Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Short answer

• Short answer questions are designed for you to recall and provide some very specific information (unlike essay questions, which also ask you to apply critical thinking to that information). When you read the question, ask yourself what exactly the instructor wants to know. Keep your answers short and specific. Do not “information dump” everything you know; craft a clear paragraph.
• Read the question very carefully.
• Repeat key terms in the question.
• Understand the qualities of a good argumentative paragraph: topic sentence, evidence, explanation of evidence, concluding sentence.
• Use full sentences, and take some time to add transitional expressions (e.g., “furthermore,” “for example,” “however,” etc.) so that you are clearly linking ideas together.
• Budget some time to proofread!

Essays

• Essay questions allow instructors to assess how well you can apply critical thinking and reasoning to the course material. Good essay answers are based on your thoughts, supported by examples from classes and reading assignments.
• Careful planning is critical to answering essay questions effectively. When you start your exam, note how many essay questions you have to answer and how difficult each question seems, and then allocate your time accordingly.
• Read the question carefully, underlining or circling key words. Watch for words that describe the instructor’s expectations for your response. Pay particular attention to verbs (action words), such as “discuss,” “explain,” or “compare” (see table 6.1 Verbs to Watch for in Essay Questions).
• Create a quick outline for your essay. This helps to ensure that you don’t leave out key points, and if you run out of time, it may pick up a few points for your grade. Write a preliminary thesis, some topic sentences, and jot down specific information you might want to use, such as examples, figures, dates, or places.
• Use double space so that you have room to rewrite or revise.
• Introduce your essay answer, but get right to the point. Remember that the instructor will be grading dozens of papers and avoid “filler” text that does not add value to your answer. For example, rather than writing, “In our study of the Civil War, it is helpful to consider the many facets that lead to conflict, especially the economic factors that help explain this important turning point in our nation’s history,” write a more direct and concise statement like this: “Economic factors help to explain the start of the Civil War.”
• Revise with an eye to the “hot spot” areas that can make or break your essay: the first sentence, the thesis statement (i.e., main argument in the introduction), topic sentences, and conclusion. Make sure that these sentences are as clear as can be, and check that the topic sentences beginning each paragraph have a crystal clear connection to the thesis statement.
• Add transitional expressions (e.g., “additionally,” “furthermore,” “for example,” “however,” etc.).
• If handwritten, don’t waste time erasing or using correction tape. Simply cross out sentences and passages that you don’t want the instructor to read.
• Write neatly and watch your grammar and spelling. Allow time to proofread.

• Attend all classes and complete all assignments. Review the assignments you completed for your class. After reviewing problems in class, take careful notes about what you did incorrectly. Repeat the problem and do a similar one as soon as possible. The last solution to a problem in your mind should be a correct solution.
• Think about how each problem solution might be applied in a real-world situation. This helps make even the most complex solutions relevant and easier to learn.
• In a study group, take turns presenting solutions to problems and observing and correcting everyone’s work.
• If you are having difficulty with a concept, get help right away. Use the PCC Tutoring Center, attend office hours, and schedule extra study sessions to learn the material. Remember that math often builds new material on previous material, so if you are having trouble with a concept now, you are likely to have trouble going forward.

Do the following during the test:

• Review the entire test before you start, and work on the problems you feel most confident with first.
• Approach each problem following four steps:

1. 1. Read. Read the problem through twice: the first time to get the full concept of the question, and the second time to draw out pertinent information.
   2. Ask. After you read through the problem the first time, ask yourself, “What is this problem about?” and “What is the answer likely to look like?” The second time through, consider these questions: “What facts do I have available?” “What do I know?” “What measurable units must the answer be in?” Think about the operations and formulas you will need to use. Try to estimate a ballpark answer.
   3. Compute. Compute your answer, writing as neatly as you can (fours can look like nines). First, eliminate as many unknowns as possible. You may need to use a separate formula for each unknown. Use algebraic formulas as far as you can before plugging in actual numbers; that will make it easier to cancel and combine factors. Remember that you may need two or more tries before you come up with the answer.
   4. Check. Check your work. Start by comparing your actual answer to the estimate you made when you first read the problem. Does your final answer sound likely? Check your arithmetic by opposite operations: use multiplication to check division and addition to check subtraction, and so on. Look at the question to be sure you answered it completely.

Science tests also are often problem based, but they also generally use the scientific method. This is why science tests may require some specific strategies:

• Before the test, review your lab notes as well as your class notes and assignments. Many exam questions build upon lab experience, so pay close attention to your notes, assignments, and labs. Practice describing the experimental process.
• Read the question carefully. What does the instructor expect you to do? Prove a hypothesis? Describe an experiment? Summarize research? Underline the words that state the objective of the question.
• Look carefully at all the diagrams given with the question. What do they illustrate? Why are they included with the question? Are there elements on the diagram you are expected to label?
• Many science questions are based on the scientific method and experimental model. When you read the test question, identify the hypothesis the problem is proposing; be prepared to describe an experimental structure to prove a hypothesis. When you check your work, make sure the hypothesis, experimental steps, and a summary of results (or expected results) are clear. Some of these elements may be part of the question, while others you may need to provide in your answer.