4 SAT Essay Tips to Help You Ace It
4 SAT Essay Tips to Help You Ace It
If you’re about to take the SAT, you’ve probably considered taking the SAT Essay. In the section, you will read some type of text (like an editorial or speech) and then write about about how that author constructed their argument. You’ve probably already done this in school, so the basic gist of the SAT Essay won’t be too foreign to you. If you haven’t done this already, however, don’t stress! The essay section is pretty straightforward and if you prepare enough, you will be able to write a fantastic essay.
Do I Have to Take It?
As of right now, the SAT Essay is an optional section and only a few dozen schools require that you take it (the College Board has a great tool you can use to determine which schools require it here). If you see a school that you’re applying to on that list, then you must take the essay! Even if you’re unsure about whether you want to apply to one of those schools, we still recommend you take it. Your score will show up on the report sent to schools, no matter if the schools requires it or not.
In that vein, here are 4 SAT Essay tips to help you ace it:
1. Be As Objective As Possible
The first of our SAT Essay tips is to remain as objective as you can. Even though you might have an opinion on what you just read, the graders do not care what it is! You are simply being asked to analyze how the author formed their argument. Stay formal and don’t use words like “I,” “Me,” “You,” etc.
2. Back Up Your Statements and Don’t Worry About Specific Terms
Make sure your body paragraphs are backing up the argument you’re trying to make using specific examples from the provided text. Also, keep any quotes you use to support your points from the text as short as possible. Quoting a long portion of the text will make you look like you’re just trying to fill in space.
Also, if you can’t remember an exact term for something, it’s ok. Not knowing an “official” term won’t hurt you, so do your best to describe the term as best you can.
3. Keep That Handwriting Neat
Unfortunately, fewer and fewer people have good handwriting these days as a result of computers taking over. Unfortunately, this is one situation where needing good penmanship is a must. The grader reading your essay will have looked through tons of others that day, so make it as easy on them as you can. If they can’t read what you wrote, you’re in bad shape!
3. Keep That Handwriting Neat
We all know the basic essay structure from high school: intro, body paragraph, and then conclusion. Following that format will make your grader very happy! Make sure your intro paragraph discusses the text and paraphrases your argument, in addition to introducing which parts of the text and arguments you’re going to talk about in your essay. Also, make sure that your conclusion clearly repeats what the points of the text/argument were and properly summarizes the arguments you made. Also, make sure you indent your paragraphs! Graders like well-organized essays.
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