Test of Writing Competency

Every BSED major - English major - is required to take many different classes, pass the Praxis exams (I will explain them another day), and pass two different "exams" administered and graded by the English professors. The first one is The Test of Writing Competence and the other is a writing portfolio which I will also explain another day. Today I am going to explain the Test of Writing Competency.

This test is administered once every Fall and Spring semester. You are supposed to complete the test during your sophomore or junior year in order to apply for your final entrance to major. The test is a thesis driven essay and must be four to six pages single spaced. Each writer is allotted three hours and fifteen minutes. This amount of time is definitely to much for some writers and the perfect amount for others. Use this time to outline, write, rewrite, read and proofread.

Personally I think the test is unnecessary because we have all been taught to write numerous drafts and that "writing is a process" and this test defeats that whole outlook on writing. We were also taught that "writing is never finished it is only due" yet the school puts us under pressure and makes writing due in three hours. All that said and done, it is something we must do to enter the major of our choice so when it is your turn to take the test: breathe, relax, and do what your best at - writing.