Hello,
So I have a teensy-weensy problem with writing in-class essays in AP World history (yes, I used “teensy-weensy”). I cannot finish in time. I tried doing sloppy outlines before writing, shortening my analysis, the whole shebang. However, I simply cannot finish.
This can also be a more general question, including AP English and the SAT essay. Do any of you have any tips on how to finish my essays more quickly?
Many thanks.</p>
<p>Yeah, I’m pretty bad finishing essays on time. I ususally am able to finish but feel really rushed throughout the whole thing, especially in AP Bio. My WHAP teacher has barely given us any essays, for neither a test or in general. What I would guess is to study the concepts more, cause-effects of diff. events (i.e. Split of Rome caused a split in Chrisitianity b/c…). That way, you’ll be better at writing quicker since u already know the concepts. As for DBQs (ehh I hate those), I would just SOAPSTone them or something (Speaker Occasion Audience Purpouse Subject Tone)</p>
<p>I’m under the assumption that you’re taking AP World this year? If that’s the case, then relax: you still have months until the test. From August to about February or March I never finished my essays, but when it came to test time I finished with time to spare and filled the entire book (and scored a 5). However, the best way to practice your essay writing would be to study in cause and effect terms, to make little charts and organizers while you’re studying, etc. Good luck!</p>
<p>I’ve always, always been in the same boat as you; I’ll ace any essay my teachers let me work on at home, but those damned 45-minutes-or-less essays are torture (as my 8 on the SAT one despite a perfect multiple choice score will testify). Can’t help you with the general writing-under-time-constraints problem, because I’ve given up on finding solutions myself and accepted my inability to do so, but I did okay with my World ones, so here you go:</p>
<p>When I did my AP World exam essays last year, everything was as difficult as usual for me, but I made sure to throw in as many buzzwords as possible. Remember, those graders only look at your paper for about a minute or two, so they’re just gonna check off whatever terms they have on their list. If you’re not sure whether a particular buzzword applies to the time period in the prompt, slap it down anyway. I mentioned something that happened a few centuries before the range in one of my essays, and I still got a 5 (though a solid MC score probably had a hand in that).</p>