essay test tips

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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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.”

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14 Tips for Test Taking Success

Worried about getting through your next big exam? Here are 14 test taking strategies that can help you do your best on your next test.

Mary Sharp Emerson

From pop quizzes to standardized tests, exams are an important part of the life of every high school student.

The best way to ensure that you’ll get the grade you want is to understand the material thoroughly. Good test taking skills, however, can help make the difference between a top grade and an average one. Mastering these skills can also help reduce stress and relieve test-taking anxiety. 

In this blog, we’ve divided our tips for test taking into two categories: seven things you can do to prepare for your next exam and seven things you should do once the test begins. We’ve also included four strategies that can help with test taking anxiety.

We hope these test taking tips will help you succeed the next time you are facing an exam, big or small!

Seven Best Strategies for Test Prep

You’ve probably heard the quote (originally credited to Alexander Graham Bell): “Preparation is the key to success.”

When it comes to test taking, these are words to live by. 

Here are the seven best things you can do to make sure you are prepared for your next test.

1. Cultivate Good Study Habits

Understanding and remembering information for a test takes time, so developing good study habits long before test day is really important. 

Do your homework assignments carefully, and turn them in on time. Review your notes daily. Write out your own study guides. Take advantage of any practice tests your teacher gives you, or even create your own. 

These simple steps, when done habitually, will help ensure that you really know your stuff come test day. 

2. Don’t “Cram”

It might seem like a good idea to spend hours memorizing the material you need the night before the test.

In fact, cramming for a test is highly counterproductive. Not only are you less likely to retain the information you need, cramming also increases stress, negatively impacts sleep, and decreases your overall preparedness.

So avoid the temptation to stay up late reviewing your notes. Last minute cramming is far less likely to improve your grade than developing good study habits and getting a good night’s sleep.

3. Gather Materials the Night Before

Before going to bed (early, so you get a good night’s sleep), gather everything you need for the test and have it ready to go. 

Having everything ready the night before will help you feel more confident and will minimize stress on the morning of the test. And it will give you a few extra minutes to sleep and eat a healthy breakfast.

4. Get a Good Night’s Sleep

And speaking of sleep…showing up to your test well-rested is one of the best things you can do to succeed on test day.

Why should you make sleep a priority ? A good night’s sleep will help you think more clearly during the test. It will also make it easier to cope with test-taking stress and anxiety. Moreover, excellent sleep habits have been shown to consolidate memory and improve academic performance, as well as reduce the risk of depression and other mental health disorders. 

5. Eat a Healthy Breakfast

Like sleeping, eating is an important part of self-care and test taking preparation. After all, it’s hard to think clearly if your stomach is grumbling.

As tough as it can be to eat when you’re nervous or rushing out the door, plan time in your morning on test day to eat a healthy breakfast. 

A mix of complex carbohydrates and healthy protein will keep you feeling full without making you feel sluggish. Whole wheat cereal, eggs, oatmeal, berries, and nuts may be great choices (depending on your personal dietary needs and preferences). It’s best to avoid foods that are high in sugar, as they can give you a rush of energy that will wear off quickly, leaving you feeling tired.

And don’t forget to drink plenty of water. If possible, bring a bottle of water with you on test day.

6. Arrive Early

Arriving early at a test location can help decrease stress. And it allows you to get into a positive state of mind before the test starts. 

Choose your seat as soon as possible. Organize your materials so they are readily available when you need them. Make sure you are physically comfortable (as much as possible). 

By settling in early, you are giving yourself time to get organized, relaxed, and mentally ready for the test to begin. Even in a high school setting, maximizing the time you have in the test classroom—even if it’s just a couple of minutes—can help you feel more comfortable, settled, and focused before the test begins. 

7. Develop Positive Rituals

Don’t underestimate the importance of confidence and a positive mindset in test preparation. 

Positive rituals can help combat negative thinking, test anxiety, and lack of focus that can easily undermine your success on test day. Plan some extra time to go for a short walk or listen to your favorite music. Engage in simple breathing exercises. Visualize yourself succeeding on the test. 

Your rituals can be totally unique to you. The important thing is developing a calming habit that will boost your confidence, attitude, and concentration when the test begins.

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Seven Best Test-Taking Tips for Success

You have gotten a good night’s sleep, eaten a healthy breakfast, arrived early, and done your positive test-day ritual. You are ready to start the test! 

Different types of tests require different test taking strategies. You may not want to approach a math test the same way you would an essay test, for example. And some computerized tests such as SATs require you to work through the test in a specific way.

However, there are some general test taking strategies that will improve your chances of getting the grade you want on most, if not all, tests. 

1. Listen to the Instructions

Once the test is front of you, it’s tempting to block everything out so you can get started right away. 

Doing so, however, could cause you to miss out on critical information about the test itself.

The teacher or proctor may offer details about the structure of the test, time limitations, grading techniques, or other items that could impact your approach. They may also point out steps that you are likely to miss or other tips to help improve your chances of success. 

So be sure to pay close attention to their instructions before you get started.

2. Read the Entire Test

If possible, look over the entire test quickly before you get started. Doing so will help you understand the structure of the test and identify areas that may need more or less time. 

Once you read over the test, you can plan out how you want to approach each section of the test to ensure that you can complete the entire test within the allotted time.

3. Do a “Brain Dump”

For certain types of tests, remembering facts, data, or formulas is key. For these tests, it can be helpful to take a few minutes to write down all the information you need on a scrap paper before you get started. 

Putting that important information on paper can relieve stress and help you focus on the test questions without worrying about your ability to recall the facts. And now you have a kind of “cheat sheet” to refer to throughout the test!

4. Answer the Questions You Know First

When possible, do a first pass through the test to answer the “easy” questions or the ones you know right away. When you come to a question that you can’t answer (relatively) quickly, skip it on this first pass. 

Don’t rush through this first pass, but do be mindful of time—you’ll want to leave yourself enough time to go back and answer the questions you skipped. 

* It’s important to remember that this technique is not possible on some tests. Standardized computer-based tests often do not allow you to skip questions and return to them later. On these types of tests, you will need to work through each problem in order instead of skipping around. 

5. Answer the Questions You Skipped

Once you’ve done a first pass, you now have to go back and answer the questions you skipped.

In the best case scenario, you might find some of these questions aren’t as challenging as you thought at first. Your mind is warmed up and you are fully engaged and focused at this point in the test. And answering the questions you know easily may have reminded you of the details you need for these questions.

Of course you may still struggle with some of the questions, and that’s okay. Hopefully doing a first pass somewhat quickly allows you to take your time with the more challenging questions.

6. Be Sure the Test is Complete

Once you think you’ve answered all the questions, double check to make sure you didn’t miss any. Check for additional questions on the back of the paper, for instance, or other places that you might have missed or not noticed during your initial read-through.

A common question is whether you should skip questions that you can’t answer. It’s not possible to answer that question in a general sense: it depends on the specific test and the teacher’s rules. It may also depend on the value of each individual question, and whether your teacher gives partial credit.

But, if you’re not penalized for a wrong answer or you are penalized for leaving an answer blank, it is probably better to put something down than nothing.

7. Check Your Work

Finally, if you have time left, go back through the test and check your answers. 

Read over short answer and essay questions to check for typos, points you may have missed, or better ways to phrase your answers. If there were multiple components to the question, make sure you answered all of them. Double check your answers on math questions in case you made a small error that impacts the final answer. You don’t want to overthink answers, but a doublecheck can help you find—and correct—obvious mistakes.

Four Ways to Cope with Test-Taking Anxiety

Nearly every student gets nervous before a test at some point, especially if the exam is an important one. If you are lucky, your pre-test nervousness is mild and can be mitigated by these test taking tips. 

A mild case of nerves can even be somewhat beneficial (if uncomfortable); the surge of adrenaline at the root of a nervous feeling can keep you focused and energized.

For some students, however, test taking anxiety—a form of performance anxiety—can be debilitating and overwhelming. This level of anxiety can be extremely difficult to cope with. 

However, there are a few things you can do before and during a test to help cope with more severe stress and anxiety:

1. Take a Meditation or Sitting Stretch Break

Take a minute or two before or even during a test to focus on your breathing, relax tense muscles, do a quick positive visualization, or stretch your limbs. The calming effect can be beneficial and worth a few minutes of test time. 

2. Replace Negative Thoughts with Positive Ones

Learn to recognize when your brain is caught in a cycle of negative thinking and practice turning negative thoughts into positive ones. For example, when you catch yourself saying “I’m going to fail”, force yourself to say “I’m going to succeed” instead. With practice, this can be a powerful technique to break the cycle of negative thinking undermining your confidence.

3. Mistakes are Learning Opportunities

It’s easy to get caught up in worrying about a bad grade. Instead, remind yourself that it’s ok to make mistakes. A wrong answer on a test is an opportunity to understand where you need to fill in a gap in your knowledge or spend some extra time studying. 

4. Seek Professional Help

Test taking anxiety is very real and should be taken seriously. If you find that your anxiety does not respond to these calming tips, it’s time to seek professional help. Your guidance counselor or a therapist may be able to offer long-term strategies for coping with test taking anxiety. Talk with your parents or guardians about finding someone to help you cope.

Following these test taking tips can’t guarantee that you will get an A on your next big test. Only hard work and lots of study time can do that. 

However, these test taking strategies can help you feel more confident and perform better on test day. Tests may be an inevitable part of student life, but with preparation and confidence, you can succeed on them all!

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Top 10 Tips for Taking Essay Tests

Budgeting your time and reading through the whole exam first are among the experts' recommendations.

Some college students are pros at taking short-answer and multiple-choice tests but are at their wits' end when the prof springs an essay test. Some go to incredible lengths to avoid any course that might have essays on the exam. But with dozens of required courses, many in areas such as social sciences and humanities, such a strategy is bound to fail. Instead, take a look at our 10 best tips for acing the essay exam:

1. Survey the landscape. When you first get the test, look over the whole thing. Figure out what the tasks are, paying special attention to how many essays you're asked to write (be sure to note any choices offered) and, most important, how much time you're supposed to devote to each. You'd be amazed at how many students make a mistake about the basic instructions.

2. Budget your time. Craft each essay around the time you have available. Professors who allot one hour expect longer and more detailed essays than ones who ask you to write for 20 minutes. Don't have a one-size-fits-all approach to essay questions. (By the way, it wouldn't hurt to take a working watch to the exam. Not all professors want to track the time for you.)

3. Scan (in your mind) all the resources . Before you start writing your answer, think through what elements of the course might be relevant for your answer. Most students are primed to think first about the lectures that bear on the topic. But if you can bring in materials from the reading or discussion sections, and if they're relevant, your answer is likely to be stronger.

4. Don ' t waste time. Some students begin an essay exam by writing elaborate outlines—so elaborate that they run out of time after writing a sentence or two of the actual answer. If you need to jot down a few notes before you start, that's fine, but you need to spend most of your time writing the answer, not preparing to write it.

Extra Pointer. Another major time waster, in cases where a professor offers a choice of essay topics, is to get far into an essay, then stop and choose another question. It's not uncommon for a professor to see a page—or even several pages—crossed off, followed by an unfinished essay about something else. Ouch.

5. D on ' t survey. If you're asked a specific question, answer that specific question. Don't dump everything you know about a topic into your response. No matter how nervous you are, you need to attend to what's being asked. Professors usually craft their essay questions carefully, so if you compare when you were asked to contrast, or list reasons but don't assess them, it will be noticed when the grading rolls around.

4-Star Tip. If the question has specific subparts or subtasks, it's often best to do them separately, and to "letter" your parts (Part A, Part B, Part C, etc.). That way the grader will be able to see that you've answered each of the parts and assign you the points to which you're entitled.

6. D on ' t introduce. Essay exams are not the time to give lengthy introductions or "setups" to the topic. Usually the time is budgeted tightly, and there's not time for this. Begin your answer in the very first sentence. Nailing the main point down right up front puts your essay on track for an A.

7. D on ' t gesture. Some students think the answer is so obvious—and the professor knows it, after all—that they only need to wave their hands at the answer (rather than wasting all that ink to spell it out). But the prof is looking for you to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the material, which can only be done if you take the time to make explicit your points. Be sure your answers can be understood by a reasonably intelligent person, not one who is previously familiar with the material (like the professor).

8. Write quickly and neatly. More detail equals a better grade (usually). Legible handwriting equals a better grade (usually).

9. Keep it real. Answer in simple, clear language. Avoid fillers, and eliminate irrelevant material. When an instructor is reading 70 essays on the same topic, information not related to the topic really stands out like a sore thumb. Some graders just ignore it, but others take off for it.

10. Don ' t be afraid to go back. It's OK to go back to a previous essay to fill in some important point you just thought of. Just draw an arrow to the margin or to the top of the paper and add in your latest brainstorm. In many cases, these later additions tip the scales from a B to an A.

5-Star Tip. If you find yourself running out of time on a question, at least sketch out how you would answer the part you've left out. Usually you will get at least some credit for this and won't have to take the full hit for material left unanswered.

BONUS TIP. One of the most common questions we get asked is what you can do to turn your B essay into an A essay. Though each course is different, here are seven things you might think about to turn a good essay into an excellent one:

• Offer a more nuanced thesis, not the most obvious one.
• Probe the relations between the parts or issues treated in the question.
• Give more examples or illustrations.
• Draw distinctions if they are relevant to the question(s) asked.
• Bring in materials from the readings or the discussion section (if relevant).
• Use the methods, techniques, and analytic tools of the field (like the ones the professor or TA used in the lectures).
• Reach a firm conclusion.

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Essay Test Tips

True/False. Multiple Choice. Short Answer. Essay. Those are the typical options on a test. Essay tests can be difficult for those students who have a hard time articulating, explaining, and/or analyzing a sequence of events, a broad topic, and even their own arguments. With appropriate preparation and a few tips, students should be able to sharpen their analytical skills and their ability to craft an informative, well-written essay.

• Read the directions carefully; pay close attention to whether you are supposed to answer all the essays or only a specified amount (i.e. "Answer 2 out of the 3 questions).
• If you don’t understand what the question is asking you, make sure to ask your instructor for clarification.
• Make sure to fully answer the question. Write down everything and more (time permitting)! The more details and facts that you write down the more likely you will receive a higher grade.
• Budget your time. Don’t spend the entire time on one essay if the test requires more. Likewise, if you have an hour to write 3 essays, spend no more than 20 minutes on each essay, and then if you have time left over at the end go back and finish any incomplete essays.
• Before you start writing, make an outline of the topics for each paragraph including the introduction and closing. This will help you organize your points and make your writing more fluid and lucid. It will also help you budget your time.
• Focus on one main idea per a paragraph.
• If the question is asking for facts, don't give your personal opinion on the topic.
• Write legibly. Try to be as neat as possible when writing your essay. Neater papers usually receive higher scores. Leave space between essay questions so you can go back and add more or correct mistakes. Likewise, if you make a mistake, simply draw a line through it. It is much neater and quicker than erasing it.
• Don't write long introductions and conclusions, the bulk of your time should be spent on answering the question(s) asked.
• If you have time left at the end proofread your work and correct any errors.
• If you aren't sure about an exact date or number, then use approximations. For example, “approximately 3,000 people voted on the new rule” or “in the late 16 th century/ 1680s”.
• By all means, review your essay before you turn it in if you have the time.

The following words are commonly found in essay test questions. Understanding them is essential to success on these kinds of questions.

• ANALYZE: Break into separate parts and discuss, critically examine, or interpret each part.
• COMPARE: Examine two or more things. Identify similarities and differences. Generally, comparisons ask for similarities more than differences (because contrast looks for differences).
• CONTRAST: Show differences. Set in opposition.
• CRITICIZE: Make judgments. Evaluate comparative worth. Criticism often involves analysis and critique.
• DEFINE: Give the meaning; usually a meaning specific to the course of subject. Determine the precise limits of the term to be defined. Explain the exact meaning. Definitions are usually short.
• DESCRIBE: Give a detailed account. Make a picture with words. List characteristics, qualities and parts.
• DISCUSS: Consider and debate or argue the pros and cons of an issue. Write about any conflict. Compare and contrast. Explore solutions.
• ENUMERATE: Write a list, series and/or tabulation of several ideas, aspects, events, things, qualities, reasons, etc. Be concise.
• EVALUATE: Give your opinion or cite the opinion of an expert. Include evidence to support the evaluation.
• ILLUSTRATE: Give concrete examples. Explain clearly by using comparisons, analogies or examples. Make a topic clear and intelligible.
• INTERPRET: Comment upon, give examples, describe relationships. Explain the meaning. Describe and then evaluate. (Ex. Bring out the meaning of a specific topic such as the messaged convey from a short story).
• OUTLINE: Describe main ideas, characteristics, or events. Present the most important ideas about a topic in a carefully organized fashion. Does not mean write an actual Roman numeral, alphabetical outline.
• PROVE: Support with facts from lectures, textbooks and research. Defend or justify with factual evidence and logical reasons.
• STATE: Explain precisely.
• SUMMARIZE: Give a brief, condensed account. Include conclusions. Avoid unnecessary details. Brief examples will help make your summary specific.
• TRACE: Show the order of events or progress of a subject or event. This type of essay may require probing or deductions.

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• Writing a strong college admissions essay
• Avoiding common admissions essay mistakes
• Brainstorming tips for your college essay
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Creating and Scoring Essay Tests

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Essay tests are useful for teachers when they want students to select, organize, analyze, synthesize, and/or evaluate information. In other words, they rely on the upper levels of Bloom's Taxonomy . There are two types of essay questions: restricted and extended response.

• Restricted Response - These essay questions limit what the student will discuss in the essay based on the wording of the question. For example, "State the main differences between John Adams' and Thomas Jefferson's beliefs about federalism," is a restricted response. What the student is to write about has been expressed to them within the question.
• Extended Response - These allow students to select what they wish to include in order to answer the question. For example, "In Of Mice and Men , was George's killing of Lennie justified? Explain your answer." The student is given the overall topic, but they are free to use their own judgment and integrate outside information to help support their opinion.

Student Skills Required for Essay Tests

Before expecting students to perform well on either type of essay question, we must make sure that they have the required skills to excel. Following are four skills that students should have learned and practiced before taking essay exams:

• The ability to select appropriate material from the information learned in order to best answer the question.
• The ability to organize that material in an effective manner.
• The ability to show how ideas relate and interact in a specific context.
• The ability to write effectively in both sentences and paragraphs.

Constructing an Effective Essay Question

Following are a few tips to help in the construction of effective essay questions:

• Begin with the lesson objectives in mind. Make sure to know what you wish the student to show by answering the essay question.
• Decide if your goal requires a restricted or extended response. In general, if you wish to see if the student can synthesize and organize the information that they learned, then restricted response is the way to go. However, if you wish them to judge or evaluate something using the information taught during class, then you will want to use the extended response.
• If you are including more than one essay, be cognizant of time constraints. You do not want to punish students because they ran out of time on the test.
• Write the question in a novel or interesting manner to help motivate the student.
• State the number of points that the essay is worth. You can also provide them with a time guideline to help them as they work through the exam.
• If your essay item is part of a larger objective test, make sure that it is the last item on the exam.

Scoring the Essay Item

One of the downfalls of essay tests is that they lack in reliability. Even when teachers grade essays with a well-constructed rubric, subjective decisions are made. Therefore, it is important to try and be as reliable as possible when scoring your essay items. Here are a few tips to help improve reliability in grading:

• Determine whether you will use a holistic or analytic scoring system before you write your rubric . With the holistic grading system, you evaluate the answer as a whole, rating papers against each other. With the analytic system, you list specific pieces of information and award points for their inclusion.
• Prepare the essay rubric in advance. Determine what you are looking for and how many points you will be assigning for each aspect of the question.
• Avoid looking at names. Some teachers have students put numbers on their essays to try and help with this.
• Score one item at a time. This helps ensure that you use the same thinking and standards for all students.
• Avoid interruptions when scoring a specific question. Again, consistency will be increased if you grade the same item on all the papers in one sitting.
• If an important decision like an award or scholarship is based on the score for the essay, obtain two or more independent readers.
• Beware of negative influences that can affect essay scoring. These include handwriting and writing style bias, the length of the response, and the inclusion of irrelevant material.
• Review papers that are on the borderline a second time before assigning a final grade.
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By submitting my email address. i certify that i am 13 years of age or older, agree to recieve marketing email messages from the princeton review, and agree to terms of use., how to study for a test: 10 steps to ace your next test.

We promise your teacher isn’t out to get you. As unpleasant as taking a test can often be, it actually does more than just show your teacher what you know: it can actually help you learn.

Studies have shown that students who are tested regularly actually learn more content and retain it longer than students who have not been tested. Great news for final exams.  Frequent testing has even been shown to help decrease test anxiety.

Not sure how to study for a test? Follow these study tips to make your best grade!

1. Get informed

• textbook chapters and topics the test will cover
• test format

2. Think like your teacher

Your homeworks assignments, quizzes, handouts, daily notes , and classwork are all indicators of what your teacher thinks is important about the information and what might appear on the test.

3. Make your own study aids

When it comes to learning, practice tests work BETTER than simply highlighting or re-reading your notes. So, turn your notes into flashcards or use a flashcard app for memorizing Spanish vocab. Ask your friends to quiz you or write your own practice test.

4. Practice for the inevitable

Outline essays ahead of time. For math tests, do plenty of practice problems similar to ones that you KNOW will appear. Make a list of questions that you think might show up on the test (and then make sure you can answer them!).

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5. Study every day

If you have a test in a week, studying a little each day will help you identify tough concepts or weak areas in your knowledge in advance. Can't figure out factoring? Log on to Homework Help and get your questions answered.

6. Cut out the distractions

Distractions make it difficult to pay attention to what you’re doing, which in turn makes it harder to commit facts to memory. Give yourself a leg up by turning off the notifications on your phone, temporarily blocking your favorite websites, or sticking to instrumental music while you study (so you’re not tempted to sing along!). Taking a break every 45 minutes or so will also help you stay focused.

7. Divide big concepts from smaller details

If you're studying a big topic—like the Civil War for history  or cellular processes for biology —try breaking the material you need to study into chunks. Study one battle at a time or one chapter section at a time—and then quiz yourself. Ask yourself questions about what you’ve just studied, and even write your answers down.

8. Don’t neglect the “easy” stuff

Even if you’ve been acing a certain subject or concept all year and think the test will be a breeze, you should still give it a review before the big day. You don’t want to lose points for careless errors or forget to memorize a key geometry formula.

9. Don’t skip school

Missing classes automatically puts you at a disadvantage. Make sure you go to class (especially during the week leading up to the test) and attend any review sessions your teacher holds. Did you have to miss an important class? You can always ask your teacher or one of our tutors  for help catching up.

10. Review the day of the test

Before you take the test, give yourself time for a quick review. Shuffle through those flashcards a couple of times or re-read your chapter outline. This will ensure the material is fresh in your mind.

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The 20 best test-taking strategies used by top students

You need to ace that exam. Set yourself up for success by mastering these 22 test-taking strategies used by the very best students.

We're discussing this topic further on Reddit. Join the conversation here .

If you have a feeling of impending doom when you walk into an exam room; get nightmares in which you turn up without your pants on; and spend the first few minutes in a cold sweat, these test-taking tips are the dragon-slaying knight to your damsel in distress.

In this guide, I'm going to walk you through the 20 best test-taking strategies to keep you calm, and thinking and performing optimally in any test or exam. These test-taking tips fall into one of eight categories:

• The 2-3-day lead-up to your test or exam

The best test-taking strategies for the exam room

• Essay exam -taking skills
• Multiple choice exam- taking skills
• Test-taking tips for when you're done writing (or think you're done)

Test-taking tips for when you're drawing a blank

Following these tips and strategies will ensure that you do your absolute best, even if you accidentally leave your studying for the last minute .

Let's dive in!

Strategy test prep 2 to 3 days before an exam

The two to three-day lead-up to your exam is a crucial period. There’s a whole lot you can do in this time to make sure that you're in peak condition, both mentally and physically...

Test-taking tip 1. Optimize your studying

Put down the highlighter. Now's the time to study as efficiently as possible (because your time is super limited), consolidate what you've been learning in the prior weeks and months, and put it into practice with some practice tests or mock exams:

• Study efficiently with flashcards , especially Brainscape's already-made flashcards for hundreds of subjects , since you won't have time to make any.
• Try to find and do some practice exams. This will highlight knowledge weaknesses you may have while familiarizing you with the exam format, so there aren’t any unpleasant surprises on test day.
• Use the Feynman Technique . The best way to iron-proof your knowledge of a subject is to teach it aloud from the very basics up. Use your little brother, sleeping cat, or potted plant as your student.

Test-taking tip 2. Prioritize your sleep in the days before your exam

We know that cramming and pulling all-nighters is, like, "a thing" for students but it is quite honestly the most garbage of all the test-taking strategies. You may as well tie a 100-pound weight to your brain and ask it to run a one-minute mile.

Sleep is crucial for good brain health and memory. You're better off getting a good night's rest the night before an exam than pulling an all-nighter. (In fact, one study showed that sleep-deprived people performed about as well as people who were high on marijuana , which is far from ideal when you’re trying to operate at your mental peak.)

So, prioritize good sleep always ... but especially in the days leading up to your exams. Your brain will reward you with greater clarity, memory, and creativity. (And if you struggle with insomnia, we got you .)

Test-taking tip 3. Feed your brain

So many students focus only on piling information into their brains in preparation for exams but not on optimizing their brain health . Food is another crucial factor that controls how well your brain performs so make sure you have a good breakfast of slow-release carbohydrates and proteins to supply your body and brain with a steady feed of energy throughout the day.

Also, avoid sugar-packed foods and beverages . Sure, they give you a burst of energy but quite soon after the rush, your body produces insulin to get your blood sugar under control causing you to feel sleepy . Not great for a 2 to 3-hour exam.

In general, you're going to have much more energy and perform better cognitively if you consume a balanced diet with plenty of healthy grains, fats, proteins, fruits, and vegetables. And don't forget to hydrate!

Test-taking tip 4. Arrive at the exam venue 30 minutes early

You're probably already a little stressed out. The last thing you need to add to your plate is the utter panic of getting lost, missing your bus, or getting stuck in a traffic jam. Make sure you’ve allowed plenty of time to find your exam room and get settled.

If you have time to spare, flip through some flashcards and take your last restroom break before the exam starts!

Pro tip: try to avoid other students, if possible. When you get to your test room, treat any stressed-out fellow students like they have the ebola virus. Stress is contagious, and no matter your state of preparation, you’re better off staying in your headspace.

The prep is done. You're at the exam venue and sitting down, ready to take the test. It's go time! Here are the best test-taking strategies for maximizing your score...

Test-taking tip 5. Listen and/or read the instructions carefully

Possibly the dumbest thing you can do in any test or exam is leave points on the table because you didn't listen to the examiner or read their instructions. Do not make this mistake. Most of the time, the instructions are routine, but you never know when something unexpected will show up: like a unique preference the examiner has.

Part and parcel of this is carefully reading the questions and making sure you answer them by addressing specifically what is being asked of you.

Test-taking tip 6. Scan the exam paper and do a rough time allocation

Spend no more than one or two minutes scanning your test or exam to give yourself a 30,000-foot view of its anatomy. What do want to walk away with from this initial inspection is how much time you roughly have for each section of the exam. (Sometimes, examiners provide this time estimate for you.)

This will prevent you from running out of time.

Test-taking tip 7. Answer the easy questions first

Start by answering the easy questions first (or the topics you know well). This not only builds your confidence, getting you into your flow state quicker, but it also allows you to rip through a significant portion of your test as quickly as possible , leaving you more time to tackle the harder sections.

That said, don't waste your time trying to cherry-pick which parts of the exam count as "easy" for you. If you read a question and can't answer it immediately, move on and come back to it later once you've captured your answers to all the questions you do know.

The best test-taking strategies for mastering your mindset

The key to getting an A is having the right mindset and staying focused. Here are some test-taking strategies to optimize your concentration and thinking before and during an exam.

Test-taking tip 8. Recognize (and set aside) the inner critic

Especially at the start of your test, be on the alert for the voice of “the inner critic”. You know the one: that annoying negative voice in your head that says things like “I don’t have nearly enough time to answer all these questions!” “That last essay I wrote was rubbish!” “I’ll never pass this!” etc.

This voice can become very loud if you’re feeling anxious while taking a test but just remember: you don’t have to believe everything you think.

Your best test-taking strategy here is to recognize the voice , set it aside, and get on with your exam. Even if you didn't put your all into your prep, you will always have another chance to do better.

Test-taking tip 9. Breathe deeply to calm your nerves

Some people get really stressed out before an exam and it can derail their focus and ability to perform. The quickest, surest way to calm your nerves is by slowing down your breathing:

• Put one hand on your tummy,
• Breathe out until you can’t anymore,
• And then breathe in slowly through your nose.

This engages diaphragmatic breathing, which calms your body down , alleviating the body’s stress responses.

How do you know when you’re doing diaphragm breathing correctly? When you breathe in, the hand on your tummy will move outwards. When you breathe out, this hand will move inwards. Count slowly to ten while you do a few calm diaphragmatic breaths, then continue your test.

Essay exam-taking skills

Essays are unique challenges that require a toolbox of exam-taking skills. Unlike short, open-response questions, they require a narrative, which in turn requires planning. You also need to keep coming back to the question to ask yourself: have I given the examiner everything they're asking for? Have I accounted for every possible point allocated to this question?

So here are the best test-taking strategies to apply to essay exams...

Test taking tip 10. Read the question carefully

We've been through this before but it's especially important for essay questions, which are much longer. Make sure you satisfy the examiner and account for all the points allocated to that question or else you're leaving points on the table. Remember, the best exam essay answers the question. To answer the question, you have to read it carefully.

Test taking tip 11. Plan your essay

It may feel like wasted time, but it's NOT. A minute or two spent planning how best to answer a question (and how you intend to structure your response) will make your job much easier. It'll ensure that your essay has a logical structure and it'll be quicker to write. Always plan first.

Try drawing a quick mind map of what you’ll cover, or write an outline by sketching the main and supporting points for each argument in the essay before you start.

Test taking tip 12. Practice your essay exam-taking skills

The best way to get good at writing essays is to practice them . Ask your teacher for a list of possible essay topics on your subject and then practice writing them at home. Share your work with your teacher for feedback and then rewrite those essays with that feedback in mind.

If this sounds like an awful lot of work, it is . But I promise you this: you'll become an essay assassin and the essay exam-taking skills you build here will follow you into college, your postgraduate studies, and your professional life. You're welcome.

Multiple choice exam-taking skills

Multiple-choice tests or exam sections may seem much easier than longer, open-response questions but they too present their challenges! Here are the best test-taking strategies to bear in mind when tackling multiple-choice tests.

Test-taking tip 13. Understand the rules of the game!

Always, always, always check the rules before you start answering multiple-choice questions: will you be penalized for wrong answers or not?

• If you’re penalized for wrong answers, don’t guess . Just leave out the questions you’re not sure of.
• If there's no penalty for wrong marks, definitely guess. As Michael Jordan said: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Just leave yourself some time to come back to the questions you weren’t sure of and give them your best guess.

The best test-taking strategies for when you're done writing (or think you're done)

Test-taking tip 14. check your work.

There are three positions you’ll be in at the end of the test. You’ll either be:

• Finishing with 5 to 15 minutes left for a quick revision of your work.
• Finishing with a LOT of time to spare.
• Running out of time, and not sure whether you’ll finish before the clock.

Each of these requires a different test-taking strategy.

1. Finishing with 5 to 15 minutes to spare If you’re writing essay questions, check your introductions and conclusions. These are where you can make the most impact. Put yourself in the shoes of a tired examiner who’s had to mark thirty similar essays that day.

Look for ways to make yours stand out. A strong conclusion is particularly impactful due to the recency effect , meaning humans recall the most recently presented information best . So even if you lost your way a bit during the middle, a strong, clear conclusion will help carry you through.

For multiple-choice tests, check for any questions you missed. Avoid the temptation to redo questions you’ve already done, unless you’re 100% certain.

2. Finishing with a LOT of time to spare As much as you may want to rush out of the exam room and erase the test from all memory, don’t . Having a lot of time at the end of a test usually comes down to one of these three reasons:

• You’re a total ace and know the answers like your ABCs.
• You’ve totally flunked, and have no idea what subject you were meant to be studying. Are you even in the right exam room?
• You’re pretty well prepared, but you’ve missed some vital information, and need to play catchup.

If you’re in category one or two, there’s not much to be done. Category three though, can be a heartbreaker. So let’s make sure you’re not about to throw your exam because you’ve misread the instructions or skipped a section.

Firstly, check your exam paper for any pages that may have become stuck together, hiding questions you’ve missed.

Secondly, if you’re writing essays, check the required length of the answers to make sure you haven’t shortchanged yourself there.

Thirdly, check if all the page numbers are sequential in the exam , and if you haven’t been accidentally given a test paper with missing pages. Look for any inserts or added sections that may have fallen off your desk or become mixed up in your writing paper.

Once you’ve done this, you’ll either be writing frantically to finish an essay in time, or you can smile, sit back, and put yourself in the first category.

3. Running out of time If you’re running out of time for essay questions, it’s okay to jot down your thoughts in point form . You’ll likely still get credit for them. After all, the aim is to demonstrate your knowledge, and most examiners will give you marks, even if your sentences aren’t complete.

For a multiple-choice test, first check you won’t be penalized for wrong answers . Then, do a lightning round of filling out the first answer that springs to mind. Give yourself a reasonably short time for each question, and GO!

If you sit down to start your test and discover your mind has gone as blank as a Zen monk after a year-long silent retreat, here are a few test-taking strategies for getting the engine started...

Test-taking tip 15. Label what you’re feeling

Emotions can be overwhelming in times like these. When you label them, you put them outside yourself and make them more manageable. i.e. “I’m feeling anxious because I can’t remember anything about quadratic equations.” This can have the effect of diffusing the emotion.

Test-taking tip 16. Do the easy questions first

Scan the questions until you find one you know the answer to. Sometimes you just need a few easy questions under your belt before your brain kicks into gear and you go into flow.

Test-taking tip 17. Breathe and stretch

Our body and mind are connected. If you're blanking, try using your body to get those mental juices flowing. Take 30 seconds to focus on your breathing and gently stretch your body. Relaxing can help you re-concentrate on the exam with better focus.

Strategy 18. Take some perspective

Remember that however dire the consequences of failing a written test are, they are never fatal. You’ll be okay in the end, and if you’re not okay right now, it’s not yet the end. Sometimes a quick change in perspective can give you the shift you need to relax and get your brain into gear.

Strategy test prep: the power of "the debrief"

Your exam is done and the relief is real . But before you blithely forget you ever wrote an exam, now's the perfect time to debrief so that you can do better in the future. After all, how do you expect to improve your test-taking skills if you don't reflect on the one you just wrote? Do that now: take the time to do a good post-mortem and set yourself up for future success.

Test-taking tip 19. Avoid the people who'll make you feel bad

We all do it: gather together after exams to compare notes. But, if possible, try to avoid a detailed post-mortem with those students who are either freaking out, convinced they failed or are swanning about with smug superiority.

That energy just isn't helpful.

Test-taking tip 20. Do a self-assessment

That said, it’s a really good idea to take thirty minutes that evening or the next day to sit somewhere quiet and do a self-assessment of your test. This is about you improving your overall performance, and it’s the kind of analysis that will help you do well on future tests.

Think about what you did well and what you could have done better, not only in how you answered questions but also in terms of your exam mindset, study habits, and overall enjoyment of the subject.

Perhaps you should try to include some new study tools to help you prepare more efficiently for future tests and exams. (Like Brainscape's flashcards #shamelessplug) Or maybe you need to find better ways to control your stress leading up to exams.

This kind of reflection is valuable, both for future performance and as a life skill. From Socrates to Ben Franklin, examining your life puts you in good stead for lifelong learning and will improve your test-taking strategies.

Make these 22 best test-taking strategies a habit

Now you know the best test-taking strategies used by top students. While building strong study habits is essential to a high test score, good exam technique is also key. Practice these test-taking strategies often enough, and you will become a test machine, acing each exam with cyborg-like precision.

Burrows, T., Goldman, S., Pursey, K., & Lim, R. (2017). Is there an association between dietary intake and academic achievement: a systematic review. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics , 30 (2), 117-140.

Huang, S., Deshpande, A., Yeo, S. C., Lo, J. C., Chee, M. W., & Gooley, J. J. (2016). Sleep restriction impairs vocabulary learning when adolescents cram for exams: the need for sleep study. Sleep , 39 (9), 1681-1690.

Murdock, B. B. (1962). The serial position effect of free recall. Journal of Experimental Psychology , 64 (5), 482-488.

Thomas, M., Sing, H., Belenky, G., Holcomb, H., Mayberg, H., Dannals, R., ... & Welsh, A. (2000). Neural basis of alertness and cognitive performance impairments during sleepiness. I. Effects of 24 h of sleep deprivation on waking human regional brain activity. Journal of Sleep Research , 9 (4), 335-352.

Flashcards for serious learners .

AP® English Language

The ultimate list of ap® english language tips.

• The Albert Team
• Last Updated On: May 9, 2022

The AP® Language and Composition exam tests your ability to not only read content, but also to analyze what you have read and draw conclusions to present in an argument. The test consists of two parts: multiple choice and free response, and it lasts 3 hours and 15 minutes. It is a long and difficult test, but with the right amount of practice, consideration of AP® English language tips, and determination, you will score a 5!

While we recommend Albert for your online prep, we also recommend that you augment your studies with AP® English Language review books. These AP® English Language tips can help you feel confident about scoring a 5 on the AP® Language and Composition exam. Let’s get started.

What We Review

How To Study for AP® English Language: 5 Tips for 4s and 5s

Before you learn how to study for the specific portions of the AP® Language exam, it’s time to learn how to study for AP® courses in general. AP® stands for Advanced Placement; meaning, the courses are designed to challenge you more so than a regular high school class. It’s safe to say that it’s nearly impossible to pass the AP® Language and Composition exam if you don’t have a grasp on how to study for a class as stimulating as an Advanced Placement course. Let’s review some general AP® English Language tips!

1. Become familiar with the style of AP® English Language questions

Before you can even begin to study for the AP® exams, you need to familiarize yourself with the overall format of the questions being asked on the exam. The test is broken into two sections: multiple-choice and free-response.

Starting with the 2021 exam, the multiple choice section will contain 45 questions broken down into 23-25 reading questions and 20-22 writing questions. The reading questions will ask you to read, analyze, and respond to nonfiction texts, while the writing questions will ask you to “read like a writer” and consider revisions to the texts.

The free-response section will contain three essay questions: one synthesis question, one rhetorical analysis question, and one argument question. The synthesis essay will have you read six-seven texts about a topic and compose an argument that relies on at least three of the sources to support your argument. The rhetorical analysis section will make you read a nonfiction text and analyze how the writer’s language choices contribute to the intended meaning and purpose of the text. Finally, the argument que requires that you create an evidence-based argument that responds to a certain prompt.

While your AP® course will familiarize you with the nature of these questions, we recommend that you check out AP® Central’s sample questions and catalog of old exams to further your understanding. We also offer a comprehensive How to Study for AP® English Language review that covers all things AP® English Lang, so check it out for tips on how to approach these questions.

2. Increase your understanding of the basic five-paragraph essay format

Since a huge component of the AP® English Language exam tests your writing abilities, you will need to come to the test with a solid understanding of how to write academic essays. One significant key to success is organization. Your essay must display some clear sense of organization if you want to score a 4 or 5.

The standard method of organization, the five-paragraph format, is likely the simplest way to go about organizing your argument. The paragraphs are ordered like this: Intro-Body-Body-Body-Conclusion. It’s a straightforward method that keeps your writing taut and cogent, and it’s the most common form we see on the test. Here’s a video that goes further into the five-paragraph essay.

3. Strengthen your critical thinking skills by making reading part of your daily schedule

A good portion of Advanced Placement courses is designed to test your ability to think, read, and write critically. Perhaps the most straightforward and simplest way to develop these vital skills is to incorporate reading into your daily schedule, and by reading, we mean material more complex than, say, Buzzfeed-style listicles.

You could go about this a few ways. For one, you could subscribe to a major editorial publication like The New York Times , The New Yorker, The Economist , or The Guardian and incorporate reading them into your daily routine.

Another way to strengthen your critical thinking skills through daily reading is to comb through a combination of smart fiction and nonfiction such as The Great Gatsby or Freakonomics . Consult our Ultimate AP® English Reading List for a comprehensive catalog of recommendations.

4. Develop your rhetorical and literary vocabulary by using online quizzes and word banks

The AP® English Language exam, of course, tests your abilities and knowledge within the fields of rhetoric, composition, and the English language, so it is imperative that you approach the test with a strong vocabulary.

One way to develop your academic vocabulary is to use online quiz programs like Quizlet (which includes tons of stuff on AP® Eng Lang) and Vocabulary.com . These will allow you to hone your vocabulary skills in an engaging and interactive way, and they also feature a variety of different memorization games such as flashcards, quizzes, and more.

We also recommend that you consult an AP® English Language vocabulary word bank. A quick Google search yields tons of results, but this handout and this one are solid places to start.

5. Form a study group

One of the most effective ways to study for any exam is to form a study group. Ideally, this group will contain members of all knowledge levels. Each person will bring something to the table—maybe you know more about symbolism than Sam, while Sam understands literary devices better than Ryan, and so on. Try and meet at a coffee shop or friend’s house either weekly or biweekly to maintain focus.  Learning other people’s viewpoints on the subjects covered on the different exams will help you approach questions from every angle.

Now that you’ve followed the previous general Advanced Placement study tips, you can focus on studying specifically for the AP® Language and Composition exam.

This part of this article will focus on the multiple-choice portion, which amounts to 45% of your overall score. So you could say that it’s pretty important.

Return to the Table of Contents

AP® English Language Multiple Choice Review: 13 Tips

1. Create a daily study routine early in the semester

The most important tip for acing any standardized exam is to develop good study habits. Start at the beginning of the semester. We know that other classes take up time, but we recommend that you set a daily alarm on your phone to remind you to study for AP® Lang. Carve out at least 30 minutes per day. The process should go on throughout the semester which will be a surefire way to remember important content at the end of the year and to build your stamina. In addition to studying classwork, we recommend that you consult an AP® English Language Guidebook or use one of our many practice modules to augment your daily studies.

2. Test yourself using practice exams

If you’re one of the many high school students who doesn’t spend most of their time studying, preparing early, and following the system of the previous study tip, we understand. Studying every single night may be a bit of a struggle. If this sounds like you, then the best option for studying for the AP® Language exam is to test yourself. Periodically throughout the semester, look up practice exams to test your comprehension of the material. We offer a variety of different practice exams , and the College Board also keeps samples of older exams to work from. We highly recommend you work through these before the exam.

3. Choose a multiple-choice strategy: read the passages first or read the questions first

Everyone knows the classic shortcut when it comes to multiple choice tests—read the questions first, then scan the passages to look for the answers. This method of approaching the exam can give you a more focused, determined approach on what to look for when reading the passage. But it can also be distracting to some.

On the other hand, you can read the passages first and then answer the questions. This is the more straightforward, perhaps more traditional way of approaching the multiple-choice section, and it works best for people who like to do things in logical, sequential ways. Work through a few practice exams, and then decide which works best for you and stick with it.

4. Read the questions thoroughly and more than once

This goes without saying. If you don’t have a good grasp on the content of the question, you’re going to get it wrong. Read the questions carefully and determine what it is asking, where in the text the answer can be found, and whether any of the choices provide a logical answer to the question.

Read the question more than once, definitely at least twice. Underline key words and phrases within the question if you find it helpful. Sometimes the answer to the questions can be complicated and rather unnerving. To avoid getting overwhelmed by this, try covering up the multiple choice answers with your hand or ignore them completely while you read just the stem of the question. Try to come up with an answer to the question before you even glance at the possible choices.

5. Reread portions of the text that are pertinent to the question

Remember that each and every question refers to the passage. Therefore, every answer can be found either within the text itself or where the text points.  When you have determined where in the passage an answer can be found, reread that portion. Dissect it thoroughly and from there, decide what the correct answer might be. Constantly return to the text, and mark it up. Highlight or underline key words or phrases, or things that stick out to you.

6. Use the process of elimination

This tip may be a little bit obvious. If you’re familiar with the subject matter of the question, it should not be hard to rule out at least one of the choices that you have determined not to be the answer. Physically mark out the answers you believe are wrong. It will help you to visually see which answers couldn’t possibly be the right one. Sometimes the writers of the test will write two answer choices that seem almost identical. However, one of them will have the slightest difference that makes it incorrect.

It might also help you to circle or underline the terms within the wrong answer choices that prove they are incorrect. If you get stumped on a similar question, you may look back onto these incorrect responses. With this information, you can deduce which answers are incorrect and which are correct.

7. Skip difficult questions and return to them later if you have time

Because the multiple-choice portion is timed, you may not have time to answer every single question if you are unsure of a few. The simplest way to clear your mind and focus on the easier questions is to skip the more difficult questions that you simply cannot answer. If you find yourself stuck on a question for more than, say, one-and-a-half minutes, then skip it, move onto the next one, and return to it after you’ve completed the questions you can answer.

Getting hung up on the more difficult questions can not only waste valuable time but also derail your focus and mess with your determination.

8. Mark-up key moments and phrases within the text

Treat the text passages like a blank canvas in which you are required to jot down your thoughts, reflections, questions, analysis, and more. Highlight, underline, or circle moments within the text that stick out to you. Whether you find a certain phrase or word central to the author’s argument, or you find a sentence particularly confounding, mark it!

If you skip a question, be sure to circle its number. That way, when you’re going back through your test, the search time for unanswered questions will be cut drastically. Alternatively, you can put a check mark beside every question you have answered, leaving unanswered questions with a blank space beside the numbers. By marking up the text, you essentially construct an analytical road map for yourself, one that makes the overall exam much easier.

9. When in doubt, guess

On the AP® English Language and Composition exam, your score on the multiple-choice portion is based on the number of questions you answer correctly. There is no penalty for incorrect answers. So there’s no logical reason not to guess on questions you are stumped on. So if you get to the end of a set of questions, and you return to some you’ve skipped, and you still can’t decide on an answer—just make an educated guess. It’s worth it.

10. Use Quizlet or paper flashcards to pin down vocabulary

For terms or concepts that are crucial for you to memorize, make flashcards. It may seem like an elementary study tip, but it truly works. Review the flashcards at least 30 minutes per day to develop a strong memory. You’ll find the test to be much easier if you have a strong command of rhetorical and compositional terms and phrases.

Quizlet offers tons of flashcard sets for AP® English Language and Composition, or you can use the site to simply make your own. We also provide many helpful modules over vocabulary and AP® English Language at large . And remember: pay special attention to terms or concepts that you don’t fully understand.

11. Study before bed

If you’ve made flashcards, a great time to study them, or really any notes you’ve taken, is before you go to bed. The brain remembers the most information right before you go to sleep. This is because when you’re asleep, it processes the most important memories of your day for storage.

If you review right before bedtime, your brain prioritizes this information and stores it for quick access. Because of this, it’d be a good idea to study first thing in the morning, too. This will remind your brain that the subject you’re studying really needs to be remembered. Instead of checking Instagram or Tik Tok at night, try and make it a habit to run through a set of flashcards or work through a few practice questions.

12.  Learn how to answer “all of the above” and “none of the above” questions

These are often dreaded multiple choice questions among students taking this exam. The “all of the above” or “none of the above” questions can throw students off because they indicate a certain totality that can be difficult to parse out. In “All of the above,” every single answer choice must be correct, so if one answer sounds iffy then avoid “all of the above.” “None of the above” is the same thing—each answer must be incorrect.

13. Do a breathing exercise if you find yourself getting too stressed out

We’ll be first to say it: the AP® English Language exam is stressful. But if you let your nerves get the best of you, the test will become even harder to ace. If you find yourself panicking, try this: Rest your hand on your abdomen, relax your shoulders and chest. Inhale through your nose slowly and feel your abdomen rise as you count to five in your head. Exhale. Repeat. This method will calm you.

Have confidence that you know the material well enough to get through this portion with ease. If you let your anxiety or nerves overwhelm you, the test will become much, much more difficult. It’s an anxiety-inducing test, sure, but also remember: it’s just a test. It’s not an end-all or a panacea. It’s a test. So breathe and approach it in a calm and collected manner.

The next part of this article will focus on the seemingly daunting free response portion of the AP® Language and Composition exam , worth 55% of your score. This portion consists of three different essays you must write within a two-hour period after a mandatory fifteen-minute reading period. Ultimately, these essays will assess your ability to quickly formulate arguments from inferences and analysis drawn from the sources provided to you. If you don’t understand early on how to go about following the instructions that are asked on the exam, you might find this portion more difficult than the multiple-choice section.

Here are some tips to help you ace the free response portion of the exam:

AP® English Language Free Response Question Review: 19 Tips

1. Spend time analyzing the question

Make sure you read the essay prompt many times and identify the key question being asked. AP® English Language questions can be tricky and demand multiple readings. Approach the question from each side of the possible argument that it poses. Consult our how-to guide on constructing arguments for extra help.

2. Choose your side of the argument

Based on the evidence provided for you in the passages you’ve read, come up with an argument. It is often helpful to choose an argument that has more evidence and references to support it, even if you do not necessarily agree with every tiny detail. The AP® English Language rhetorical analysis essay, for example, will require you to choose a side of an argument and develop your point.

3. Create a compelling and well-developed thesis statement

Come up with a strong thesis statement that clearly and effectively approaches the topic and the argument you are presenting. Don’t bother regurgitating the prompt in your introductory paragraphs—the scorers will just assume you are filling space and it will make your argument seem weak and lacking confidence. Answer all of the questions asked by the prompt in your introductory paragraph and include the main point of your argument in your thesis.

Remember: the thesis offers a concise summary of the main point or claim of the essay, research paper, etc. It is your claim, your argument, the essence of your paper summarized in one clean, well-developed statement.

Here’s an example of a good thesis: 

• As Wilde claims, disobedience is a valuable human trait without which progress could not be made because, in situations like the American Revolution, it is only deviance from the norm that can change the norm.

And here’s an example of a not-so good thesis: 

• Disobedience is a good trait for humans, because historically, disobedient men and women made history.

Be concise, detailed, and clear.

4. Build a strong set of body paragraphs

Once you have your thesis statement, construct strong, well-developed body paragraphs that expand and augment your central claim in your thesis. Be sure to mention how the supporting evidence you are citing within your essays relates back to your argument, but do not merely summarize the evidence. Unpack and analyze it.

5. Use specific, concise language

Ambiguity and vague sentences have no place within an AP® Language and Composition exam essay. The readers of your essay expect you to be exact and to the point. They want you to prove a point to them, not dance around it aimlessly. The more specific you are with your information, the better. Words and phrases like “about,” “kind of,” “sort of,” “thing,” and “stuff” should be avoided at all costs.

6. Cite your sources

You’re given textual sources for a reason. Use these to strengthen your argument and convince your audience of its legitimacy. In fact, in order to score high, you must thoroughly engage with your sources. Cite specific moments and phrases within the text, and avoid merely paraphrasing. However, you cannot merely summarize the source but critically read and analyze it. Failing to use the resources provided to you will result in an incredibly low score.

7. Develop a persuasive tone

The tone of an essay is what sets the stage for your argument. If there is no tone, it makes the essay seem sloppy and poorly structured. The argument itself may even seem scattered and all over the place. The tone of your essay should reflect your side of the argument and persuade the reader of your position.

If it doesn’t, how can the readers be expected to understand completely what side you are taking? You can successfully develop tone by using strong, sophisticated vocabulary, complicated verb and sentence forms, and by engaging with the texts in thorough, critical ways. Take a look at Princeton’s Writing Center’s handout on tone and tone words for extra help!

8. Don’t be afraid to make assumptions

A great deal of the scoring of this portion is based on the assumptions you make, your unpacking of the text’s implications. The assumptions and inferences made from your sources are crucial. Use them to explain your viewpoints and strengthen your argument.

Logical assumptions give interesting perspectives to the scorers of the essays. The use of inferences and assumptions in your essays also demonstrates your ability to think critically (as we discussed earlier). AP® English Language prompts will force you to think beyond the text.

9. Organize your thoughts using an outline

As you work through planning your argument in the essays, make sure you take time to organize your thoughts by creating an outline or map during prewriting. 

This will strengthen your argument and the overall structure of your essay. If your essay is neat and clean, the scorers can easily find what they are looking for in a well-written argument. One way to make this easier is to use an outline, guide, or an essay map. Here’s an example of what this would look like.

10 Use a strong organizational format

If you are unfamiliar with the structure of an essay, you definitely need to learn it before the exam. Think of an essay as a skeleton: the introductory, body, and conclusion paragraphs are the bones; the actual muscle, tendons, and organs holding it together are the bulk of the essay. 

This is what you add to it, including arguments and supporting evidence. Following (and also expanding on) a basic organization structure like this will make your essay much more sophisticated and readable.

11. Use a diverse body of sentences and vocabulary

If you write your essay with choppy, short sentences having a simple vocabulary, the reader is going to assume that you are not well-versed in the English language, or that you could not address the prompt in college-ready level of sophistication. This can severely hurt your score—especially considering you are taking an exam in AP® Language and Composition. You can strengthen your vocabulary and writing skills by developing a daily reading habit and consulting a list of common words found on the AP® English Language test.    

12. Work quickly

Although you want to keep all of these tips in mind, remember that this is still a timed portion of the exam. You don’t have much time to spend trying to make every single part of your essays perfect. So if you find yourself getting caught up trying to perfect a sentence or find yourself deliberating at length over choosing the perfect word, remind yourself to stop and move on. Nothing will be perfect, so use your time wisely. 

13. Build up your time management skills

Learning time management skills early on can help tremendously when it comes to timed exams. Practice taking timed exams frequently throughout the semester to build confidence and skill.

When you take one of our practice exams or one from the Princeton Review , set a time on your phone and record how long it takes you to work through the test. Try and increase your time with each practice exam. This will really help when you’re forced to formulate multiple arguments for different essays in a limited amount of time.

14. Know the rubric inside and out

Knowing the rubric is an incredibly strategic move in acing the AP® Language and Composition essay portion. When you know what exactly it is the scorers usually look for, you can be at ease. This is because you know exactly what to put into your arguments to make for a high-scoring essay. The rubric has recently been updated, and we highly recommend you take a look at it here .

Simply put, the FRQ rubric is broken down into three main sections: thesis , evidence and commentary , and sophistication . The thesis component addresses—you guessed it—your thesis statement. The evidence and commentary section of the rubric involves your ability to cite and analyze evidence from the text. And finally, the sophistication component addresses the overall “smartness” of your essay. 

15. Read widely in your spare time

This may seem obvious, but many students don’t understand how much reading is required for this course. AP® Language and Composition covers writing styles throughout several centuries, so it’s crucial to become familiar with all of them.

Reading a few books for leisure in between assignments will help drastically in developing a writing style of your own as well. And, as we mentioned before, developing a sturdy reading daily reading habit with The New York Times, The New Yorker, or another major publication will familiarize you with sophisticated writing and higher levels of thinking.

16. Practice dissection of rhetorical texts

No, don’t worry; you won’t have to know how to dissect a dead frog for the AP® Language exam. However, it is a good idea to practice dissecting everything you read. By this we mean that you approach reading with a highly critical eye. When doing your daily reading, ask yourself: Who is the audience in this piece? What is it that the author is trying to accomplish by writing this? What is the main idea? Is there any symbolism used in vague sentences?

17. Write neatly

Legible writing is a scorer’s best friend. Scorers are very busy people with thousands of essays to grade. They do not have much time trying to decipher your chicken scratch. The more the scorers can read, the more there is to grade.

18. Avoid clichés

Sure, a cliché may bring a sense of familiarity to your writing. But mostly, it just bores the reader. If you must use a common cliché phrase, try to change it up a bit by using synonyms for the verbs. Avoid banal phrases like “all that glitters isn’t gold;” cliches like this are so overused that they’ve lost their meaning. Take a look at this list of cliches for further understanding. 

19. Learn at least three stress management techniques

Stress can take a toll on each and every one of us. Learning how to handle it is a skill that is vital to every aspect of life, especially when it comes to school. One, you could try meditation using meditation apps like Headspace . Two, you could begin a daily jogging routine and use apps like RunKeeper to pace yourself. Or, three, you could develop a yoga routine. Take a look at our Teacher Self-Care Kit for tips on how to stay positive. Even if you’re a student and not a teacher, we offer plenty of great advice on how to stay calm.

Study Tips by AP® English Language Teachers

Ap® english language multiple choice tips:.

• Multiple choice questions differ in difficulty. Multiple choice always presents a combination of easy, medium, and hard questions for each passage. Generally speaking, these questions follow the chronology of the passage, but they are all worth the same amount of points. Therefore, the best approach is to go for easy and medium questions first and skip questions that will require a significant amount of time up front. Thanks for the tip from Fred B.
• Reread questions that deal with context. When dealing with questions asking about things in context, the best approach is to return to the beginning of the sentence or the previous sentence and read the end of that sentence to understand its meaning. It may also be a good idea to read the sentence that follows as well. Thanks for the tip from Fred B.
• Consolidate when you begin to run out of time. If you’re running out of time, you should either scan the remaining questions and find the shortest questions or look for questions that contain the answer without requiring you to refer back to the text. Thanks for the tip from Fred B.

AP® English Language Free Response Tips:

• Keep source credibility in mind. Say you have to read two articles, one in the San Francisco Chronicle and one posted on a blog. You know nothing about either author. You know nothing about the content (topic). Brainstorm about what credibility factors you can deduce before you even see the articles . Thanks for the tip from Mark M.
• Create your own excitement about the prompt and what you have to say about it. If you can find a way to be passionate about it, you will write faster, easier, and better. After this year’s test, one of my students said she remembered the tip and intentionally generated her own enthusiasm about her topics, so she came out feeling happy about what she wrote. She scored a 4. Thanks for the tip from Pam S.

AP® English Language Preparation Tips:

• Develop a repertoire of strong verbs and verb forms. Students need to enhance their vocabulary by adding quality verbs in order to read and write more effectively. This study should embrace the verb in both active and passive voice; likewise, the verb should be mastered for gerundive and participial uses. Thanks for the tip from Mike M.
• Read credible newspapers daily. Connect current world events to classic essays and memoirs. Look for the connection between the human condition and the speaker’s purpose. Always ask why? Why that word? Why that tone? Why that call to action? Thanks for the tip from Bobbi C.
• Overall, focus your studies on argument and rhetorical analysis. The two skills of the course are argument and rhetorical analysis. One bit of advice that is central to impart to students is the tenet “acknowledge complexity.” This is relevant in arguments (e.g. take time to address reasonable counter-arguments) and rhetorical analysis (e.g. a letter can be both threatening and conciliatory — check out Banneker’s letter to Jefferson from the 2010 test). Passing the AP® English Language and Composition exam is never going to be easy. But with the right amount of studying, motivation, and understanding (along with these tips, of course), you should have more than what it takes to score well on this exam. Prepare early, be confident in your comprehension of the material, and watch yourself work through the exam with certainty. Thanks for the tip from Peter D.

Are you a teacher or student? Do you have an awesome tip? Let us know!

Wrapping Things Up: The Ultimate List of AP® English Language Tips

The AP® English Language and Composition exam is a difficult test, but with the right amount of practice, preparation, and hard work, it is possible to score a 5. The exam is designed to test your critical thinking and reading skills, so it is imperative that you sharpen your skills months before actually taking the test.

The best way to begin studying for this test is simply through practice. Consult a previous exam on College Board or take one of our practice exams to get a feel of what the AP® English Language exam looks like. From there, develop a daily reading habit by subscribing to a major publication like The New York Times or The New Yorker to hone your reading and critical thinking skills. Moreover, start a daily vocabulary routine through Quizlet or physical flashcards to develop your understanding of rhetorical and compositional vocabulary. 

Approach the multiple-choice questions and the free-response questions with strategies pertinent to each section. Remember that the multiple-choice section is graded holistically, so it doesn’t hurt to guess. Acing the free-response section will require practice and a thorough understanding of how to write a thesis statement, so it’s important that you practice and hone this skill before taking the test. We offer a comprehensive guide to acing the free-response question that’s worth a look, too! 

And remember, at the end of the day, it’s just a test. Do not psych yourself out or let your nerves and anxiety overwhelm you. Stress will just distract you from succeeding. If you come to the test prepared and even-keeled, you will do great!

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, expert's guide to the ap literature exam.

Advanced Placement (AP)

If you're planning to take the AP English Literature and Composition exam, you'll need to get familiar with what to expect on the test. Whether the 2023 test date of Wednesday, May 3, is near or far, I'm here to help you get serious about preparing for the exam.

In this guide, I'll go over the test's format and question types, how it's graded, best practices for preparation, and test-day tips. You'll be on your way to AP English Lit success in no time!

AP English Literature: Exam Format and Question Types

The AP Literature Exam is a three-hour exam that contains two sections in this order:

• An hour-long, 55-question multiple-choice section
• A two-hour, three-question free-response section

The exam tests your ability to analyze works and excerpts of literature and cogently communicate that analysis in essay form.

Read on for a breakdown of the two different sections and their question types.

Section I: Multiple Choice

The multiple-choice section, or Section I of the AP Literature exam, is 60 minutes long and has 55 questions. It counts for 45% of your overall exam grade .

You can expect to see five excerpts of prose and poetry. You will always get at least two prose passages (fiction or drama) and two poetry passages. In general, you will not be given the author, date, or title for these works, though occasionally the title of a poem will be given. Unusual words are also sometimes defined for you.

The date ranges of these works could fall from the 16th to the 21st century. Most works will be originally written in English, but you might occasionally see a passage in translation.

There are, generally speaking, eight kinds of questions you can expect to see on the AP English Literature and Composition exam. I'll break each of them down here and give you tips on how to identify and approach them.

"Pretty flowers carried by ladies" is not one of the question types.

The 8 Multiple-Choice Question Types on the AP Literature Exam

Without further delay, here are the eight question types you can expect to see on the AP Lit exam. All questions are taken from the sample questions on the AP Course and Exam Description .

#1: Reading Comprehension

These questions test your ability to understand what the passage is saying on a pretty basic level . They don't require you to do a lot of interpretation—you just need to know what's going on.

You can identify this question type from words and phrases such as "according to," "mentioned," "asserting," and so on. You'll succeed on these questions as long as you carefully read the text . Note that you might have to go back and reread parts to make sure you understand what the passage is saying.

#2: Inference

These questions ask you to infer something—a character or narrator's opinion, an author's intention, etc.—based on what is said in the passage . It will be something that isn't stated directly or concretely but that you can assume based on what's clearly written in the passage. You can identify these questions from words such as "infer" and "imply."

The key to these questions is to not get tripped up by the fact that you are making an inference—there will be a best answer, and it will be the choice that is best supported by what is actually found in the passage .

In many ways, inference questions are like second-level reading comprehension questions: you need to know not just what a passage says, but also what it means.

#3: Identifying and Interpreting Figurative Language

These are questions for which you have to either identify what word or phrase is figurative language or provide the meaning of a figurative phrase . You can identify these as they will either explicitly mention figurative language (or a figurative device, such as a simile or metaphor ) or include a figurative phrase in the question itself.

The meaning of figurative phrases can normally be determined by that phrase's context in the passage—what is said around it? What is the phrase referring to?

Example 1: Identifying

Example 2: Interpreting

#4: Literary Technique

These questions involve identifying why an author does what they do , from using a particular phrase to repeating certain words. Basically, what techniques is the author using to construct the passage/poem, and to what effect?

You can identify these questions by words/phrases such as "serves chiefly to," "effect," "evoke," and "in order to." A good way to approach these questions is to ask yourself: so what? Why did the author use these particular words or this particular structure?

#5: Character Analysis

These questions ask you to describe something about a character . You can spot them because they will refer directly to characters' attitudes, opinions, beliefs, or relationships with other characters .

This is, in many ways, a special kind of inference question , since you are inferring the broader personality of the character based on the evidence in a passage. Also, these crop up much more commonly for prose passages than they do for poetry ones.

#6: Overall Passage Questions

Some questions ask you to identify or describe something about the passage or poem as a whole : its purpose, tone, genre, etc. You can identify these by phrases such as "in the passage" and "as a whole."

To answer these questions, you need to think about the excerpt with a bird's-eye view . What is the overall picture created by all the tiny details?

#7: Structure

Some AP Lit questions will ask you about specific structural elements of the passage: a shift in tone, a digression, the specific form of a poem, etc . Often these questions will specify a part of the passage/poem and ask you to identify what that part is accomplishing.

Being able to identify and understand the significance of any shifts —structural, tonal, in genre, and so on—will be of key importance for these questions.

#8: Grammar/Nuts & Bolts

Very occasionally you will be asked a specific grammar question , such as what word an adjective is modifying. I'd also include in this category super-specific questions such as those that ask about the meter of a poem (e.g., iambic pentameter).

These questions are less about literary artistry and more about the fairly dry technique involved in having a fluent command of the English language .

That covers the eight question types on the multiple-choice section. Now, let's take a look at the free-response section of the AP Literature exam.

Keep track of the nuts and bolts of grammar.

Section II: Free Response

The AP Literature Free Response section is two hours long and involves three free-response essay questions , so you'll have about 40 minutes per essay. That's not a lot of time considering this section of the test counts for 55% of your overall exam grade !

Note, though, that no one will prompt you to move from essay to essay, so you can theoretically divide up the time however you want. Just be sure to leave enough time for each essay! Skipping an essay, or running out of time so you have to rush through one, can really impact your final test score.

The first two essays are literary analysis essays of specific passages, with one poem and one prose excerpt. The final essay is an analysis of a given theme in a work selected by you , the student.

Essays 1 & 2: Literary Passage Analysis

For the first two essays, you'll be presented with an excerpt and directed to analyze the excerpt for a given theme, device, or development . One of the passages will be poetry, and one will be prose. You will be provided with the author of the work, the approximate date, and some orienting information (i.e., the plot context of an excerpt from a novel).

Below are some sample questions from the 2022 Free Response Questions .

Essay 3: Thematic Analysis

For the third and final essay, you'll be asked to discuss a particular theme in a work that you select . You will be provided with a list of notable works that address the given theme below the prompt, but you can also choose to discuss any "work of literary merit."

So while you do have the power to choose which work you wish to write an essay about , the key words here are "literary merit." That means no genre fiction! Stick to safe bets like authors in the list on pages 10-11 of the old 2014 AP Lit Course Description .

(I know, I know—lots of genre fiction works do have literary merit and Shakespeare actually began as low culture, and so on and so forth. Indeed, you might find academic designations of "literary merit" elitist and problematic, but the time to rage against the literary establishment is not your AP Lit test! Save it for a really, really good college admissions essay instead .)

Here's a sample question from 2022:

As you can see, the list of works provided spans many time periods and countries : there are ancient Greek plays ( Antigone ), modern literary works (such as Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale ), Shakespeare plays ( The Tempest ), 19th-century English plays ( The Importance of Being Earnest ), etc. So you have a lot to work with!

Also note that you can choose a work of "comparable literary merit." That means you can select a work not on this list as long as it's as difficult and meaningful as the example titles you've been given. So for example, Jane Eyre or East of Eden would be great choices, but Twilight or The Hunger Games would not.

Our advice? If you're not sure what a work of "comparable literary merit" is, stick to the titles on the provided list .

You might even see something by this guy.

How Is the AP Literature Test Graded?

The multiple-choice section of the exam comprises 45% of your total exam score; the three essays, or free-response section, comprise the other 55%. Each essay, then, is worth about 18% of your grade.

As on other AP exams, your raw score will be converted to a score from 1-5 . You don't have to get every point possible to get a 5 by any means. In 2022, 16.9% of students received 5s on the AP English Literature test, the 14th highest 5 score out of the 38 different AP exams.

So, how do you calculate your raw scores?

Multiple-Choice Scoring

For the multiple-choice section, you receive 1 point for each question you answer correctly . There's no guessing penalty, so you should answer every question—but guess only after you're able to eliminate any answer you know is wrong to up your chances of choosing the right one.

Free-Response Scoring

Scoring for multiple choice is pretty straightforward; however, essay scoring is a little more complicated.

Each of your essays will receive a score from 0 to 6 based on the College Board rubric , which also includes question-specific rubrics. All the rubrics are very similar, with only minor differences between them.

Each essay rubric has three elements you'll be graded on:

• Thesis (0-1 points)
• Evidence and Commentary (0-4 points)
• Sophistication (0-1 points)

We'll be looking at the current rubric for the AP Lit exam , which was released in September 2019, and what every score means for each of the three elements above:

To get a high-scoring essay in the 5-6 point range, you'll need to not only come up with an original and intriguing argument that you thoroughly support with textual evidence, but you’ll also need to stay focused, organized, and clear. And all in just 40 minutes per essay!

If getting a high score on this section sounds like a tall order, that's because it is.

Practice makes perfect!

Skill-Building for Success on the AP Literature Exam

There are several things you can do to hone your skills and best prepare for the AP Lit exam.

Read Some Books, Maybe More Than Once

One of the most important steps you can take to prepare for the AP Literature and Composition exam is to read a lot and read well . You'll be reading a wide variety of notable literary works in your AP English Literature course, but additional reading will help you further develop your analytical reading skills .

I suggest checking out this list of notable authors in the 2014 AP Lit Course Description (pages 10-11).

In addition to reading broadly, you'll want to become especially familiar with the details of four to five books with different themes so you'll be prepared to write a strong student-choice essay. You should know the plot, themes, characters, and structural details of these books inside and out.

See my AP English Literature Reading List for more guidance.

Read (and Interpret) Poetry

One thing students might not do very much on their own time but that will help a lot with AP Lit exam prep is to read poetry. Try to read poems from a lot of eras and authors to get familiar with the language.

We know that poetry can be intimidating. That's why we've put together a bunch of guides to help you crack the poetry code (so to speak). You can learn more about poetic devices —like imagery and i ambic pentameter —in our comprehensive guide. Then you can see those analytical skills in action in our expert analysis of " Do not go gentle into that good night " by Dylan Thomas.

When you think you have a grip on basic comprehension, you can then move on to close reading (see below).

Hone Your Close Reading and Analysis Skills

Your AP class will likely focus heavily on close reading and analysis of prose and poetry, but extra practice won't hurt you. Close reading is the ability to identify which techniques the author is using and why. You'll need to be able to do this both to gather evidence for original arguments on the free-response questions and to answer analytical multiple-choice questions.

Here are some helpful close reading resources for prose :

• University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center's guide to close reading
• Harvard College Writing Center's close reading guide
• Purdue OWL's article on steering clear of close reading "pitfalls"

And here are some for poetry :

• University of Wisconsin-Madison's poetry-reading guide
• This guide to reading poetry at Poets.org (complete with two poetry close readings)
• Our own expert analyses of famous poems, such as " Ozymandias ", and the 10 famous sonnets you should know

Learn Literary and Poetic Devices

You'll want to be familiar with literary terms so that any test questions that ask about them will make sense to you. Again, you'll probably learn most of these in class, but it doesn't hurt to brush up on them.

Here are some comprehensive lists of literary terms with definitions :

• The 31 Literary Devices You Must Know
• The 20 Poetic Devices You Must Know
• The 9 Literary Elements You'll Find In Every Story
• What Is Imagery?
• Understanding Assonance
• What Is Iambic Pentameter in Poetry?
• Simile vs Metaphor: The 1 Big Difference
• 10 Personification Examples in Poetry, Literature, and More

Practice Writing Essays

The majority of your grade on the AP English Lit exam comes from essays, so it's critical that you practice your timed essay-writing skills . You of course should use the College Board's released free-response questions to practice writing complete timed essays of each type, but you can also practice quickly outlining thorough essays that are well supported with textual evidence.

Take Practice Tests

Taking practice tests is a great way to prepare for the exam. It will help you get familiar with the exam format and overall experience . You can get sample questions from the Course and Exam Description , the College Board website , and our guide to AP English Lit practice test resources .

Be aware that the released exams don't have complete slates of free-response questions, so you might need to supplement these with released free-response questions .

Since there are three complete released exams, you can take one toward the beginning of your prep time to get familiar with the exam and set a benchmark, and one toward the end to make sure the experience is fresh in your mind and to check your progress.

Don't wander like a lonely cloud through your AP Lit prep.

AP Literature: 6 Critical Test-Day Tips

Before we wrap up, here are my six top tips for AP Lit test day:

• #1: On the multiple-choice section, it's to your advantage to answer every question. If you eliminate all the answers you know are wrong before guessing, you'll raise your chances of guessing the correct one.
• #2: Don't rely on your memory of the passage when answering multiple-choice questions (or when writing essays, for that matter). Look back at the passage!
• #3: Interact with the text : circle, mark, underline, make notes—whatever floats your boat. This will help you retain information and actively engage with the passage.
• #4: This was mentioned above, but it's critical that you know four to five books well for the student-choice essay . You'll want to know all the characters, the plot, the themes, and any major devices or motifs the author uses throughout.
• #5: Be sure to plan out your essays! Organization and focus are critical for high-scoring AP Literature essays. An outline will take you a few minutes, but it will help your writing process go much faster.
• #6: Manage your time on essays closely. One strategy is to start with the essay you think will be the easiest to write. This way you'll be able to get through it while thinking about the other two essays.

And don't forget to eat breakfast! Apron optional.

AP Literature Exam: Key Takeaways

The AP Literature exam is a three-hour test that includes an hour-long multiple-choice section based on five prose and poetry passages and with 55 questions, and a two-hour free-response section with three essays : one analyzing a poetry passage, one analyzing a prose passage, and one analyzing a work chosen by you, the student.

The multiple-choice section is worth 45% of your total score , and the free-response section is worth 55% . The three essays are each scored on a rubric of 0-6, and raw scores are converted to a final scaled score from 1 to 5.

Here are some things you can do to prepare for the exam:

• Read books and be particularly familiar with four to five works for the student-choice essays
• Read poetry
• Work on your close reading and analysis skills
• Learn common literary devices
• Practice writing essays
• Take practice tests!

On test day, be sure to really look closely at all the passages and really interact with them by marking the text in a way that makes sense to you. This will help on both multiple-choice questions and the free-response essays. You should also outline your essays before you write them.

With all this in mind, you're well on your way to AP Lit success!

What's Next?

If you're taking other AP exams this year, you might be interested in our other AP resources: from the Ultimate Guide to the US History Exam , to the Ultimate AP Chemistry Study Guide , to the Best AP Psychology Study Guide , we have tons of articles on AP courses and exams for you !

Looking for practice exams? Here are some tips on how to find the best AP practice tests . We've also got comprehensive lists of practice tests for AP Psychology , AP Biology , AP Chemistry , and AP US History .

Deciding which APs to take? Take a look through the complete list of AP courses and tests , read our analysis of which AP classes are the hardest and easiest , and learn how many AP classes you should take .

Ellen has extensive education mentorship experience and is deeply committed to helping students succeed in all areas of life. She received a BA from Harvard in Folklore and Mythology and is currently pursuing graduate studies at Columbia University.

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Essay Test Tips

Everyone has different methods of studying for test(s). The following are just suggestions to improve your study skills.

• Estimate the time. Determine how much time you have to spend on the essay. If you have one hour to take three essays, allow yourself only 20 minutes per essay. Watch your time closely.
• Read directions carefully. Pay close attention to whether you are to answer the entire essay questions or only a specified amount (i.e., "Answer 2 out of the 4 questions").
• Pay close attention to key instruction words. Read the question carefully looking for key words that request a specific "take" on the answer. These words include "analyze," "list," "describe," "explain," "identify," "explain," "compare," and "contrast."
• Make an outline. Before writing the essay make an outline to organize your thoughts. Write your ideas in the margin of your test or on a separate sheet of paper. An outline will help you stay focused as you write.
• Write legibly. The grader must be able to read the essay in order to grade it. Write in complete sentences and paragraphs.
• Proofread. If time allows, proofread your work. Did you say what you intended? Correct grammar and spelling errors.

Math Test Tips

• Do the homework assignments daily. Most math subjects build on each other, and if you do not learn the first concepts in the class, you will have difficulty understanding the new ones. Doing the homework assignments is also very good practice for the test.
• Write down all hard to remember formulas, equations, and rules as soon as you get the test. When you get to a problem that requires a formula, you will not have forgotten it.
• Read directions carefully. Make sure you answer all parts of the questions.
• Show all work. Partial credit may be awarded. Write as legible as possible.
• Skip hard problems. If you come to a hard problem, skip it and come back to it later if time permits.
• Recheck problems. If you have time after finishing the test, recheck problems. One wrong sign could change the answer.
• Write legibly. The grader can not give partial credit if he or she is unable to read the steps you used to find the answer.

Multiple/Choice Test Tips

• Answer all questions in order. Don't skip around. You may forget to go back and answer them later. Identify doubtful answers by marking in the margin and review these if time permits after all questions have been answered. Do not linger too long on any one question.
• Read questions carefully. Watch for qualifying words that can change the meaning of the question. Circle them if it will help you interpret the question
• Words like always , never , completely , and only are absolutes. These terms define concepts as right or wrong.
• Watch for words like not , least , and except . It is easy to forget that you are supposed to select the negative response.
• Anticipate the answer. Answer the question before looking at the possible choices.
• Eliminate answers. If you are not sure of the answer, eliminate choices you know are not right.
• Go with your first choice. If you have second thoughts about your answer, trust your first instinct, unless you are absolutely sure you were wrong.
• Don't look for answers to fall in a pattern. They usually don't.
• Don't leave answers blank. If there is no guessing penalty, always take an educated guess and select an answer.
• Check your test over when you are finished. Look back at questions you marked questionable; something in the test might have helped you remember the correct answer.

Preparing for Tests

• Review notes daily. Review your class notes while they are still fresh in your mind.
• Manage your time. Make sure you have enough time to study. Don't try pulling an all-nighter. Start studying at least a week ahead of time. Study a little every day.
• Find a comfortable place to study. Make sure there is good lighting and little distraction.
• Attend the class before test day. Take careful notes and ask any questions about any items you may not understand. Know what to expect.
• Review - Go over your notes, the textbook, and other assigned readings.
• Organize your notes. Highlight important concepts, information, and formulas. Rewrite these on one sheet or on a series of index cards.
• Make flashcards. A good way to memorize terminology is to make flashcards using cheap index cards.
• Understand the material. Know the material. Don't just read through the material and try to memorize everything.
• Form Study Groups. If you choose to study in a group, study only with those who are serious about studying.
• Find a Tutor. Contact the Center for Learning and Teaching for the availability of tutors in the subject. Do not wait until the day before the test to seek help.
• Get plenty of Sleep. Make sure you get plenty of sleep the night before the test.

The Day of the Test

• Relax. If you have studied and are prepared, just relax, take a nice walk, or do a little exercise.
• Eat before the test. Do not skip the meal before your test. Try eating a light snack just before the test. Avoid heavy foods that will cause you to become sleepy. Drink plenty of water.
• Arrive Early. Show up at least 5 to 10 minutes before the test will start.
• Bring all supplies needed - Come prepared with pencils, calculator, dictionary, or any other approved or required supplies.
• Bring a watch. When you get your test, look it over to plan your time for each part of the test. Remember to allow a few minutes at the end to look back over the test when you are finished.
• Be Positive. Keep a positive attitude throughout the entire test and stay relaxed. If you feel overwhelmed, just take a few deep breaths and continue.
• Put your name on the test. Before you do anything to the test, make sure you put your name on the test and on the answer sheet.
• Expect some anxiety. Being concerned will help you do your best on the test.
• Remember others may finish before you - Don't worry if others finish before you; just concentrate on the test in front of you. You are allowed to use the full time that is allotted.
• Review the test. Before turning the test in, double check that you have not left any questions unanswered. Make sure your name is on the test.

Short Answer/Fill-In Test Tips

• Make flashcards. Write key terms, dates, and concepts on one side of an index card and the definition, event, and explanations on the other side of the card.
• Anticipate questions. Think of questions that might be on the test and practice answering them. Most professors will emphasize what will be on the test.
• Short answers - Read the questions carefully and make sure you provide everything that it asks.
• Answer all questions. If you are not sure of the complete answer, write what you do know. Sometimes professors will give partial credit.
• Answering fill-in the blank questions. There may be various answers. However, the professor usually is looking for a specific answer related to the material studied.

Test Anxiety

• Think Positive. Replace all your negative thoughts with positive ones.
• Improve ways you prepare for a test - Read Preparing for Tests on this site or check out the pamphlets on testing available in the Center for Learning and Teaching.
• Seek help. The Center for Learning and Teaching has tutors available for many of the basic subjects.
• Learn to relax. Do some muscle relaxation exercises the night before the test and in the morning. Exercise will relieve the stress and sharpen the mind.
• Do not wait until the last minute to prepare for a test - Start studying from the first day. Review all notes right after the lecture and every other day until the test.
• Get plenty of rest. Do not stay up to cram all night for the test. Your body needs plenty of rest to function properly.
• Eat before taking the test. Don't skip a meal. Eat a light snack just before taking the test. Fresh fruits and vegetables are commonly recommended to relieve stress. Avoid stressful foods such as processed foods, artificial sweeteners, carbonated soft drinks chocolate, eggs, fried foods, junk foods, spicy foods. Avoid high sugar content (candy), which may aggravate your condition.
• Wear comfortable clothes. Dress in layers to accommodate test room temperature. Wear loose-fitting clothes.
• Arrive early. Avoid putting too many tasks on the day of the test. Concentrate only on being relaxed.
• Avoid negative test takers. They will encourage you to think you cannot do well.
• Pick your seat. If seating is not assigned, pick a seat that will have few distractions, possibly a seat up front and away from the door.
• The test is in your hands. Take a deep breath. You can do this. You are prepared, and you know the material. Before even looking over the test, write down any important formulas, facts, definitions and/or keywords in the margin so you won't worry about forgetting them.
• Do essay and short answer questions first. The material is fresh in your mind, and you will not have to worry remembering ideas when you get to them later in the test. With Multiple/Choice, True/False and Matching, the answer is right there in front of you, and the ideas may be easier to recall later in the test.
• Focus on what you are doing. Don't let your mind worry about what grade you will get or that others are finished before you. Keep your mind focused.
• Control anxiety. Stop, turn your test over, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths to clear your mind. Now turn the test back over and begin again. You can do this.
• Evaluate the test experience. After the test, list the strategies that worked and stick to them. List what did not work and look for ways of improving.
• Seek help. If you still have major test anxiety, seek help. CMU provides counselors free of charge to current CMU students. Counselors may be reached on campus at ext. 58274.

True/False Test Tips

• Think strategically. Usually there are more true answers than false. If there is no penalty for guessing, do not leave the answer blank; you have a 50% chance of getting it right.
• Watch for modifying or limiting phases - Make sure names, dates, and places are accurate.
• Watch for key words. Qualifiers like never and always means the statement must be true all of the time. Usually statements with these qualifiers are false. Qualifiers such as sometimes, often, frequently, ordinarily or generally means the statement can be either true or false depending on the circumstances. These qualifiers often indicate true answers.
• Long statements. If any part of the statement is false, the whole statement is false.

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TOEFL Prep Online Guides and Tips

How to ace the toefl writing section: 7 expert tips.

Want to know all the information you need to write two great essays and ace the TOEFL Writing section?

This guide has all the tips you need to do well on TOEFL Writing. We’ll explain exactly what you can expect to see in this section, then give TOEFL Writing tips tips on how to answer both essay types, how you should study, and what you should do on test day to make sure you ace this section.

Overview of the TOEFL Writing Section

The TOEFL Writing section lasts 50 minutes and contains two tasks: Integrated Writing and Independent Writing. It’s the final section of the TOEFL. After this, you’re done!

You’ll have 20 minutes to plan and write the Integrated Writing Task and 30 minutes to plan and write the Independent Writing Tasks. Both essays will be written on the computer. We’ll discuss the tasks and what you’re expected to write in more detail in the next section.

After you complete the exam, your essays will be graded by several (typically four) graders. Each essay will receive a score from 0-5. The sum of those two scores will then be scaled to a score from 0-30, which is your official Writing score. The Writing section makes of 25% of your total TOEFL score (from 0-120).

What Types of Questions Are on TOEFL Writing?

The Writing section contains two tasks. In this section, we’ll explain the format and content of the tasks and give an official example question and response tips for each question type.

By the way: we have built the world's best online TOEFL course . Get online practice (TPO-sytle!) and individual grading and feedback on Speaking and Writing.

Learn how you can improve your TOEFL score by 15 points today .

TOEFL Integrated Writing

The TOEFL Integrated Writing task requires you to use listening, reading, and writing skills. For this task, you will have three minutes to read a short passage, then you will listen to a short (approximately two-minute long) audio clip of a speaker discussing the same topic the written passage covers.  You will have 20 minutes to plan and write a response that references both of these sources. You won’t discuss your own opinion.

During the writing time, you’ll be able to look at the written passage again, but you won’t be able to re-hear the audio clip. You’ll be able to take notes while you listen to it though.  The suggested response length for this task is 150-225 words. You’ll be graded on the quality of your writing as well as how well your response represents the main points of the audio clip and written passage and how they relate to each other.

Sample TOEFL Integrated Writing Question

(On the real TOEFL, the lecture would be an audio clip instead of a transcript.)

TOEFL Writing Tips for Answering

• Frequently refer back to the audio clip and written passage when making an argument. A key part of your grade is how well you show you understood the information these two pieces contained.
• However, don’t just copy portions of the audio clip or passage into your essay; that doesn’t show your English skills. Always rewrite the main ideas in your own words.
• When answering this question, pay careful attention to any differences between the information in written passage and the information in the audio clip. These differences are often an important part of your response.
• Take good notes when the audio clip is playing. You won’t have an opportunity to listen to it again.
• Don’t inject your own opinion. Only discuss what the audio clip and passage are saying. You’ll only discuss your own opinion on the Independent Writing Task.

TOEFL Independent Writing

For the Independent Writing task, you’ll receive a question on a particular topic or issue. You’ll have 30 minutes to plan and write a response to that topic that explains your opinion on it. You’ll need to give reasons that support your decision.

It’s recommended that your response to this task be at least 300 words, and you’ll be graded on how well you develop your ideas, how well your essay is organized, and how accurately you use English to express your ideas.

Sample TOEFL Independent Writing Question

• Don’t be afraid to make things up. This essay is all about creating a strong argument for your opinion on a topic. If you don’t really care about the topic you’re supposed to write about, choose whichever side you can write a stronger essay for, and act like that’s your opinion.
• Make your opinion clear within the first paragraph of your essay. There should be no doubt as to how you feel about the topic.
• Longer isn’t always better. The minimum recommended length for this essay is 300 words. If you have spare time and points you still want to make, keep writing, but don’t feel like your essay needs to be 600 words. Aim for your essay to be at least 300 words, but if it’s only, say, 320 words, it’s still possible for it to get a top score if you’ve written it well.

TOEFL Writing Study Strategies

You should absolutely study the TOEFL Writing section and do practice essays before exam day. Below are some tips to help you get the most out of your studying.

Study Strategy 1: Study the 2 Essay Types

The two essays you need to write for this section are more different than they may appear at first glance, and it’s important to be aware of those differences to understand how to get top scores for both essays.

For the Integrated essay, you should not give your own opinion on the topic, and you’ll need to refer to specific points in the audio and written passages to back up your claims. For the Independent essay, you will have to give your own opinion, along with specifics to back it up.

Completing practice essays will help you become more familiar with what the prompts will look like (see next section), and you should also look at the rubrics TOEFL graders will use when grading your essays so you get a better understanding of what you need for a high score.

Study Strategy 2: Take TOEFL Writing Practice Essays

Any writing you do in English can help strengthen your skills and help you do better on TOEFL Writing, but it’s especially important to take practice TOEFL essays. Completing practice essays will help you become more familiar with the different essay prompts, strengthen your writing skills, and learn how to manage your time when writing essays.

We have a guide to all the best TOEFL Writing practice resources, including numerous free and official practice essays. Check it out to get some great study materials for the Writing section.

Study Strategy 3: Time Yourself When Writing Practice Essays

When you’re doing practice essays, you should also be sure to time yourself. Give yourself 20 minutes to plan and write an Integrated Writing essay and 30 minutes to write an Independent Writing essay.

Timing yourself when you write will help you be more prepared for test day since you’ll get practice planning and writing essays within a limited time frame. When you first start writing your practice essays, it can be easy to spend too much time preparing which will cause you to run out of time before you finish writing. Completing timed practice essays will help you avoid this.

You should also count how many words your essays contain after you’ve finished writing them. Integrated Tasks should be 150-225 words and Independent Tasks should be at least 300 words.

Study Strategy 4: Review Your TOEFL Writing Practice Essays

After you write each practice essay, you should also review it and think about how well it answered the question. This is easier to do if the practice question comes with sample answers that you can compare your answer to, but you should do this step for all practice essays you write, even if they don’t come with any answer explanation. You can also assign your essays a score or have a tutor or friend who’s also studying for the TOEFL score your essay.

It’s tempting to take a break from TOEFL studying as soon as you’ve finished your essays, but it’s important to do this step because it will get you thinking about what great essays look like and how yours can be improved.

TOEFL Writing Tips for Acing the Section on Test Day

The last step in acing TOEFL Writing is having a great exam day. Follow these TOEFL writing tips to help ensure everything goes smoothly while you’re completing the Writing section.

Test Tip 1: Take a Few Minutes to Plan Your Essays

Since you only have a limited amount of time to complete your essays, it can be tempting to start writing the second your time starts. You want to avoid doing this, however. Spending just a few minutes planning your essay can help keep your writing focused and on topic, and it can often help you write faster because you know what you’ll be discussing next.

Spend a max of two to three minutes writing a basic outline for your essay. It should include:

• Your thesis statement (the main point you’re making and will discuss throughout the essay)
• The main point of each paragraph you’ll have in your essay
• Any specific examples you can quickly think of (either from the included passages or your own opinion, depending on the essay) to back up your claim

Before you begin writing, reread the essay prompt again to make sure your outline answers the question well (see next section for more details).

Test Tip 2: Keep Referring Back to the Question

Even if you craft a beautiful essay with perfect English, you won’t get a good score if you don’t answer the question properly.  It can be easy to go off on a tangent or begin to discuss something other than what the question is asking.

For example, the Independent Writing sample question above asks you to explain whether it’s more important for teachers to relate well to students or have excellent knowledge of the subject they’re teaching. In your essay, you might include an example of a great teacher you had and spent the majority of the essay explaining why that teacher was your favorite. Even if your writing is flawless, you wouldn’t get a good score because you’re not discussing the question the essay prompt is asking.

This is something practice and making an outline before you begin writing can help you avoid, so be sure to do both, and remember to reread the prompt as you write your essay to make sure you’re on track.

Test Tip 3: Leave Some Time to Review Your Essays

After you’ve finished writing your essay, it’s helpful if you can spend a little bit of time looking it over.  Even setting aside 60 seconds can give you enough time for you skim your essay and catch and spelling or grammar errors or any sentences that aren’t clear. F ixing these little mistakes can help you from losing points when your essays are scored. Doing practice essays will help you get better at managing your time so it’ll become easier to finish your essays with some time to spare for reviewing.

Acing TOEFL Writing: What You Need to Know

In order to do well on the TOEFL Writing section, it’s important to first learn exactly what types of essays you’ll be expected to write, what they should include, and how you’ll be graded on them. While you’re studying for this section, be sure to study the two essay types, take practice essays, time yourself when writing essays, and review your practice essays.

On exam day, during the Writing section you should outline your essays before you begin writing, refer back to the essay prompts regularly, and leave yourself a bit of time at the end to review what you’ve written. Keep these TOEFL Writing tips in mind, and you’ll be well on your way to writing great essays. And remember, this is the last section of the TOEFL. Once you finish the Writing section, you’re done!

What’s Next?

Not sure what TOEFL score you should be aiming for?  Learn what a good TOEFL score is based on the schools you’re interested in.

Want more tips on how to prepare for TOEFL Writing questions? Check out our guide to the best ways to practice for TOEFL Writing!

Once you’ve taken the TOEFL, how do you send your scores to schools?   Learn the six tips you need to know for sending your TOEFL Scores.

Ready to improve your TOEFL score by 15 points?

Author: Christine Sarikas

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries. View all posts by Christine Sarikas

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Preparing for the ACT Test with Writing

About the act writing test.

The ACT writing test is a 40-minute essay test that measures your writing skills. The test consists of one writing prompt that will describe a complex issue and present three different perspectives on that issue.  It is a paper-and-pencil test. You will write your essay in pencil (no mechanical pencils or ink pens) on the lined pages of an answer folder that will be provided to you. The only exception is for approved students with diagnosed disabilities who cannot hand write the essay. (See Accommodations .) 

The ACT writing test complements the English and reading tests. The combined information from these tests tells postsecondary institutions about students’ understanding of the conventions of standard written English and their ability to produce a direct sample of writing. The writing test cannot be taken without first taking all four multiple-choice tests in the same session. 

You are asked to read the prompt and write an essay in which you develop your own perspective on the issue. Your essay should analyze the relationship between your perspective and one or more other perspectives. You may adopt a perspective from the prompt, partially or fully, or you may generate your own. Your score will not be affected by the point of view you take on the issue.

Some colleges require the ACT writing test. You should decide whether or not you should take it based on the requirements of the colleges you are applying to or considering.

Why the ACT Writing Test Is Optional 

Because postsecondary institutions have varying needs, we offer the ACT writing test as an option. 

• Postsecondary institutions are making their own decisions about whether to require the results from the ACT writing test for admissions and/or course placement purposes. 
• Students will decide whether to take the writing test based on the requirements of the institutions they are considering. 

Practice Your Writing Skills 

Read. Write. Repeat. 

There are many ways to prepare for the ACT writing test that don't even include writing at all. Reading newspapers and magazines, listening to news analyses on television or radio, and participating in discussions and debates about issues and problems all help you build a foundation for your writing skills. These activities help you become more familiar with current issues, with different perspectives on those issues, and with strategies that skilled writers and speakers use to present their points of view. 

Of course, one of the best ways to prepare for the ACT writing test is to practice writing. But you don’t have to sit at a desk and fill a notebook with essays. Practice writing for different purposes, with different audiences in mind. The writing you do in your English classes will help you. Practice writing stories, poems, plays, editorials, reports, letters to the editor, a personal journal, or other kinds of writing that you do on your own—including, yes, essays. 

The ACT writing test asks you to explain your perspective on an issue in a convincing way, so writing opportunities such as editorials or letters to the editor of a newspaper are especially helpful. Practicing various types of writing will help make you a versatile writer able to adjust to different writing assignments. 

Finally, don’t forget you only have 40 minutes on test day. Get some practice writing within a time limit. This will not only give you an advantage on the test, but also will help you build skills that are important in college-level learning and in the world of work. 

Build Your Writing Skills 

Everyday ways to improve your writing 

You can strengthen your writing skills just about anywhere, anytime. Read below for some ideas to make writing, responding, and organizing your thoughts part of your daily routine:   

• Read and write frequently.  Read as much as you can from a variety of sources, including plays, essays, fiction, poetry, news stories, business writing, and magazine features. 
• Become familiar with current issues in society and develop your own opinions.  Think of arguments you would use to convince someone of your perspective. Taking speech and debate classes can help you think through issues and communicate them to others. 
• Practice writing in different formats and in as many real situations as possible.  Write letters to the editor, or letters to a company requesting information. 
• Try some writing in extracurricular activities.  School newspapers, yearbooks, and creative writing clubs offer opportunities to express ideas in writing. 
• Share your writing with others and get feedback.  Feedback helps you anticipate how readers might interpret your writing and what types of questions they might have. This can help you anticipate what a reader might want to know. 
• Learn to see writing as a process —brainstorming, planning, writing, and then editing. This applies to all writing activities. 
• Listen to the advice your English teacher gives you about your writing. 
• Strive for well-developed and well-organized writing  that uses precise, clear, and concise language. 
• Remember that everyone can improve their writing skills.  Confidence and skill will grow with the more writing you do. Practice and work lead to achievement. 

Tips for Taking the ACT Writing Test

Pace yourself.

The ACT writing test contains one question to be completed in 40 minutes. When asked to write a timed essay, most writers find it useful to do some planning before they write the essay and to do a final check of the essay when it is finished. It is unlikely that you will have time to draft, revise, and recopy your essay.

Before writing, carefully read and consider all prompt material. Be sure you understand the issue, its perspectives, and your essay task. The prewriting questions included with the prompt will help you analyze the perspectives and develop your own. Use these questions to think critically about the prompt and generate effective ideas in response. Ask yourself how your ideas and analysis can best be supported and organized in a written argument. Use the prewriting space in your test booklet to structure or outline your response.

Establish the focus of your essay by making clear your argument and its main ideas. Explain and illustrate your ideas with sound reasoning and meaningful examples. Discuss the significance of your ideas: what are the implications of what you have to say, and why is your argument important to consider? As you write, ask yourself if your logic is clear, you have supported your claims, and you have chosen precise words to communicate your ideas.

Review Your Essay

Take a few minutes before time is called to read over your essay. Correct any mistakes. If you find any words that are hard to read, recopy them. Make corrections and revisions neatly between the lines. Do not write in the margins. Your readers know you had only 40 minutes to compose and write your essay. Within that time limit, try to make your essay as polished as you can.

There are many ways to prepare for the ACT writing test. These include reading newspapers and magazines, listening to news analyses on television and radio, and participating in discussions and debates.

One of the best ways to prepare for the ACT writing test is to practice writing with different purposes for different audiences. The writing you do in your classes will help you. So will writing essays, stories, editorials, a personal journal, or other writing you do on your own.

It is also a good idea to practice writing within a time limit. Taking the practice ACT writing test will give you a sense of how much additional practice you may need. You might want to take the practice ACT writing test even if you do not plan to take the ACT with writing, because this will help build skills that are important in college-level learning and in the world of work.

Find more info about how the writing test is scored .

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TSI Essay Guide

One challenging component of the TSI test is the essay question. You will be asked to write a persuasive essay on a controversial issue or an issue of current interest. The TSI essay will be evaluated on your organization, focus, development and support, sentence structure, and mechanical conventions. Fortunately, your essay is only required to be 300-600 words in length. A simple 5 paragraph essay will be more than sufficient. Scores on the essay section range from 1 to 8, with 8 being the highest.

An essay that is too short to be evaluated, written on a topic other than the one presented, or written in a language other than English, will be given a score of zero. The biggest differences between the low-scoring and high-scoring essays is LENGTH and CLARITY. Aim to achieve multiple paragraphs with good organization, and this essay should be fairly easy!

TSI Essay Tips and Strategies

• Understand that the TSI Essay will NOT require any outside knowledge. You are not expected to have any specific technical know-how or understanding of specific books or authors. The essay will be based off a provided prompt meant to spark your creativity. Everything you need to answer the question will be part of the prompt!
• Select one side only. Unlike real life where most of our opinions are a mix of gray, the TSI essay requires you to take a strong stand on one side and one side ONLY of the issue. You won’t be able to adequately argue a middle-of-the-road approach, and you risk appearing indecisive and muddling your essay.
• Remember that you will not be scored on your opinion. Don’t worry if you feel you are choosing a less commonly held position on the topic. The reader will NOT give you a lower score based on personal bias.
• Don’t change your position mid-essay. Even if you feel you’re running out of steam and you’re regretting your position on the topic, stay strong and finish the essay anyway. Don’t waffle, and don’t try to take a “middle of the road” approach. You don’t have time to go back and re-write the whole thing.
• No example is “too” specific. As long as you can argue logically that it supports your thesis, no example is “too” specific. Most essays are way too general. Aim to make the reader think, “wow, what extreme detail!” as they read. If you are using an example from personal experience, using some names, dates, places, and other concrete details can go a long way. Replace abstracts with absolutes.
• Incorporate the opposing side. A great way to strengthen your own argument is to acknowledge that there is in fact complexity to the issue. However, if you bring up and describe the opposing side, make sure to criticize it effectively and reiterate that your side is the only one that is valid. This is a great tool to use in your conclusion, although many students include it in an additional body paragraph.
• Keep the introduction and conclusion brief . Don’t take forever to get to the topic. The function of an introductory paragraph is to introduce the reader to the topic in the prompt, and then to clearly and forcefully state your position on it. More than 3-4 sentences is too long. In the conclusion, 1-2 sentences is great to reiterate your position and leave the essay with a closing idea. Save your writing-time for your body paragraphs!
• Use Transition Words . Scroll down to the bottom of this article to see a good list of common transition words. Be sure to use these words as you move between paragraphs! Always make sure the reader will understand why you are moving from one paragraph to the next paragraph!

TSI Essay Template

This is a sample outline for the TSI Essay. Notice we are aiming for 5 paragraphs total. You may opt for a shorter 4 paragraph version if 5 paragraphs are too many for you to write, but aim for 5 paragraphs if you can. If you have trouble completing 5 paragraphs, see if you can streamline your body paragraphs. They can often be bloated with unnecessary wordiness. Keep the introduction and the conclusion short and sweet.

Paragraph 1 — Introduction (3–4 sentences)

You will want to begin your essay with one of the following: a generalization about the topic, a quotation, a short anecdote to set-up the correctness of your position, a historical framework, or a piece of news illustrating the contemporariness of the issue. Admit the complexity of the issue.

You have two goals in the beginning part of the essay: to introduce the topic, and to express your opinion on it. Be sure to place your thesis as the final sentence in your introduction.

Paragraph 2 — First Example (4–6 sentences)

Start with your most-powerful or relevant example. Be specific. Your example can be from history, science, politics, business, entertainment, pop culture, current events, personal experience, etc. Anything can be an example, but choose ONE only for each paragraph. It needs to be something you are knowledgeable about and also something that you believe strongly supports your thesis. You have three tasks in your body paragraphs:

• Introduce your example.
• Describe it.
• Explain how it fully supports your thesis.

You should spend the majority of your body paragraph accomplishing the third step: explaining how it fully supports your thesis . Aim to convince the reader through very concrete details how your position on the issue is correct.

Paragraph 3 — Second Example (4–6 sentences)

Use a transition phrase to introduce the second example. Describe it, and explain again how it fully supports your thesis. You may refer to your first example if you need to, but prioritize a focus on your new example. Don’t mention your third example until you get to the third paragraph.

Paragraph 4 — Third Example (4–6 sentences)

Use a transition phrase again in the first topic sentence. Describe the example. Explain how it supports. Make sure you are elucidating for the reader how each example relates to the topic.

Paragraph 5 — Conclusion (2–4 sentences)

In your conclusion, introduce the opposing side. Explain their position in general terms. Refute their position. Then reinforce the correctness of your own thesis. This takes care of having to come up with a conclusion—you’ll already know what to do! Here’s how it might look:

Although ________ is demonstrably correct, some have argued that _______, believing that ________. However, this viewpoint on the present issue is negated by ________. Rather, __________. Therefore, in the long run,

TSI Essay Practice

Be sure to write at least 2–3 sample essays before your exam so you are comfortable with the format. Have a teacher, friend, or trusted relative read through your essay and give you feedback. You may want to start with our TSI Practice Test Essay .

We have also provided some more TSI essay prompts in the list below. You can use these TSI essay topics to write additional practice essays. Try to utilize the template that we have provided in order to structure your response.

TSI Essay Topics

1) Do works of art have the power to change people’s lives? Some people say a book or a movie has the power to do just that. Are they exaggerating, or can art have such a large impact of individuals?

2) Is an education a requirement for a successful career? Explain the topic and either agree or disagree with the statement, offering support for your position.

3) Scientists and politicians argue over whether global warming and climate control present a real threat to human welfare. Take a position on this issue and explain whether or not you believe this to be a serious problem for humanity.

Transition Words List

Agreement Words

• in the first place
• not only … but also
• as a matter of fact
• in like manner
• in addition
• coupled with
• in the same fashion / way
• first, second, third
• in the light of

Opposition Words

• in contrast
• different from
• of course …, but
• on the other hand
• on the contrary
• at the same time
• in spite of
• (and) still

Causation Words

• in the event that
• for the purpose of
• with this intention
• with this in mind
• in the hope that
• in order to

Example Words

• in other words
• to put it differently
• for one thing
• as an illustration
• in this case
• for this reason
• to put it another way
• that is to say
• with attention to

TSI Practice Test Essay >>

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Top 10 TOEFL 2024 Writing Tips to Ace the Exam

TOEFL Writing Tips: The TOEFL Writing Section checks the capability of a candidate in the English language in an academic setup. It is part of the TOEFL exam which is co-related with the other segments including reading and speaking. However, effective and regular practice is the main key of the writing section and you have to be more conscious during the examination. The TOEFL Writing Section consists of two tasks which you have to complete within 50 minutes. In the first task or the integrated writing task, you need to read a short passage and listen to a short lecture on which you have to write your response. In the second task or the Independent writing task, you have to write the answer essay based on personal experience.

In this article, we are going to discuss the TOEFL Writing Section Tips in detail.

Table of Content

Structure of the TOEFL Writing Section 2024

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Test of English as a Foreign Language or the TOEFL writing section consists of two different types of writing. The candidates who want to score maximum in the TOEFL writing section must prepare themselves strategically. But before preparing for the examination you need to know the structure of the segment in detail as mentioned below.

The TOEFL writing section consists of two different tasks including the Integrated Writing Task and the Independent Writing Task.

In the Integrated Writing Task, you have to read a passage related to an academic article or a lecture and listen to a conversation on the same topic. After that, you need to write an essay summarizing the major points of the script and audio by highlighting their relation.

In the Independent Writing Task, you will be given a specific prompt or some questions. You need to write an essay by expressing your personal opinion on that particular topic. It is necessary to provide the reasons and different examples in support of your viewpoint.

Each task has its time limit. In general, you need to complete the Integrated Writing Task in 20 minutes and you will get 30 minutes for the Independent Writing Task. In total, you will get 50 minutes to complete the whole segment.

The examiner of the writing task will evaluate your answers by considering some major facts including:

• Clarity of the Idea.
• Appropriate vocabulary.
• Appropriate grammar.
• Structure of the essay.

TOEFL Writing Section marks or points will help your university to understand the capabilities of your English writing in an academic setting. Here are some major tips as mentioned below.

To start preparing for the TOEFL writing section, you need to build a habit of reading the different types of academic articles. It is important to study them in their native language and try to summarise them in English. Here are some tips to perform the same.

• Take notes in your language and convert them into the English language too.
• Write the summary in the form of points in the English language.
• Take help from your teachers in the review process of the writing to fix the errors.
• Track the time you have taken to write the answer. It is much more important as you will get only 50 minutes to complete your writing tasks.

For the TOEFL Integrated Writing Section, you will get only 3 minutes to read the content and 2 minutes to listen to the audio. After that, you have to write your answer in 20 minutes. Candidates need to listen to that audio node very carefully as it establishes the connection with the script. Here are some steps you may follow.

• Listen to the recorded lectures in English online.
• Pause the recording in every 20-30 seconds to write down the major points.
• Replay the recorded lectures to tally the audio data with the script. Include all the important points at this time.
• The small note must be elaborated in the long form of sentences in the final script or your final answer.

During the preparation of the TOEFL writing test, you must learn to figure out the information source during the time of reading and listening process. It also includes the writing source as well. You may follow the steps mentioned below.

• You must have the ability to identify the speaker.
• Note that if the speaker is narrating about something or someone else.
• Be careful with the information where the speaker use ‘might be’ and ‘is’.

Make it a habit to Deliver Grammatically Correct sentences at the time of the TOEFL writing. You need to have a comprehensive knowledge of the grammar during the writing exam. Here are some steps to Deliver Grammatically Correct Sentences as mentioned below.

• You can list down different concepts of grammar or focus on one section each week.
• When you are attempting the grammar-based questions, you need to practice more and more.
• You need to memorize the appropriate words and the correct grammatical sentences during the creation of the summary of the recorded lectures.

In the Integrated writing task of the TOEFL, it is recommended to write the author’s or the professor’s point of view in their own words and for this, you can also follow some steps as mentioned below.

• Do not quote any author. If the e-rater section detects such type of activity, your score may be decreased.
• You need to have a good skill in paraphrasing.

Transitional words are a crucial part of the integrated writing segment of the TOEFL writing. To develop a good piece of writing, it is recommended to learn to use transitional words between the differing or contrasting ideas in your writing. For these cases, you need to have enough knowledge about the transitional words and how to use them properly. Here are some tips for you as mentioned below.

• You must know about the transitional words and when and where you can use them.
• You must have a strong base of vocabulary of the transitional words to elaborate, contrast, define the cause and effect, and write a summary.

In the second part of the writing in the TOEFL writing segment i.e. in the independent writing task, candidate have to write an essay based on their personal experiences. They have to show their positive or negative opinion on the particular topic. You need to create a well-structured and coherent piece of response by following the steps mentioned below.

• You need to read the essay questions.
• You have to identify the main point of the essay.
• Write two strong points to justify your logic.
• You need to provide a valid argument based on your personal experiences and thoughts.

The independent writing test of the test asks for a clear view of the given topic from the candidate. These answers may vary from person to person. So it is important to follow the right approach. Candidates may follow the same as mentioned below.

• You have to have a clear view about your opinion which will establish the writing.
• If you do not include the opinion in one paragraph, you need to include it in the second paragraph and justify it properly.

It is important to provide a conclusion at the end of your answer. You need to practice it because it is mandatory for the TOEFL writing. It helps the reader or examiner to connect the whole writing with the argument. To do it, you can follow the strategies mentioned below.

• You need to write the essay and check the writing with a proper conclusion.
• You need to keep tracking the whole instances and if you miss any, you can accommodate them in conclusion. But do not take the rest as it may decrease the score.

Editing is a crucial task for the TOEFL writing test. Surely if you follow the above-mentioned steps, you will be able to write a good piece of writing but you have to be extra careful while you are self-assessing your writing. Here are some steps as mentioned below.

• Do not take the help of any spellcheckers as in the actual exam you will not get that.
• Find out the spelling and grammatical errors manually.
• Also, check the spacing and punctuation in your article.

Here are some common mistakes generally found in the TOEFL Writing Section:

• Spelling errors
• Capitalization and spacing mistakes
• Problematic introduction sentence
• Personal areas of weakness
• Proper verb tense

The TOEFL Writing Section consists of two tasks which you have to complete within 50 minutes. In the first task or the integrated writing task, you need to read a short passage and listen to a short lecture on which you have to write your response. It is part of the TOEFL exam which is co-related with the other segments including reading and speaking. The TOEFL writing section consists of two different tasks including the Integrated Writing Task and the Independent Writing Task. The candidates who want to score maximum in the TOEFL writing section must prepare themselves strategically. Here we have discussed the different aspects and tips related to the TOEFL Writing Section in detail which will help you a lot.

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There are two writing tasks. Integrated writing task (20 minutes) — read a short passage and listen to a short lecture, then write in response to what you read and listened to.

Ideally, a good scoring integrated TOEFL writing section template contains four paragraphs, one introduction paragraph and three body paragraphs. Here there is no need to incorporate a conclusion. However, if one wants to write it anyway, it should not exceed the two to three sentences limit.

The TOEFL suggests an Independent Writing that is 300-325 words, but we recommend writing 350 to 400 words.

The best structure for the Independent Writing Task is to write four paragraphs: an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion.

Each of the two writing tasks on the iBT is scored between 0 and 5, then the combined score is adjusted to a 0 to 30 scale overall. A TOEFL writing score of 24 or higher is considered a good score.

Think of a synonym that you can spell correctly. If you are unsure about the grammar structure in your sentence, don’t use it. Think of a simpler way to say what you want with fewer clauses. Too many students think that they should use big complex sentence patterns on the TOEFL, but it is easy to lose points this way.

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