How to Prepare for an Essay Exam

Co-authored by Michelle Golden, PhD

Last Updated: April 20, 2023

The dreaded essay exam. Whether you like it or not, at some point in your life you are certain to encounter an exam composed entirely of essays. In the days leading up to the exam you may feel anxious or downright sick to your stomach. Fortunately, with a little bit of preparation and practice, you can turn any pre-exam jitters into a feeling of confidence, which will allow you to successfully tackle any essay exam.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Participating in Class

1
Go to class. It may seem obvious, but the first step to acing an essay exam, is to attend class. In doing so, you’ll not only be able to hear the instructor’s perspective on the subject, but will be able to participate in class discussions, which can help to further your knowledge of the subject. More importantly, students that regularly participate in class are constantly involved with the material and are more likely to remember a greater portion of the information.
- Actively participate. It’s important to find a participation method that works for you, whether that’s asking thought-provoking questions or commenting on the reading. Active participation just means involving yourself in some way, so even if you don’t feel comfortable speaking at length in front of your peers, try to ask a question every now and then.
- Free yourself from distractions. Put away your cell phone or tablet and concentrate on listening and taking good notes. Now is not the time to work on homework for another class or to catch up with friends on Facebook.
2
Take notes. Another important benefit of attending class, is the notes you take. Although some instructors will provide outlines, there is no substitute for your own notes, as you know your learning and studying style best. In preparing for your essay exam, this will prove to be one of your most valuable tools, so do yourself a favor by going to class and taking good notes.
- Always have a notebook on hand. It is helpful to use one notebook per subject or course, so that you don’t confuse yourself when looking back.
- Be sure to date your notes so that you can quickly reference or find the subject material covered on the exam.
- If you struggle with taking notes, ask the instructor if you can record the lecture. You can then go back and listen to the recording and either take notes at your own pace or review any parts of the lecture, which will be relevant for the exam.
3
Do the readings. Completing reading assignments not only helps to prepare you for class, but saves you double the effort later.^{[1]
X
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University of North Carolina Writing Center
UNC's on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing process

Go to source} In other words, you won’t have to cram for the exam if you’re keeping up with the readings, which will make preparing for the test less stressful.
- Take notes on what you’ve read and have questions ready for class.
- Follow the schedule for reading assignments. Typically readings are broken out in a way that is both manageable and topical. If, however, you find yourself unable to keep up with the readings, speak with your instructor about a schedule that suits your particular needs. For example, if readings are assigned for every other day of class, you may need to break it out such that you are reading a portion every day.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Reviewing the Material

1
Collect your notes from class. Having your notes and any other class materials in one place, helps the review process go more smoothly.
- In addition to having one notebook per course, it may be helpful to also have an individual course binder or folder, which contains all course materials.
- Take your organization to the next level by categorizing according to exams. Don’t throw away previous notes or materials from past exams. They may come in handy for midterm or final exams. Instead, organize the materials as if they were chapters, with chapter one being the first exam and so forth and so on.
2
Find a quiet place to study. Free yourself from environmental distractions, such as loud noises, the TV or radio. For some people, it helps to have a designated study space at home. Others may prefer to go to the library or to a local coffee shop.
- Limit phone calls and any other distractions such as texting. It might help to turn your phone and other devices to silent mode while you’re studying.
- The TV should always be off while you’re preparing for an exam.
- If you want to listen to music, be sure it’s something that is relaxing or peaceful. Also, keep the music at a low level. Otherwise, music can easily become a distraction.
3
Review class materials. Once your materials are organized, you should begin the review process. Research has shown that reviewing new material within 24 hours of hearing it increases your retention of that material by about 60%. In other words, don’t wait until the night before the exam to review your notes. Spread out studying over the course of several days.
- Get into the habit of reviewing class materials after each course. This will help to ease anxiety leading up to the exam, as you won’t have as much to review and will be able to clear up any questions that arise, prior to the big day.
- Cramming doesn’t work. Multiple studies have shown that spacing out learning was more effective than cramming.^{[2]
  X
  Research source} What’s more, cramming only increases the feeling of desperation which leads to panic, and then to test anxiety.
4
Look for potential topics (questions) by creating an outline. When you study a large body of information, you should study from concept to detail, not the other way around. It will, in fact, be much easier to learn the details if you take the time to learn the concept and theory first. In other words, an outline helps you to organize a large amount of information, making it easier to identify specific topics, which could serve as essay questions.
- Creating an outline will also come in handy when drafting essay responses, so give yourself some practice and start with your class materials.
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Practicing Ahead of Time

Familiarize yourself with how to Write an Essay. A good essay should have an introduction, a body and a conclusion.
2
Outline your answers. Keeping your topics in mind (from the review stage), draft an outline to potential essay questions. Try to come up with a topic sentence and then arrange your supporting material, underneath, using bullet points.
- Don’t wait until the night before to outline answers. As you’re studying and organizing your class materials, come up with potential questions along the way. You can then go back and review and revise as necessary.
- Some instructors do specify a word count for essays. Don’t focus on counting words though. Write what you can and look for opportunities to flesh out your answers without being overly wordy.
3
Recognize different types of questions. Like any other test, essay exams are composed of various types of questions. It helps to know ahead of time, what you may encounter so that you can practice answering each one. Here are some examples:
- Identify - typically short and direct answers will do.
- Explain - requires a more detailed answer.
- Compare - look for connections.
- Argue - address this from your own perspective.
4
Revise your answers. Practice makes perfect. Once you’ve created an initial draft of your responses, review what you’ve written. Look for opportunities to expound upon or clarify the content. Most importantly, be sure you are directly answering the question that has been asked. If you’re not, go back and review the corresponding materials.
- This is a good opportunity to proofread your work and to look for any grammatical errors as well.
- Have a friend, parent or peer look over your essay as well. It is often helpful to have a fresh set of eyes review your work and provide feedback.
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How do I answer a theory question in an examination?

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In order to answer a theory question, you need to explain it fully in detail. My technique is 'PPE,' which stands for point, evidence, and explanation. Make an initial point as an answer to the question. Then, support your argument with detailed explanations and evidence.

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How can I write an essay within 30 minutes?

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An essay has to have minimum three paragraphs. Each can have a minimum of three lines. (Unless what your instructor tells you differs.) Calculate the time you take to write a line, then multiply it by nine lines. Add 10 more minutes to it for ideas about the content while writing. Practice this a couple of times until you make it.

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How can I learn theory answers in short time

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Set a fixed time for studies, as it might become habit and get you in the right mind for studies. First, understand the nature of the question and then try to read and understand the theory answer as to how it is the answer to the asked question. Once you understand meaning, you can recollect the answers and write them in your own words respectively.

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Tips

For open-notes or open-book tests, study thoroughly anyway. This will prepare you for other exams or tests where you're not allowed to use notes, and will allow for you to complete the test faster and easier because you won't need to search for everything in the book or your notes.

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Be positive. If you are negative and believe you will not do well, chances are that you will perform the way you expect to.

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Practice writing. Be sure you can write fairly well in other situations so that you can express your ideas clearly.

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