California State University, Dominguez Hills
Promoting Excellence in Graduate Studies
Est. 2010
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Writing Timed Essays
Test Day
Avoid stress that will only take away from your ability to focus and do
well on the test:
Arrive early for class.
Make sure you have all the materials you need – bluebook(s), pen,
dictionary, etc.
Clear your mind.
Relax and know that you know the material.
Analyze the Prompt
•
Read the question(s) carefully several times to make sure you understand the
prompt and what your instructor wants you to do.
•
Circle unfamiliar words and look them up or ask the instructor for help.
•
Imperatives or words that specify action indicate the tasks you must perform.
•
Underline important points, key phrases or concepts, and make sure you
understand what your instructor expects you to do.
•
Develop a master key system to identify key phrases, concepts, and tasks.
•
Try to separate general background information from the subject of the essay.
•
Try to unravel question clusters and link them to the background information.
•
Recognize the parameters of the essay.
For notes and more information, click here.
Sample Prompt
"For many Americans, the concept of success is a source of confusion. As a
people, we Americans greatly prize success. We are taught to celebrate and
admire the one who gets the highest grades, the one voted most attractive
or most likely to succeed. But while we often rejoice in the success of
people far removed from ourselves—people who work in another
profession, live in another community, or are endowed with a talent that
we do not especially want for ourselves—we tend to regard the success of
people close at hand, within our own small group, as a threat."
—adapted from Margaret Mead’s The Egalitarian Error
Explain Mead's argument and discuss the extent to which you agree or
disagree with her analysis. Support your position, providing reasons and
examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.
Sample Prompt: Analysis
Statement #1
Statement #2
Statement #2
Statement #2
"For many Americans, the concept of success is a
source of confusion. As a people, we Americans greatly
prize success. We are taught to celebrate and admire
the one who gets the highest grades, the one voted
most attractive or most likely to succeed. But while we
often rejoice in the success of people far removed from
ourselves—people who work in another profession,
live in another community, or are endowed with a
talent that we do not especially want for ourselves—
we tend to regard the success of people close at hand,
within our own small group, as a threat."
—adapted from Margaret Mead’s The Egalitarian Error
Responding to Instructions
Explain Mead's argument and discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with
her analysis. Support your position, providing reasons and examples from your own
experience, observations, or reading.
Please remember that “reasons” are not the same as “examples.”
You may want to argue that the reason a person feels threatened by the
success of others is because s/he fears looking like a loser.
You may offer an example for this claim by explaining how a co-worker or
friend made you look bad because they did so well.
Click here for more notes on analyzing and responding to prompts.
Think Before You Write: Prewriting
Brainstorming
Synthesize Ideas
The essay is your opportunity to show how well you understand the ideas
you’ve been studying.
Graduate level critical thinking and writing requires more than just
repeating facts. The instructor needs to see that you thoroughly
understand concepts and their broader implications.
Look for connections between the concepts you have read and the ideas
discussed in lectures, handouts, and other texts.
Synthesize what you have read and learned in class to make a cogent,
logical argument in which you connect the ideas you’ve learned to each
other, to the prompt, and to your argument.
For more information on synthesizing arguments, please see the PEGS
The Thesis
The thesis is basically the main idea that you will argue
stated in one or two sentences.
Make sure your thesis directly addresses the prompt.
Determine what points you will use to support your
thesis, then preview them in the introduction.
Use your thesis and preview as a guide for writing the
essay.
Developing the Thesis
Often, the best way to generate a strong and elegant thesis is to first
generate a powerful and elegant question.
Ask yourself simply: what am I trying to prove/say? then answer
the question as succinctly (as elegantly) as possible.
You can use a two-part approach to develop your thesis:
In this essay I will argue ________;
it is important/significant because __________.
Make sure you can support your argument with examples and
concepts from your reading and lectures.
Outline Your Argument
Organize the information that you have brainstormed into an outline
that supports your thesis and flows in a logical progression from one
point to the next to build a strong argument.
Group related ideas together.
Your argument should flow from general points to more specific
material, from weaker to stronger arguments, from abstract concepts to
more concrete examples.
Click here for more notes on developing a thesis and outline.
Structuring the Timed Essay
For timed essays, the five paragraph format or a variation is the
simplest and most direct approach.
Using this format will help you focus on what you want to say,
content, rather than how you are going to say it.
This format consists of an introduction, three or more body
paragraphs, and a conclusion.
The form can be expanded to include as many body paragraphs as
you need to support your argument.
The Introduction
Often, you can use the language of the prompt to structure your
response.
Introduce the topic in the first sentence.
Explain the significance of the topic, provide background
information on the topic, or create interest in the topic.
State the main idea of the essay, your thesis, in one or two
sentences.
Preview the essay by listing the point(s) that you will argue.
End the paragraph with a transition sentence that prepares the
reader for the next idea/paragraph.
Paragraph Sandwich: Introduction
Introduce topic
Expand/explain significance of topic
Respond to topic (Thesis)
Preview support points
Transition Sentence
*note: 1 paragraph = 1 idea
Sample Response #1: Introduction
According to Margaret Mead, success is a
source of confusion for many Americans. We are
2. Expands/explains background taught to admire success, and we easily applaud
the achievements of celebrities, strangers, and
& significance of topic
those who succeed in areas that do not interest
us. However, when someone close to us excels,
3. Completes explanation of
we tend to feel threatened. Mead’s assessment
Mead’s argument
is correct. Although we applaud the
achievements of celebrities or strangers, the
1. Response to Mead’s
success of friends and family threatens us
argument – Thesis
because (1) we fear that we will fall short in
comparison to them, (2) they will receive the
2. Preview of support points.
honors and recognition that we want, or (3)
they will set a standard that we cannot reach.
Competition with those we know can cause
3. Transition sentence
confusion between what we have been taught
and what we feel.
1. Introduces topic & claim
Sample Response #2: Introduction
Margaret Mead states that success is a source of confusion for many
Americans. Even though we are taught to admire those who
succeed, we tend to feel threatened by the achievements of people
close to us. Although some insecure people may feel threatened by
the success of family and friends, others will realize that the
accomplishments of people close to us should encourage rather than
intimidate us. Successful friends and relatives can serve as role
models, showing us that we can succeed in just as they have. Also,
unlike a celebrity or stranger, people we know are easily accessible,
and we can call on them for advice or to serve as mentors.
Additionally, because people close to us come from similar
circumstances, they expand our perception of the possibilities
available to us and increase our belief that we, too, can succeed.
Rather than feeling threatened by the success of those we know, we
should view it as a source of inspiration that promotes clarity rather
than confusion.
Body Paragraphs
Each body paragraph should begin with a topic sentence that explains the
focus of the paragraph.
Each paragraph should focus on one idea.
Expand on the idea presented in the topic sentence by explaining background
information, discussing the significance of the topic, offering a quote, or
giving an example.
Incorporate concepts from readings and lectures to support, explain, define,
defend, elaborate on, and/or justify your position.
Analyze your support information or example to deepen the reader’s
understanding of your argument.
End the paragraph with a transition sentence that prepares reader for the
next point/paragraph.
“A good writer arranges material in a way that
suits his [sic] theme.”
– from The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing by Michael Harvey, p. 76
Sample Body Paragraph
Often, when a family member or friend excels at something, others compare
us to that person. In elementary school, I usually earned “A”s in English and
math. My older brother, on the other hand, had problems with reading
comprehension and mathematical concepts, and he rarely received a grade
above a “C-” in either subject. My father constantly compared Chino’s grades
to mine, accusing him of daydreaming or not working hard enough.
Throughout his childhood, my brother heard, “Why can’t you be more like your
little sister?” My dad’s criticism only made Chino feel resentful and
unappreciated instead of encouraging him to do better. As the years passed,
my brother fell farther and farther behind in his studies, often giving up
without trying. Comparison not only breeds insecurity, it can also lead to
apathy. The achievements of someone close to him made Chino feel
threatened because his efforts looked weak in comparison. Success often
involves competition and comparison. Though others seldom consider
comparing our accomplishments to those of strangers or celebrities, they feel
no compunctions about measuring our success against that of family and
friends. Thus, those close to us emphasize our inadequacies. They not only
make us look bad, they also receive the honors that we feel should come to us.
The Conclusion
On in-class essays, the instructor understands time constraints, so
conclusions can be brief.
To conclude your essay, restate the main points of your argument and
their significance, telling the reader what s/he should have learned
from reading your essay.
If you run out of time, don’t panic. Simply restate the general idea of
the thesis.
Click here for more notes on structuring the essay.
Final Tips: Review and Revise
Is your thesis clearly stated in the first paragraph?
Does each paragraph have a topic sentence that relates to the thesis?
Did you stay on topic? Does your essay prove your thesis?
Are your facts and examples accurate?
Did you omit any words or ideas? Insert missing information if necessary.
Check for punctuation, spelling, and grammar.
Does the conclusion tie everything together and end the essay appropriately?
If you run out of time, again, don’t panic. Instructors tend to be more
understanding about errors on in-class essays.
Final Tips: Write Simple, Concise Sentences
• Don’t ramble, be direct: use details, evidence, and examples that
clearly relate to and support your argument.
• Write neatly and skip lines unless instructed otherwise: this allows
the instructor to read more easily and lets you insert words or
sentences you may have omitted or want to add later.
• The timed essay is not the place to start using fancy words that
you don’t really understand or know how to use. Write simple
sentences in clear, concise prose.
• Impress the reader with the depth of your content, not the length
of your words!
Final Tips: Test Preparation
University Standard: A minimum of three hours of out-of-class study
for every one hour spent in class.
Timed essays start long before the actual exam, so begin studying at least a
week before the exam.
Try answering some practice questions in advance and time yourself to see how
well you can develop an essay within those time limitations.
Form a study group and quiz each other regularly.
Meet with a tutor regularly to strengthen skills reading, writing, and
comprehension skills.
Meet with your professor during office hours.
Use the PEGS online workshops and resources: located at pegs4grads.org.
Click here for more notes on preparation, reviewing, and revising.
Timed Essay Exercise
•
To practice the concepts presented in this workshop, please refer to the
timed essay handout.
•
The exercise provides a prompt and a selection of quotes as source material.
•
The student will respond to the prompt using three sources to support an
argument or counterargument.
•
Instead of writing an entire essay, the student will develop a thesis, outline,
and introduction that provide support points.
•
The student may refer to the quotes in either the introduction or the outline
as long as s/he indicates how they will be used.
•
The exercise is designed to help you organize your time and practice the
process of synthesizing source materials.
Click here for the timed exercise handout.
Need further help?
Check out PEGS (Promoting Excellence in Graduate Studies)!
Group tutoring sessions in grammar, composition,
research
One-on-one capstone and thesis support and tutoring
Make an appointment or browse our online workshops:
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Library Reference Desk
(310) 243-3586 or (310) 243-3582
http://library.csudh.edu/services/reference/desk.shtml
Works Cited
Andrews, Robert, ed. The Columbia Dictionary of Quotations. New York:
Columbia UP, 1993. Print.
“Creative Writing.” Photograph. Creative Writing at AACC. Anne
Arundel Community College. Web. 1 August 2013.
Harvey, Michael. The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing. Indianapolis:
Hackett Publishing, 2003. Print.
Mead, Margaret. The Egalitarian Error: A Way of Seeing. New York:
McCall Publishing, 1970. 73-76. Print.
“Taking an Essay Exam.” Writing Tutorial Services (WTS). Indiana
University Bloomington, 27 April 2004. Web. 23 July 2013.
“Written.” Photograph. Usegrid. Web. 24 July 2013.