Study Guides and Strategies

Set up a time schedule to answer each question and to review/edit all questions
• If 6 questions are to be answered in 60 minutes, allow yourself only 7 minutes for each.
• If questions are "weighed", prioritize that into your time allocation for each question.
•When the time is up for one question, stop writing, leave space, and begin the next question. The incomplete answers can be answered during the review time.
• 6 incomplete answers will usually receive more credit than the three complete ones.

Read through the questions once and note if you have any choice in answering questions.
• Pat attention to how the question is phrased, or to the "directives", or words such as "compare", "contrast", "criticize", etc.
• Answers will come to mind immediately for some questions.


Before attempting to answer a question, put it in your own words.
•Now compare your version with the original. Do they mean the same? If they don't, you've misread the question. You ll be surprised how often they don't agree.

Think before you write.
Make a brief outline for each question.
Number the items in order you will discuss them.
•Get right to the point. State your main point in the first sentence. Use your first paragraph to provide an overview of your essay, Use the rest of your essay to discuss these points in more detail. Back up your points with specific information examples, or quotations from readings and notes.
•Teachers are influenced by completeness and clarity of an organized answer.
• Writing in the hope that the right answer is somehow turn up is time consuming.
•To know a little and to present that little well is superior to knowing much and presenting it poorly--when judged by the grade received.

Writing and answering.
Begin wit a strong first sentence that states the man idea of your essay. Continue the first paragraph by presenting key points.
•Develop your argument.
• Begin each paragraph with a key point from your introduction.
• Develop each point in a complete paragraph.
• Use transitions to connect your points.
• Hold to your time allocation and organization.
• Qualify answers when in doubt. It is better to say " toward the end of the 19Th century" than to say " in 1894' when you cant remember where its 1884 or 1894. In many cases, the approximate, may be incorrect, and will be marked accordingly.

Summarize in your last paragraph.
• Restate your central idea and indicate why its important.

Review
Complete questions left incomplete.
• Remember to allow time to review all questions.

Review, edit, correct...
• Misspellings, incomplete words and sentences, miswritten dates and numbers.