I do not think essay exams are of my greatest desire to do.  I love to write, but I feel that when I am pressured to write a certain paper in a given amount of time, I am not able to express my true feelings and everything I would have liked to put in the paper.  At times, I feel rushed and unorganized, which is not a great thing concidering it is an exam and organization is a key element in the grading process of the paper.  I find it hard to go into great detail which means I am only able to swim in the shallow end instead of swimming far out into the water, exploring each and every thought, opinion, and statement.  However, sometimes being rushed to write an exam paper enables me to write everything that is flowing out of my head at that moment, evne if it may not be quite so organized, I can get everything I want written in my paper.  Having a short period of time to write an essay keeps me from delaying my writing and not writing a paper that expressed all of my thoughts.  Perhaps this is why English teachers always give timed-writings.