Rice Composition Exam

<p>So the first day of CE starts tomorrow, and I've no idea what I'm going to be tested on. Will it be an analytic essay on a given passage, a persuasive essay on a given prompt, or something I probably haven't been tested on in a standardized exam (SAT, ACT, AP English Literature, AP English Language)?</p>

<p>I tried looking around but couldn't find anything (must have missed it somewhere but I've been searching for days). I'm not worried about the exam itself because I'd try my best either way, but it'd be nice to know what to expect...</p>

<p>Can anyone who's taken this in the previous years help me out? Thanks!</p>

<p>Did you see this on the Rice website?
<a href=“Rice University FWIS Writing Assessment | PWC”>Rice University FWIS Writing Assessment | PWC;

<p>It is a pass/fail exam. Apparently most people pass, but not everybody (otherwise why test?). The most important thing is to take the test seriously; and you obviously are.</p>

<p>NOTE: I have not taken this exam. Just a person who really likes Rice and looks threads where Rice is the topic.</p>

<p>GOOD LUCK! =D> </p>

<p>Yes, I’ve read through everything on there but couldn’t get an idea of what I’d be tested on. I had a feeling it’s an analysis-type essay but wasn’t sure.</p>

<p>Thanks though, for the good luck too!</p>

<p>Your impression is right. If you write it like you would write one for an AP English test (with about 3x the amount of time, of course), then you should be fine. As a student, my understanding is that most of the people who don’t pass are int’l students or have some other disadvantages or challenges with the subject. I can’t think of anyone off the top of my head who took FWIS 100. Just do your best and you’ll be fine!</p>

<p>Did anyone else find the most recent composition exam extremely painful to write? I felt like everything that really mattered about the paper I chose could have been summarized in 200 words. I chose the Wehbi and Taylor paper and wanted to throw my computer out the window. The whole paper was phrased poorly and I had to reread several sentences five or six times before I could confidently say I understood them. Wehbi and Taylor also express some very elementary ideas in painfully pretentious terms. </p>

<p>I did find it pretty painful to write (I chose the same paper), but mostly because I wasn’t too fond of the topic and because I tend to spend a little more than just 2.5 hours to write a quality paper. I definitely think the paper could have used some re-organizing to make the important sections stand out and actually look important.</p>

<p>Keep in mind, this isn’t like a college essay. It’s just a diagnostic assignment to make sure you are ready to proceed on the normal writing track. If you don’t pass then it signifies that you need some extra help in writing before taking the required writing seminars. So don’t worry about only having 2.5 hours, I’m sure you did fine!</p>

<p>I actually finished with an hour left to go. To a certain degree, that’s related to the fact that they wanted a summary rather than actual analysis. I honestly didn’t feel that I needed 600 words to create a functional summary of the paper, but I suppose everyone has different expectations in that regard.</p>