essay exam directions sample

Direction Words In Essay Test Items

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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.

The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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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Learning skills resources

Exam Strategies: Short Answer & Essay Exams

Essay exams involve a significant written component in which you are asked to discuss and expand on a topic. These could include written responses in the form of a formal essay or a detailed short-answer response.

Short answer vs essay questions

Preparing for an essay exam

Answering essay questions.

Check out our visual resources for " Test Taking Strategies: Short Answer & Essay Questions " below!

What is the difference between a short answer and an essay question?

Both short-answer and essay questions ask you to demonstrate your knowledge of course material by relating your answer to concepts covered in the course.
Essay questions require a thesis (argument) and supporting evidence (from course material - lectures, readings, discussions, and assignments) outlined in several paragraphs, including an introduction, body, and conclusion.
Short-answer questions are more concise than essay answers - think of it as a “mini-essay” - and use a sentence or two to introduce your topic; select a few points to discuss; add a concluding sentence that sums up your response.
Review your course material - look for themes within the topics covered, use these to prepare sample questions if your instructor has not given direction on what to expect from essay questions.
Create outlines to answer your practice questions. Choose a definite argument or thesis statement and organize supporting evidence logically in body paragraphs. Try a mnemonic (like a rhyme or acronym) to help remember your outline.
Practice! Using your outline, try using a timer to write a full response to your practice or sample questions within the exam time limit.
Review the question carefully. Think about what it is asking - what are you expected to include? What material or examples are relevant?
Underline keywords in the question to identify the main topic and discussion areas.
Plan your time. Keep an eye on the time allowed and how many essay questions you are required to answer. Consider the mark distribution to determine how much time to spend on each question or section.
Make a plan. Take a few minutes to brainstorm and plan your response - jot down a brief outline to order your points and arguments before you start to write.
Include a thesis statement in your introduction so that your argument is clear, even if you run out of time, and help structure your answer.
Write a conclusion , even if brief - use this to bring your ideas together to answer the question and suggest the broader implications.
Clearly and concisely answer the question :
In your introduction, show that you understand the question and outline how you will answer it.
Make one point or argument per paragraph and include one or two pieces of evidence or examples for each point.
In your conclusion, summarize the arguments to answer the question.

"Test Taking Strategies: Short Answer & Essay Questions"

Does your next test have short answer or essay questions? Let's look at how to prepare for these type of questions, how to answer these types of questions, and strategies to keep in mind during the exam. Fight exam writer's block and achieve your best marks yet!

"Test Taking Strategies: Short Answer & Essay Questions" PDF
"Test Taking Strategies: Short Answer & Essay Questions" Video

Looking for more strategies and tips? Check out MUN's Academic Success Centre online!

Carnegie Mellon University. (n.d.). Successful exam strategies. Carnegie Mellon University: Student Academic Success. Retrieved April 1, 2022 from https://www.cmu.edu/student-success/other-resources/fast-facts/exam-strategies.pdf

Memorial University of Newfoundland. (n.d.). Exam strategies: Short answer & essay exams. Memorial University of Newfoundland: Academic Success Centre. Retrieved April 1, 2022 from https://www.mun.ca/munup/vssc/learning/exam-strategies-essays.php

Trent University. (n.d.). How to understand and answer free response or essay exam questions. Trent University: Academic Skills. Retrieved April 1, 2022 from https://www.trentu.ca/academicskills/how-guides/how-study/prepare-and-write-exams/how-understand-and-answer-free-response-or-essay-exam

University of Queensland Australia. (n.d.). Exam tips. University of Queensland Australia: Student support, study skills. Retrieved April 1, 2022 from https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/student-support/study-skills/exam-tips

University of Waterloo. (n.d.). Exam questions: Types, characteristics, and suggestions. University of Waterloo: Centre for Teaching Excellence. Retrieved April 1, 2022 from https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/developing-assignments/exams/questions-types-characteristics-suggestions

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Midterm and Final Exam Examples

Exams are a great way to reinforce and evaluate students' understanding of the course content and main ideas. There are several different ways to approach exams including an in-class essay, short essays, multiple choice, short answer, fill in the blank, matching, quote/passage identification, character identification, etc. with plenty of flexibility for what an instructor deems important. Most instructors that choose to assign exams give both a midterm and final, though some just choose a comprehensive final. Of those who do give both, the midterm and final exam often look similar in style and content so students can expect consistency in the testing methods. Many instructors choose to test the first half of the course's information in the middle of the semester through a midterm and the rest of the semester at the final. In other words, the course's information is not cumulative and lets students focus on the most current concepts so they do not need to remember trivial details such as minor characters from the first text at the end of the semester.

Midterm Exams: Midterm exams often come at the midpoint in the semester. As stated previously in the overview, instructors sometimes divide the class into two sections so that the course's information is not cumulative. This strategy emphasizes making the overall picture or most recent concepts most important instead of testing on characters or plot lines from the first text of the semester.

Midterm Exam Examples:

Midterm Exam Example
Midterm Exam Study Guide Example

Final Exams: Final exams are similar to midterms except given at the end of the semester. Keep in mind that according to university policy,

"Final examination week is part of the regular semester. Student attendance shall be consistent with University policy. The final in-class examination period is intended for the end-of-semester examination. No in-class examination constituting more than 10% of the final course grade may be given in undergraduate courses during the week preceding the final examination period of the semester; laboratory, performance and other alternative classes (e.g., courses in the individualized mathematics program) excluded."

This does not indicate that instructors must give a final, only that they must use the time. If you do decide to give a final, here are a few sample finals to give you ideas for your own. Many of them follow the same format and structure of the midterm exams.

Final Exam Examples:

Final Exam Example
Final Exam Study Guide Example
Final Exam Example with Study Guide

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Research-Based Teaching Tips

Short Answer & Essay Tests

Strategies, Ideas, and Recommendations from the faculty Development Literature

General Strategies

Save essay questions for testing higher levels of thought (application, synthesis, and evaluation), not recall facts. Appropriate tasks for essays include: Comparing: Identify the similarities and differences between Relating cause and effect: What are the major causes of...? What would be the most likely effects of...? Justifying: Explain why you agree or disagree with the following statement. Generalizing: State a set of principles that can explain the following events. Inferring: How would character X react to the following? Creating: what would happen if...? Applying: Describe a situation that illustrates the principle of. Analyzing: Find and correct the reasoning errors in the following passage. Evaluating: Assess the strengths and weaknesses of.

There are three drawbacks to giving students a choice. First, some students will waste time trying to decide which questions to answer. Second, you will not know whether all students are equally knowledgeable about all the topics covered on the test. Third, since some questions are likely to be harder than others, the test could be unfair.

Tests that ask only one question are less valid and reliable than those with a wider sampling of test items. In a fifty-minute class period, you may be able to pose three essay questions or ten short answer questions.

To reduce students' anxiety and help them see that you want them to do their best, give them pointers on how to take an essay exam. For example:

Survey the entire test quickly, noting the directions and estimating the importance and difficulty of each question. If ideas or answers come to mind, jot them down quickly.
Outline each answer before you begin to write. Jot down notes on important points, arrange them in a pattern, and add specific details under each point.

Writing Effective Test Questions

Avoid vague questions that could lead students to different interpretations. If you use the word "how" or "why" in an essay question, students will be better able to develop a clear thesis. As examples of essay and short-answer questions: Poor: What are three types of market organization? In what ways are they different from one another? Better: Define oligopoly. How does oligopoly differ from both perfect competition and monopoly in terms of number of firms, control over price, conditions of entry, cost structure, and long-term profitability? Poor: Name the principles that determined postwar American foreign policy. Better: Describe three principles on which American foreign policy was based between 1945 and 1960; illustrate each of the principles with two actions of the executive branch of government.

If you want students to consider certain aspects or issues in developing their answers, set them out in separate paragraph. Leave the questions on a line by itself.

Use your version to help you revise the question, as needed, and to estimate how much time students will need to complete the question. If you can answer the question in ten minutes, students will probably need twenty to thirty minutes. Use these estimates in determining the number of questions to ask on the exam. Give students advice on how much time to spend on each question.

Decide which specific facts or ideas a student must mention to earn full credit and how you will award partial credit. Below is an example of a holistic scoring rubric used to evaluate essays:

Full credit-six points: The essay clearly states a position, provides support for the position, and raises a counterargument or objection and refutes it.
Five points: The essay states a position, supports it, and raises a counterargument or objection and refutes it. The essay contains one or more of the following ragged edges: evidence is not uniformly persuasive, counterargument is not a serious threat to the position, some ideas seem out of place.
Four points: The essay states a position and raises a counterargument, but neither is well developed. The objection or counterargument may lean toward the trivial. The essay also seems disorganized.
Three points: The essay states a position, provides evidence supporting the position, and is well organized. However, the essay does not address possible objections or counterarguments. Thus, even though the essay may be better organized than the essay given four points, it should not receive more than three points.
Two points: The essay states a position and provides some support but does not do it very well. Evidence is scanty, trivial, or general. The essay achieves it length largely through repetition of ideas and inclusion of irrelevant information.
One point: The essay does not state the student's position on the issue. Instead, it restates the position presented in the question and summarizes evidence discussed in class or in the reading.

Try not to bias your grading by carrying over your perceptions about individual students. Some faculty ask students to put a number or pseudonym on the exam and to place that number / pseudonym on an index card that is turned in with the test, or have students write their names on the last page of the blue book or on the back of the test.

Before you begin grading, you will want an overview of the general level of performance and the range of students' responses.

Identify exams that are excellent, good, adequate, and poor. Use these papers to refresh your memory of the standards by which you are grading and to ensure fairness over the period of time you spend grading.

Shuffle papers before scoring the next question to distribute your fatigue factor randomly. By randomly shuffling papers you also avoid ordering effects.

Don't let handwriting, use of pen or pencil, format (for example, many lists), or other such factors influence your judgment about the intellectual quality of the response.

Write brief notes on strengths and weaknesses to indicate what students have done well and where they need to improve. The process of writing comments also keeps your attention focused on the response. And your comments will refresh your memory if a student wants to talk to you about the exam.

Focus on the organization and flow of the response, not on whether you agree or disagree with the students' ideas. Experiences faculty note, however, that students tend not to read their returned final exams, so you probably do not need to comment extensively on those.

Most faculty tire after reading ten or so responses. Take short breaks to keep up your concentration. Also, try to set limits on how long to spend on each paper so that you maintain you energy level and do not get overwhelmed. However, research suggests that you read all responses to a single question in one sitting to avoid extraneous factors influencing your grading (for example, time of day, temperature, and so on).

Wait two days or so and review a random set of exams without looking at the grades you assigned. Rereading helps you increase your reliability as a grader. If your two score differ, take the average.

This protects students' privacy when you return or they pick up their tests. Returning Essay Exams

A quick turnaround reinforces learning and capitalizes on students' interest in the results. Try to return tests within a week or so.

Give students a copy of the scoring guide or grading criteria you used. Let students know what a good answer included and the most common errors the class made. If you wish, read an example of a good answer and contrast it with a poor answer you created. Give students information on the distribution of scores so they know where they stand.

Some faculty break the class into small groups to discuss answers to the test. Unresolved questions are brought up to the class as a whole.

Ask students to tell you what was particularly difficult or unexpected. Find out how they prepared for the exam and what they wish they had done differently. Pass along to next year's class tips on the specific skills and strategies this class found effective.

Include a copy of the test with your annotations on ways to improve it, the mistakes students made in responding to various question, the distribution of students' performance, and comments that students made about the exam. If possible, keep copies of good and poor exams.

The Strategies, Ideas and Recommendations Here Come Primarily From:

Gross Davis, B. Tools for Teaching. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass, 1993.

McKeachie, W. J. Teaching Tips. (10th ed.) Lexington, Mass.: Heath, 2002.

Walvoord, B. E. and Johnson Anderson, V. Effective Grading. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass, 1998.

And These Additional Sources... Brooks, P. Working in Subject A Courses. Berkeley: Subject A Program, University of California, 1990.

Cashin, W. E. "Improving Essay Tests." Idea Paper, no. 17. Manhattan: Center for Faculty

Evaluation and Development in Higher Education, Kansas State University, 1987.

Erickson, B. L., and Strommer, D. W. Teaching College Freshmen. San Francisco:

Jossey-Bass, 1991.

Fuhrmann, B. S. and Grasha, A. F. A Practical Handbook for College Teachers. Boston:

Little, Brown, 1983.

Jacobs, L. C. and Chase, C. I. Developing and Using Tests Effectively: A Guide for Faculty.

San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1992.

Jedrey, C. M. "Grading and Evaluation." In M. M. gullette (ed.), The Art and Craft of Teaching.

Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1984.

Lowman, J. Mastering the Techniques of Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1984.

Ory, J. C. Improving Your Test Questions. Urbana:

Office of Instructional Res., University of Illinois, 1985.

Tollefson, S. K. Encouraging Student Writing. Berkeley:

Office of Educational Development, University of California, 1988.

Unruh, D. Test Scoring manual: Guide for Developing and Scoring Course Examinations.

Los Angeles: Office of Instructional Development, University of California, 1988.

Walvoord, B. E. Helping Students Write Well: A Guide for Teachers in All Disciplines.

(2nded.) New York: Modern Language Association, 1986.

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3.5 WRITE: Instructions for Essay 01

Write 2 to 3 pages double-spaced. The exact number of pages, paragraphs, or words is not important. The important thing is that your ideas are clear, complete, and compelling.
Give your essay a title. Capitalize the first letter of each major word (do not capitalize conjunctions, prepositions, or articles unless they are the first word of the title). Use the CENTER button on the Google Docs or Word toolbar to center the title automatically and accurately.
Use as many body paragraphs as necessary. Each body paragraph needs a clear topic sentence and supporting ideas. Use a variety of sentence types. Use your computer’s TAB key to indent the first line of each paragraph.
Include an introduction with a thesis statement that contains a clear topic and claim followed by a preview of the main points.
Support your ideas with specific details, descriptions, examples, and information from at least one outside source. We will learn formal citations for the second essay. Until then, use a simple attribution such as this: According to Title of Work by Author Name (YEAR), [paraphrase] or “quoted material.”

Example: According to Excellent English by Timothy Krause (2019), the evidence is clear. “Students who can write well will receive higher pay,” says Krause.

The conclusion should restate the thesis (topic + claim) in light of the information you provided in the body.
For academic writing, use a formal tone. Write in third person, not first or second person (don’t use I, we , or you ).
Use academic vocabulary. Use transition signals ( first, next, also, however , etc.) to guide the reader.
Remember to edit, proofread, and revise carefully, paying close attention to grammar and mechanics. Review the grading rubrics below and double check your essay for comma splices, subject-verb agreement, word forms, punctuation and spelling.
Do your own work; do not plagiarize.

All out-of-class writing assignments must be typed. Use a regular font (not too big or little or crazy — for example: Times Roman 12). Assignments must be double-spaced (skip a line). Use approximately one-inch margins on all sides. Include your name and date in the upper left-hand corner. Put the page number in the upper right-hand corner with your last name like this: Krause 1 [but you should use your own last name].

Each draft is worth 10 points, however each draft is graded differently. The grading rubric for the first draft awards more points for content and organization, while the grading rubric for the second draft awards more points for grammar and mechanics.

Grading Rubric for Draft Essay – See Appendix B
Grading Rubric for Revised Essay – See Appendix C

MODEL ESSAY

Look in Appendix B for an example of a finished essay.

ANALYZE THE ASSIGNMENT

What is the purpose of this essay?
Who is your primary audience for this essay?
What type of essay will this be? What will you say or show?
What voice or point of view should you use in this essay?
What evidence should you use to support your ideas?
How long should this essay be?
When is the draft version of this essay due?
How will you submit the first draft of your essay?
When is the revised version of this essay due?
How will you submit the revised version of your essay?

Writers Workshop

In-Class Essay Exams

In-class essay exams give students the opportunity to showcase their writing skills and content knowledge within a set amount of time. Students are expected to use their critical thinking skills to analyze texts, develop arguments, and synthesize information. Instructors who use in-class essay exams are testing for students’ ability to apply knowledge.

Before the Exam

Attend lecture and take notes , especially if review sessions are offered. Instructors will often cover relevant material during these sessions, and the essay topics may even be posted at that optional lecture.
Gather information about the format. Information about the type or genre of the essay, such as persuasive or compare-and-contrast, is important to know. Most instructors allocate at least 30 minutes for in-class essays, but students should ask how much time they have for that part of the exam if it is not clear.
Identify course themes and brainstorm sample prompts. Taking a step back from the class material can help you identify common, encompassing themes. Brainstorming sample prompts based on those larger themes can help you come up with examples that could be useful for the actual in-class essay.
Return to prior feedback. On top of identifying all-encompassing ideas within the course, you should also consider any feedback you’ve received from the instructor about previous writing assignments. Sometimes you can determine what instructors are looking for within in-class essays by analyzing what has been commented on.
Get some sleep! Studying is important, but so is sleep. It becomes difficult to write well when you’re fatigued.

During the Exam

How much do I know about each prompt?
Do I have enough examples/sources/points for my chosen prompt?
Can I think of any counterarguments against this possible thesis?

Plan your strategy . Ensure that you allocate time to brainstorm ideas, make an outline, write your essay, and proofread—and if you have multiple essays, be sure to use this process for each one. Wearing a watch will help you keep time in order to avoid rushing, especially if it is difficult to see the clock in the classroom. For example, consider a 50-minute class that asks a student to answer 1 question:

Reading and evaluating the prompt(s) – 3.5 minutes
Brainstorming ideas – 3.5 minutes
Making a rough outline – 8 minutes
Writing – 30 minutes
Proofreading – 5 minutes

In-class essays do not differ much from normal essays. The largest difference is the time constraint. The same rules apply to both of these essay types:

Include a clear thesis statement
Logically organize ideas (avoid a “think-as-you-go” structure)
Present evidence that supports the thesis statement
Use key words from the prompt and course texts / concepts
Include and argue against counterarguments if it is an argumentative essay
Be as clear and concise as possible

In-class essays do not have to be daunting. By preparing ahead of time and taking your organization skills into the exam, you can confidently approach these essays and showcase your writing skills.

Essay Tests

Take-Home and Open-Book Tests
Plan Ahead: Studying for Finals

TIP Sheet HOW TO TAKE ESSAY TESTS

There are basically two types of exams:

Objective - requires answers of a word or short phrase, or the selection of an answer from several available choices that are provided on the test . Essay - requires answers to be written out at some length. The student functions as the source of information.

An essay exam requires you to see the significance and meaning of what you know. It tests your knowledge and understanding of the subject and your skill in reading and writing. To be successful on an essay exam, you must:

Prove immediately that you know the material.
Make your meaning unmistakably clear.
Employ a reasonable organization and show sufficient thought development.
Make every word count.
Be specific.
Use your own voice and style.

When you are writing an essay as part of an exam, all this must be done within what amounts to a first draft written in a very limited amount of time. As with all writing, if you think of your essay as being produced in three stages, you can tackle the test in an organized fashion. The three stages are pre-writing, writing, and revision. Suggestions for each of these stages follow.

The last section addresses preparation for essay exams. PRE-WRITING

Your first impulse in a writing exam is probably to read the question and start writing immediately, especially when you see those seconds ticking away on the clock. RESIST THAT IMPULSE! You can't successfully address the subject until you know precisely what you're required to do, you understand and have thought about the subject, and you are organized in how you approach the specific points you wish to make in your answer. 1. Understanding what to do:

When you get your copy of the exam, read through to make sure you understand what is expected of you. FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY!
Underline or circle key words that direct the approach your answer should take. Some of the most common key words are:

Agree/Disagree : State your position and support it with facts Comment or Evaluate: State your position and support it with facts, discussing the issue and its merits. Analyze : Break down into all the parts or divisions looking at the relationships between them. Compare/Contrast : Show differences and similarities. Describe/Discuss : Examine in detail. Explain : Tell why something is as it is. Illustrate : Give examples and relate them to the statement in question. Prove/Defend : Demonstrate why something is true. Interpret : Explain the significance or meaning of something. List/State : Make a list of points or facts. Summarize : Hit the high points.

2. Understanding the subject

When you are confident that you understand the instructions, direct your attention to the topic.
Collect your ideas.
Formulate a thesis. Make sure it is a strong, concise statement that specifically addresses the question.
Think of as many specific details and facts as you can that support the thesis.

3. Getting organized

Jot your ideas down on paper, in very brief format.
Evaluate your ideas in light of the question. Ask yourself repeatedly: "Does this apply to the question I'm supposed to answer?" Select only those ideas most relevant to your purpose.
Number your ideas in order of appropriate sequence (first step to last step, most important to least important, etc.)

1. Remember your thesis. Now stick to it, referring back to it periodically throughout your essay. This gives your essay unity and coherence, and helps insure that you are not digressing. 2. Write in an orderly fashion. If you suddenly think of a new point, jot it down in a margin or on scratch paper until you find an appropriate place for it. Don't just put it into the middle of what you were writing. 3. Avoid:

Repeating, in other words, what you have already said.
Digressing into material that does not answer the question.
Language that is too broad or general. Be specific.
Bluffing. This far too common practice of using elegant but empty language to conceal ignorance or lack of effort rarely works, and often irritates the reader(s).
Write as legibly as you can. If you want, write on every other line so you have room to add later. When you want to cross something off, simply draw a straight line through it. This is much better than scribbling out an entire passage.
If you run out of time, simply write "Ran out of time" at the close of the essay. This is much better than adding a hurriedly tacked on, and possibly incoherent, conclusion.

Essay examinations are difficult because of the time pressures, yet you should always try to leave a few minutes at the end to proofread your essay. 1. Ask yourself, before you hand in the essay:

Did I provide the information requested? That is, did I "explain" or "define" as the directions asked?
Is the answer simply, clearly, and logically organized?
Do I stick to my thesis statement? Is there unnecessary information in here?
Did I proofread to check content and/or mechanical errors?

2. Proofreading:

Gives you a chance to catch and correct errors in content.
Gives you a chance to correct your mechanical errors.
Allows you to add material that may have occurred to you after writing the essay.

3. You should proofread for:

Complete sentences (watch for fragments, comma-splices, and run-ons).
Words omitted, or one word used when you meant another.
Logical transitions between sentences and paragraphs.
Unnecessary repetition of words or ideas.
Spelling errors.

3. Essay type tests depend a great deal on your basic writing skills - organization, punctuation, grammar, and spelling. If your answer is not clearly written, your instructor won't be able to find it! Here are some basic guidelines to keep in mind as you take an essay test:

Read the directions carefully! Read every part of the directions!
Give yourself time to answer each question. Quickly look over the entire exam and budget your time per question accordingly.
Above all, stay calm. You are being asked to show competence, not perfection.
If you are not too sure about one question, leave it and go back.
When given a choice, answer the questions you know best.
State your points and support ideas clearly - don't make the instructor have to look for them.
Go back to check and proofread all of your answers.

PREPARING FOR ESSAY EXAMS

WRITING A SUCCESSFUL ESSAY EXAM BEGINS ON DAY ONE 1. Study regularly as you go along.

Take careful lecture notes.
Read all material when assigned.
Become familiar with vocabulary.
Keep a study list of all main ideas.

2. Final preparation

Review lecture notes and reading material.
Find a classmate or friend willing to talk over key ideas and implications.
Try to anticipate questions . This is very important! Use your lecture notes to zero in on points that the instructor emphasized.
Think through the material and write up the best possible essay questions you can.
Then answer those questions.
Pinpoint key points that you would like to make when answering each question.
Put your answer into outline form or write it out completely.
For each potential test question, use mnemonics or other memory techniques to move the information to your long-term memory for the exam.
Create a list of the clue words for each point you wish to make.
Create a mnemonic device to memorize those points.

3. Come to the exam confident that you have something specific to say on all possible topics. KEY WORDS COMMONLY FOUND ON ESSAY EXAMS

Compare: Look for qualities or characteristics that resemble each other. Emphasize similarities among them, but in some cases also mention differences.

Contrast: Stress the dissimilarities, differences, or unlikenesses of things, qualities, events, or problems.

Criticize: Express your judgement about the merit or truth of the factors or views mentioned. Give the results of your analysis of these factors, discussing their limitations and good points.

Define: Give concise, clear, and authoritative meanings. Don't give details, but make sure to give the limits of the definitions. Show how the thing you are defining differs from things in other classes.

Describe: Recount, characterize, sketch, or relate in sequence or story form.

Diagram: Give a drawing, chart, plan, or graphic answer. Usually you should label a diagram. In some cases, add a brief explanation or description.

Discuss: Examine, analyze carefully, and give reasons pro and con. Be complete, and give details.

Enumerate: Write in list or outline form, giving points concisely one by one.

Evaluate: Carefully appraise the problem, citing both advantages and limitations. Emphasize the appraisal of authorities and, to lesser degree, your personal evaluation.

Explain: Clarify, interpret, and spell out the material you present. Give reasons for differences of opinion or of results, and try to analyze causes.

Illustrate: Use a figure, picture, diagram, or concrete example to explain or clarify a problem.

Interpret: Translate, give examples of, solve, or comment on, a subject, usually giving your judgment about it.

Justify: Prove or give reasons for decisions or conclusions, taking pains to be convincing.

List: As in "enumerate," write an itemized series of concise statements.

Outline: Organize a description under main points and subordinate points, omitting minor details and stressing the arrangement or classification of things.

Prove: Establish that something is true by citing factual evidence or giving clear logical reasons.

Relate: Show how things are related to, or connected with, each other or how one causes another, or is like another.

Review: Examine a subject critically, analyzing and commenting on the important statements to be made about it.

Sketch: means "break down into its component parts."

State: Present the main points in brief, clear sequence, usually omitting details, illustrations, or examples.

Summarize: Give the main points or facts in condensed form, like the summary of a chapter, omitting details and illustrations.

Trace: In narrative form describe progress, development, or historical events from some point of origin.

Identify or characterize: means "distinguish this term, or this person from all others that are similar." Both are clear injunctions to be as specific as possible.

Illustrate or exemplify: means "giving examples," showing thereby, rather than by definition, that you understand the concept. TRANSITIONAL WORDS AND PHRASES

To achieve unity and coherence, writers use transitional words and phrases. Transitional expressions clarify the relationships between clauses, sentences, and paragraphs, helping guide the readers along. The following is a partial list of transitional expressions.

To Add or Show Sequence: again, also, and, and then, besides, equally important, finally, first, further, furthermore, in addition, in the first place, last, moreover, next, second, still, too

To Compare: also, in the same way, likewise, similarly

To Contrast: although, and yet, but, but at the same time, despite, even so, even though, for all that, however, in contrast, in spite of, nevertheless, notwithstanding, on the contrary, on the other hand, regardless, sill, though, whereas, yet

To Give Examples or Intensify: after all, an illustration of, even, for example, for instance, indeed, in fact, it is true, of course, specifically, that is, to illustrate, truly

To Indicate Place: above, adjacent to, below, elsewhere, farther on, here, near, nearby, on the other side, opposite to, there, to the east, to the left

To Indicate Time: after a while, afterward, as long as, as soon as, at last, at length, at that time, before, earlier, formerly, immediately, in the meantime, in the past, lately, later, meanwhile, now, presently, shortly, simultaneously, since, so far, soon, subsequently, then, thereafter, until, until now, when

To Repeat Summarize or Conclude: all in all, altogether, as has been said, in brief, in conclusion in other words, in particular, in short, in simpler terms, in summary, on the whole,that is, therefore, to put it differently, to summarize

To Show Cause or Effect: accordingly, as a result, because, consequently, for this purpose, hence, otherwise, since, then, therefore, thereupon, this, to this end, with this object.

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Essay Test Preparation Tips and Strategies

Essay test questions can be very intimidating, but they can also be very rewarding. Unlike other types of exams (i.e., multiple choice, true or false, etc.) essay tests allow you develop an answer based on your understanding or knowledge.

If you’ve studied all semester, understand the course concepts, and have reviewed prior to the test, the following strategies can help you improve your performance on essay tests and exams.

Strategies to Help You Improve Your Performance on Essay Tests and Exams

Read the directions.

Reading the directions seems so obvious. Unfortunately, it’s still one of the biggest test taking mistakes students make. Before answering an essay question, thoroughly read the instructions. Do not jump to the answer without being sure of what exactly the question is asking. In many cases, the teacher is looking for specific types of responses. Never assume you know what is being asked, or what is required, until you’ve read the entire question.

Ask for clarification

Read essay questions in their entirety before preparing an answer. If the instructions are unclear, or you simply don’t understand a question, ask the teacher for clarification. Chances are if you’re confused so is someone else. Never be scared to ask for clarification from your teacher or instructor.

Provide detail

Provide as many details and specific examples when answering an essay question as you can. Teachers are usually looking for very specific responses to see whether or not you’ve learned the material. The more relevant detail you provide, the higher grade is likely to be. However, only include correct, accurate and relevant information. Including irrelevant “filler” that doesn’t support your answer will likely lower your grade.

Budget your time

Manage your time wisely when answering essay questions so you are able answer all the questions, not just the easy or hard ones. If you finish your test before time is up, go back and review your answers and provide additional details.

We recommend answering those essay questions you’re most familiar with first and then tackling more challenging questions after. It’s also not uncommon on essay tests for some questions to be worth more than others. When budgeting your time, make sure to allocate more time to those questions that are worth the most.

Follow the instructions

When a question is only requiring facts, be sure to avoid sharing opinions. Only provide the information the instructions request. It’s important to provide an answer that matches the type of essay question being asked. You’ll find a list of common types of essay questions at the bottom of this page.

In your answers, get to the point and be very clear. It is generally best to be as concise as possible. If you provide numerous facts or details, be sure they’re related to the question. A typical essay answer should be between 200 and 800 words (2-8 paragraphs) but more isn’t necessarily better. Focus on substance over quantity.

Write clearly and legibly

Be sure your essays are legible and easy to understand. If a teacher has a difficult time reading or understanding what you’ve written, you could receive a lower score.

Get organized

Organize your thoughts before answering your essay question. We even recommend developing a short outline before preparing your answer. This strategy will help you save time and keep your essay organized. Organizing your thoughts and preparing a short outline will allow you to write more clearly and concisely.

Get to the point – Focus on substance

Only spend time answering the question and keep your essays focused. An overly long introduction and conclusion can be unnecessary. If your essay does not thoroughly answer the question and provide substance, a well developed introduction or conclusion will do you no good.

Use paragraphs to separate ideas

When developing your essay, keep main ideas and other important details separated with paragraphs. An essay response should have three parts: the introduction; the body; and the conclusion. The introduction is typically one paragraph, as is the conclusion. The body of the essay usually consists of 2 to 6 paragraphs depending on the type of essay and the information being presented.

Go back and review

If time permits, review your answers and make changes if necessary. Make sure you employed correct grammar and that your essays are well written. It’s not uncommon to make silly mistakes your first time through your essay. Reviewing your work is always a good idea.

Approximate

When you are unsure of specific dates, just approximate dates. For example, if you know an event occurred sometime during the 1820’s, then just write, “in the early 1800’s.”

Common Question Types on Essay Exams

Being able to identify and becoming familiar with the most common types of essay test questions is key to improving performance on essay exams. The following are 5 of the most common question types you’ll find on essay exams.

1. Identify

Identify essay questions ask for short, concise answers and typically do not require a fully developed essay.

Ask yourself: “What is the idea or concept in question?”, “What are the main characteristics?”, “What does this mean?”
Keywords to look for: Summarize, List, Describe, Define, Enumerate, State
Example question: “Define what is meant by ‘separation of church and state.'”

Explain essay questions require a full-length essay with a fully developed response that provides ample supporting detail.

Ask yourself: “What are the main points?”, “Why is this the case?”
Keywords to look for: Discuss, Explain, Analyze, Illustrate
Example question: “Discuss the differences between the political views of democrats and republicans. Use specific examples from each party’s 2017 presidential campaign to argue which views are more in line with U.S. national interests.”

Compare essay questions require an analysis in essay form which focuses on similarities, differences, and connections between specific ideas or concepts.

Ask yourself: “What are the main concepts or ideas?”, “What are the similarities?”, “What are the differences?”
Keywords to look for: Compare, Contrast, Relate
Example question: “Compare the value of attending a community college to the value of attending a 4-year university. Which would you rather attend?”

Argue essay questions require you to form an opinion or take a position on an issue and defend your position against alternative positions using arguments backed by analysis and information.

Ask yourself: “Is this position correct?”, “Why is this issue true?”
Keywords to look for: Prove, Justify
Example question: “Argue whether robotics will replace blue collar manufacturing jobs in the next ten years.”

Assess essay questions involve assessing an issue, idea or question by describing acceptable criteria and defending a position/judgment on the issue.

Ask yourself: “What is the main idea/issue and what does it mean?”, “Why is the issue important?”, “What are its strengths?”, “What are the weaknesses?”
Keywords to look for: Evaluate, Criticize, Evaluate, Interpret
Example question: “With respect to U.S. national security, evaluate the benefit of constructing a wall along the southern border of the United States of America.”

How to Write CLEAR Test Instructions (With 6 Examples)

Post author: Marie
Post published: August 18, 2020
Post category: Classroom Management / Teacher Life / Uncategorized
Post comments: 42 Comments

Without writing clear instructions on a test, students cannot do their absolute best on that test, regardless of how much they have studied and mastered the material. But different people process information and instructions in different ways. So how do we write clear test instructions that everybody can understand, and then, in turn, perform well on the test that they are taking? According to an article in Thoughtco, not following directions on a test is one of the top ten mistakes students make on tests. While not a cure-all, writing clear instructions on a test will help to prevent that from happening. Over the years I have written many tests and honestly, thought little about how clear the instructions that I wrote were. My focus was generally on the test questions themselves. While many test instructions, such as for true/false answers, are pretty straight forward, there are others that are not so cut and dry. And it was for those that I often realized after the fact that I had not communicated my instructions clearly enough for all of the students to adequately answer the questions. So I did some research and looked into how I could better formulate clear instructions for my students’ tests. While there is little information online for this subject, I did find a wealth of information in other subject areas that directly pertain to writing clear instructions for school tests.

Table of Contents

Here are the 6 biggest factors I found helpful:

Specifically state the exact information you are seeking from the student.
Keep in mind what your goal answers were in asking those questions.
Encourage students to get any needed help by stating directly on the test that if any parts of the instructions are unclear, the student should request help from the teacher.
Consider writing the instructions on some of the questions in the questions themselves, rather than having a set of instructions for several following questions.
Don’t let the instructions become complex. Keep them simple and specific. Split up complex questions as separate questions with spaces for answers in each step.
Remember to give context.

Make Your Instructions Specific

One of the primary ways to write clear test instructions is to be specific and concise at the same time in your wording. Saying “answer the following questions” may work for some questions. But for others, you may need to be more specific. If you are asking a question based on information your class learned that was extensive or covered a large amount of time, you will most likely need to point to a particular subset of that subject. This will help their minds to drill in on exactly the part of the concept/subject you are referring to. In addition to this, adding irrelevant items to your test questions or instructions can actually distract your students and cause them to answer the questions incorrectly, or not the way you wanted them to answer it. Being very concise will help you to avoid this problem with your students.

Note: For my examples, I will be using literature tests that I have issued in my studies on The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Here is an example of how to be specific and concise in writing clear test instructions:

Based on our classroom discussion on what tactics the White Witch used to trick Edmund into believing her, answer the following questions:

This allows the students to see exactly what part of the text you are testing them on without dragging them down with too many details or being so vague that they don’t know exactly what you are asking for.

Clearly State Your Goals in Your Instructions

I can’t tell you how many times I have been in a study group and the moderator/leader asks a question, but nobody knows exactly where he/she is going with the question or how to answer it. Often we think that we are communicating our points clearly because we know everything that we are thinking. Others don’t know everything that is in our brain, so the knowledge they bring in reading those instructions could be comprehending something totally different than what we communicated. There are a couple of great solutions to this. First, read back over your questions as though you are a student, trying to see it as they would. That can help you determine if you worded it well enough. Second, you can ask a fellow teacher to quickly read over it to make sure that it is cohesive in thought and written well enough for students to answer correctly.

Here is an example of directly telling the students the goal that I have in the subsequent questions:

For the following questions, think about how Edmund responded to the White Witch after he enjoyed the Turkish Delight and hot drink. Then answer the questions in light of your notes and classroom discussion.

Provide a Note Encouraging Students to Seek Help for Instructions That Are Unclear to Them

Chances are you are not going to write perfect instructions on every test you write for your students over your whole teaching career. Actually, you are 100% guaranteed to not be perfect since we are all human. One of the best ways we can solve this human error problem is to have a note on each test that reminds students to seek help if the test instructions are not clear to them. This is a perfect solution because it allows you to dialog with the student until you are both confident that you are on the same page. And it also helps students to understand even if your instructions weren’t poorly written but student(s) are having a difficult time understanding.

I am just going to show you an example from the top of a test form that I used:

Provide Instructions Within the Test Questions

This is especially effective when your test is comprised of single or multiple sentence answers or essay questions. By putting the instructions for what you are looking for in their answer within the question, you are allowing them fresh perspective on that particular question. They don’t have to look back for it. And they won’t be confused because they have all of the tools they need for that question right there. There are several advantages to this technique. First, they won’t lose their place and become more confused. Second, they will save time because they don’t have to flip back to another part of the test to make sure they are doing it correctly. And third, they will understand the instructions and the question better if it is all in the same place with no distractions.

Here is an example of providing the instructions for answering the question within the question:

When you think about the White Witch trying to be nice to Edmund, but yet her evil tendencies emerge several times throughout her attempt to gain his trust, how do you think he was able to trust her without seeming to be affected by the evil that she couldn’t hide? __________________________________________________

Split Up Complex Test Instructions

If you have questions that need several steps to answer, the best way to do this is to split the sections up into digestible pieces for the students. This is more necessary in the younger grades. You wouldn’t necessarily need to do this for high school students. If your question has multiple parts to it, go step by step and give your students room to answer the parts you have explained. This will allow them to see the progression of thought. As they get older and tests no longer do this, they will still retain the knowledge of the thought process in multiple step test questions, even when those steps are no longer clearly separated. This is a great stepping stone to greater test taking. But it’s also a great way to get them to that place by showing them on paper what their brains will eventually do on its own.

While this is more effective in more complex subjects such as math or science, it is also effective in literature. Here is an example:

How did the White Witch counsel Edmund with regard to the position of the 4 human children’s roles in Narnia? __________________________________________________ How did Aslan counsel Peter, Susan, and Lucy with regard to the position of the 4 human children’s roles in Narnia?__________________________________________________ How do you think the Pevensie children came together in fulfilling their roles in Narnia in spite of the very different counsel they received? __________________________________________________

Here are a couple of other articles about test taking in the classroom that may be helpful to you:

Should Teachers be Using True or False Questions on a Test ?

Are Open Book Exams a Closed Case? The Pros and Cons

Remember to Give Context

I once took a test that would copy sentences from the text that I would need to fill in the blanks. The problem with that was that often the sentences had no context and I had no idea what section of study they were referring to. This was partially because the sentences were so general that I couldn’t tell the specific subject being covered. And it was also due to the same question being able to be asked across several subjects we had covered. The problem with this was that the teacher was expecting a certain answer but there could have been multiple correct answers. And I couldn’t read his mind. By giving a sentence of context leading up to the exact question, you are removing any confusion the student may have regarding what information you are looking for. They may not be able to recall the particular answer you are looking for, but at least there is no confusion on what you are talking about in your question.

Here is an example of how context helps the students to recall specifically what I wanted them to regarding the questions that followed:

From our discussion on Chapter 4, where the White Witch spent the entire chapter tricking Edmund into trusting her so he would be willing to do anything she bade him, answer the following questions:

You can do this with each section that you are testing on. This allows the students to clearly understand what you are generally talking about. And it can even help them with recall when you are specifically addressing things that you covered in class.

While these five tips and examples on how to write clear test instructions are a great start, I am sure that other teachers have come up with great tips as well in their own classroom experiences. I would love to hear more of them! Please feel free to comment your thoughts below.

If you enjoyed this article, I think you will also enjoy the following related articles:

How Many Questions Should be on a Test? Seven Styles of Learning and How they Apply to Your Students Best and Worst Reading Apps for Struggling Readers Does Chewing Gum Help Students Focus?

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This post has 42 comments.

I love that you included the little note about asking for help if the kids don’t understand a question. When I was a kid, I just had to muddle through the test whether I understood the questions or not.

I think that many teachers are willing to help in this way, but the students don’t realize it because the teachers never come out and say it. I think that teachers assume kids already know it, but they don’t always.

Oh my gosh I SO AGREE. I sometimes struggled with this but always just felt like if I didn’t understand that it probably just meant I hadn’t studied well enough, which is just so sad not that I look back on it.

Exactly, Krysten! I hope that this will help students and teachers going forward to close that communication gap.

This is such great info for teachers. I can remember a number of tests I had to take when I was in school that I was so lost because the instructions weren’t clear.

I remember the same, Heather. But it never even occurred to me to ask for help with the instructions. I just felt like I was on my own and needed to figure it out.

I have a friend who is also an educator and I am sure these things can help her to do a test/s for her students. I will definitely sharing this with her.

Thank you, Gervin!

These are great steps! I especially liked how you encourage the children to not be afraid to seek clarification if they need it as well as splitting up the complex questions. It can get so overwhelming for the students so these absolute help!

Thank you, Lucy!

This is really valuable information from a professional in their field. Thanks for your work.

These are such great instructions on writing clear test questions! The samples that you provided really help exemplify the instructions given, to make me feel confident that I could apply these tips in real life.

This is really helpful, thanks for including all the examples, this is simply brilliant.

These are awesome tips for writing clear test instructions. I remember being in school and getting frustrated when some instructions weren’t clear. It was obvious when more than one student would raise their hand to get clarifications on something, haha.

I wish that all instructors would read this so they know what is expected from the tests that they give out.

Any instructor needs to check out these tips and suggestions. Clear and precious.

YES! as a parent this is so perfect.

These are great tips on how to write test instructions so that people understand and comprehend what you are asking.

Very interesting info! I haven’t known that my teachers had to prepare so many things for a test, including this Test Instruction part.

This is very helpful for teachers while they are creating exams. It should be concise and straight to the point.

Great information for teachers! I’ll pass this on to my niece who is teaching grade-schoolers!

Having clear test instructions are very helpful because the students will be able to process the information and understand how to properly answer the questions without feeling as overwhelmed.

I just forwarded this to my 3 siblings who are all teachers. It’s very informative and helpful. I know that bad instructions increase your anxiety when you are writing your exam.

this is really helpful reading material for teachers. and such wonderful examples too.

this is fantastic. kid need clear instructions, my kids are a perfect example of that. anything complex and they don’t get it.

great information though..glad you shared these facts and ideas with us..they are truly very useful and helpful indeed…

This is great information for an educator. This is definitely back to school season

It might be useful to many around. Good details shared here.

This is so important and any test setter should read this, as with unclear information things can go down hill fast x

I absolutely adore this. I had a few classes when I was in school that I never tested well in, and it was because I didn’t fully understand the questions. The tests were always so confusing.

This is so informative! It’s very important to make sure you ask questions in a certain way so that students don’t misinterpret them!

These are all really helpful pointers! I think this is beneficial not just to teachers, but also to parents who will be teaching their children at home during the pandemic.

This is such a great resource for teachers, especially if they are new and haven’t had as much experience writing clear and concise test instructions. It was great that you added examples for each tip.

I found lectures without clear spots for taking notes are way worse in understanding and remembering.

These are such great tips! I hope that all educators, instructors and even home school parents get a chance to see these!

Kileen cute & little

I love your comment about not being able to read the teacher’s mind. I remember tests in college where I felt frustrated by unclear instructions. All teachers should think this through carefully when building tests and follow your suggestions. Great article!

These are excellent tips! Thanks for sharing!

These are great tips and very helpful for new teachers. It’s really difficult to make test instructions and this will be very beneficial.

This is really great information for the teachers. Recently one of my friend started teaching so I am sharing with him hope this will definitely going to help him a lot

Glad you are making articles that would be really helpful, for educators. tha k you for sharing it.

Wonderful tips for teachers this year. Especially with most kids virtually learning clarity with definitely help with comprehension since many won’t get a face to face teacher.

Teaching is one of these amazing jobs that tests your ability to be flexible and inclusive when creating and presenting material, and then when assessing it – different people respond to things in different ways, so it’s super important to remember the varied audience when crafting test questions.

PTE Essay Writing Preparation Techniques & Samples

Writing an essay can be challenging for the PTE. This applies especially to those who are new to this test. However, there are some proven methods that could help you achieve a high score in the essay part of the test. Use these strategies and tips to develop your writing skills and create an essay that will wow examiners.

This guide contains vital hints and tactics which will enhance your written communication abilities and equip you for success during the examination.

Pte writing section, 1. carefully read through prompt, 2. come up with ideas brainstorm, 3. create an outline, 4. write a draft, 5. validate your claims, 6. use right vocabulary, 7. sentence variation, 8. edit and proofread, frequently asked questions.

The PTE writing section tests one’s ability to communicate effectively and accurately in written English. It consists of two parts: an essay and a set of multiple-choice questions.

In the essay task, you must respond to a point of view or opinion by explaining where you stand on it with reasons given why; also examples where necessary should be provided too while still making sure all thoughts are connected together using appropriate sentence structures throughout your response so as not confuse readership any further than is necessary . The length requirement here ranges between 200-300 words long.

Multiple choice items come after essays require selecting correct words/phrases out from list provided as options; sometimes they might need filling up blanks, re-ordering paragraphs or completing sentences among others – all meant for checking one’s grammar knowledge together with vocabulary too within this particular area hence its name being multiple choices .

You will be judged based on how accurate your grammar/spelling is; clarity/effectiveness through writing; development/organization when presenting ideas along with opinions expressed plus relevant content towards given tasks as well as sticking within word limits among other things expected from candidates like adhering strictly according instructions given throughout entire paper thus ensuring best possible scores achieved indeed!

Proven techniques to score high on the essay

Getting a high score in PTE’s Essay Section is possible if you prepare well enough. Here are some tried-and-tested ways of getting maximum points awarded by examiners:

Make sure to read through the prompt thoroughly before you even begin writing your essay. Go through it several times so that there is no part of it which will escape your attention. This way, you will understand all that is required of you according to the question or topic being dealt with.

Take note of any keywords or key points while reading and think about how they should structure their answers in order to meet what has been asked for based on these words too . You can jot them down therefore enabling easy reference during composition process later on.

Sit down with a pen and paper after going through the question; then start generating possible solutions or answers depending on prompts given. Think deeply about main ideas around particular topic at hand as well related subtopics where necessary before narrowing focus further down into specific areas which might apply personally too besides listing facts figures & evidence needed plus other supporting materials that help prove various points within one’s response towards such questions .

Listing everything helps someone come up with an organized plan because once this stage reached one should be able to know what he/she wants say in essay then draft accordingly.

Generating a skeleton is necessary for any essay as it allows the writer to structure their thoughts and ideas logically. The main points, arguments, and supporting evidence should all be included in this section. An introductory paragraph must also be written as well as a conclusion to summarize the entire work.

To create the skeleton, begin with an introduction which gives an overview of what will be covered in the paper; then follow up with one or two sentences about each main point accompanied by relevant information that supports them such as research findings, quotes from authorities on the subject matter being discussed among others before finishing off with some final remarks at the end.

Having finished creating an outline you need to take some time fleshing out your ideas so as to communicate them most effectively in writing. This involves coming up with rough drafts which are later refined until one has crafted something that best delivers their message across. It is advisable not to use too many clichés or jargons while drafting since they may water down your work instead of adding value.

In the process of jotting down points, it is important to maintain coherence throughout by ensuring each sentence flows into another logically without leaving any gaps between different paragraphs or sections hence making sure everything fits together like pieces in a puzzle game. Moreover, all these details should bear relevance to what was outlined earlier on during brainstorming session.

Any statement put forward by an author ought to be supported using evidence obtained from credible sources otherwise such assertions can easily get dismissed by critics for lack of proof. Statistical figures, direct quotations or even instances derived from other works may serve as viable forms of evidence in this regard. This makes people believe what you say because they know where you got it from and how true could possibly be said about anything without backing up any claim whatsoever? Therefore always remember that every argument needs backing up!

While researching ensure that only reputable websites are visited which are closely related to the topic under scrutiny. Additionally, while citing references do so according to required formatting styles as this shows one has taken time researching their paper and can be trusted upon hence failure to do this might lead lower grades being awarded.

One thing many students forget while writing essays is choosing appropriate words for different audiences which could make them fail exams or have people misunderstand what they wanted to say in the first place. For example if someone is writing a formal essay then slang words or colloquial expressions ought not be used at all but rather select terms that show seriousness and maturity of thought process involved when dealing with academic matters.

Furthermore it also aids understanding along the lines of enhancing clarity; thus readers get better equipped with knowledge about your standpoints as well as arguments put forth within such works.

Another important aspect of essay writing involves sentence variations because sticking only long complex ones will make it hard for anyone reading through them understand anything from there since ideas seem all over the place instead use short simple ones alongside compound-complex types too where necessary so that people can easily read through without getting lost somewhere down the line even if some parts may appear difficult to comprehend.

When you are finished writing your essay, give yourself time to edit it thoroughly. Editing is all about looking at the big picture and making sure everything is clear and concise. It allows you to see how well you have communicated your ideas and identify places where you can do better.

Once you have made all the changes that seem necessary, proofread your paper carefully. This means searching for spelling mistakes, grammar errors, or punctuation problems – anything that might be wrong – and fixing them. Doing this will help ensure that your essay has as few mistakes as possible and is the best it can be.

PTE Essay Samples

Here are more some essay samples PTE essay samples:

Sample PTE Essay 1

Sample PTE Essay 2

What does the PTE writing section test?

The Pearson Test of English (PTE) writing section tests your ability to communicate clearly and accurately in written English. It consists of an essay and a set of multiple-choice questions.

How to create an outline for the essay?

When creating an outline, start with the introduction to provide a brief overview of the essay. Next, develop an outline for each of your main points accompanied by evidence to support it. Finally, end the outline with the conclusion to summarize the main points and provide a final thought on the topic.

Why is it important to edit and proofread your essay before submitting it?

Editing helps to evaluate how effectively you have conveyed your ideas and identify any areas where improvement may be needed, while proofreading helps to ensure that the essay is as error-free as possible and that it is of the highest quality.

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Make Your Instructions Specific. Example. Clearly State Your Goals in Your Instructions. Example. Provide a Note Encouraging Students to Seek Help for Instructions That Are Unclear to Them. Example. Provide Instructions Within the Test Questions. Example. Split Up Complex Test Instructions.
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