Pointers and Advice for Taking a History Exam. Or, some steps for avoiding Jordi’s Wrath

Below is a list of pointers to help you write a more effective essay. I’ve collected these over the years.

1. Have an argument!!! Your essay needs to have a clear thesis statement. The body of the essay needs to expand upon that thesis. Particularly in an in-class exam, students tend to just spit back facts. Essays needs to contain factual information, but that information should be used selectively, and used to bolster your argument.
2. Mare sure to answer the question. Too often, students fail to address the questions that have been asked. For instance, if there is a specific question about the Roman empire, do not assume that you have free reign to talk about anything related to Rome. Instead, apply knowledge and answer the question in the most effective manner.
3. Always answer all aspects of the question. Often questions will have multiple parts. You need to make sure that your essay covers all the necessary ground. Answering only one of three parts of a question will severely damage your grade.
4. Use your knowledge from readings and lectures to support your claims. This is frequently the most glaring weakness in exams. The readings and lectures are your proof, or the building blocks for any assertions that you make. If you make claims that have no grounding in historical knowledge, you are in trouble. The best way to show me that you are using knowledge from the books is to support a claim by saying something such as, “as noted in the Epic of Gilgamesh…” That shows that you have done the reading, and that you are applying it to the exam. And remember, readings aren’t repositories of the Truth. Your essay is just one argument, which should incorporate arguments that you have compiled from lecture, section, and the readings.
5. Plan/Outline. Though you have two essays to write, you will more time than you realize. Taking a few minutes at the beginning of the exam to collect your thoughts, construct a thesis, and plan how you will go about answering the question is extremely worthwhile.
6. Avoid using the present tense. Almost always write in the past tense when writing a history essay. For instance, if you are talking about the Russian Revolution, do not act as though it is still occurring, or that you are actually there.
7. Remember the element of time. A glaring weakness in many essays is the failure to deal with change or persistence over time. Events do not happen in a vaccum; often there is a causal relationship, such that one event unfolds from a series of other events. In other words, don’t just jump from point A to point F. Show at least some of the letters (or points) in between.