Types of Writing Tests
Standardized examinations often have a writing component.
For some exams, you will need to write one or two essays based on topics provided.
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If you are not asked to provide an essay sample, your writing test may consist of sample paragraphs or texts that contain errors.
For the second type of test, you will need to analyze the text and choose the correct sentence structure from the options provided.
So, you will need to understand English grammar and standard sentence construction for both types of writing exams.
Writing Essays on Set Topics
For these types of writing tests, you will see one or more topics.
If you are able to choose your topics from various options, you should be sure to choose the one that you can write the most confidently about.
On the other hand, you may see only one topic and may not be able to choose. This is usually the case for educator licensing examinations.
Be sure to write only on the topic or topics provided. Essays on non-assigned topics will receive a score of zero.
Also be mindful of the time limit. For most writing tests, you will be granted 30 to 60 minutes to write your essay.
You will need to understand essay structure when writing your response.
So, you might want to visit our pages on writing the introduction, main body, and conclusion.
Writing Tests on Grammar
For some college entrance tests, you will need to identify grammatical and structural errors in a written text.
You will see a text in which several phrases have been underlined or highlighted.
You then need to answer multiple choice questions on the text.
Answer choice A normally states: “The phrase is correct as written.”
The other answer choices show alternative phrases.
You then need to determine whether answer B, C, D, or E is the correct replacement.
These types of writing test questions require you to understand the rules of standard English grammar, punctuation, capitalization, style, and structure.
You may also see questions asking you about where sentences could be added to or removed from a text.