What happens if you submit an essay over the word count?

Some instructors may deduct points from the essay, while others may refuse to grade the essay at all. Students must adhere to the word limit to avoid these penalties. The essay word limit is set for a reason. Students must learn to respect the teacher's instructions and try to follow them to the best of their ability.

Is it OK to go over the word count for an essay?

Revised on June 1, 2023. Most college application portals specify a word count range for your essay, and you should stay within 10% of the upper limit. If no word count is specified, we advise keeping your essay between 400 and 600 words.

What happens if you exceed the word count?

In short, should the work be over the word count, how far it goes is taken into consideration and brings the overall mark down. For those assignments which are pass/fail, going over the word count can result in a fail grade.

Is it ok to go over the word count for Common App essay?

For example, the Common App won't allow you to go over 650 word limit for its main essay. Not even one word over. If your word count is several words over the limit, changing “It is” and “I would” to “It's” and “I'd” could help a bit. If your essay is 750 words, you will need to rewrite it.

Can we exceed word limit in essay?

What will colleges do if you go over the word limit? A. If you exceed the word limit of an essay, then the admissions officer can just stop reading your essay past that point. Meaning, if the word limit is 500 words, and if you have written 600 words, the admission officers may not read after the 500 words.

How I was ALWAYS Under the Word Count for EVERY University Essay | Essay Technique

How far over a word count is acceptable?

No more than 5% above or below the word limit is acceptable for written assignments (e.g. an essay of 3000 words must be no less than 2850 and no more than 3150).

How much is too much over the word limit?

It depends on how strict your teacher or editor is about it. In most cases, if you go over by ten words or so, most teachers won't have a problem with it. But don't be a Hermione, especially if you are writing for a teacher as strict as Snape.

How strict are college essay word limits?

If your institution doesn't provide a specific word count, it's best to keep your essay between the length established by the longer college admissions essay format: 250 to 650 words. Word count is just one factor to consider as you craft your college admissions essay.

Do admissions officers see word count?

For the Common App essay, that would mean your goal should be to get to at least 520 words. If you're in the 520 to 650 range, it's unlikely that an admissions officer would even think about your word count. But if your essay doesn't hit the 520 mark, then the length starts to raise some questions.

Is 1,000 words too much for college essay?

Yes, 1000 words is typically too long for a college essay. There is the main 650 word common application essay that is usually the longest essay required for college applications. This year, Princeton is requiring students to submit a writing sample as part of requirements for admission, so that may longer.

Do professors actually check word count?

If they give you an assignment asking you to complete it within a specific range of the word count, then of course you need to complete it. As far as your professors are concerned, they will check the word count of your assignment. They need to see if you have done the work properly or not.

Is it better to be over or under word count?

So you should make sure not to cross the limit for any reason. Even if you need to write the questions at the top for the coherence of the assignment, count those words into your assignment. It's far better to write less instead of a heavy penalty, isn't it?

What happens if you go over the word limit on college application essay?

If your final draft is more than 100 words over the count, you may need to lose an entire paragraph. Here's our quick guide to how much you'll likely need to cut based on how far you are over the word count: 200+ Words over: Long paragraphs, consider reformatting the essay entirely.

Is 350 words good for a college essay?

For the Common App, try to stay within 550-650 words, even though the given range is 250-650. Any submission shorter than 500 words will make it look as though you simply didn't care enough to give your best effort. An essay shorter than 500 words won't be long enough to truly share who you are and what matters to you.

Is 550 words enough for a college essay?

In general, 500 words or so is pretty safe for a college essay. It's a fairly standard word limit length, in fact. (And if you're wondering, that's about a page and a half double-spaced.)

What to do if my college essay is too long?

How do you reduce word count in college essay?

If your college essay goes over the word count limit, cut any sentences with tangents or irrelevant details. Delete unnecessary words that clutter your essay. You can speed up this process by shortening and smoothing your writing with a paraphrasing tool. After that, you can use the summarizer to shorten it even more.

Should you worry about word count?

1,000 words above or below, you're entirely fine. Don't even think about it. 5,000 you're probably fine, but give it a little thought. 10,000 above or below, you probably need to do some work.

Is 800 words good for a college essay?

If you don't write the Common App essay, or if you write additional essays, note that most college essays set word limits around 500-750 words. In the rare case that no word limit is specified, most experts recommend staying under 800 words.

How strict are professors on word count?

Most professors would give an minimum of say 250 words and leave it at that. That does mean the answer/essay would need to be exactly 250 words, but you are allowed to go over. Try not to exceed it by too much, because there is a reason why the professor originally came up with the number selected.

Can you fail an essay for being under the word count?

You've got the people who always go over the word count, and the people who can't get anywhere near it. Many universities apply a kind of 'penalty' if either of these happens. A pretty common one is your mark will be reduced by 10% if you're 10% over or under the word limit.

Do professors actually read 10 page papers?

Yes, professors will actually read your research paper but they might be reading too fast to catch minor mistakes as they will be looking for major points of discussion only. Professors have an expectation when they assign a paper and they know exactly what they are looking for when they are grading.

Is 800 words a lot?

800 words is 1.6 pages single-spaced or 3.2 pages double-spaced. Documents that typically contain 800 words are high school and college essays, short blog posts, and news articles. It will take approximately 3 minutes to read 800 words.

Is a 1200 word essay a lot?

What About 1200 Words? Writing 1200 words should take you approximately 3 and a half to 4 and a half hours. This length of an article can include key details, but you won't be able to expand too much unless the subject is straightforward. An essay of this size usually requires a fair amount of research.

Is 750 words good for a college essay?

Even if you aren't filling out the Common App, most college essays set word limits around 500-750 words. In the rare case there is no established word limit, most experts recommend not exceeding 900 words for a college essay.