To compose your answers in a plain-text format, use a basic text editor, such as Notepad (Windows) or TextEdit (Mac OS) and verify the character encoding to be
ANSI or
ASCII:
- If you use Notepad, the default encoding is already set to
ANSI. - If you use TextEdit, you must adjust the default settings.
- Open
TextEdit and navigate to the Format menu. Select Make Plain Text. - Once you have finished composing your answers, navigate to the
File menu and select Save As.... A window prompt will appear. - Navigate to the drop-down menu where it asks for
Plain Text Encoding: and select Western (ASCII). - If this option does not appear, select
Customize Encodings List.... A window prompt will appear. - Select
Western (ASCII) to enable this text encoding. Close the prompt. - The
Western (ASCII) option should now appear in the drop-down menu.
- Save the document. Your answers should now be saved in the appropriate format.
- If you use Microsoft Word, you can convert your answers to a plain-text format.
See instructions for: Mac users | Windows users For Mac users
- Navigate to the
File menu and select Save As. A window prompt will appear. - Navigate to the drop-down menu where it asks
Format: and select Plain Text (.txt) from the drop-down menu. Click Save and another window prompt will appear. - At the top of the window, select the radio button
Other encoding. Select Western (ASCII) in the drop-down menu at the right. - A message may appear:
Text marked in red will not save correctly in the chosen encoding. To correct these errors, check the checkbox at the left labeled Allow character substitution. Select OK. - Another message may appear warning you that text content may be
"lost upon conversion". Click Yes to Continue with Save. - Close Microsoft Word and open your newly saved text
(.txt) file in a text editor (e.g. TextEdit). - Review your answers for consistency and clarity. Use this text
(.txt) file to copy and paste your answers directly to the online application.
For Windows users
- Navigate to the
File menu and select Save As. A window prompt will appear. - Navigate to the drop-down menu where it asks
Save as type and select Plain Text (*.txt). Click Save and another window prompt will appear. - At the top of the window, select the radio button
Other encoding. Select US-ASCII in the drop-down menu at the right. - A message may appear:
Text marked in red will not save correctly in the chosen encoding. To correct these errors, check the checkbox at the left labeled Allow character substitution. Select OK. - Close Microsoft Word and open your newly saved text
(.txt) file in a text editor (e.g. Notepad). - Review your answers for consistency and clarity. Use this text
(.txt) file to copy and paste your answers directly to the online application.
These are general instructions and may vary. If you need more help, please consult your software's help documentation.