<p>^I know there isn’t much time. But, not only does a brief outline lead to a better, more coherent essay, but it will actually save time writing your essay because you have a distinct plan to follow. Rather than finishing a body paragraph and wasting precious seconds thinking of another example, you’ll have the whole plan in front of you. So, say you spend four minutes (which is on the high end) thinking of an outline. I can guarantee that you’d make up at least half of that while actually writing the essay. Plus you have a better essay.</p>