Give more space to the prompts that carry more points
Timed essay papers have a fixed length, and it is easy to spend the opening prompt generously and then answer a high-scoring prompt in three lines. Enter the points for each prompt and this page splits the words and the minutes in proportion to those points. Anything that is needed regardless of the points, such as an introduction and a conclusion, is set aside first and only the rest is divided.
How the split works
Time is first set aside for the shared part, such as an introduction and conclusion, in proportion to its share of the words (200 of 1,600 words gets one eighth of the time), and only the rest is split across the prompts. Words and minutes are divided by point share, and the leftovers from rounding are handed one at a time to the prompts with the largest fractions, so nothing is lost. The words assigned to the prompts therefore add up exactly to the amount being split, and the check line prints both figures. Only lines are rounded up per prompt, so the line total can run slightly high.
Limits
Papers that set a separate word cap per prompt are not handled here. For application essays with a fixed limit on each section, use the application essay character counter. Two prompts worth the same points can still need different amounts of writing, so treat the split as a starting point.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. After the proportional split, leftover words are handed one at a time to the prompts with the largest fractions. The check line prints the sum and the amount to split side by side so you can see it.
Because lines are rounded up for every prompt. The page assumes the next prompt starts on a new line rather than filling the leftover space, which leaves a few lines of slack against the real answer sheet.
Yes. Everything before the comma is read as the name, so "State your argument, 40" works. With no comma, whatever follows the last space is read as the points.