In-Class Essay Tips

If you have an in-class essay exam you may naturally feel a bit nervous. After all, it is not easy to produce a reasonably well put together essay in 45 minutes- 2 hours unless you have some kind of game plan. So where do you start?

One thing to keep in mind is the parameters of your in-class essay exam and try to use them to your advantage. A good example of this is that some professors allow you to bring in your own notes or research into the exam. The "assignment" is to then construct an "in-class essay" during the 45 minutes to 2 hours they have alloted for the essay exam.

What you should realize if you haven't already, is that your teacher has allowed you an easy out. You can simply draft your in-class essay at home and then re-write it in the exam book. You should probably hand-write it in note-form so it does not look to the casual observer like you have it done. Be sure to look like you are thinking hard and watching the clock like the other suckers.

So, your teacher limited the materials that you can bring into your in-class essay to your text book. No problem! Simply write it in the margins of the pages so it looks like notes. It may take you 15 pages of margin notes to fit the essay but this has the added effect of making it look like you are looking through the book as you write your in-class essay.