How much time should I spend planning a Paper 3 Essay question?

During a HL History Paper 3 exam, you have to write 3 essays in 2hrs and 30 minutes, plus 5 minutes reading time at the start. That's 5 minutes to choose ALL your questions and then 50 minutes per essay question. To make the best use of the time available, I recommend 10-15 minutes planning, and then 35-40 minutes writing for each essay. Here's why all time spent thinking and planning is time well spent:It gives you time to organise your historical and historiographical knowledge, and jot down the information that can be best used to respond to the specific wording of the question.It gives you time to clarify in your own mind the overall argument of the essay - try and summarise it in three words or fewer. This will give your essay a clear focus and destination.The question will invite an analytical response, and you need to show why your argument is more convincing than other possible answers. Taking the time to structure the relevant thematic factors in a logical way that serves your own case will impress the examiners - as it shows a high degree of analytical sophistication.