Writing the Exam

Many students have problems with the Writing Proficiency Exam because they begin writing before they have actually worked out what they want to argue, explain, or prove in response to the prompt. They just start writing and hope things will fall into place.

It is true that some people can write excellent essays using this technique; however, many more of us cannot and would experience less anxiety if we had developed a plan of action for taking the Exam.

Therefore, we suggest that before you choose your prompt, you consider what you thought about during your critical reading of the article. Also, take the time to do some invention work before you begin writing your essay exam. Then, when you have finished drafting, take some time to edit your response.

Look through the following pages to refresh your memories about pre-work, formatting, and correct in-text citation techniques.

You will also want to familiarize yourself with the Grading Criteria and be aware of the process to follow if you would like to schedule some feedback about an exam essay you have written.