Appendix B “I GET NERVOUS WRITING IN CLASS AND TAKING ESSAY EXAMINATIONS”

Prepare Know the material – The final is an RP based on a short reading. – You know how to do this Practice writing in a limited amount of time – How do you do it?

Reduce Your Expectations Information = most important A class writing or exam will not be as “good” as work done at home and revised.

Visualize Yourself Doing It You know you can do it! Relax, be positive See yourself writing in class Reduce Stress: go through the steps (get paper, get topic, read it, write an outline if you want to, write the paper, feel confident)

Use a Short Process If you usually outline, do it. Just do it quickly. If you revise, revise on the same page. Don’t worry about every detail.

Wear a Watch; Budget Time Decide how much time to use for each step Think first? How long? Outline? How much time? Plan time for the parts of your exam. (In different courses, you might write short answers for example)

Organize Simply For this RP – Summary 50 words; topic sentence – Opinion 100 words – LITERATURE CITED – bring your notes on how to make a LITERATURE CITE page. Now is not the time to try something new!!

Make a Short Outline You may write a list of your main points. Use the list – do not waste time re-planning or re-thinking or starting over. Outline = Organization = No Stress Decide what to do and do it; there is no time to change your plan.

DO NOT RECOPY Don’t start over – No need: have outline Don’t recopy – Professor does not expect all beautiful – You can cross out words – You can draw arrows – Waste of time to recopy; causes stress

SKIP LINES LEAVE BIG MARGINS TOO SKIP LINES SO YOU CAN ADD WORDS OR SENTENCES SOME PEOPLE TRIPLE SPACE

Never Pad Your Writing “PADDING” is extra words you don’t need “PADDING” is also extra ideas you don’t need Do not try to make your paper look longer by padding it (stuffing it full of nothing!) NOTE: book says padding is annoying to the reader!

If you don’t know… SOMETIMES YOU CAN GUESS if you are writing short answers for another course YOU MIGHT BE RIGHT! GUESSING IS NOT PADDING KEEP TO THE POINT

RUN OUT OF TIME? List the main points you were planning The professor might give you partial credit This chapter of your book is good for all written exams in any course. It is for short answer tests and longer essay tests.

LOOK FOR DIRECTION WORDS Analyze Compare Contrast Define Describe Discuss Evaluate/Interpret Illustrate

If you do not understand… Ask for help Book says “you may not get help, but then again, you may.”

Friday, Dec. 9, 12 Noon, L-242 Final Exam is required of all RUM students If you have over 90%, you must come to exam anyway. If you have over 90%, you can write a short or “bad” exam (such as one sentence) but you must come at noon and sign the attendance list. This is a UPRM reglamento.

Questions? Josue will bring the paper. You can bring a paper dictionary. You can bring your class notes about writing an RP or how to make a literature cited page. No digital devices during exam. No digital dictionary. No phones, no texting, nothing electronic.