PPST Essay Test (99a)

Students will be asked to write a brief essay on a given topic in 30 minutes. The topic will be
general; no specific, technical knowledge will be required.

Pay attention to the topic: Look at key words, like discuss, define, describe, compare, explain,
show, give reasons. Be sure you are fulfilling all parts of the assignment.

ORGANIZE!

Take five minutes to organize your thoughts; a notes page is provided. Make a brief
outline, jot notes, or make a simple list.

Write legibly in the answer area; you must not waste precious time copying your essay from
the notes section—you will almost certainly be forced to turn in an incomplete essay.

Take five minutes at essay end to edit and proofread. It is expected that words may be
inserted or crossed out (with a single line).

Scoring: The essay portion is graded holistically upon

organization and development

use of detail to support thesis or illustrate ideas

unity, coherence, and progression

sentence variety

facility in the use of language

Scoring Guidelines:
6 Shows high degree of competence in response to assignment; may contain a few minor errors;
is well organized and coherently developed; clearly explains or illustrates key ideas; has
sentence variety; displays facility in use of language; is generally free from errors in
mechanics, usage, and sentence structure.
5
Shows clear competence in response to assignment but may have minor errors; is generally
well organized and coherently developed; explains or illustrates key ideas; has sentence
variety; displays facility in use of language; is generally free from errors in mechanics, usage,
and sentence structure.
4
Shows competence in response to assignment; is adequately organized and developed; explains
or illustrates some of the key ideas; shows adequate facility in use of language; may display
some errors in mechanics, usage, or sentence structure, but not a consistent pattern of such
errors.
3
Shows some degree of competence in response to assignment but is obviously flawed; has
inadequate organization or development; has inadequate explanation or illustration of key
ideas; reveals a pattern or errors in mechanics, usage, or sentence structure; demonstrates
limited or inappropriate word choice.
2
Shows fundamental deficiencies in writing skills; reveals weak organization or little
development; has little or no relevant detail; contains serious errors in mechanics, usage,
sentence structure, or word choice.
1
Shows fundamental deficiencies in writing skills, contains serious and persistent writing
errors, is incoherent or underdeveloped.
See page 26, 27 in The PPST Guide in the Praxis Series for sample scored essays.

Practice Topics

Think of a person you know who enjoys his or her work. Discuss the factors that you
believe account for that person’s satisfaction.

The passage of time can help solve a problem, or it can make the problem worse. Select one
problem you know of and explain how it was affected by the passing of time.

Believing in yourself is 90% of success. Discuss an instance in which this has proved true
for you or someone you know.

Painful experiences can sometimes teach valuable lessons. Describe an unpleasant event
which has taught you or someone you know a valuable lesson.

Illustrate the concept that the way people dress often reveals their personalities.

Describe an event in your life in which a sense of humor has enabled you to overcome a
hardship.

Describe how you are a different person than you were just three years ago and the
influences which have caused that change.
The PPST Guide. Educational Testing Service. 1994.
For information and practice on the PPST Writing Test, see pp. 22-25, 53, and 109 in The PPST Guide.