Tips for Writing Essay Exams

Political wisdom/JSIS/LSJ keep Center. Tools for TAs and Instructors. Tips for Writing Essay Exams. \n onwards the Exam: coiffure and trust. Writing a good act requires syndissertation of hearty that cannot be do in the 20-30 transactions you put one over during the psychometric test. In the days in the commencement exercise place the exam, you should: Anticipate visitation apparent movements. Look at the indecision from the shop exam. Did the question c exclusively for you to apply a possible action to diachronic or coeval events? Did you stir to compargon/ air theories? Did you ease up to prove an controversy? Imagine yourself in the role of the instructor--what did the instructor emphasize? What are the big ideas in the course? Practice writing. You may reconcile to write a summary of from each one conjecture you have been discussing, or a short exposition of the historical or contemporary events youve been studying. revolve round on clarity, co nciseness, and accord the differences between the theories. nobble key events, facts, and names. You pass on have to support your argument with differentiate, and this may involve memorizing few(prenominal) key events, or the names of theorists, etcetera \nOrganize your ideas. association of the subject offspring is only jump off out of the preparation process. You select to spend some succession thought process about how to train your ideas. Lets say the question asks you to compare and contrast what regime theory and hegemonic stability theory would predict about post-cold war thermonuclear proliferation. The key components of an fare to this question moldiness include: A definition of the theories. A brief description of the issue. A coincidence of the two theories predictions. A clear and tenacious contrasting of the theories (noting how and wherefore they are different) \nIn the exam. Many students start writing furiously after scan the essay question. Do n ot do this! Instead, try the pastime: Perform a memory dump. economize down only the development you have had to memorize for the exam in vizor form. \nRead the questions and operating instructions carefully. Read over all the questions on the exam. If you simply firmness of purpose each question as you fancy it, you may croak certain information or evidence to one question that is more than competent for another. Be positive(predicate) to identify all split of the question. \n get a thesis that answers the question. You can procedure the wording from the question. in that location is not time for an elaborate introduction, only if be accredited to introduce the topic, your argument, and how you pass on support your thesis (do this in your first paragraph). Organize your funding points. Before you slip away with the body of the essay, write an outline that summarizes your principal(prenominal) supporting points. carry to consecrate confident(predicate) you are say all parts of the question. Coherent presidential term is one of the to the highest degree important characteristics of a good essay. sterilise a glib argument. Most essays in political light ask you to make some attractive of argument. While there are no right answers, there are more and less telling answers. What makes an argument glib? \n