The Essay Exam
Lutz, A Guide to Writing in the Liberal Arts

All the techniques and principles of designing writing assignments apply to designing essay exam questions. A well-designed essay examination can become part of the learning in the course.

Creating the Exam

• Remember that the final exam is usually seen as the culmination of a course and should therefore require students to do more than simply recall information from the textbook and lectures.
  
  
• A final exam essay question should ask students to synthesize and evaluate information.
  
  
• Avoid the temptation to ask students to respond to a large number of essay questions.
  
  
• The quality of the essay questions counts far more than the quantity.
  
  
• Asking students to respond to three out of five short questions in an hour is unrealistic.

Preparing Students for the Exam

• Discuss the exam during the class preceding the examination.
  
  
• Give the students sample essay questions and discuss with them how they should go about writing their answers.
  
  
• Consider allowing the use of books, class notes, and course logs during the examination.
  
  
• If an examination question calls for genuine synthesis of learning, there is nothing to lose and everything to gain in giving students time to think about and frame their ideas.

Writing Directions for the Exam

• Directions should include the audience for whom students are writing as well as the context for the writing.
  
  
• Directions should also include information on how the essay will be evaluated, what length the essay is expected to be, and any special instructions regarding mechanics.
  
  
• Students can be expected to answer one good question involving synthesis in about an hour.
  
  
• Well-designed essay examinations should examine far more than factual recall, and do more than test student knowledge of factual material.

Help students understand that the essay exam is a study strategy!

Example

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