A philosophy prof finally asked me why I had no faith in myself, when it came to writing under time constraints. Had I not mastered the material? My other papers proved I had indeed learned the material. What was my problem…?

Hugo, I was trying to pad my test “essays” because I thought they were too short, abrupt, and for lack of a better word…clinical, lacking style, originality and flow.

I initially didn’t get that my profs didn’t want to read another research paper at midterm and finals.

You bring back bittersweet memories.

If I could make a suggestion, it would be for college professors to require *short* writing assignments with a word limit, not word floor. In grad school, much of my writing was 500 word memos on very complicated subjects. In the working world, I’m rarely asked to fill time or space in a writing assignment. Instead, I have to explain complex policy issues clearly and to a non-expert audience in about 200 words. It’s really, really hard, harder than BS-ing to get to 1500 words on an essay, but I almost never had to do it in college.

Craig, a fair point about “every iota of pertinent data” being perceived as necessary. I still note a clear gender distinction in terms of how my students stress about these exams, and I sense — based on anecdotal evidence, of course — that there’s a tie to a broader perfectionism that has a distinctly female face in our culture.

Tom, good tips. As an Old Blue, I would expect nothing less from a Cal Bear.

“I could have said so much more!” I always tell them that that’s the point:…to not let the best become the enemy of the good enough.

This could be more a personality quirk than a feminist issue. Some people, after all, simply have no concept of “too much information” and automatically think “good enough” means “every iota of pertinent data.”

Just thought I’d throw something in, just my two cents worth. I often find that spending the first few minutes, no more than 5 minutes per question or so, to outline and scratch out some quick notes, basically to come up with a plan of attack to the question, does absolute wonders (maybe 5 minutes each at most for 2 questions with 90 minutes total, remember that’s 80 minutes on “Berkeley time”). Not only does it allow a student to make sure that they get in all the important points that they want to express, it forces one to see right at the outset everything that one has to do in the alloted time, rather than waste time in any one area. It forces one to look at the entire question, and to look at both (or all) questions in concert holistically, which helps prevent duplication and repetition (if they’ve said it well once, even in a previous question, they might be able to abbreviate on a second mention). It also builds confidence. Knowing at the outset everything you want to and need to say saves time thinking about it as well as relieving doubt about whether you’ve got it all in there.

This is my typical essay question drill: skim the entire test on a first read quickly; close my eyes for a minute or less to breathe, clear my head and organize my thoughts; select which questions I’m going to answer (assuming multiple options); outline and note-take, quickly but comprehensively, aiming for a complete plan of attack to the entire test. All of this takes 15 minutes at the absolute longest, and that’s stretching it. Then blaze away at the answers.