Essay Test Panic: Strategies for Success
by Barbara Baird
You’re seated in your desk. You’ve jumped through all the hoops to register for classes, paid your fees (or at least, taken out a student loan), and read all the assignments. Now there is another hurdle: it’s time for the much-dreaded essay exam.
Panic sets in. The sweat runs, the heart beat accelerates, and the breathing gets shallower and faster. The first essay question reads, “Frederic the Great or Frederic I: Who was the Greater?” You studied for this exam for hours, and you can see in your mind’s eye the notes you wrote. But although the words are in your head, you cannot transfer them to your paper. When you try to put something down, you end up writing lots of stuff trying to fill up space and you use big adult-sized words to impress the professor. The problem? You’re suffering from an essay test panic attack.
What can you do to prevent this attack? How can you really show what you know in the essay? How can you structure your answer so that you can prove that it answers the question, especially if you need to defend it later for a better grade?
As a non-traditional college student who worked for two years as a writing tutor at a university writing center, I have some tried and true tips to pass along to student writers who may be subject to these essay test panic attacks. If you have read the assignments and studied for the test, those attacks probably stem from not remembering how, or learning how, to structure an essay when the time comes for the pen to hit the paper.
If you have taken a college freshman composition course, you will notice right away that the tips I recommend parallel the process of structuring a basic five-paragraph composition. You will employ the Introduction, Body, Conclusion method of writing to your essay exam answers.
Essay Writing Tips
Read the question at least twice. Do you understand what the professor wants you to answer? He is your only reader, so you need to figure out what he needs to see. A professor of mine advised, “Give the professor what he needs, but make him want to read your essay.”
Think about what your angle (main point) is going to be and strategize about how you will support this point for the first few minutes. On the side margin or on the back of your writing paper, write down the thesis. This is the main point of the essay – the pivot point. Then, write down at least three supporting points. If you want, you can always write down other information that you want to include in your essay. Work fast though. After you’ve done that, you’re ready to start writing.
If you cannot think of an introduction to your essay, leave the first third of the page blank, and come back to it. After all, you know what your main point is anyway. If you know how to start, then go ahead. Remember the basic rule in composition for the introduction, begin with a general idea and narrow it as you move toward the essay thesis. The thesis should, as in most general five-paragraph compositions, be the last sentence of the first paragraph.
Write for space in your essay, too. Try to make your supporting paragraphs one-quarter to at least one-third of the exam page.
Now take your first supporting point, and develop it. Use quotes, if you can remember them, and cite your sources. Tell your professor who supports the main point, and why.
For your second paragraph of the body, pick up another supporting point. Flesh it out with facts, reasons, opinions of experts in the field. Do the same for the third paragraph.
When you get ready to conclude your essay, restate your thesis first in your conclusion. Then, after you’ve restated the main point of your essay, work your way out. I like the example of writing a conclusion to that of leaving a party. Tell the hostess/host that you are going and thank her/him for having you. In other words, do not write anything new or shocking in your conclusion. Let your reader know that you are concluding the paper. If you need to, look over the essay and write your first paragraph.
Always watch the time. Allow yourself at least five minutes for each part of the essay, and five minutes to plan the essay.
Give yourself a few seconds, in the middle part, to stretch your fingers and breathe deeply. Take a deep breath, and go at it again.
Tell your professor what you know, and maybe, put your own spin on it. I remember one time in Western Civilization, I wrote that the gladiators were “mean, lean fighting machines.” My professor drew a smiley face by that, and I heard that he appreciated the humor in the essay.
Some Brownie Point Ideas:
- Quote your professor from his lectures.
- Do the extra reading and make sure you show your professor that you did it by writing about it.
- Throw in some comparison and contrast techniques–it notches the level up a bit.
These tips will only work if you have put in the time and trouble to study before the test. If you are keeping up with the reading assignments, attending class, and understanding the material, there is really no reason why you shouldn’t be capable of structuring a well-written, superbly organized essay. Good luck!
Barbara Baird is a freelance writer who recently graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in English, Summa Cum Laude.
She lives in the Midwest with her husband, kids, and dogs, and writes for several regional magazines. She is also a columnist for a local weekly newspaper.
