What is the SAT Essay All About?
The SAT essay is a persuasive writing piece that requires a student to take a position based on a prompt, and demonstrate critical thinking to support that position. The SAT essay is always the first section of the test and is 25 minutes long.
What are the essays like?
Prompts for the essay ask students to consider statements like these:
Is it better to have original ideas or to build on other's ideas?
Is it better to be part of the crowd or be unique?
How is the essay scored?
The Essay is scored on a range of 0 – 12 and is holistically graded, which means two readers review the essay and assign it a score of 0 – 6 based on their impression of how effective the essay is based on specific criteria. Most kids are scoring 7 – 8 on the essay.
Does spelling count?
No! But grammar does, so a student should always reserve a few minutes to review his or her essay to be sure it is relatively error-free.
What is the format for the essay?
The essay should generally be written as a standard five-paragraph essay, although this is not a requirement (simply an easy format to use). Students are provided with two lined pages for the essay, and they should try to fill both pages.
Can students really prepare for the essay?
Absolutely! Students can improve their performance on this section of the test with practice and preparation. SmartPrep has developed an excellent standard essay formula that students can use for any topic they encounter on the test, and consequently eliminate some of the stress they feel on test day.
