Managing Your Time During the WPE

However, when you write under pressure, whether you’re taking an in-class exam or attempting the Writing Proficiency Exam (WPE), you have very little time for invention and virtually no time for drafting, revising, and editing.  Your first draft will almost always be your final draft.

Handling your time wisely is therefore key to writing a successful WPE essay. Plan to use your time effectively so that you won’t be frantically trying to finish your last point or points when exam monitors call “time.”

Read, Think, & Draft (15 minutes)

• Read the article and the prompt twice, making notes and asking questions in the margins.
• Note words (look for verbs) in the exam prompt that tell you what you ought to include in your essay. 
• Form an initial opinion of agreement or disagreement with the prompt.
• Consider how the article informs your stance on the prompt.
• Choose an approach to the prompt that suits your topic:
  • Empathetic (by strength or value, using your very best evidence as bookends to start and finish your argument
  • Chronological (through time, such as in history)
  • Spatial (through space, such as in architecture and art)
  • Complex (from simple to intricate or vice-versa)
• Create clusters, list the pros and cons of the issue, and/or outline major points of your argument.
• Decide where you want your essay to finish—and how you will get there—before you start writing.
• Craft a thesis that expresses a clear stance on the prompt, one that you are confident you can defend with evidence.

Write (90 minutes)

• Start quickly with your first paragraph. This introduction to your essay might include a brief summary of the article or an attention-getter and then the summary. In this paragraph you could also make a connection between the article’s main point(s) and your stance on the question in the prompt. Be sure your main argument, in response to the prompt, is clearly identifieable.
• Build every paragraph with a single main idea that relates directly to your main argument in response to the question posed in the prompt.
• Offer evidence or examples that are specific, accurate, and representative. Evidence may include personal experience but should not be overly narrative. Also incorporating evidence from the article will enhance your essay's development.
• Use transitions between paragraphs to show the relationships between your ideas. You might recall the map analogy for transitions: Tell where you’ve been, or where you’re going, or where you’re standing right now in relationship to your source or your destination.
• Avoid the temptation to include information that is interesting or about which you know a great deal, but which doesn't contribute directly to your essay's main point (i.e., your response to the exam prompt).
• Write a concluding paragraph in which you re-iterate your stance on the prompt and, if time, answers why engaging in the subject matter is important for all.

*A few helpful tips for the writing phase: 

• Write on every other line instead of on every line so that you have room to add words, phrases, or even complete ideas upon re-reading your work.
• Avoid taking the time to count and write the word count out in margins of your exa booklet. While the WPE requires you to write 500-800 words,producing the necessary number of words is only one part of earning a passing score; noting the word count (200…250…300…and so on) is a sign that you lack confidence in the quality of your writing and are attempting to rely instead on its quantity.

Re-read Your Essay (15 minutes)

• Re-read the prompt.
• Re-read your essay, starting from the beginning.
• Make sure that your essay contains the following:
  • One or more references to the article
  • A main argument that clearly addresses the prompt
  • Topic sentences that support your main argument
  • Coherence in your paragraphs
  • Logic in the flow of your sentences
  • Cogent examples from both personal experience and the article
  • Sentences with variety
  • Correct grammar
  • Correct usage
  • Correct spelling
• Address grammar and spelling errors throughout, making sure that all corrections are neat and readable.