In most American universities and colleges, a high school student must prove themselves worthy of admission in exams such as ACT or SAT. These tests now have an essay portion that an examinee must accomplish in a given time, which is usually 25 to 30 minutes.
The essay’s main objective is to produce statistics of the examinee’s analytical and logical thinking. Moreover, this further attests the grammar and vocabulary ability of the student applied in the standard format of writing. So if you find yourself taking the SAT and ACT essay exams, what should you do? Aligned here are some valuable tips an examinee should observe during the essay exam.
- Think positive and relax. If it helps you think of chocolates and other sweet things, why not? If you need to whistle a happy tune, do it in your mind in order not to distract others. Do the classic breathe-in-breathe-out because it really helps.
- Read the given set of instructions. Don’t miss a detail, therefore concentrate. During the onset, make a mental draft of the structure you’re going to do base on the topic and given instructions.
- Organize your essay, noting the keywords in the process. Observe the following:
- Main thoughts
- Details within the main points
- Summary and Assessment
- Your own explanation or justification
- Budget your time. Allot schedule for each step of your writing. For example, give 3 minutes for reading the instructions, 5 minutes for the outline…etc.
- Observe a strong first sentence that points out your main idea. Do not write colorful words with no substance. Avoid over-elaborating your thoughts.
- Be informative in your writing. It means that you have to be brief and concise of your ideas and explanations.
- When you finished your essay, proofread and edit. If you still have remaining time, scan through your essay and don’t miss a word. Be sure to correct misspelled words and lousy grammar.