C-BASE test taking made easier
February 16, 2011

How do you approach an essay test?

How do you approach the essay portion of the
C-BASE test?
• Talk to your classmates about what they think will be on the test?

How do you approach the essay portion of the
C-BASE test?
• Talk to your classmates about what they think will be on the test?
• Wonder about it and just walk in?

Those approaches don’t work well. These factors contribute to success:

Those approaches don’t work well. These factors contribute to success:
• preparation

Those approaches don’t work well. These factors contribute to success:
• preparation
• approach

Those approaches don’t work well. These factors contribute to success:
• preparation
• approach
• planning

Before the test
• Be confident
• Visualize yourself succeeding
• Find sample questions from books or websites

Before the test
• Be confident
• Visualize yourself succeeding
• Find sample questions from books or websites
• Practice writing under timed conditions and then self-evaluate or work with a friend to evaluate your essays based on the published rubrics
• Go to the test site early and relax – mentally prepare yourself

Taking the test
• Read instructions carefully
• Paraphrase the question
• Write important verbs and nouns on scratch paper to plan the paper.

Taking the test
• Read instructions carefully
• Paraphrase the question
• Write important verbs and nouns on scratch paper to plan the paper.
• Use the nouns in the question prompt to guide your thinking.
• Leave last 3-5 minutes to proofread the test and make sure everything is answered.

• Compare
• Contrast
• Define
• Describe
• Discuss
• Evaluate
• Explain
The verbs you see will tell you what to do
• Illustrate
• List
• Outline
Relate
• Review
• State
• Summarize

As you begin to answer the question
• Summarize the question.
• Sketch an outline or web of your response.
• They are looking for a structured essaygive that to them.
• Use transitions and paragraphs to guide the reader through your answer.
• Allow for time to proofread at the end.
• DON’T discount your knowledge or undercut yourself.

How should I organize the response?
• Clearly state a thesis and the reasons that support it.
• Provide clear topic sentences for each paragraph.
• Keep the sentences simple, but not choppy.
• Give solid support for the topic sentences.

C-BASE scoring
• 6- Excellent all around. Wellorganized, wellsupported and nearly error free.
• 5- Good all around.
Solid thesis and support. Just misses on style or analysis.
• 4- Decent work.
Reasonable thesis and support.
• Misses due to lack of unity, just addressing the prompt, weak support or frequency of errors.

C-BASE scoring
• 3- Weak thesis or support, high frequency of mechanical errors, poor development of ideas.
• 2- Consistent mechanical errors, lack of support, or superficial reasoning.
• 1- Poor all around.
Consistent errors, unrelated ideas, only addressing the topic tangentially. Random thinking, with no connections.

Resources on the web
• http://www.arc.mis
souri.edu/index.ph
p?p=/CB/CBMO/CB inMO.htm
• This guide walks you through the types of questions on the test and how they are scored. Take some time to walk through it: it’s worth it.