Timed Writing

Many quizzes and exams involve timed essay writing. Alongside studying course content (concepts, themes, and keywords from lectures, discussions, and class readings), you may want to practice that mode of writing. You may not always have advance notice of the exact length of essay or the amount of time you’ll have, but the following approach can help you adjust your process to time restraints in the moment. 

Consider Your Writing Process

Look at A&L’s Writing Process handout. Are you familiar with these phases? How do you usually move through these parts?

Tending to all these steps results in a complete, organized, and reader-focused essay This process usually takes time: it’s iterative, cyclical, and requires breaks.

Adjust for Limited Time

Imagine a given time limit for your in-class writing: it may be 15 minutes for more focused questions or 30 minutes for longer prompts, for example. 

With this limit in mind, how much time would you devote to each one?

Practice

Look at the test format (or past test formats) for
details you can use to practice. Ask your professor for sample questions and/or create your own prompts, along these lines:

• Pick any two images from different lectures and write a compare/contrast essay, drawing on themes from the course.

• Discuss the importance of (insert any keyword here) to global modernisms.

• Use key images and lecture themes to respond to (insert any class reading here).

Try out your condensed writing process, using a timer or stopwatch to see how each task fits into the total time limit.  

Reflect

How did that go? Read what you wrote, looking for strengths and what’s missing or unclear. If you’re working with a partner or study group, you can trade essays and share feedback. Consider whether you’ll adjust the time you spend on each step.