This is often part of a Praxis written test, and the aim is to answer a question within 30 minutes, by creating an essay. The essay section of your Praxis test is often worth a large amount of marks. The current norm is that the written essay takes thirty minutes and that it should be worth 50% of the marks. Therefore, it is a good idea to have a bit of advice in your back pocket, as you need to leverage every advantage in order to succeed during the 30-minute test. After all, those thirty minutes are probably the defining feature that makes or breaks your success in the entire exam. Here are a few tips to help you along your way.
Make sure you read your question well
The shortage of time is a common incentive to read over the essay question quickly, and to start writing for the sake of writing. The human mind is a curious device, which is often prone to mistakes when put under pressure. Read your question quickly twice, and then slowly.
On the one hand, you are reading and comprehending the question, on the other hand you are committing the question to memory. You are also imprinting it to your subconscious. In time sensitive situations, we cannot always rely on our conscious mind, as it is that part which gets writers block.
Allow the ideas to flow
After reading the question at least three times, you need to let the ideas just come. They are likely to arrive thick and fast, so you need to make a note of each one. Do not take detailed notes, as it will hinder the appearance of other thoughts and ideas.
As your ideas start to slow down, you need to start building on the ideas you had. Expand a few of the notes and remove some that you do not feel will be relevant. You must now use these notes as a skeleton plan. The plan consists of points that you must include in your essay. Put them in order if you must. Do not spend a lot of time on your plan. Spend just enough so that you have a guide for your writing.
Consider the nature of the question
Give a thought to what the examiner is looking to find and review with your writing. Recognition of the examiner's want is a good way of figuring out what may be unacceptable content. The question probably has two parts, one of which will be a prompt for your opinion. Consider the fact that your examiner wants more than your opinion.
He or she may want your reasoning behind the opinion, how you came up with it, or your justification for it. If this is not provided, then what is stopping the examiner feeling that you do not truly understand the subject at hand?
Plan, then structure, then introduce
Set out your plan from your notes, and consider the structure such as introduction, conclusion, thesis or subject, etc. As you plan the essay, create a 2-3 line introduction that sums up what your plan is saying your essay will communicate. If your essay starts to deviate from the introduction's theme/topic/feel/thesis, then your essay may not be following your plan as you had hoped.
Support your essay as best as you can
You do not have the time to research a quote that agrees with your argument, and specific examples may also become very week. However, you can use very good reasoning and logic in order to prove and support what is being said in your essay. You may not even have to create referenced quotes. Something such as "Mr.… said…" may be sufficient, so long as your quote and information is correct.
Published on behalf of Mr. John Kravz. He is a professional outsource writer. Click here to find out more.
