1. Most importantly, make sure you register for the exam on OASIS early in the semester and that you are eligible to take the exam for that semester. If you are unsure, call your academic advisor.
   
   
2. Make sure that you are rested and alert the day you take the exam. Get plenty of sleep the night before and eat sufficiently for energy.
   
   
3. Don't worry in advance about the topic or try to study any particular sources. Since the topics involve general knowledge or information, you should feel confident that your preparation and practice before the exam will allow you to pass, whatever the topic.
   
   
4. The essay test form will offer a choice of four topics. You must choose and write on only one. Read your chosen topic carefully. As it is important to stay on topic, be sure that you respond the question or statement presented to you.
   
   
5. Exam topics often come from three primary categories: a) the ones that are completely personal and require no outside or previous knowledge (“Do you prefer shopping at large shopping malls or in smaller downtown areas?”); b) the ones that are largely impersonal and require some outside or previous knowledge (“Is it time for the United States to abandon the two-party political structure?”); c) the ones that are somewhere between personal and impersonal and may require a small amount of outside or previous knowlege (“what are some of the effects on American society of the increasing numbers of women in the workplace?”). Knowing beforehand in which category you write stronger essays can help you immensely.
   
   
6. Time—wear or bring a watch, and remain aware of the time. While you may receive time cues during the test, do not depend on being told anything but when to begin and when to stop. Plan your time well: use the entire hour to plan, write, and proofread your essay.
   
   
7. A good rule of thumb is to allot 10 minutes or so to plan your essay, to save the last 10 minutes or so to proofread your essay, and to use the balance of time to write the essay itself. NOTE: You may use a dictionary during the last fifteen minutes, but extra paper and notes will not be permitted.
   
   
8. Do not bother with a title. If your approach needs clarification, try to include an explanation in your introduction.
   
   
9. Detail is most important on this exam. Generalizations and assertions alone do not work well as arguments. The more you are able to use appropriate concrete details, the better chance your essay has of passing. To make them more plausible, try locating your examples in time and space (example: “When I was a senior at Roswell High School . . .” rather than “When I was a kid . . .”).
   
   
10. Use the unlined front page of the test form for your outline (we encourage you to outline), list of possible illustrations/examples, or other notes for your own use. Nothing on this page will be graded.
    
    
11. Begin your essay on the first lined page. Skip lines (double space) as you write. Doing so will make proofreading easier and leave ample room for corrections. If you find yourself running out of room at some point, you can easily revert to single-spacing. Skipping lines also allows your graders to decipher your handwriting more easily.
    
    
12. Although you probably can't suddenly use an entirely different sort of handwriting, if you are aware that people struggle reading your penmanship, try your best to make it as legible as possible. If the graders can't read it, they can't grade it.
    
    
13. Use regular blue or black ball-point pens (bring at least two). Avoid erasable ink, which smudges easily. IMPORTANT: Pencil-written essays will NOT BE GRADED.
    
    
14. Avoid second-person pronouns (“you”). Third-person pronouns (he, she, it, they) are acceptable, and because many of the questions ask about your personal experience, use of first-person pronouns (I, me) is fine wherever appropriate.
    
    
15. ANOTHER NOTE ON PRONOUNS: Remember that indefinite pronouns (someone, each, everyone) and “generic” nouns (a person, each student) are grammatically singular and must be followed by singular pronouns (“he,” “she,” or “he or she”), but avoid “he/she.”
    
    
16. Avoid trite openings (“School dress codes are a great topic of debate today . . .” or “In today's society . . .”) and circular or redundant phrasings (“the reason is because . . .” or “the reason why is . . .”—the word “reason” means, by definition, “because” and “why”).
    
    
17. Write a clear, appropriately formal introduction and a clear, non-repetitive closing. A vague or scanty opening will certainly lessen the impact of your essay; on the other hand, getting right to the point (i.e., your thesis) is usually best, rather than writing a ten-sentence opening that leaves insufficient time for the rest of your essay. Avoid merely repeating (summarizing) your points in your conclusion. Opt for a speculative conclusion (“Perhaps in the future . . .”) or anecdotal (“As my grandfather once put it . . .”); they're more interesting, much more memorable, and usually just as easy to write.
    
    
18. Remain aware of the logic of your overall argument. If you use well-known names or historical facts, they must be accurate. Do not invent facts, statistics, or quotations (“Half of all people who speed eventually have auto accidents”); however, reasonably estimated facts (i. e., “About two-thirds of college students do not bother to vote”) can sometimes be useful. Write a witty or satirical essay only if you are confident you can maintain the humor AND an effective argument.
    
    
19. Be aware of who is reading your essay. You are trying to convince your readers that what you are saying is a reasonable, plausible answer to the question. Alienating or offending your readers is poor salesmanship.
    
    
20. Proofread carefully for errors that have plagued you before; developing a checklist of your personal writing demons is an excellent idea. In fact, it's best to develop a proofreading strategy, such as reading your sentences in reverse order to help you “see” them out of context, before you go to the exam. This strategy is especially helpful in finding issues on the sentence level—grammar (fragments, comma splices, fused sentences, subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement, apostrophe errors), omitted words, and diction (choosing the right words for the right places). Actually, if you are aware that you have trouble with word-level errors (spelling, apostrophes, etc.), you may also try reading your essay in reverse word by word. Finally, remember, if you change something, to go back over it to ensure your essay as a whole still makes sense.
21. Above all, RELAX! (and remember to breathe)