MCAT Test Writing Sample Testing Tips - A Short and Simple Technique
The writing sample section of the MCAT test is specifically designed to evaluate an individual's ability to analyze a particular subject and then convey that analysis in an essay. To many individuals, writing an essay may appear to be simple, as most individuals taking the MCAT test have written similar essays in their undergraduate courses. However, this section of the exam can often be more difficult than it seems due to the time constraints; 30 minutes is not a lot of time to write an essay, so it is important to make sure that you have enough time to convey the most important ideas in a clear and logical way. As a result, it may not always be practical to write an essay with an introductory and concluding paragraph especially if you have difficulty writing quickly or you believe that you will not have enough time to complete the essay. If you find that you are taking a lot of time trying to come up with ideas of what to write, that you have come up with too many ideas to write, or that you believe you simply will not have enough time to write the essay, you may want to think about using a different technique.
First, forget about writing an introductory paragraph for the essay and begin your essay by explaining the statement. All of the essay prompts will ask you to explain what you believe that particular statement means and you can use that explanation of the statement to not only establish a good introduction to the essay, but also to answer part of the question immediately. Next, for the second paragraph, write a description of a specific situation in which the statement might be justified or proven false. All of the essay prompts will ask you to describe a specific situation that either justifies the statement or proves the statement false, so it is important to make sure that you read the prompt carefully and make sure that you actually describe the appropriate type of situation. Finally, bring the essay to a close by discussing your view on the statement and by discussing the conditions that you believe might make the statement true or false. All of the essay prompts will ask you to discuss what determines whether the statement is true or not and this can actually be a good way for you to end the essay.
Writing a Good Essay
Avoiding Common Spelling Mistakes
Avoiding Common Grammatical Mistakes
Reading Over Your Essay