In this lesson,
you'll learn how to prepare for short-answer essay tests, and how
to answer test questions thoughtfully.
Introduction
Short-answer
writing tests are becoming more common in college courses. In recent
years, employers have demanded better writing and communications skills
from their workers. To meet this need, colleges and universities are
incorporating writing into more courses. Today, you may have writing
tests in science and engineering courses, as well as in English or
sociology. In order to succeed in your college classes, you must know
how to prepare for and write short-answer essay tests.
Preparation
Begins Long Before the Test
Preparation
for a short-answer test really begins long before the test itself.
Because written tests demand that you think broadly about the subject
of the course, you can't do well if you don't know the material. The
key to preparation is having good study habits in the course itself.
Pay attention to your instructor and your reading assignments. Mark
your textbooks by highlighting key concepts and vocabulary. Review
your textbooks and class notes frequently. Careful and consistent
review is more effective than cramming the night before the test.
Many short-answer test questions require a deeper understanding of
the subject matter than you can gain in one frantic night.
The following
guidelines will help you with your long-term preparation:
Read the
Syllabus Carefully
Since written tests focus on the big picture, it's critical that
you know what the professor thinks are the most important themes
in the course. Write down the goals of the course, and try to discover
any common themes in the assignments and lecture topics. Usually,
you can learn what the professor's main interests are by looking
at the syllabus; some professors will spell out the major themes
for the whole semester in the first paragraph or page.
Know Your
Audience
Your professor is your audience. How much detail and support does
s/he expect? How much weight does he or she put on good grammar
and style? Written tests are timed writing assignments, and you
want to spend the bulk of your time on the things your professor
finds important. Knowing what your professor finds important will
help you make better use of the limited time you have available
to write.
Review
Your Notes
At least one week before the test, you should start reviewing your
notes. This review will help you understand the material well enough
to discuss it. Pay close attention to topics or themes that relate
to each other because many professors will ask you to compare or
contrast related topics in a written test.
Taking the
Short-Answer Essay Test
Your objective
during the test itself is to write clear and logical answers. Before
you begin writing, you should:
Review the
entire test.
Read the
entire test first. How many questions are you responsible for
answering?
If you
have choices among different test questions, make your choice
quickly based on your best knowledge and stick with that choice
throughout the testing period.
Determine
the point value of each question. Divide your test period by
the number of questions and their point value. If you have to
answer three questions and one is worth 50%, whereas the other
two are worth 25% each, spend more time on the 50% question.
Answer the
easiest questions first.
By answering the ones that you know right away, you can clear your
mind of those obvious answers and allow your brain to work on the
other, more difficult questions.
Briefly outline
each short-answer before writing.
Outlines in the form of simple lists help you to organize your ideas.
Jot down facts, ideas, or concepts that will help answer the question.
Select the ideas that make the best answer and organize them quickly.
This process will keep your answers on-track.
If you've followed
the steps above, you're ready to begin to write. Consider the following
while writing your answers:
Each short-answer
should start with a thesis sentence that tells the reader where
you're going with your answer.
Follow your
outline to stay on track.
Write neatly,
using every other line and one side of the page, if possible. Usually,
it's fine to cross out words or sentences, but draw only one line
over the word or sentence—don't fill the page with ink.
Provide relevant
details to support your answer.
Review your
answer when you've finished writing. If you've left out something
important, or if you've included something that doesn't make sense,
make the necessary changes.
Proofread
and edit
Once you're comfortable with the content of your answers, go back
through the answer one more time and check for poor grammar, punctuation,
and spelling.
Remember that
short-answer essay tests may seem like a lot of trouble to you now,
but many students come to prefer them to objective tests like true/false
and multiple choices. Short-answer tests allow you to show what
you really know about a subject and provide you with the chance
to shine.
Exercise
In the
text box below, practice writing a short answer to the following
question. The question is for an English class and the audience
is the professor, who has just taught research techniques using
the Internet. Write about four sentences, with the first sentence
revealing your main point. When you're finished, compare your
response with ours.
Question:
Many students use the Internet to search for information. What
are two advantages and two disadvantages to Internet research?
Summary
To succeed on a short-answer essay test, you need to
know your audience, prepare well before the test, organize your thoughts
before writing, and write your answers with clarity and detail.
