Tests and Exams

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It dawned on me just now, whilst revising for my last exam of the semester, that I am able to perform in short answer tests, but cannot perform to the same standard for essay style, writing 2 essays in 2 hours kind of thing,

Was wondering how other people find this kind of thing

I'm actually quite good at essays. I've been told that my writing standard is "interesting," and I know how to cite facts so that they're embedded in the writing rather than sticking out. (I keep personal goals in my essays--not repeating any word but short common words like "to be" and "the," trying to keep in at least one bit of consonance, assonance, or alliteration, that sort of thing.) I normally don't finish ahead of time (the way I do on, say, multiple choice) but I generally write a lot. Two or three pages in about fifty minutes is my normal speed.

Tests I'm generally good at if I know the material. The problem is that I have no short-term memory to speak of, so I don't cram well. If I don't know it by the day of the test, I won't know it on the test.

I'm a good writer, get good marks on my essay exams, but it's a problem to get done on time.

Most people start writing the second they get their papers.

I don't get this. Either they are really clever or their ideas are really poorly developed.

I have to sit and think for around 10 minutes before i even pick up the pen.

I can just about manage essay answers sometimes, but find them difficult.

One word/sentence answers are good though. I answered almost all the questions in my maths exam today.

Questions which need a paragraph, e.g. 4 mark questions in GCSE geography are usually OK as long as there isn;t too many of them.

I'm good with essays. I like them.

From almost every essaytest in high school, I've got 6/6 or at least 3/6 per answer.

I hate both, but I would be better at short answer. If I had to write an essay in under two hours, it would look like bird crap.

I utterly hate both, theyre just about equally loathsome.

All through high school I would've said short-answer. In 12th grade I learned how to properly answer essay questions so it isn't that hard for me now. I'd wrather just have multiple choice, matching, true or false, etc.