The end of the semester is fast approaching. The end of the year brings those dreaded timed essays. The stress of it all can be overwhelming, but there are a few things I keep in mind when I'm writing that help me stay focused (and maintain my sanity).
Do: Always, always, always have a thesis.
In almost every piece of academic writing, a thesis is necessary. It can be pretty easy to forget this when you're mind is blanking and the clock is ticking. Your professor doesn't expect you to write a publishable article; he/she expects you to, in a timely fashion, discuss what you've learned in the course. Writing a thesis can be tough, but it's the most important part of your paper. It tells the reader what you're going to say and how you're going to say it. Start here, and the rest will fall into place.
Don't: Lose track of time.
It can be easy to get so caught up in writing that one amazing body paragraph that you completely forget about the rest of the essay. While that one body paragraph might be spectacular, it's not all that worthwhile when you don't have two other body paragraphs and a conclusion. What I do is I give myself a set amount of time per paragraph. If I have 40 minutes per essay, I'll have about eight minutes or so per paragraph. It's crucial that you give yourself a time limit because a complete essay is almost always better than an incomplete essay.
Do: Give yourself time to proofread.
Trust me, I hate rereading my timed essays. My first thought is to immediately throw all of the paper in the recycling bin and start over. But that simply can't be done. What you do have to do is give yourself enough time to catch the big mistakes. Every time I write, whether I'm typing or hand-writing, I make some sort of ridiculous typo or say something I didn't intend at all. When you do a quick read over, you'll probably catch those things and add a few points to your grade because of it.
Don't: Leave too early.
While some people may struggle to get everything written down during a timed writing, some students fly through a timed writing and leave unscathed. It's incredibly tough to write a good essay in 40 minutes; it's even tougher to do it in 25 minutes. Use every bit of time allotted to you. I promise your professor doesn't mind staying the whole time. If you find yourself with extra time, proofread, edit, or just read through your work again. I can guarantee that you will find an error or two each time you do.
Do: Relax.
If you've done all the work and studied, you will do fine. Your professor isn't throwing in some trick questions to mess with you or asking you to answer some vague topic that was discussed for a couple of minutes that one class period. Timed writings are designed to test what you've gained from the class and whether you can effectively discuss what you've learned through writing.
