Thursday, December 6, 2012

(#9) Timed Exam Observations

What are three things you have found that are most important when taking a timed, handwritten essay exam? (Due 12/11)



21 comments:

  1. Diana Cuevas
    English 125-RQ1
    Professor Stephen D’Amato
    E-Journal # 9
    December 11, 2012

    Obstacles Sedated During a Handwritten Essay

    During essay exams, one thing that appears most difficult is the handwritten aspect of it. Nothing was submitted or completed electronically during high school, however, since I have become so accustomed with electronic entries and essays, my tendency to write by hand has gotten sluggish, especially when I am being timed. Anxiety hits me the hardest since I tend to worry about the duration of time that is remaining to complete my essay exam. Nonetheless, when taking the handwritten essay exams, I find it very essential for an outline to be conducted either by hand or conceptually. It can be very time-consuming when the outline is written, on the other hand accommodating for others. I prefer to organize the format of the essay mentally and work it out from there. Along with an outline being led during the exam, writing footnotes on the article has been quite helpful. When I have arranged the topics that will be addressed in each paragraph, I number the vital sections of the paragraphs and quotes in the text. This way, when I am ready to use the evidence, I would not have to go through a scavenger hunt searching for key ideas that corresponds to the main points. The numbers of each paragraph are followed consecutively, therefore I will use the introduction as (1), the body paragraphs that follow as (2), (3), and (4), and finally the conclusion as (5), and these numbers are written next to sections of the text. Lastly, another important element while taking a timed essay exam is annotating the first text that is given before the exam. Annotations make it easier to better understand the text and allow the reader to have a worthy memory for significant details. Writing small comments and notes in the margins is very convenient during the essay exam because if by any chance, you do not remember the text, instead of skimming through it, the relevance of the text will all come back to you in memory when the annotations are read. As a result, when the second text is given the day of the exam, comparisons and differences can easily be made in reference to the first text. The three methods that I previously mentioned, which I find most necessary during a timed essay examination has been the most helpful for me thus far. I have dealt with a handful of different ways to go about an essay but unfortunately, it has not worked out as planned until now. The most important ways for me to “tackle” a timed essay, so to speak, is through outlining, numbering, and annotating. My principal obstacle faced during essay examinations is the pressure of writing and being able to do so neatly; most of the time my handwriting becomes worse than it already is when I am rushing. Nevertheless, mercifully this obstacle has been sedated now that we will be taking our essay exam on blackboard; timed—yes, but typed—which fills me up with great joy.

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  2. Vanessa Raghubar
    ENG 125-RQ1
    Prof. Addis D’Amato
    E-Journal # 9
    12/11/12

    During practice test number one, there were a few obstacles I faced while taking the test. In the beginning, I became very anxious because I was very nervous that I would not have enough time to finish. While I was reading, at times I would forget or did not understand what I had just read so I had to go back and reread the paragraph, sometimes two. I kept telling myself to stay focus and concentrate and eventually I relaxed and just zoned everything out. In other worlds, it is very important to stay calm, concentrate and set aside efficient time to complete each part. Another important thing I learned is to briefly jot down the connection between the two and find quotes to support those main points. I usually write papers without having to do that but while taking the test; I was very confused and overwhelmed because I did not know what direction to take. I found myself constantly flipping through the articles and changing my main points every few second. So, I decided to take sometime and go through each article, find my three main points and quotes to support them, I wrote it down and my essay just flowed from there. Lastly, it is very important not to over write as time is limited. After rushing to finish my essay because time was coming to an end I realized on my walk home that I wrote about too much. I picked three main points to write about and I did not have time to elaborate on any of them. I realized after that there were no specific instructions that stated I had to write about three connections but I did anyway because that is how much I am use to writing for our critical essays. I could have written about two, spent more time on it or even one, and really get into details about that. The more details, the better, so now I know that to over write for our next practice exam and final.

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  3. Ranita Saha
    ENG 125 RQ1
    Prof. Addis D'Amato
    E-Journal #9
    December 11, 2012

    Old School

    The art of handwritten exams and assignments is a dying one. With technology's allure of time efficiency and visual organization, the written word has been replaced with the typed word. Due to this pseudo-extinction, an exam requiring one to write rather than type is significantly harder. This past week, I was required to do just that. To make it even trickier, it was timed. One of the main things that helped was relaxation. The key to any success is peace of mind. If one allows the heart to race uncontrollably and the mind to fill up with anxiety, failure is imminent. The second thing that surprisingly helped was the fact that it was a written exam. I tend to find myself procrastinate a bit when typing up papers. The screen, itself, is perfect for zoning out. Yet, no such option was available. Therefore, I found myself more focused than ever while taking the exam. Lastly, I found that I was able to bring more of me to the essay. Let me elaborate. When I read back my essay before submitting, I was able to identify areas where I had an influx of ideas. My pen strokes were more severe...looked even rushed. The practice exam was definitely useful. It makes the idea of taking the final exam less daunting. All in all, it was a good experience and it was nice to revert, if only temporarily, to the old school ways when the sound of paper and the smell of ink was familiar.

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  6. Michelle Andrade
    ENG-125
    Prof. Addis D’Amato
    Critical Questions
    12/6/2012

    While taking a hand written exam, being cautious of making your thesis and main points clear and precise is very important. The gathering of the information to extend those main points and serve as evidence, can define weather you passed or not. Because what is a great main idea without and proof from the text.

    Another factor to be aware of is being organized and clean with your work. The biggest worry of mine is when it is a timed handwritten exam is trying to make it look as if it were not rushed and try to perform at the same level as I were to write other essays that’s usually take me 4-5 hours. Making sure that everything flows and isn't scattered around.

    And lastly, Time management because usually you’re accustomed to having more than 2 hours to write an essay. Focusing on your essay and not watching the clock. At the same time, making every minute count by trying to get as much important and valuable information into your essay. As well as developing your thoughts as you write on the spot. Not letting the pressure get to you and just focus on the task at hand.

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  7. Nazirah Muhammad
    ENG 125-RQ1
    E-journal #9
    Prof. D’Amato
    December 10, 2012
    Taking handwritten essay exams are the most difficult and time consuming parts of taking any exam. Three things that I have found most important while taking these types of exams are managing time, trying not to over stress yourself, and proofreading your work to make sure that everything was written correctly. During the past exam, I was so worried about being able to write enough during the time period and being able to finish on time. Every time the amount of time left to write was announced my stomach would drop. Since I was so stressed about the time I would get writer’s block which would make me even more stressed. I realized that in order to finish faster I have to try my best not to stress over the time too much. In order to do that I have to make sure that I read the article a little faster so that I will have more time to write. Also, proofreading your work is important as well because spending two hours writing a paper that you end up failing in the end will not be a good feeling at all. Going back to look over what has been written and add or subtract anything that is/isn’t needed will be very beneficial in the end.

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  8. Samar Nadi
    ENG 125 -RQ!
    E Journal #9
    Prof. D'Amato
    December 10,2012

    Taking a timed handwritten essay are actually the most stressful things on the face of the earth. Feeling anxiety because you might forget all the information you studied or examined and plot it all on a piece of paper in such a short amount of time. as you are trying to manage your time, you feel as if you are going to fail even though, you probably won't. But especially that you must worry and care about your grammar. Sometimes, you'll even forget a couple of words to complete a sentence but, it's alright. Sometimes I'd hope teachers or instructors wouldn't be so critical because they had to do it at one point in their lives in order for them to get their degrees.

    Another thing, writing it as neatly as possible doesn't help the students at all because, you are worried if it is legible. It also wastes a fair amount of time because your hand starts feeling sore or tense and then you want to shake it off. Timed exams are frankly, super stressful.

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  9. ADJEWAAH BOAHEN
    English 125
    November 12 2013

    The feelings of being times to complete a task not just an essay but anything in general is quite nerve wracking .Timed essays require a lot of attention and organization. One issue that I face while writing a timed essay is that It's difficult for me to write the required and exact information needed on paper , because so many ideas that pop up in my head that I don't know exactly what to write and get so confused and also some things just can't be put in written form.
    Another issue that I face is that, I feel like I don't have enough information in my essay since am being timed and causes me to rush as much as I can to fit and and answer the questions needed to sum up the essay. The major issue that I face while writing a timed essay is that,I get the feeling that am writing nonsense through out the essay, I look at my paper and realize how much I've written but just can't get to the exact point of what exactly I need to write which just confuses me completely. I prefer typing my essay at home rather than writing it by hand.

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  10. Sky Strang
    English 125 RQ1
    E-Journal #9

    While taking a times hand written essay exam I can honestly say there is nothing to it. That is one of my techniques. If you get all worried and worked up then you can’t think straight and it will reflect on your work poorly. To take a timed exam being calm always helps even if you feel like there is little time. As one of my teachers used to say, its quality of quantity. I find it prudent to read the question given to you before reading the text. Not to obsess about what to look for, but because it is useful to note things that may have otherwise went unnoticed while reading. The article may have tons of information about the food market and you can find a lot to annotate and work with, but if the question asks about the capture and distribution of fish, all your note taking would be worth naught. Knowing your surroundings serves you well in text just as it does in real life. One last thing that has helped improve my reading speed is underlining the text with an edge. When I follow something as a guide, the speed at which it goes makes me read faster. Not only that but I do not have that flaw which everyone has done, read the same line over and over before realizing you haven’t read anything new. All these skill combined makes for a cool calm testing environment that you can execute quickly and accurately.

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  11. Mohsina Fayeza
    English 125-RQ1
    Professor Stephen D’Amato
    E-Journal # 9
    December 11, 2012
    Exam Frenzy
    Till now my education was more manually written than digital. Especially exams were always handwritten unless it’s a computer course. Obviously I did do the research and gather information online and compiled it the computer. So giving a digital timed exam is way more complicated than a handwritten exam for me since I claim myself to be technologically challenged. In giving a handwritten exam which is timed a few things needs to be focus upon to get the best outcome in the minimum time. Specially time is the prime concern, and if can manage it best taking care of your anxiety and being careful to catch the main issues in the exams I think you are good to go.
    The three most important things in writing an essay paper is to keep track of time and slot it properly, not to be too anxious thinking time is running out and making a proper outline before starting to write the final essay. It’s very important to keep track of your time and read the essay properly yet fast. Thinking that time is running out we should hurry too much so that we cannot even grasp what we read. It’s very important to mark or annotate important lines and make points if necessary. The essay should be written twice to actually understand and absorb the main gist in it. Then the final step is to make an outline of what you want to include in your body paragraph what will be the main points and form a draft. I prefer writing formats before starting to write my final prefer so that I can keep up with what is coming next and how I should continue. In fulfilling the above processes I usually a lot almost fifty percent of the total time. For me, organization takes more time than actual writing. And after completing the writing its good to proofread to correct any grammatical mistakes if needed. This is the strategy I follow in giving timed written exam papers. But different people have different speed in writing and reading so there assessment of time and writing may be different. Usually after practicing for a while it’s easy to know what method suits you most and during exams it gets easier.

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  12. Jared Van Sluytman
    English125
    E journal 9
    The most important thing in a timed essay is organization. If you can write down some bullet points and than organize these ideas your paper will be a lot better. The best way to make sure that you will have enough time to actually organize your work in a timed exam is to come prepared. If for the test you had to read an article make sure that not only do you read it several times but that you also take notes as you read them. This is probably one of the most important steps to remember for several reasons. In any timed exam most people become scared that they wont have enough time to finish and than they start to make foolish mistakes. This can be avoided if you prepare ahead of time, by preparing you already know what it is you have to know/do. By knowing in advance, you can already start to form ideas in your head effectively making a timed exam less frightening. The last thing you need to do in a timed exam is always stay focussed. The minute that you start to daydream it can cost your greatly. When you start to get distracted you start to lose track of time and than by the time you realize how much time has actually passed its to late and the exam is mostly over causing you to rush to finish your paper.

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  13. As if taking a timed exam wasn’t nerve-wracking already, knowing that you have to write an essay makes it even more difficult. For me writing is not exactly my forte, even when I’m not timed. The main thing I find important when taking a timed, handwritten essay exam is balancing out the time. As a test-taker you have to read articles, outline your essay and then write it. Of course writing the essay should include more time since it is the main part of the exam, but how much time should I leave aside for it? I don’t want to skim through the readings, and miss out on important information that might confuse you about the article. I want to be able to read it well, annotate it, gather important main points and details in my outline so it could be easier for me to write it. I wish it could be like that, but while I’m being tested, I get nervous, I lose focus, and I’m not confident enough in myself to believe that I could write a good essay in less than 2 hours. Which is another thing that I find important is being able to focus under pressure, I want my essay to be very well written and complete, but I have to make sure that my nerves don’t get in the way and that I am fully focused on finishing the exam. Another thing that I find important with an exam that includes a handwritten essay is organization. I don’t have the computer in order to erase my mistakes quickly, and if I mess up I would have to think of a way to fix it quickly without messing the paper up. I want the reader to understand my paper, I wouldn’t want my thoughts to be all over the place, nor would I want it to be written sloppy.

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  14. Shafaq Javed
    English 125
    Addis D'Amato
    E-journal#9

    Usually when I do my essays as a class assignments, I start 2 days before so I can review it and make it well organized. But, last week, when I had to write my timed essay exam, it was totally different and difficult experience. There were many important things to focus on, in that two hours. For that particular timed essay exam, I first focused on my introduction paragraph, I tried harder to create an interesting argumentative thesis. Because an interesting thesis gets reader's attention and makes essay well done. Second, I was paying more attention to collect main points to support my thesis. Main points are really important parts of body paragraphs. If essay does not have supportive details and evidence, then it does not attract read and looks incomplete. Finally, the difficult part I found is to organize my essay, because when I type my essay on Microsoft file, it tells me where my spellings are wrong and where do I need to edit. But for that handwritten essay exam, I had nothing to help me out, so I had to pay more attention, where am I making mistakes and if my essay is well organized. Taking handwritten timed essay exam was a nice and challenging experience. It helped me to understand what are some things I need to improve and how can I use my time more wisely in future.

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  17. Gabriel Clerval
    Prof. D’Amato
    E-journal#9
    ENG 125
    12/11/12


    During a timed handwritten essay exam it’s best to 1) plan before you write/ organize your thoughts before you start writing. 2) make sure you could identify your thesis/ main points of the essay. Usually if you cannot identify your topic your reader can’t also. 3) Manage time and grammar. This is important because sometimes we spend too much time on planning and rush into the essay without having enough time to write. Also when we rush our grammar gets worse.
    The reason I picked these 3 as most important is mainly because of experience. It usually helps to plan ahead so your thoughts are organized and well thought out this usually helps to solve the problem of fuzzy work. Identifying you thesis and main points helps organize what your essay is about and how you will construct your work. It helps the reader identify what’s your essay is going to include and how your topic will be defended. Managing time and fixing grammar helps to make sure you finish your work within the time limit and keep point that could be lost from careless mistakes.

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  18. Temur Davlatov
    English 125-RQ1
    Professor Stephen D’Amato
    E-Journal # 9
    12/11/12
    When taking the timed handwritten exam one of the three things that I have found important is the reading and understanding the article fully. Therefore you have to stay focus on the task because there no time waste on this kind of exam. Also to planning the essay and to write all the connections or contrast and main points because I might forget the to use them or change them without knowing and noticing is that you have to organize your essay to prove your point clearly .During the exam for some reason I could not concentrate to task and lost most of my ideas and examples because I did not jot them down while I was reading. Mostly of all to prove you points and fish the task carefully. The most important part of the timed exam is the timing the idea of knowing that you have only specific amount of time to finish the full essay and knowing that it is very important part of your grade can be intimidating and it makes it hard to concentrate on your fully on your exam. That’s why I lost track of time and could prove my points properly, but next time I will make sure that I am ready for the exam.

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  19. Mandeep Singh
    Prof. D'Amato
    ENG-125
    Dec. 11, 12


    Time management is the very foundations for success in a timed test, without it, you can forget trying to pass. You must first take enough time to digest the passage you've been handed. YNot of course read it with enough intent that you understand it enough with enoug ability to write a strong essay. While reading, you have to take the time to make annotations to points, and quotes, which will be the apex of your essay. This all must be achieved with enough regularity to then plan out the paper you will be writing. Constructing a flowing thesis, and arguemnents tyou wish to talk about--this all takes time. Thinking too long in general during these tests can be a devastating concept.

    Making sure youir penmenship is ligable is another vital point. With time being pressed, an individual may tend to scribble and write at an un-normal paace, resulting in a hand-writing difficult to read. The one's responsible for grading may just take it upon themselves to reject the essay. So writing a strong essay with readable wording, under stressed time, is a major challenge aswell.

    Having to revise the essay is another fataly stressing blow. When you've written an essay, it is only logically you go back and revise the work you've done, but this can also be stressing. Specifically when an individual is under time scrutiny. There simply may not be the space for a revision. Also, when you've written the essay, you almost psychologically don't want to have to go back and realize certain mistakes--especially when you are hand-writing and must try to delve back in and make your works deciferable. You written the essay, what's done is done.

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  20. Sandra Shamburger
    Eng 125 RQ1
    Prof. D'Amato
    e-journal #9

    First, it is helpful to annotate the given articles right away, best while reading. That makes it much easier to find main points later then time is limited.
    Second, without outlines structure is almost impossible. Working with a computer makes it easy to switch parts later in the working process to instill the needed structure. On the contrary in a handwritten essay it is essential to have an idea about your thesis and main point before you start to write. You cannot chnage it later.
    Thhird, try to stay in your time limit. Then you keep track of your time you will not be stuck in certain parts, you rather move on. In that way to write a proper essay in given time.

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  21. Mazel Kurayev
    Eng125-RQ1
    Prof. Addis D’Amato
    E-Journal #9
    Taking a timed, handwritten exam is a difficult task. Walking in the classroom, I don’t know what to expect. I only have one of the two articles in front of me, then I am given the second and have two hours to read it, annotate it, and write an essay on it. It can be very overwhelming for me. One important thing that I’ve found that when taking these kinds of tests is writing an outline. With the short amount of time I have, writing an outline can really help me to quickly organize everything I want to write about. I have noticed it has helped me tremendously while taking the first practice exam. Another thing I have found helpful is managing my time. With the guidelines as to how much time I should take doing ever task for the essay, it assisted me to not stay on one task for two long and helped me finish everything I needed to do on time. The last thing that I have found assisted me is annotating the first text beforehand. The little notes on the margins of the article quickly aided me find the parts of the text I was searching for. These three things surely helped me and it can help anyone who is taking a timed, handwritten exam.

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