in all examinations is knowing how they are marked. There are a few simple things that you can do to familiarise yourself with the mark schemes and styles for your exams. 

• Find past examinations in your subject area, ideally with mark schemes. They may be in your module VLE, the Library exam archive , or in some other departmental repository. If you cannot find them, speak to your academic supervisor, module tutor or programme leader. 
• Attend all preparation lectures, workshops, seminars, labs, tutorial sessions and/or problem classes. Often hints and tips are given and you have the chance to learn what is required. 
• Ask people in higher years what they know about the exam.  But, check that the exam has not changed for this year! A good source can be students that lead peer support classes, GTAs, or your assigned college and course buddies. 
• Ask your module tutors how the exams are assessed.  Many will tell you anyway, but if not, do ask. The more you know about the marking, the better able you will be to provide what the examiner is looking for. 
• Ask for feedback when you have completed an exam or mock exam . It may be available and it can be really useful to see exactly where you gained marks and where you went wrong. 
• Talk through past papers with your fellow students. This can cause you to look more closely and ask more questions about what is required that you can then ask your tutors, or check support materials to find answers. 
• Don't assume that an new exam is the same as one you have already done. There may be similarities, but it is safer to assume each is unique and that you have to learn what is required. 

Concise writing

All examinations have a time limit. As a result, it is essential that you write concisely. This means writing using the minimum number of words required to convey the meaning required, at the level of detail that will gain maximum marks. This is a skill that requires practice. The resources below are designed to help you develop your ability to be concise. 

Other support for exam writing

The university has lots of guidance available in relation to examinations. The links below point to some web pages. Please also check your departmental handbooks, VLE sites and other information sources for information specific to your degree and modules. 

• << Previous: Reflective writing
• Next: Academic posters >>
• Last Updated: Apr 3, 2024 4:02 PM
• URL: https://subjectguides.york.ac.uk/academic-writing

How to Write Good Essays in Exams (And Avoid Stress)

Blog , Pedagogy July 18, 2023

An essay is a piece of writing that presents a focused argument or explores a specific topic in a structured and coherent manner. Students often write essays in exams to assess their understanding of a subject matter, their ability to analyze and interpret information, and their skills in constructing coherent arguments. However, writing good work in exams requires careful planning, effective time management, and strong writing skills. Therefore, here is a step-by-step guide to help students write good essays for exams (and avoid stress).

Write Good Essays in Exams: A Step-By-Step Guide

Writing in exams can be challenging and stressful for many students. The step-by-step guide below will help you write good essays for exams, avoid stress and achieve better results.

Read the Instructions Carefully

Check you understand any restrictions or limitations mentioned in the instructions, such as word count, time limit, and how many questions to answer.

Read the Questions Carefully

Read through the exam paper once and then re-read each question. You might think a topic you’ve revised hasn’t come up when it is there, but the wording is unusual. Alternatively, the question might be obtuse, and you do not understand it.

Choose Your Questions Carefully

Mark any questions you might answer, and then check that you fully understand them. Do you have relevant knowledge, ideas, and evidence for the essays you plan to write?

Write Good Essays in Exams by Understanding the Questions

Before you start writing, take time to read and understand the question. Underline or highlight the key points and requirements. And make sure you know what is asked of you.

Look for any keywords or phrases that indicate what you need to do, such as “explain,” “compare,” “contrast,” “define,” or “justify.”

Decide the Order You Plan to Answer Questions

Some people like to start with the topic they know best to give them a good start. Others prefer to answer their best question second because, with one essay written, they can relax, expand on their best ideas and gain a higher grade.

Plan Your Response to Write Good Essays in Exams

The stress of writing essays for exams can make all your preparation disappear. Thus, it is essential to get your ideas across clearly and concisely in exams. So, take a few minutes to brainstorm and organize your thoughts.

Identify the main topic and discussion areas. Choose a few points or arguments about which you can write.

Make a mini-plan that puts your points/arguments in order before you start writing. This plan will serve as a roadmap for your writing and help you stay focused.

Manage Your Time

Good time management is necessary when writing essays under timed conditions. Ensure you allocate enough time for each essay section and stick to the time limit.

Divide your time according to the number of essays or sections to write.

Allocate time for each essay section, including planning, writing, and proofreading. Stick to this schedule to ensure enough time for all the necessary tasks.

Good Essays in Exams Are Clear and Concise

When writing time-constrained essays, express your ideas clearly and concisely. Avoid long, rambling sentences and focus on making your points clearly and concisely.

Write in clear and concise sentences. Avoid using overly complex language or jargon that might confuse the reader. Use specific and descriptive language to convey your ideas effectively.

Proofread and Edit

Take a few minutes at the end to review your essay. Check for any grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors. Ensure you present ideas clearly and logically. If time permits, read your work aloud to identify any awkward phrasing or unclear sentences.

Once you have finished writing, take a few minutes to edit your work. Check for spelling and grammar mistakes, and make sure your essay flows logically.

Stay Calm and Focused

Stay relaxed and focused during the exam. Read the instructions carefully, manage your time wisely, and answer the questions to the best of your ability.

Write Good Essays in Exams by Structuring Your Essay

A well-structured essay will make it easier for the reader to follow your arguments and understand the ideas presented.

Therefore, students should follow some basic guidelines to ensure their answers are concise and effectively convey their knowledge and understanding of the material.

Here are some tips to help you structure your exam essay.

• Start with a Strong Introduction : To write good essays in exams, begin your essay with a compelling introduction that grabs the reader’s attention. Clearly state your thesis or main argument. And provide a brief overview of the points you will discuss. This information shows the assessor how you understand the question and how you will answer it.
• Develop Coherent Body Paragraphs : Each body paragraph should focus on a single main idea that supports your thesis. Start each section with a topic sentence that introduces the main point and provides evidence or examples to support it. Use clear and logical transitions between paragraphs to maintain a smooth flow of ideas. Moreover, develop your story!
• Provide Evidence : Support your claims with relevant evidence such as examples, statistics, or references to authoritative sources. Make sure your evidence is accurate and supports your arguments effectively. This strategy will make your essay more convincing and help you score higher marks.
• Address Counterarguments : Acknowledge and address counterarguments or opposing viewpoints. This strategy demonstrates that you have considered different perspectives and strengthens your argument. Refute counterarguments with logical reasoning and evidence.
• Conclude Effectively : Summarize your main points in the conclusion and restate your thesis. Avoid introducing new information at this stage. End with a strong closing statement that leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

What to Do if Your Mind Goes Blank

Most students fear this happening.

If it does—put your pen down, take a deep breath, sit back, and relax for a moment.

If you’re in the middle of an answer, read through what you have written so far—what happens next?

Lastly, if you can’t progress with your writing, then leave a gap! Your thoughts will probably return once you are less anxious.

What to Do if You Are Running Out of Time

Don’t panic.

Look at the questions left to answer (or essay sections left to write) and divide your remaining time to cover all the parts.

Or, perhaps you are halfway through writing an essay with 30 minutes to finish. Remember, give yourself 15 minutes to complete (or upload) your work because you may encounter technical problems!

Write economically—make your point, support it with evidence, and then move on to the next point.

If you can’t finish on time, briefly list the points you wanted to make—they could pick you up a few marks.

Referencing in Exams

Refer by name to the theorists and researchers in your subject area, also giving the year of their major works—the best you can given the time you have.

Citing a few up-to-date references in your essay demonstrates current knowledge and understanding.

For open-book exams, provide a reference list (i.e., evidence of your reading) at the end of your essay.

A reference list is not necessary for in-person exams, which are typically shorter in duration than open-book assessments. This requirement helps students focus on writing when time is at a premium.

Note. The reference section (if you require one) does not usually count towards the word limit. Moreover, there is no penalty for minor formatting deviations.

Marking Criteria for Good Exam Essays

The marking criteria for written exams have a reduced emphasis on stylistic elements (e.g., APA formatting) to allow students to write good essays in exams.

However, being mindful of your marker’s needs is essential when writing good essays. For instance, understanding what they will be looking for can help you tailor your writing to meet their expectations. Plus, this will improve your chances of receiving a good grade.

Here are some things to consider when thinking about your marker’s needs (and to achieve better grades!):

• Knowledge & Understanding : Ensure you show thorough, up-to-date knowledge and comprehension of the topic by including evidence of reading beyond the key texts.
• Analysis : Ensure you examine ideas and principles beyond those introduced in the module resourcefully and imaginatively. Synthese ideas from diverse sources. Additionally, show independence of thought with critical evaluation.
• Reading & Referencing : Show clear evidence of extensive and relevant reading.
• Essay structure : Ensure your essay structure is logical, easy to follow, addresses the title, and enhances your argument and discussion.
• Use correct language : Use excellent standard written English.

Remember, writing essays for exams can be stressful, but you can succeed with careful planning and a clear strategy. So, stay calm, stay focused, and do your best.

However, a clear strategy is not enough when writing good essays for exams. Students should also be able to analyze, interpret, and synthesize the information they have learned, thus demonstrating their understanding of the subject matter.

Good luck with your exams!

Want to get the most out of your degree? Then check out my other pedagogy articles!

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6 Detailed Test-Taking Strategies on How to Do Well in Exams

Teachers are a complete and utter mystery. They teach us whatever they feel like, test us on whatever they want and evaluate us however they please. Apart from being lucky and likable, there’s not much we can do. Except, maybe, to see this sentiment as what it is: Dismissive hyperbole that’s keeping us from getting to the bottom of actually useful test-taking strategies.

In reality, many aspects of a test, such as its context, tasks and even evaluation criteria can be understood. Whether we’re about to sit a high-stakes exam in uni or school, or we’re assessed by a professional organisation, doing well in tests is about more than mastering the subject matter. The secret lies in not only understanding our job as students but also that of a teacher.

Note, for the sake of brevity my focus will be on written exams rather than oral or practical tests. Even though you should be able to extrapolate from my advice to any test you may take. Before we flesh this out in our first three practical tips, let me give you an insight into the mind of a teacher.

Table of Contents

Inside a teacher’s mind, 1. consider the context, 2. dissect the task, 3. reverse-engineer the evaluation criteria, 4. collect the easy wins, 5. fill in the gaps, 6. change perspectives, test-taking strategies: the summary, the biggest secret, closing thoughts.

Personally, I’ve sat many tests and exams in school, university and have gone through more professional evaluations than I’d like to remember. I’ve succeeded in most, and more importantly, failed in many. At the same time, I’ve spent a lot of time in the teachers’ camp, testing and grading students of all ages in exams, both written and verbal. Through my international experience, I’ve got to know the literature, teachers and students from cultures across the world.

Now, you’re right. My mind is by no means every teacher’s mind. Neither can I speak for every single teacher across the globe. Though, test-taking and marking are pretty similar across the world. They all follow the same mechanisms because there are certain realities every teacher faces. One of those realities is that teaching is hard. Both cognitively and when it comes to workload.

Imagine you have to teach 26 school hours a week and you know what you’re doing. Roughly speaking this includes preparing classes, teaching them to 30+ students at a time and making sure each of those students has learned what you taught, i.e. you need to evaluate them. Competent teachers will always know what they could’ve done better in the classroom. But they will rarely have enough time to prepare perfectly because they’re usually swamped in admin. Now, this workload intensifies as test season begins.

Imagine having a pile of 100+ tests on your desk waiting to be corrected. Imagine having a week with 50 oral exams before you. Imagine that on top of daily classes and admin responsibilities, which usually resume. Whether we think this workload is deserved and teachers should quit complaining isn’t my point, though. What I argue is this: Knowing the challenges your instructor faces can impact how well you do in tests.

6 Detailed Test-Taking Strategies

No doubt, students have their challenges, too. If I had to name three things that make tests difficult, it’s (1) mastering a subject matter cognitively and/or physically, that is having the ability to do certain tasks successfully after practice, (2) the psychological aspect of sitting a test, the time management under pressure and associated stress as well as (3) managing the expectations of the marker and those of yourself. Since I can only indirectly help with the first aspect, our focus will be on the latter two. Let’s start with tip no. 1.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that good test performance is partly decided well before the actual exam. That’s why our first tip relates to the context of the assessment. There are two aspects to it, the what and the how .

What’s Being Tested?

Think about the overarching topic and extent of the exam. As we know, learning material usually follows a curriculum. The curriculum is broken down into units, modules and sequences. Assessments are there to evaluate how proficient we are in what was being taught in a given unit or module.

Put simply, knowing the context of the exam narrows down what we need to learn. What was part of the previous test won’t be as relevant in the upcoming one. I say ‘as’ because teaching is often done in progressions. Some of what was taught before might be foundational for what you’re about to be tested on.

The importance of the what is also true from a teacher’s perspective. As they have to evaluate what you produce, they will limit the scope of the tests accordingly. They have a curriculum to follow. Generally, it also doesn’t make sense for them to test something they tested before.

A teacher would also not want to test material that’s reserved for a later exam. I say ‘generally’ because there will always be that dreaded task that wasn’t on the curriculum (yet). Because the teacher lost the overview or thinks it was discussed in the classroom. So it pays out to factor in the reliability of the instructor.

How’s It Being Tested?

The same is true for how you’re being tested. If it’s an essay, you might want to practice your writing skills, that is how to make it a cohesive and coherent piece of writing. If it’s a multiple-choice test, you can consider the various subtypes of questions and strategies for how to best approach them. There’s a certain repertoire of methods and types of tasks depending on the subject area. If you understand how the tasks work before the test, you won’t have to worry about that during the test itself.

Here’s another way to think about it. Will you only be required to reproduce knowledge (“Describe the properties of peanut butter.”), or be asked to analyse (“Examine how peanut butter affects your digestive system.”) and to personally judge an issue (“Comment on the claim that peanut butter is better than jelly.”). Anticipate the tasks, think about connections and examples beforehand and spare yourself the stress and awkward silence during an oral exam.

Broadening the Context

Now, let me reiterate that this is not an invitation to only prepare the absolute minimum. I’d rather call it efficiency. Well-designed units build on top of each other. They start with simple concepts and expand so that the student gets a more and more complex understanding of the subject. It would be a mistake to dismiss everything that’s been learned in the past. Especially if the last test didn’t go well. In fact, if it didn’t this is where I would start preparing.

In order to do really well, you’ll have to go beyond the narrow requirements of a single test. In my experience, the key is to use the context and expectations of the test before you as a starting point. Then consider what you need to catch up on and expand your knowledge and skills from there. What was taught before the last test? What is taught now? What will be taught next? Ultimately, it’s a matter of personal judgement and time management.

Once you’re sitting the test, the actual tasks are the heart of every evaluation. One of the worst things we could do is look for a question that sounds vaguely familiar and just start ticking boxes or writing down our answer. This would work great if the teacher’s intention wasn’t to test your knowledge about a certain issue or in a very specific skill. So in order to make sure we actually answer the question we have to dissect the task. Let’s consider a hypothetical writing task: Compare the psychological effects of eating peanut butter with those of eating jelly.

Unpacking the Terms

If we were to break this task down, we’d first look for any actionable verbs such as to describe , to analyse , or to evaluate . It really doesn’t matter what the verb is, what matters if we and whoever evaluates the test agree on what they entail. In my world, for example, to compare means to consider similarities as well as differences between two concepts and come to a final conclusion as to what extent they’re more different or alike.

This is obviously something that should be understood before the exam begins. What’s more, we can break down further aspects of the task. In our example, we’re supposed to compare the “psychological effects” of one eating one specific food over another. At this point we should take a moment to consider if we have a solid understanding of what “psychological effects” entail, that is which effects fall into that category. Put differently, we can limit our answer to those aspects alone. This brings us to the next part of the dissection of a task, the resulting structure.

Making Choices

Now that we know what we actually have to do we can better plan the work ahead of us. Note that our example task subtly gives us a choice. We can choose which effects we want to consider and how many of them. We might want to plan one section to write about similar effects and one about the differences. The sections again fall into paragraphs that discuss our chosen aspects. We look for linguistic markers such as and/or and make sure we don’t waste time on a part of a question that wasn’t there.

If we were to take this one step further, we can even do some planning on how long it might take us to write the sections and complete that one task. It’s important to note that considering the elements of the task is not a one-off. If we’re writing an essay, for example, we regularly go back to the question and ask ourselves: ‘Am I responding to the task? How is the sentence I’m writing linked to answering the question?’

Tasks and Evaluation

Now, we certainly could throw anything we know about peanut butter and jelly out there. Let the teacher go on a quest to extract any meaningful answers out of our convoluted writing. But how much time does a teacher have for this kind of text archeology if there are 99 more essays waiting to be graded? There are two sides to the answer to that.

In a best-case scenario, the teacher knows what he or she is doing. After all, they have to evaluate what the students write so they craft and limit the task accordingly. That’s great for us because all of my above tips will work seamlessly with the later evaluation of our essay. In a worst-case scenario, the teacher puts together a convoluted and ambiguous task but still expects students to produce a coherent response. In this case, the teacher violated an iron law of education: ‘Thou shalt not ask double-barreled questions.’

Sometimes two actionable verbs are used in a single task, sometimes the task has so many aspects, ands and/or ors so not even the teacher knows what exactly the student is supposed to do. It’s a nightmare to correct because there are even more ways to structure a response. So the teacher ends up an overworked text archeologist after all. We might not like it, but in this case, we’ll have to make up for the shortcomings of the task, meaning we have to carefully structure our answer so the teacher can tell which part of the question is answered where. This ties in nicely with my third tip.

Closely related to the tasks are of course the evaluation criteria. They may be transparent before the test or they may be rather obscure. If we have a sense of the criteria, we not only know how much each task will be worth so we can prioritise. We can also gear our answers more towards what is expected of us. Note that I’m saying ‘more’ here and not ‘completely’.

What Do Evaluation Criteria Look Like?

A good teacher will put in a lot of effort to make a task clear, unambiguous and easy to evaluate – for their own good as we’ve learned. They ask themselves what the learning goals were, how they intend to evaluate them with the task and how they will know the student has achieved them. In order to do that, they may use a so-called rubric and/or pre-define a level of expectation.

A rubric is a scoring guide that defines different criteria and levels of achievement. For example, the classic criteria for essay writing are content, structure and language. The rubric will determine what needs to be there to score, let’s say, a fail, pass, credit, distinction or high distinction. Criteria are usually weighted differently in that learning content tends to be worth much more than structure and language. So far so unimpressive.

Evaluating Our Own Test

Let’s suppose our teacher asks us to reflect on the causes of peanut butter cravings . To get a high distinction in the test the standard rubric asks for a ‘critical reflection and the use of highly relevant examples’ (content), in a ‘well-thought-out format’ (structure) and ‘highly suitable professional language’ (language). Sounds pretty vague, doesn’t it? Here’s where the reverse engineering comes in. How do the criteria apply to our topic? What will the teacher be looking for? Rubrics tend to be rather generalised, i.e. they’re not prepared for a specific topic.

The good news is, that’s where there’s room for our personal and unique way of answering the question. Still, the teacher may have pre-defined a level of expectations dictated by the task at hand. Essentially, this is teachers doing the tasks themselves. They’d write down what answers they expect to see from students at different levels of achievement in terms of content. We can also think of them as sample answers. Obviously, this will not be provided. But having followed tips 1 and 2 we’d now be able to craft our own task and evaluation criteria to prepare for the exam.

The Imperfection of Evaluation Criteria

Once we go through this process ourselves we’ll find: Evaluation criteria are not perfect. They need to be specific enough to be valuable and broad enough to capture all the different possible answers. A good teacher will recognise when an answer is outside the scale of his or her rubric (in a positive sense) and give us credit for it. An inexperienced one won’t know what to do with it and perhaps mark it down.

It may seem otherwise, but generally, teachers look for value, not deficits. They look for reasons to give you as many points as possible and not to mark you down. Why? Because it’s easier. Little is more refreshing than breezing through a well-crafted piece of writing that ticks all the boxes you have in front of you. The solution to all of this is to answer first with whatever was being taught in class and then go further. As a cherry on top. If needed.

Ambiguities and errors, on the other hand, slow a teacher down. Especially when they’re committed to positive correction, i.e. letting the student know how they can do better. However, the closer we stick to the actual task and what’s expected in the test, the easier the teacher will be able to comprehend and reconstruct what we were trying to do. The human addiction to correct is a powerful one. Seeing where students went wrong and putting them on the right path – that’s kind of our job.

Easy wins are any aspects of a test that are relatively effortless to accomplish. More so than mastering the core knowledge and skills of the exam. The downside is they don’t count as much towards the overall grade. The upside is they do add up and are essential to get to a 100% test score anyway. The key to collecting them is prioritisation.

Taking our time to break down the tasks first (tip no. 2) and sitting the test with the evaluation criteria in mind (tip no. 3) may seem like it takes away valuable time from actually answering the questions. However, this approach not only allows our answers to be more relevant. It also enables us to identify and prioritise the easy wins in regard to content, structure and language.

Easy Wins: Content

A well-crafted exam begins with an easy task. For one it’s to give the student some confidence. For two it’s because of a natural teaching and learning progression from simple to complex. Should we find the first task not easy at all, it’s either because the teacher had other plans or we severely underestimated the subject matter. That doesn’t mean we cannot go look for some easy wins. Here’s one way how to find them.

Which task asks us to (1) reproduce knowledge ( List all presidents of the United States. ), (2) analyse an issue ( Examine how Jimmy Carter came to power. ) or (3) evaluate it ( Comment on Jimmy Carter’s first 100 days in office. ). The first type of task is a mere memorisation exercise. The second requires additional background knowledge, an understanding of the mechanisms of presidential elections and the ability to connect all those dots. The third type tests the first two skills plus our ability for independent judgment.

The least we can do is to notice when all we need to do is get our (memorised) facts right. Memorisation methods such as the Mind Palace Technique can help here and in an exam where the rest is all analysis and evaluation, those are the easy wins content-wise. If at all possible, we can do those first to build our confidence. Even if all else fails, the teacher will notice and reward those foundational skills. Speaking of foundational skills.

Easy Wins: Structure & Language

Structure and language are other areas with easy wins. They usually carry less significance in evaluations. But good form is essential for everyone looking to score at the top and anyone looking to pass at the bare minimum alike. Because it’s essential for your evaluator to navigate your text in the first place.

When it comes to structuring, we’re talking about the basics of layout and formatting, We begin our text (or verbal answer) with an introduction, which gracefully segues into the main part and is wrapped up with a conclusion. We write (or think) in paragraphs that transition naturally (cohesiveness) and we make sure the reader will find everything to be consistent and follow logically (coherence).

What’s more, we write clearly leaving enough space between paragraphs. We alternate between long and short sentences, simple and complex grammatical structures. We don’t use jargon or technical terms unless they’re appropriate and we know what they mean. If required, we annotate with consistency. Finally, we check for spelling or grammatical mistakes and make sure all our papers are numbered and in good order.

Form and Grading

Good form is key. Imagine a teacher grading a meticulously articulated and structured paper whose only shortcomings are that the analysis is amateurish at best and the final assessment naive at worst. Now imagine the same in reverse. A brilliant piece of interpretation and evaluation that nonetheless takes the assessor two hours to decipher.

In the eyes of a demanding teacher, basic facts, structure and language are the fundamentals. Relatively speaking, they’re the easy wins that are absolutely necessary to score high. Because part of the justification for excellent grades is that the student not only got the difficult and important things right but also the fine details.

Knowledge gaps are (almost) inevitable. Complete blackouts, the Black Swans of testing, have more severe consequences but are rarely expected until they actually happen. There are, however, strategies to mitigate gaps and blackouts.

Avoid Mindreading

Teachers can’t read minds. If the tasks or parts of it aren’t clear and we write as if they were that can lead to confusion. A better strategy would be to include in our answer what we think certain tasks or terms entail.

For example, we may be asked to explain the transition of US presidential powers. If we’re unsure what ‘presidential powers’ are we can define the term before going into detail. In other words, we make our assumptions and rationale for answering the question the way we did as transparent as possible.

Anything that lets the evaluator understand our thought processes better helps. Although they ultimately have to fall back to the teaching material and the criteria, they will be more inclined to give us the benefit of a doubt. It’s not a perfect solution but a psychological win and better than skipping a question altogether.

Ask for Clarification

If the test format allows, there is of course a superior solution: asking for clarification. Oral exams, for example, tend to have a conversational format. Done cleverly, there are a few tactics that can help you fill gaps in knowledge or understanding without compromising your grade.

One is to simply repeat or paraphrase the task to buy yourself some time and potentially prompt a correction from your interlocutors ( So you want me to explain how responsibilities are transferred from one administration to another. ). That way you can make sure everyone’s on the same page. If certain technical terms are unclear, mirror the teacher by repeating the term you’re unsure about, spoken as a question ( Presidential Powers? ). This can prompt the teacher to expand on the term.

From an interlocutor’s perspective, it’s preferable to clarify what the actual question is in the beginning. Yes, revealing big knowledge gaps through too many follow-up questions can indeed hurt your grade. But it’s certainly better than the awkwardness of finding out you failed even to address the task after your five-minute monologue.

Beware of Closing Questions

Teachers distinguish between open questions with a wide range of possible answers ( How do presidential elections work? ) and closed ones with a finite set of answers ( Is the US President also the commander in chief? ). As a rule of thumb, the more closed a question is the easier it is to answer. It pays to keep track of what type of questions you’re being asked. Because the more challenging the questions, the better you can showcase your knowledge and skills.

In an oral exam, initial questions tend to be broader and more open. This gives you room to choose how you want to answer and what examples you want to pick. Put simply, it challenges you more to give a coherent answer. If a student struggles to answer open questions, skilled teachers will narrow down the options to make it easier. How do presidential elections work? may turn into a more specific Can you describe the process of the primaries ? Or even into a very basic How many states does the US have? if a student seems to lack a basic understanding of US elections.

The more skilled interlocutors will vary between open and closed questions depending on a student’s performance. That doesn’t mean that you can’t steer the conversation yourself by signalling that you’re confident and more than capable of answering open and complex questions. Unless you’re sitting a lie detector test, you want to aim for a free discussion rather than being quizzed about facts with yes/no questions.

If you’re getting too stressed about an upcoming exam it may be time to detach and step back for a moment. Consider the following to put everything back into perspective.

Reassessing Failure

It would be wise not to allow yourself to make your happiness dependent on a single test. Understandably, a looming high-stakes exam can easily distort a sense of reality. Everything is focused on that one test. The future course of our whole life — so it seems — will depend on whether we pass this exam or not. That might be true, but who says failure wouldn’t be the better option?

Instead of fixating on this one opportunity, we might want to ask ourselves: What’s the worst thing that can happen in case we fail? Can we re-sit the test? If so how often? We absolutely MUST pass this placement test or we won’t be able to study at our preferred uni and our life will be ruined forever? That doesn’t sound like a healthy relationship to failure. Because if we think this way and fail, we will indeed lose.

Have Options

A healthier strategy would be to think two to three steps ahead of what your options and their benefits are. Other than a wounded ego, what are the actual downsides in case you need to repeat an exam? If a redo is not on the cards, think of alternative pathways or careers. Alternative goals should be equally valuable and challenging or even more so.

Think about exit strategies and other opportunities in case of an unforeseen catastrophic failure. Take the pressure off by trusting in the long-term benefits of accepting and managing life’s error messages. Failure may not even prompt a big shift in the end. Only a minor correction to find and discover your true Circle of Competence .

Don’t Be Pushed, Push Yourself

Lastly, I would caution you not to get caught up in requirements and evaluation too much. It’s true, you’re being evaluated against largely immovable criteria and compared to your peers. However, there’s a third far more important reference norm. It’s your individual progress, which is measured by comparing yourself today to what you knew and were able to do yesterday.

Perhaps you don’t meet some pre-defined criteria to pass an exam with high distinction. But you may still do much better than in the last test. A good teacher will notice if you were pushing the boundaries of your knowledge and skills and give you credit for it. This is particularly true for writing essays.

Imagine your essay being no. 57 on the teacher’s pile. No matter your level, a lacklustre effort shows in the writing. As long as writing that essay grips you, as long as you feel you’re pushing yourself, there’s a good chance the teacher reading it will be equally thrilled. If you’re not excited about what you’re writing, on the other hand, how is the teacher supposed to be?

Before I close with the biggest test-taking secret of them all, let’s look at all six of the practical tips again:

• Consider the context of the test by thinking through what you will be asked to do and how you’re supposed to do it in advance.
• Break down the requirements of the task so you can plan ahead and don’t do more than is asked of you.
• Take the test with the evaluation criteria in mind. How can you make this as easy to evaluate as possible without compromising your unique approach?
• Make sure to identify and collect the easy wins early on. For example by scoring high on anything related to the memorisation of facts as well as the structure and language of your answers.
• Graciously manage knowledge gaps by giving insights into your thought process or asking for clarification.
• Get some perspective on the importance of the exam by creating alternatives so that failing a high-stakes test becomes your ticket to another exciting opportunity.

The best test-taking strategy is not to focus entirely on ourselves — even though the stakes are high and the spotlight is firmly on us. But neither should we try and please whoever will have to evaluate what we produce. The real secret is of course to find the right balance between the two in any given testing situation. It’s the eternal question of the creative and productive mind: How much should you cater to your audience’s wishes?

The more standardised the test, the more closed the questions, the more rigid the evaluation criteria will be. The more personal interpretations and judgement are required from us, the more we can bring in what we’d describe as our authentic selves. In any case, teachers neither want us to please them by parroting their (alleged) views. Nor do they want you to reinvent a task so it doesn’t even fit in any of their categories.

Some people may benefit from seeing the world more through their teachers’ eyes. Others may want to remind themselves of the unique perspectives and insights they’re bringing to the table. If you’re looking to experience learning and teaching from both perspectives, give the Feynman Technique 2.0 a try. Developed by legendary physicist Richard Feynman, it promotes learning through teaching and radical simplification.

Students are a complete and utter mystery. No matter how well we teach them something, they always find a way to get it wrong in tests. What are we supposed to do? Write the exam for them? If we paired our hyperbolic student from the beginning with this hyperbolic teacher, the result would clearly be a disaster for both. The truth is we can’t control how our teachers operate, but we can try to understand them better and adapt accordingly.

Chris Meyer

I'm a writer, analyst & teacher with a background in the military, martial arts & failing at things. I collect and connect ideas while attempting humour. Here are 50 unbelievable facts about me .

• The Tenth Man Rule
• Baloney Detection Kit
• Four Stages of Competence
• Hierarchy of Disagreement
• The 48 Laws of Power
• Top 25 Interesting Ideas
• 5 Habits of the Master Thinker
• The Feynman Technique 2.0
• Zen Stories
• Orwell's Writing Rules

The Smart Guide to the MEE

• MEE Jurisdictions
• Format & Overview of the MEE
• A Step-by-Step Approach on How to Read, Organize, & Draft Your Answer to an MEE Essay Question

15 MEE Tips to Increase Your Essay Score

• How to Study & Prepare for the MEE
• MEE Practice: How to Use Model Essay Answers & Sample Examinee Answers Effectively
• Where to Find Past MEE’s
• MEE Grading & Scoring
• What’s Next?
• Download the PDF

A Guide to Mastering the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE)

• DON’T cite cases or statutes in your answer.   Never cite to specific cases or statute sections in your answer UNLESS they are provided in the essay question. The bar examiners DO NOT require that citations be included, so don’t waste any time doing so.

When the issue can go either way, the bar examiners will normally award full credit for a conclusion that is well-reasoned . For example, on the July 2016 MEE concerning a contract assignability issue, the bar examiners stated: “Some examinees might argue against assignability of the contract because there are inevitable differences between the paint jobs, such as the relative ease of dealing with the homeowners. If well-reasoned, such analysis should receive credit .” (See July 2016 MEE, Essay 5, Point One).

• Your writing should be clear, concise, and to the point!   Writing a complete answer that is clear and concise will make it easy for the grader to read your essay, and in turn get you a higher score. You need to sound like a lawyer, but avoid being verbose. Get right to the point you’re making!

As such, you should follow these guidelines when drafting your answer:

• Only address the issues in the fact pattern that pertain to the question. The key for doing well on an essay is determining the exact issues the examiners want you to discuss. The majority of the time the call of the question – the question prompts at the end – specifically tell you what to discuss.
• Similarly, only state the rule(s) of law that are applicable to the analysis of the issues. For example, you will receive no points for stating an exception to a legal rule that is completely irrelevant to the fact pattern or issues.
• Make NO assumptions .   Never assume facts that aren’t in the fact pattern of the question. Similarly, don’t assume that each essay question only covers a single area of law. It’s possible that some of the questions will contain more than one area of law that you are responsible to know.

For example, on the July 2013 MEE (Essay 6), the rule for piercing the veil of an LLC was tested. This was the first time such rule was tested (for an LLC and not a corporation), and as such, almost no one knew the exact rule. In this instance, you could have used the rule for piercing a corporation (which is very similar). In the above-average examinee answers released by states, this is exactly what many examinees did.

For a 3-hour MEE session, you can use the following intervals as your guide:

To illustrate, whenever a specific issue comes up, you would run through the different concepts in your head and note down which to apply in your IRAC analyses. For example, when an Agency-Authority issue comes up, you would note the following: agency relationship, actual authority, apparent authority, inherent agency power.

The better option is to copy-and-paste the rule again into each part used, so that you make it as essay as possible for the reader to grade your essay. For examinees who handwrite the exam, we understand that this isn’t possible, so you should just refer the grader back to the other part of your essay answer.

The bar examiners have even endorsed both methods. Specifically, the NCBE has stated:

“Some examinees may discuss the elements of enforceability of a possessory security interest in the answer to [issue 1] and refer back to that discussion in their answer to this [issue]. Such examinees should get credit for that analysis as part of their answer to [issue 2]. Examinees may organize their answers either way and receive full credit.” (See, Feb. 2019 MEE Analysis, Essay 2, Point Two, note section).

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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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Here’s How Ivy League Schools Evaluate Student GPAs

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One of the main gates on the Brown University campus, decorated with the University crest. (Photo by ... [+] Rick Friedman/Corbis via Getty Images)

A stellar GPA is one of the building blocks of a successful Ivy League application, and as the school year winds down, many students are anxiously seeking to give theirs a final boost. While most students and families understand the importance of a 4.0, few are aware of how top colleges evaluate student GPAs or what they look for when reviewing student transcripts. Though your GPA may seem to be a simple metric, nothing could be further from the case—colleges consider more than just the number, accounting for complexities such as diverse grading systems across schools, trends in grade inflation, and level of course rigor.

Here are three important facts to keep in mind about your GPA as you choose your courses:

1. Your GPA doesn’t directly compare to that of students at other schools.

One common misconception among college applicants is that they can compare their GPAs with those of students attending different schools. However, the GPA is not a universal metric but rather a reflection of an individual's academic performance within their specific educational environment. As a result, comparing GPAs from different schools is like comparing apples and oranges. For instance, some schools offer a plethora of AP, IB, and honors courses, while others may have limited options or offer none at all. Additionally, the weight assigned to AP versus honors versus regular classes varies from school to school. So, your GPA may not hold the same weight as those of your peers at different schools, even if you all have 4.0s.

Admissions officers understand that schools vary in their rigor, curriculum, and grading policies. Therefore, they evaluate your GPA in the context of your high school, considering the courses offered and the academic challenges presented. Instead of fixating on how your GPA compares to your friends’ from other schools, focus on challenging yourself and taking advantage of all the opportunities available to you at your school.

2. GPAs across the country are inflated—and colleges know it.

The last few years have seen surges in high school student GPAs nationwide. While GPA inflation has been on the rise over the last decade, average ACT composite scores are steadily declining. “For the 1.4 million ACT test-takers in the high school class of 2023, the average composite score on the exam was 19.5 out of 36, the lowest score since 1991,” according to The New York Times . The parallel differences, coupled with academic differences across schools, suggest that GPA must be considered in tandem with multiple other factors. Simply put, an A no longer means what it used to on a transcript.

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Ivy League and other top colleges are well aware of this trend and evaluate student GPAs alongside other metrics such as standardized test scores and AP exam scores in order to better understand a student’s academic skill sets. While some Ivy League and other top schools remain test-optional , they still place emphasis on course rigor and the context offered by your high school profile in order to understand the grades on your transcript.

3. Colleges will recalculate your GPA.

Given the abundance of variables in GPA calculations, colleges often recalculate the metric to create a standardized baseline for comparison between students across different schools. The recalibration may involve adjusting for variations in grading scales or the weighting of honors, International Baccalaureate (IB) or Advanced Placement (AP) courses. The University of California system, for example, calculates students’ UC GPAs by converting grades to grade points (an A is equivalent to 4 points, a B to three points, etc.) for classes taken between summer after 9th and summer after 11th grade, and adding one point for each honors class, and dividing by total classes taken to yield final GPA.*

Other colleges also take additional factors that impact academic performance into consideration, and envelop GPA into a broader, holistic consideration. For instance, the Harvard University lawsuit over affirmative action revealed that Harvard rates students on a scale of 1–6 (with one being the most desirable) in academic, extracurricular, athletic and personal categories. A student’s GPA and test scores are folded together into an academic score which “summarizes the applicant’s academic achievement and potential based on grades, testing results, letters of recommendation, academic prizes, and any submitted academic work.”

This process aims to provide a fair and equitable evaluation of students from different educational backgrounds. Keep in mind that Harvard considers not only your grades, test scores, and academic rigor in this score, but also “evidence of substantial scholarship” and “academic creativity,” which can make the difference between a 1 and a 2 in the scoring system. These systems underscore the importance of taking advantage of every opportunity, showcasing your unique personality and creativity, and seeking to maximize opportunities to improve your performance within the academic landscape of your institution.

By understanding the complex way by which colleges evaluate students’ GPAs, you are better equipped to present a comprehensive and competitive picture of your academic achievements on your transcript and stand out in the competitive Ivy League admissions landscape.

*Variations exist for in-state versus out-of-state students and by high school. Be sure to calculate your GPA following the UC issued guidelines.

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We'll see if Donald Trump has the guts to testify under oath. Stormy Daniels did.

Trump can take the stand and defend himself against stormy daniels' accusations, but he must do so under oath and then face cross examination. he won't..

Donald Trump keeps saying he wants to answer the accusations made by Stormy Daniels.

He could do exactly what Daniels did and testify. Under oath.

He could stand in the courtroom, put his right hand on one of the $60 Bibles he was hawking to MAGA shills and swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Back in April, Trump said that he “absolutely” would testify in his felony case involving $130,000 in hush money payments to Daniels, an adult film star.

Trump walks back his promise to testify

Then, he started hedging. Saying he’d testify “if necessary.” That he would “probably” do so. That he “would like to.”

After the judge overseeing his case issued a gag order to keep Trump from attacking witnesses and jurors, Trump said, “I’m not allowed to testify.”

The judge quickly corrected him, saying the gag order pertains only to “statements that are made outside of court. It does not apply to statements made from the witness stand.”

Trump and RFK: Fox News calls Trump a ‘sex god,’ RFK Jr. has a brain worm and I want off this planet

Under oath.

Trump’s attorneys on Thursday asked the judge to lift his gag order so Trump could respond to Stormy Daniels — without being under oath. The judge said no.

He can speak under oath, like Stormy Daniels did

“It is a really bad feeling to have your Constitutional Right to Free Speech, such a big part of life in our Country, so unfairly taken from you , especially when all of the sleazebags, lowlifes, and grifters that you oppose are allowed to say absolutely anything that they want,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump hus money trial: Stormy Daniels spills details about alleged Trump affair. How will they spin this one?

Except Trump’s rights have not been taken from him. He is a defendant in a criminal trial.

Stormy Daniels testified, under oath, and then was cross-examined. Trump can do the same. Testify, then be cross-examined by the prosecution.

That could be a daunting — and risky — proposition to a man for whom the Washington Post catalogued over 30,000 untruths during his four years as president. A habit other fact checkers say has continued this time around.

Daniels doesn’t believe Trump has the guts to testify. Or, as she put it in a post on X, formerly Twitter:

“Real men respond to testimony by being sworn in and taking the stand in court. Oh … wait. Nevermind.”

Reach Montini at  [email protected] .

How To Prepare For UPSC CAPF 2024 Paper 1 and 2

This article shares advice on getting ready for the UPSC CAPF 2024 Paper 1 and 2. By following these steps, candidates can do well in the exam and get high scores.

Table of Contents

UPSC has released the notification for CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces) for the recruitment of 506 posts as Assistant Commandant in BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP, SSB. There are three stages in this exam. We have described them one by one in the article.  Aspiring candidates should start preparing for the written examination that will be held on 4 August 2024.This examination requires consistent and sincere efforts to score good marks in the written exam to be called for other stages of examination.

There are three stages in this exam:     

The written examination is conducted in two stages on the same day:

• Paper 1 has questions about General Ability and Intelligence, and it’s in multiple-choice format.
• Paper 2 includes General Studies, Essay writing, and Comprehension, and it requires descriptive answers.

UPSC CAPF has a vast syllabus and the level of exam conducted is similar to that of other UPSC exams. This makes it more difficult to crack but with good preparation and strategy it is easy to crack. To help you with your preparation we are providing tips and topics after making a detailed analysis of previous year questions. 

Tips To Prepare For General Ability and intelligence (Paper I)

Paper 1 is conducted in Pen-Paper mode. A Total of 125 questions are asked from 6 subjects as mentioned below:

General Ability and intelligence

This section includes Math and Reasoning. Here’s what you should prioritize while preparing for this section.

• A total of 9-10 questions are asked from this topic.
• Solving PYQ of reasoning is more than enough.
• For math, start by basic Arithmetic Math like Percentage, Piipe and Cistern, Speed time and distance etc . 
• In Advance Math, Mensuration and Geometry questions are of more importance.
• Numerical ability and Data interpretation are the most scoring topics.

General Science

  This section includes questions related to basic Science and Technology. It is one of the most important sections that should not be ignored. Here’s some important topics for General Science 

• Recent updates and advancements in Information Technology, Biotechnology and Environment Science
• Important Chemistry equations and concepts
• Practice numerical based questions in Physics 
• Cover Physics, chemistry, biology from NCERTs for better understanding.

Current Events

Current affairs hold great importance in CAPF, there is wide categories of topics, out of them all we have mentioned some:- 

• Read Newspaper on daily basis, this will help you in both Paper 1 and Paper 2 
• Follow weekly and monthly Current Affairs
• More preference on topics of National Interest, Defence advancements, Space missions, Maritime advancements, International organisations, Organisations for Military and Economic Collaborations.

Indian Polity and Economy

This section is very important as direct questions are asked from here, we should follow the rule of Read, Revise, Repeat in Polity and Economy.

• Start by reading PYQs, to know about the pattern of questions. 
• Revision is the key for Polity.
• Approach of study should be topic wise like Articles, Committees, Amendments, Lok Sabha etc.
• Basic terms and formulas of Economy

History is a vast subject, students often get distracted by the wide range of topics. By focusing on the following you can stay on track in your History preparation. 

• Refer to PYQs to get insight into the pattern.
• History is divided into different time periods for our convenience. 
• Start in chronological order from prehistoric to modern history
• Give special attention to Modern History National movements, Dynasties and Rulers, Indus Valley Civilizations etc
• Note down topics while solving PYQ and read them separately 

India and World Geography

This section covers the Geography of India as well as the World. Proper notes with the help of Maps & Diagrams should be maintained to grasp the topics more easily. Here is the points that you must remember.

• Solving PYQ of CDS and NDA Geography will add great value to your CAPF prep. 
• Use maps to study topics of Mountains, Rivers, Winds, Mountain passes, Grasslands.
• Use topic wise study approach
• Focus separately on Physical geography, Regional geography and World geography.

It is advised to solve daily quizzes for each subject and give at least two mock tests weekly. This will help you to not only keep track of your preparation, you will also know the types of questions that are asked in CAPF.

Tips To Prepare For General studies, Essay and Comprehension (Paper II)

Paper 2 is a descriptive paper which includes Comprehension, Precis writing, developing counter arguments, simple grammar and other aspects of language testing. Writing essays on topics related to Modern Indian history, Freedom Struggles,Geography, Polity and Economy, Security and Human Right Issues and issues of National Importance.

Types of Questions Asked In Paper II

Essay Writing is a way to express your thoughts and ideas on a particular topic. It involves organizing your thoughts into paragraphs, with each paragraph focusing on different points. Essays have an introduction body, paragraphs and a conclusion. You can practice by writing on following topics:

• Unemployment and New Education Policy
• Work from home- A Boon or Bane
• Women in Indian Armed forces
• Price Rise 

Arguments for and against are questions in which you are provided topics and you have to decide if you are writing against the topic or for the topic. In Arguments for, points that support the topic or idea are discussed. In Arguments against , points that are against the topic or oppose it are discussed. Try writing for and against for following topics:

• Modifies crops are necessary for food sufficiency
• Video games sharpen the mind

In Report Writing , you have to communicate information in an organized manner. It involves adding of data, factual information and should be free from biases or personal opinions. We are providing some previously asked topics for report writing:

• Depletion of Water table in major cities
• Green Energy progress in India 
• Increasing presence of Women in Sports

Precis Writing is rewriting of a given passage keeping it short by adding only main points and ideas to understand the main message meaning. Students have to first read the whole passage and have to write a shorter version in their own words.

In Comprehension and Passage , a comprehension with passages are provided and questions are asked that need to be answered in descriptive form. Students who read newspapers on a daily basis can easily do this. 

In rewriting of sentences , grammatically incorrect sentences are provided and you have to find the error and rewrite the correct sentence. Students should have grammatical knowledge to do well in this type of question.

How To Score Good Marks In CAPF Paper II?

• Read newspaper and watch documentaries 
• Practice essay writing on a daily basis. To add more value to your essay  use statistical data, use numbers to show accuracy and add more factual information.
• Stay updated with national developments and government policies.
• Practice comprehension on a daily basis to enhance your reading abilities. 
• Strong hold of english grammar 
• The more you will read , the better you will be able to write well. 

Physical and Medical Test (Second Stage)

Individuals who clear the written exam are called for a Physical test followed by a Medical test. Candidates are advised to devote at least two hours on a daily basis for running practice and other sports activities. 

• Eating a balanced diet
• Take care of nutritional needs
• Indulging in sports 
• Practise running 
• Do yoga and meditation

Interview and Personality Test (Third Stage)

In the Interview and Personality test, the personality of the candidate , leadership qualities and suitability for the role of assistant commandant are checked. It is a test of overall personality and behavior which can’t be developed overnight. You have to add hobbies and habits in your daily routine to develop the qualities they are looking for:

• Read newspaper daily
• Stay updated with the latest national and international news
• Spend time with your family and friends
• Work on your physical ability 
• Know your armed forces well
• Have full knowledge about the organisation you are applying for
• Speak in front of mirror to develop speaking skills
• Spend more time with people of same mindset 

In this article, we have discussed how to start your preparation for the UPSC CAPF exam. Candidates preparing for this exam can make full use of the resources available on our website defenceadda.com and application Adda247. We hope that this article will help you to clear this exam. 

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Perspective

When pto stands for 'pretend time off': doctors struggle to take real breaks.

Mara Gordon

A survey shows that doctors have trouble taking full vacations from their high-stress jobs. Even when they do, they often still do work on their time off. Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images hide caption

A survey shows that doctors have trouble taking full vacations from their high-stress jobs. Even when they do, they often still do work on their time off.

A few weeks ago, I took a vacation with my family. We went hiking in the national parks of southern Utah, and I was blissfully disconnected from work.

I'm a family physician, so taking a break from my job meant not seeing patients. It also meant not responding to patients' messages or checking my work email. For a full week, I was free.

Taking a real break — with no sneaky computer time to bang out a few prescription refill requests — left me feeling reenergized and ready to take care of my patients when I returned.

But apparently, being a doctor who doesn't work on vacation puts me squarely in the minority of U.S. physicians.

Research published in JAMA Network Open this year set out to quantify exactly how doctors use their vacation time — and what the implications might be for a health care workforce plagued by burnout, dissatisfaction and doctors who are thinking about leaving medicine.

"There is a strong business case for supporting taking real vacation," says Dr. Christine Sinsky , the lead author of the paper. "Burnout is incredibly expensive for organizations."

Shots - Health News

Health workers know what good care is. pandemic burnout is getting in the way.

Researchers surveyed 3,024 doctors, part of an American Medical Association cohort designed to represent the American physician workforce. They found that 59.6% of American physicians took 15 days of vacation or less per year. That's a little more than the average American: Most workers who have been at a job for a year or more get between 10 and 14 days of paid vacation time , according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

However, most doctors don't take real vacation. Over 70% of doctors surveyed said they worked on a typical vacation day.

"I have heard physicians refer to PTO as 'pretend time off,'" Sinsky says, referring to the acronym for "paid time off."

Sinsky and co-authors found that physicians who took more than three weeks of vacation a year had lower rates of burnout than those who took less, since vacation time is linked to well-being and job satisfaction .

And all those doctors toiling away on vacation, sitting poolside with their laptops? Sinsky argues it has serious consequences for health care.

Physician burnout is linked to high job turnover and excess health care costs , among other problems.

Still, it can be hard to change the culture of workaholism in medicine. Even the study authors confessed that they, too, worked on vacation.

"I remember when one of our first well-being papers was published," says Dr. Colin West , a co-author of the new study and a health care workforce researcher at the Mayo Clinic. "I responded to the revisions up at the family cabin in northern Minnesota on vacation."

Sinsky agreed. "I do not take all my vacation, which I recognize as a delicious irony of the whole thing," she says.

She's the American Medical Association's vice president of professional satisfaction. If she can't take a real vacation, is there any hope for the rest of us?

I interviewed a half dozen fellow physicians and chatted off the record with many friends and colleagues to get a sense of why it feels so hard to give ourselves a break. Here, I offer a few theories about why doctors are so terrible at taking time off.

We don't want to make more work for our colleagues

The authors of the study in JAMA Network Open didn't explore exactly what type of work doctors did on vacation, but the physicians I spoke to had some ideas.

"If I am not doing anything, I will triage my email a little bit," says Jocelyn Fitzgerald , a urogynecologist at the University of Pittsburgh who was not involved in the study. "I also find that certain high-priority virtual meetings sometimes find their way into my vacations."

Even if doctors aren't scheduled to see patients, there's almost always plenty of work to be done: dealing with emergencies, medication refills, paperwork. For many of us, the electronic medical record (EMR) is an unrelenting taskmaster , delivering a near-constant flow of bureaucratic to-dos.

When I go on vacation, my fellow primary care doctors handle that work for me, and I do the same for them.

But it can sometimes feel like a lot to ask, especially when colleagues are doing that work on top of their normal workload.

"You end up putting people in kind of a sticky situation, asking for favors, and they [feel they] need to pay it back," says Jay-Sheree Allen , a family physician and fellow in preventive medicine at the Mayo Clinic.

She says her practice has a "doctor of the day" who covers all urgent calls and messages, which helps reduce some of the guilt she feels about taking time off.

Still, non-urgent tasks are left for her to complete when she gets back. She says she usually logs in to the EMR when she's on vacation so the tasks don't pile up upon her return. If she doesn't, Allen estimates there will be about eight hours of paperwork awaiting her after a week or so of vacation.

"My strategy, I absolutely do not recommend," Allen says. But "I would prefer that than coming back to the total storm."

We have too little flexibility about when we take vacation

Lawren Wooten , a resident physician in pediatrics at the University of California San Francisco, says she takes 100% of her vacation time. But there are a lot of stipulations about exactly how she uses it.

She has to take it in two-week blocks — "that's a long time at once," she says — and it's hard to change the schedule once her chief residents assign her dates.

"Sometimes I wish I had vacation in the middle of two really emotionally challenging rotations like an ICU rotation and an oncology rotation," she says, referring to the intensive care unit. "We don't really get to control our schedules at this point in our careers."

Once Wooten finishes residency and becomes an attending physician, it's likely she'll have more autonomy over her vacation time — but not necessarily all that much more.

"We generally have to know when our vacations are far in advance because patients schedule with us far in advance," says Fitzgerald, the gynecologist.

Taking vacation means giving up potential pay

Many physicians are paid based on the number of patients they see or procedures they complete. If they take time off work, they make less money.

"Vacation is money off your table," says West, the physician well-being researcher. "People have a hard time stepping off of the treadmill."

A 2022 research brief from the American Medical Association estimated that over 55% of U.S. physicians were paid at least in part based on "productivity," as opposed to earning a flat amount regardless of patient volume. That means the more patients doctors cram into their schedules, the more money they make. Going on vacation could decrease their take-home pay.

But West says it's important to weigh the financial benefits of skipping vacation against the risk of burnout from working too much.

Physician burnout is linked not only to excess health care costs but also to higher rates of medical errors. In one large survey of American surgeons , for example, surgeons experiencing burnout were more likely to report being involved in a major medical error. (It's unclear to what extent the burnout caused the errors or the errors caused the burnout, however.)

Doctors think they're the only one who can do their jobs

When I go on vacation, my colleagues see my patients for me. I work in a small office, so I know the other doctors well and I trust that my patients are in good hands when I'm away.

Doctors have their own diagnosis: 'Moral distress' from an inhumane health system

But ceding that control to colleagues might be difficult for some doctors, especially when it comes to challenging patients or big research projects.

"I think we need to learn to be better at trusting our colleagues," says Adi Shah , an infectious disease doctor at the Mayo Clinic. "You don't have to micromanage every slide on the PowerPoint — it's OK."

West, the well-being researcher, says health care is moving toward a team-based model and away from a culture where an individual doctor is responsible for everything. Still, he adds, it can be hard for some doctors to accept help.

"You can be a neurosurgeon, you're supposed to go on vacation tomorrow and you operate on a patient. And there are complications or risk of complications, and you're the one who has the relationship with that family," West says. "It is really, really hard for us to say ... 'You're in great hands with the rest of my team.'"

What doctors need, says West, is "a little bit less of the God complex."

We don't have any interests other than medicine

Shah, the infectious disease doctor, frequently posts tongue-in-cheek memes on X (formerly known as Twitter) about the culture of medicine. Unplugging during vacation is one of his favorite topics, despite his struggles to follow his own advice.

His recommendation to doctors is to get a hobby, so we can find something better to do than work all the time.

"Stop taking yourself too seriously," he says. Shah argues that medical training is so busy that many physicians neglect to develop any interests other than medicine. When fully trained doctors are finally finished with their education, he says, they're at a loss for what to do with their newfound freedom.

Since completing his training a few years ago, Shah has committed himself to new hobbies, such as salsa dancing. He has plans to go to a kite festival next year.

Shah has also prioritized making the long trip from Minnesota to see his family in India at least twice a year — a journey that requires significant time off work. He has a trip there planned this month.

"This is the first time in 11 years I'm making it to India in summer so that I can have a mango in May," the peak season for the fruit, Shah says.

Wooten, the pediatrician, agrees. She works hard to develop a full life outside her career.

"Throughout our secondary and medical education, I believe we've really been indoctrinated into putting institutions above ourselves," Wooten adds. "It takes work to overcome that."

Mara Gordon is a family physician in Camden, N.J., and a contributor to NPR. She's on X as @MaraGordonMD .

• American Medical Association

Stormy Daniels spars with Trump's lawyer during hush money trial testimony

Adult film star Stormy Daniels returned to the stand in Donald Trump's criminal trial Thursday, pushing back during cross-examination against his defense attorney's attempts to discredit her in sometimes bizarre and uncomfortable exchanges.

After she was done testifying in Manhattan criminal court in New York, Trump's attorney Todd Blanche moved again for a mistrial, saying she'd changed her story and been allowed to testify about matters that were irrelevant to the case. He also asked the judge to waive Trump's gag order to allow him to respond to her testimony publicly. State Judge Juan Merchan denied both requests.

“My concern is not just with protecting Ms. Daniels or a witness who has already testified. My concern is protecting the integrity of the proceedings as a whole,” Merchan said of the gag order request.

Trump blasted the judge's actions on Thursday, calling them "a disgrace" to reporters in the courthouse afterwards. "I'm innocent and I'm being held in this court with a corrupt judge," he said.

Daniels took to social media Thursday night with a not-so-subtle dig at Trump. "Real men respond to testimony by being sworn in and taking the stand in court. Oh...wait. Nevermind," she wrote on X .

It's unclear whether Trump will testify in his own defense.

When Daniels was on the stand, Trump attorney Susan Necheles grilled her about the $130,000 nondisclosure agreement she signed with Trump's then-attorney Michael Cohen near the close of the 2016 election and tried to poke holes in her now-sworn statements about the sexual encounter she says she had with Trump, which he denies.

Necheles asked her about the number of porn films she has written and directed and said, “You have a lot of experience making phony stories about sex.”

“Wow. That’s not how I would put it," Daniels replied. "The sex in the films is very much real, just like what happened to me in that room” with Trump. She added, "If that story was untrue, I would’ve written it to be a lot better.”

Necheles and Daniels sparred over minor inconsistencies in Daniels’ stories, including her having said in a 2011 interview that she and Trump had dinner together while she now maintains they never actually ate.

“I had dinner in the room, but we never got any food, and we never ate anything," Daniels said. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger noted on re-direct examination that the article with the 2011 interview said the piece had been "lightly edited."

Necheles also sought to dispute Daniels' claims that she was scared when she saw Trump waiting for her in bed in a T-shirt and boxers after she got out of the bathroom, implying that a porn actor wouldn't be caught off-guard by someone in underwear.

Necheles asked whether it was the first time in her life someone had made a pass at her. Daniels said it was the first time with somebody "twice my age and bigger than me" who had a bodyguard outside the door.

“You wanted money from President Trump, right?” Necheles asked earlier in their exchange. “No,” Daniels answered. “I never asked for money from President Trump,” she said. “I never asked for money from anyone in particular. I asked for money to tell my story” in 2016, and it was Cohen who approached her attorney with the NDA. She said she thought the agreement was “a perfect solution,” giving her a paper trail and peace of mind without having to tell her story publicly.

Daniels also acknowledged that she was irate when Cohen appeared to be stalling on paying the money but that he eventually paid. Necheles also asked about a statement she signed in 2018 denying she'd had an affair with Trump after The Wall Street Journal wrote about her NDA. Daniels said her lawyer had given her the statement and told her she had to sign it. She said she decided she wanted to tell her story later that year, after Cohen began talking about her publicly.

Asked whether she'd promised people she'd be instrumental in putting Trump in jail, Daniels said, "No." Necheles then asked her about a social media post in which someone had called her a human toilet, and Daniels responded, "Exactly! Making me the best person to flush the orange turd down." Necheles asked whether that meant she'd be instrumental in getting rid of him. Daniels said it was "hyperbole."

"I'm also not a toilet," she said.

Daniels spoke more slowly and seemed more confident Thursday than on her first day on the stand, but her voice shook some when Necheles asked her about various mean tweets she has been the target of, including ones referring to her as an "aging harlot" and a “disgusting degenerate prostitute.” “When somebody attacks me I’m going to defend myself,” she said, sounding like she was on the verge of tears.

After Daniels was done testifying, her lawyer Clark Brewster told NBC News she was "shaken" by the ordeal and "relieved" to be done.

“She was cross-examined over communications over years, and having your memory challenged like that and having to respond to questions immediately with recall is not easy, and it was quite an accomplishment,” Brewster said, adding, “She did a remarkable job of getting her testimony across.”

During the discussion about the defense’s renewed request for a mistrial, Merchan said he was surprised Trump's lawyers didn’t object to certain parts of Daniels’ testimony.

He cited one part where Daniels said Trump told her: “I thought we were getting somewhere, we were talking, and I thought you were serious about what you wanted. If you ever want to get out of that trailer park.”

“I was offended because I never lived in a trailer park,” Daniels said.

The judge said he struck that part of her testimony.

Trump sat with his eyes closed for parts of Daniels' testimony. He was accompanied to court by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., who left in the late morning. On his way out of court, Scott took some jabs at three people whom Trump is prevented from criticizing by the gag order in the case — Judge Juan Merchan's daughter, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's wife and prosecutor Matthew Colangelo.

Scott didn’t name any of the three, but it was clear from his remarks — including saying "the judge's daughter is a political operative" — to whom he was referring. It's unclear whether prosecutors will try to argue the comments violated the gag order. The ruling bars Trump from making "or directing others to make" comments about individual prosecutors or relatives of people involved with the case, in addition to remarks about witnesses and jurors.

Madeleine Westerhout, Trump’s former White House executive assistant, testified later in the day that she had seen Trump sign checks in the Oval Office and that he had been “very upset” by Daniels’ claims.

Westerhout said she got to know Trump while she was working at the Republican National Committee in 2016. She said there was concern at the RNC in October 2016 after the release of the so-called "Access Hollywood" tape, a 2005 recording of Trump saying he can grope women without their consent.

Asked whether there were conversations at the RNC about potentially replacing Trump as the Republican nominee at that time, Westerhout said there were.

Trump remained the nominee and won the election, and she said she helped the president-elect schedule meetings at Trump Tower, which is what led to her White House job.

Her duties included acting as an intermediary between Trump and his company the Trump Organization, coordinating with Rhona Graff, Trump's assistant there, on issues that needed his or the company's attention, like his travel schedule, mail or phone calls.

She said she asked Graff for a list of Trump's contacts, which Graff forwarded to her. The list included information for Cohen and David Pecker , the former National Enquirer publisher who testified he worked with Trump and Cohen to suppress scandalous stories about Trump, including Daniels' claim.

Westerhout said Trump was "very upset" when the Daniels story became public. She broke down in tears as she recalled losing her job in August 2019, after she shared personal information about Trump's family at a dinner with reporters that she believed to be confidential. She called the incident a mistake and said, "I've learned a lot from my experience." She also defended her former boss, saying she believed he has been treated unfairly. She will continue her testimony Friday.

After Daniels was done testifying, Blanche told the judge that she'd changed her story by saying she felt there was a power imbalance between them and that she blacked out and was light-headed when they began having sex. He also said there was no reason for prosecutors to have asked her about supposedly spanking him with a magazine before the encounter or for Daniels to have testified that Trump did not use a condom.

"That has nothing to do with the false business record, but it’s so prejudicial. It’s a dog whistle for rape,” Blanche said.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass told Merchan: “Those messy details, that is motive. That is Mr. Trump’s motive” for buying her silence. He also suggested that Trump could rebut the story under oath. “If they want to offer testimony that the sex never happened, that’s their prerogative,” he said.

He also said there were some "very salacious details that were intentionally omitted because we did not have the desire to embarrass the defendant.”

Merchan said he agreed with Blanche that there shouldn’t have been questions or answers about the condom, but noted that there was no objection from attorneys to that line of questioning at the time. The judge also pointed out that Blanche had said in his opening statement that Trump didn’t have sexual relations with Daniels.

“Your denial puts the jury in a position of having to choose who they believe. Donald Trump, who denies that there was an encounter, or Stormy Daniels, who claims that there was,” Merchan said.

In addition to the sexual encounter, which Daniels said happened after she met Trump at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, she told jurors that Trump made a sexual advance in 2007, which she rejected. Four years later, she said, a mysterious man warned her to “ leave Trump alone ” after she gave an interview to a magazine about their first encounter. Daniels said the article never ran thanks to Trump's then-“fixer” and lawyer Cohen.

Cohen later paid Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about her claim. Trump's reimbursement of that money to Cohen is at the heart of the criminal case against Trump, who is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records related to the repayment. He has pleaded not guilty.

Daniels was followed on the stand by Rebecca Manochio, a Trump Organization employee who was an assistant to the company's former chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg. She said that after Trump went to the White House, she would FedEx checks for him to sign and then get them to the proper person at the company when they were returned. Her testimony was used to enter records relating to Trump's checks to Cohen.

After Manochio, prosecutors called Tracy Menzies, an executive at HarperCollins Publishers. She was brought in to read into the record from a book Trump co-authored for the company called "Think Big: Make It Happen in Business and Life." One of the 2007 book's chapters was titled "Do Not Trust Anyone."

"I just can't stomach disloyalty," the book reads, mentioning a woman who had been disloyal. "I go out of my way to make her life miserable,” the book says. “My motto is 'Always get even. When somebody screws you, screw them back in spades.'”

The DA's office is nearing its final set of witnesses. Steinglass estimated this week that prosecutors would be done presenting their case by May 21.

One person who won’t be testifying is Karen McDougal, the former Playboy model who claims she had a monthslong affair with Trump that began in 2006 and was paid $150,000 to keep quiet in 2016 by the National Enquirer. Trump has denied her claim. Blanche told Merchan that prosecutors informed him she wouldn’t be taking the stand.

Adam Reiss is a reporter and producer for NBC and MSNBC.

Jillian Frankel is a 2024 NBC News campaign embed.

Gary Grumbach produces and reports for NBC News, based in Washington, D.C.

Dareh Gregorian is a politics reporter for NBC News.