précis test
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On the day of your interview, you will write an English précis test. The admission process places equal weighting on the précis test and interview. A high level of proficiency and ability must be demonstrated in both for a candidate to be considered for admission. For the précis, you are given a passage of fairly difficult literature and asked to restate the main points in your own words. You have 75 minutes to summarize the text into 2-3 paragraphs and then the entire passage into one sentence. Due to the high level of English language requirements in our program, students must be able to adequately demonstrate their language abilities through the précis test. It is recommended that applicants practice précis writing in advance of taking this test. In the past, passages from authors as varied as Thoreau, C.S. Lewis and Plato have provided the subject matter for the test.
HOW TO WRITE A PRE'CIS TEST
What is a précis? A précis is a cogent reduction of a text. A précis should include all of the important ideas in the original text, using your own words instead of the words of the original author. Nothing of primary importance is excluded, and nothing of secondary importance is included. A précis does not involve commentary on or analysis of the text. In fact, the writer of a précis expresses no opinion at all about the passage. Your ability to read exactly, to notice distinctions, to catch tone, and to state clearly another person's ideas in your own words - these are what will count.
Do not follow closely the actual wording of the original in a reduced form. The use of a few key words and occasionally key expressions may be unavoidable. Follow the design of the original argument. Do not present merely the conclusions, or the general idea. Watch for ironies. Do not use such expressions as, "This passage says …," "according to the author," and the like. An excellent précis not only rephrases in as brief a form as possible the argument and conclusions of an original, but also suggests, by the way in which the précis is written, the style, tone or mood of the passage.
A précis is a summary of a reading. The purpose of this assignment is to:
• test your comprehension a passage of literature
• test your ability to synthesize the information
• test your communication skills.
You do not have to argue anything; a précis is not about your opinion. It is a simple description. It must be written in proper English, without slang.
IN ADDITION:
In addition to the précis you must make a separate one-sentence summary of the whole passage that distills all the main ideas of the text. Do not include anything extraneous. This will be a fairly complicated sentence grammatically, and will reflect main ideas in the main clause(s), and subordinate or supportive ideas in subordinate grammatical structures.