CBEST Writing – Personal Essays
You must write two essays for the CBEST Writing Test. One of these essays will be the personal experience essay question.
If you pass only one of the essays, you will need to take the entire writing section of the test again.
Click here to download our CBEST Essay Writing Guide.
For the personal experience type of essay, you will be asked to reflect and write on something specific from your past.
For example, one common topic for writing the personal essay is to write about a teacher that has helped or influenced you.
Another common topic on the CBEST test for writing is to describe a time when you overcame a personal adversity.
Here are some writing tips for the personal essay:
- Before you begin writing, take a few moments to think about your writing topic.
- Make notes or an outline before you start writing.
- Your writing should be in the first person (“I”).
- Your writing should be neat and legible.
- You should write in pencil.
- Remember to check your writing after you have finished.
Finally, be cautious about using sample essays on essay cheat sites online as a guide for your essay writing preparation for the test. Many of these will actually be very poor examples of academic writing.