28 Dec 2012

XAT ESSAY TIPS-


Following are some expert guidelines that can help candidates sharpen their essay-writing skills:

Practise a lot- It takes a lot of practice to be able to express your thoughts in writing in a proper and legible manner. Only after constant hard work, you’ll eventually reach a stage when simple and lucid sentences and paragraphs will form your writing and convey your thoughts clearly to readers.

Be a good reader to become a good writer - Read something basic, not directly related to your field of expertise. Reading good literature is essential to re-training your brain to good English construction and style. Read articles and editorials in newspapers and periodicals like India Today, Economist, Reader’s Digest and Time. Read well-written materials on a regular basis.

Know your reader –– When you write an essay in the XAT examination, who is your reader? It is the examiner who generally happens to be a very experienced person checking exam papers for years. He has checked numerous essays. You need to produce something substantial to draw his attention. Focus on the opening paragraph, which often makes or breaks a piece. Present your thoughts in a simple and consistent manner and end gracefully. Add data if necessary. Try to write in a clear and neat handwriting. It makes a good impression.

Plan and outline your work - Without an outline, you’ll walk through a minefield of disorganized and wayward thoughts. Starting to write a paper without organized thoughts is nothing short of trying to build a house without a blueprint of design and foundation. The end product ends up being a mess of disorganized and illogical thoughts. Don’t opt for confused concepts as this can make your work harder. Spend a few seconds to organize your thoughts before start writing.

Take lessons from professional writers - You will find many essays written in a simple but interesting manner using easy and known words. Observe the writing patterns, the beginning, the main body, and the conclusion. Good writing requires dedication, concentration and time. You will have to manage time in the best possible way. Your essay may be the first one, in the middle order or may be the last to be examined by an examiner. Unless you write something different and interesting, how do you expect him to read it the way you want? An essay must not turn into a nightmare of confused paragraphs and differing styles that sometimes is not even properly read by the examiner. So, practise with a thoughtful writing style.

Learn the elementary rules of punctuation -- Skillful and proper use of punctuation is the backbone of good writing. Be selective in the use of semi-colons, comas, parentheses, dashes, and periods. In general, the suggestion is to have clarity on punctuation marks.

No comments:

Post a Comment