The SAT Essay

Class Location: The Internet.

Description: This course is designed to help you become familiar with the SAT essay portion.

Objective: Learn about the essay portion on the SAT.

When you sit down to take the SATs, your first assignment will be a hand-written essay that you have 25 minutes to complete. You will have to respond to a “prompt”—a short statement presenting two opposing sides of a topic. Your essay absolutely must answer the prompt, or you will get a score of zero.

Actual people, rather than computers, grade your essay. They understand that you wrote in a hurry, so they don’t penalize you for simple spelling or grammar errors or for lack of knowledge on the subject matter. Instead, they score you on your ability to develop and express a point of view in response to a prompt; your use of examples and reasoning to support that viewpoint; and your skills in standard written English.

A little preparation can go a long way in helping your performance on the SAT essay. Simple reading and writing practice will improve your essay writing. Spend some time reading op-eds in the newspaper, since they usually present a problem and a position on it. Practice writing. Keep an essay journal, and once a week, spend 20 minutes writing your reaction to something you read or saw.

Since your score depends on your ability to make an argument and support it, you have to pretend to care about the subject matter even if you don’t. Train yourself to take a stand. Don’t succumb to the temptation of apathy. Argue in third person if it helps.

Memorize essay templates—structures that you can apply to almost any subject. Examples are the five-paragraph essay, with a topic sentence followed by three supporting paragraphs and a conclusion, and the point-counterpoint essay.

On test day, read the entire prompt, then jot down ideas on scrap paper. Start your essay with an introduction, continue with supporting paragraphs, and end with a conclusion. Focus on quality over quantity. Write for content rather than word count. Finally, save time for proofreading if you can.