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The SAT Essay: Should You Take It?
Should you take the sat essay in 2021.
NOTE: The SAT Essay no longer exists as of 2024. The SAT has transitioned into a new digital format, which is radically different. For an updated guide to the new digital SAT, follow the link here.
The SAT Essay is optional. Students do not have to sit for it. In fact, they must elect to take the Essay when registering for the SAT. This costs an additional $15 .
Plenty of U.S. universities and colleges do not require the SAT Essay, including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, Dartmouth, and Brown. But in the context of college admissions, “optional” often takes on a whole new meaning.
What’s more, the CollegeBoard will now be discontinuing the SAT Essay following the June 2021 SAT administration .
Should you take the SAT essay between now and 2021? Or should you pass on it and spend those 50 minutes elsewhere?
In this article, we answer these questions and more.
Here’s what we cover:
The SAT Essay: The Basics
- How We’ve Approached the Essay Until Now (2021)
- Should You Take the Essay Between Now and June 2021?
If they’ve registered for it, students take the SAT essay after they have completed the first 4 sections of the test. The Essay portion is 50 minutes long (as opposed to the old SAT’s 25-minute essay section) and is hand-written.
The Purpose of the SAT Essay
According to the College Board, the SAT essay is “about the real world.”
The SAT Essay is a lot like a typical college writing assignment in which you’re asked to analyze a text. Take the SAT with Essay and show colleges that you’re ready to come to campus and write.
Yes, students must write analytically after nearly three hours of testing, when their brains are significantly fatigued! Nonetheless, the SAT essay is designed to showcase a student’s writing capabilities in the context of college preparedness .
Source : College Board
Notice how students are not asked whether or not they agree with the author’s argument. Nor are they asked to assess its logical soundness.
They must simply identify the tools or “rhetorical devices” the author uses to make his/her argument persuasive.
Passages will be similar in length and style to those on the Evidence-Based Reading test of the SAT, although notably more argumentative in nature. Many essay passages are speeches or editorials. These can be from any century.
SAT Essay Scoring
Two separate readers will assess students’ essays and score these in three categories:
- and Writing
They will award 1-4 points for each category. The SAT test graders then add the two scores for each category. Here’s an example:
| Analysis | Writing | Reading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay Grader 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Essay Grader 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
A student’s SAT essay scores do not impact their SAT composite score or Verbal section score. Essay scores appear separately on the score report itself. These do not include a composite score or percentiles.
Our Historic Approach to the SAT Essay (pre-2021)
Before the CollegeBoard announced that it would be discontinuing the SAT Essay in June 2021, these were our thoughts on this optional section of the test.
First things first, plenty of institutions have dropped their requirement of the SAT or ACT essays due to the financial obstacle it may pose to some students. As we’ve already mentioned, the SAT essay requires $15 on top of the exam’s registration fee of $49.50. ( Fee waivers do exist.)
Yet some colleges have sometimes filled the SAT essay gap with something else, such as supplemental writing materials . Despite not requiring it, a dwindling number of institutions have “recommended” that students take the essay if they have the means to do so.
College Application Requirements
In the past, the CollegeBoard has been quick to emphasize that taking the SAT Essay enables students to apply to schools that “recommend or require it.”
Indeed, some of the colleges on students’ lists may have different policies and/or requirements when it comes to the SAT Essay.
If you do use this tool, be sure to confirm essay policies with what colleges specify on their websites.
Essay Alternatives
Some colleges have requested an alternative to the SAT essay in past admission cycles.
While Princeton University has not historically required the SAT or ACT essay, it does request a graded academic writing sample from all applicants. This is designed to “ assess the student’s written expression in an academic setting” and “further the holistic understanding of the student’s application.”
Other universities, such as Harvard , permit applicants to supplement their applications with academic papers, research projects, and other scholarly documents of which they are the sole author.
In other words, colleges are keen to assess students’ writing capacities, SAT/ACT essay aside.
SAT Test Prep
The essay does incorporate much of what both SAT verbal sections already test: expression of ideas, logical organization, critical analysis of a text, and author’s intent.
Students who prepare for both SAT verbal sections will thus already be poised for success on the essay! In this sense, studying for the SAT essay nicely complements any SAT test prep timeline and curriculum.
AP English students may also be at an advantage for the SAT essay. The prompt’s focus on argument and rhetorical devices frequently aligns with AP English curriculum, making essay prep more straightforward.
Taking the SAT Essay in 2021
The CollegeBoard will no longer offer the SAT Essay after the June administration of the SAT.
In the past, we’ve encouraged students to take the Essay to keep their options open, especially those applying to more selective colleges. We haven’t advised spending too much time preparing for the Essay, however.
Now what? S hould you even consider signing up for the SAT Essay since it’s going away in six months?
In general, plan on taking the SAT Essay if:
- You have already significantly prepared for the essay at this point in your SAT test prep
- You’ve taken the SAT essay once and plan on taking the SAT at least one more time before or on June 2021
- You plan on taking the SAT at least twice by June 2021 (this allows for SuperScoring with Essay)
- You desperately wish to showcase your writing skills and/or
- You have substantial extra prep time (i.e., preparing for the Essay won’t compromise your prep for other more valuable sections)
We recommend that you skip the essay if:
- You are just starting your test prep journey now
- You plan on taking the SAT after the June administration, at least one time
- At least one college on your list requires an essay alternative (such as an academic paper)
- You’ve already taken the essay at least twice and/or
- Your time is better spent preparing for the required sections of the SAT (Math, Reading, Writing & Language)
At the end of the day, colleges are likely to still be interested in applicants’ ability to write well and think critically.
That’s why we encourage students to spend time honing their personal statements , in-class academic papers, and supplemental essay responses , regardless of their history with the SAT Essay.
Kate is a graduate of Princeton University. Over the last decade, Kate has successfully mentored hundreds of students in all aspects of the college admissions process, including the SAT, ACT, and college application essay.
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SAT School Day with Essay
If you are taking a state-provided SAT, you may be required, or have the option, to answer an essay question as part of your test. The SAT Essay is a lot like a typical college writing assignment that asks you to analyze a text. It shows colleges that you're able to read, analyze, and write at the college level.
The SAT Essay asks you to use your reading, analysis, and writing skills. You'll be asked to:
- Read a passage.
- Explain how the author builds an argument to persuade an audience.
- Support your explanation with evidence from the passage.
SAT Essay Overview
- Total questions: 1 prompt, with points to consider and directions
- Time allotted: 50 minutes to read and analyze the passage and to develop a written response
What the SAT Essay Measures
The SAT Essay shows how well you understand the passage and use it as the basis for a well-written, well-thought-out response. Your essay will be scored on three dimensions, each on a 2–8 scale:
- Reading: A successful essay shows that you understood the passage, including the interplay of central ideas and important details. It also shows effective use of textual evidence.
- Examining the author's use of evidence, reasoning, and/or stylistic and persuasive techniques (or other elements of your choosing)
- Supporting your claims and points effectively
- Focusing on those features of the passage that are most relevant for completing the task
- Writing: A successful essay is cohesive, organized, and precise, uses an appropriate style and tone, has varied sentences, and observes the conventions of standard written English.
The Essay Prompt
The prompt shown below is nearly identical to the one that will appear on the SAT.
As you read the passage below, consider how [the author] uses:
- Evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims.
- Reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.
- Stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed.
Write an essay in which you explain how [the author] builds an argument to persuade [their] audience that [author's claim]. In your essay, analyze how [the author] uses one or more of the features listed above (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of [their] argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant features of the passage. Your essay should not explain whether you agree with [the author's] claims, but rather explain how [the author] builds an argument to persuade [their] audience.
The Essay Passage
All passages have these things in common:
- Written for a broad audience
- Argue a point
- Express subtle views on complex subjects
- Use logical reasoning and evidence to support claims
- Examine ideas, debates, or trends in the arts and sciences or in civic, cultural, or political life
- Always taken from published works
All the information you need to write your essay will be included in the passage or in notes about it.
SAT Essay Scoring Guide
| Score | Reading | Analysis | Writing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | The response demonstrates thorough comprehension of the source text. The response shows an understanding of the text's central idea(s) and of most important details and how they interrelate, demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the text. The response is free of errors of fact or interpretation with regard to the text. The response makes skillful use of textual evidence (quotations, paraphrases, or both), demonstrating a complete understanding of the source text. | The response offers an insightful analysis of the source text and demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of the analytical task. The response offers a thorough, well-considered evaluation of the author's use of evidence, reasoning, and/or stylistic and persuasive elements, and/or feature(s) of the student's own choosing. The response contains relevant, sufficient, and strategically chosen support for claim(s) or point(s) made. The response focuses consistently on those features of the text that are most relevant to addressing the task. | The response is cohesive and demonstrates a highly effective use and command of language. The response includes a precise central claim. The response includes a skillful introduction and conclusion. The response demonstrates a deliberate and highly effective progression of ideas both within paragraphs and throughout the essay. The response has a wide variety in sentence structures. The response demonstrates a consistent use of precise word choice. The response maintains a formal style and objective tone. The response shows a strong command of the conventions of standard written English and is free or virtually free of errors. |
| 3 | The response demonstrates effective comprehension of the source text. The response shows an understanding of the text's central idea(s) and important details. The response is free of substantive errors of fact and interpretation with regard to the text. The response makes appropriate use of textual evidence (quotations, paraphrases, or both), demonstrating an understanding of the source text. | The response offers an effective analysis of the source text and demonstrates an understanding of the analytical task. The response competently evaluates the author's use of evidence, reasoning, and/or stylistic and persuasive elements, and/or feature(s) of the student's own choosing. The response contains relevant and sufficient support for claim(s) or point(s) made. The response focuses primarily on those features of the text that are most relevant to addressing the task. | The response is mostly cohesive and demonstrates effective use and control of language. The response includes a central claim or implicit controlling idea. The response includes an effective introduction and conclusion. The response demonstrates a clear progression of ideas both within paragraphs and throughout the essay. The response has variety in sentence structures. The response demonstrates some precise word choice. The response maintains a formal style and objective tone. The response shows a good control of the conventions of standard written English and is free of significant errors that detract from the quality of writing. |
| 2 | The response demonstrates some comprehension of the source text. The response shows an understanding of the text's central idea(s) but not of important details. The response may contain errors of fact and/or interpretation with regard to the text. The response makes limited and/or haphazard use of textual evidence (quotations, paraphrases, or both), demonstrating some understanding of the source text. | The response offers limited analysis of the source text and demonstrates only partial understanding of the analytical task. The response identifies and attempts to describe the author's use of evidence, reasoning, and/or stylistic and persuasive elements, and/or feature(s) of the student's own choosing, but merely asserts rather than explains their importance; Or one or more aspects of the response's analysis are unwarranted based on the text. The response contains little or no support for claim(s) or point(s) made. The response may lack a clear focus on those features of the text that are most relevant to addressing the task. | The response demonstrates little or no cohesion and limited skill in the use and control of language. The response may lack a clear central claim or controlling idea or may deviate from the claim or idea over the course of the response. The response may include an ineffective introduction and/or conclusion. The response may demonstrate some progression of ideas within paragraphs but not throughout the response. The response has limited variety in sentence structures; sentence structures may be repetitive. The response demonstrates general or vague word choice; word choice may be repetitive. The response may deviate noticeably from a formal style and objective tone. The response shows a limited control of the conventions of standard written English and contains errors that detract from the quality of writing and may impede understanding. |
| 1 | The response demonstrates little or no comprehension of the source text. The response fails to show an understanding of the text's central idea(s), and may include only details without reference to central idea(s). The response may contain numerous errors of fact and/or interpretation with regard to the text. The response makes little or no use of textual evidence (quotations, paraphrases, or both), demonstrating little or no understanding of the source text. | The response offers little or no analysis or ineffective analysis of the source text and demonstrates little or no understanding of the analytical task. The response identifies without explanation some aspects of the author's use of evidence, reasoning, and/or stylistic and persuasive elements, and/or feature(s) of the student's choosing; Or numerous aspects of the response's analysis are unwarranted based on the text. The response contains little or no support for claim(s) or point(s) made, or support is largely irrelevant. The response may not focus on features of the text that are relevant to addressing the task; Or the response offers no discernible analysis (e.g., is largely or exclusively summary). | The response demonstrates little or no cohesion and inadequate skill in the use and control of language. The response may lack a clear central claim or controlling idea. The response lacks a recognizable introduction and conclusion. The response does not have a discernible progression of ideas. The response lacks variety in sentence structures; sentence structures may be repetitive. The response demonstrates general and vague word choice; word choice may be poor or inaccurate. The response may lack a formal style and objective tone. The response shows a weak control of the conventions of standard written English and may contain numerous errors that undermine the quality of writing. |
SAT Essay Practice
To practice for the SAT Essay:
- Download Bluebook™ .
- Go to Practice and Prepare on the Bluebook homepage, and select SAT Essay Practice . (You can access the essay practice with the same sign-in credentials provided by your school.)
- After you've finished the practice test in Bluebook, go to My Practice and sign in with the same credentials provided by your school to view your essay response, prompt, self-scoring rubric, and additional student sample essays.
SAT Practice Essays and Score Explanations—Digital
NOTE: The Essay is only available in certain states where it's required as part of SAT School Day administrations. If you're going to be taking the SAT on a school day, ask your counselor if it will include the Essay section.
SAT Practice Essay 1—Digital
This full-length, official SAT practice essay was written by the same people who wrote the SAT. Download it to get started.
SAT Practice Essay 1 Score Explanations—Digital
Download student sample essays—and the explanations that show why they received the score they did—for SAT Practice Essay 1.
SAT Practice Essay 2—Digital
Sat practice essay 2 score explanations—digital.
Download student sample essays—and the explanations that show why they received the score they did—for SAT Practice Essay 2.
SAT Practice Essay 3—Digital
Sat practice essay 3 score explanations—digital.
Download student sample essays—and the explanations that show why they received the score they did—for SAT Practice Essay 3.
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Should You Take the SAT Optional Essay Exam?
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Students registering to take the SAT are immediately confronted with a decision: should they sign up for the optional essay or not? The essay adds 50 minutes to the exam time, and $15 to the cost. It can also add some stress to what is already a rather miserable morning.
So just how important is the SAT optional essay in the college admissions process? As you'll see below, much less important than it used to be.
Does the SAT Optional Essay Matter?
Nationally, fewer than 30 colleges currently require the SAT optional essay, and that number keeps decreasing. Most top schools including all of the Ivy League do not require or recommend the essay, and for most college applicants the essay exam isn't necessary.
The Pre-2016 SAT Essay Section
In 2005, the College Board changed the SAT exam to include a multiple-choice grammar section and a 25-minute essay writing component. This new SAT writing section immediately came under significant criticism because of the short time allowed for writing the essay, and because of an MIT study showing that students could raise their scores by simply writing longer essays and including bigger words.
In the first couple of years after the change in the SAT, very few colleges and universities placed significant (if any) weight on the SAT writing score. As a result, the general impression had been that the SAT writing score didn't matter for college applicants.
That said, a 2008 study by the College Board actually showed that of all the SAT sections, the new writing section was the most predictive of college success. As a result, even though few colleges were happy with the idea of a 25-minute essay, more and more schools gave weight to the SAT writing section as they made their admissions decisions. Some colleges also use the SAT writing score to place students in the appropriate first-year writing class. A high score would sometimes place a student out of college writing altogether.
In general, then, the SAT writing score did matter.
The Change to an Optional Essay
In 2016, the College Board entirely revamped the SAT to make it less about aptitude and more about what students actually learn in school. The exam changed, in fact, to be much more like the ACT, and many believe the change was motivated by the fact that SAT was losing market share to ACT. Along with the changes to the multiple choice exam, the essay section became optional.
The fallout from that change was not what most would have predicted. With the pre-2016 exam, the schools that cared most about the essay section tended to be selective colleges and universities. When the essay became optional, however, the great majority of the nation's most selective schools decided to not require the optional essay, and most don't even recommend the essay.
Colleges that Require the SAT Optional Essay
None of the Ivy League schools require or recommend the essay. Top liberal arts colleges such as Pomona College , Williams College , and Amherst College do not require or recommend the exam. Duke recommends the essay but does not require it.
Indeed, the number of schools that either require or recommend the optional essay section has been dwindling ever since 2016. Some schools still do require the essay, most notably all of the University of California campuses . Most other schools that require the optional essay, however, are not overly selective: DeSales University, Delaware State University, Florida A&M, Molloy College, the University of North Texas, and a handful of other schools. It's quite possible that if the UC system ever drops the SAT essay requirement, the College Board will find there's little point in continuing to offer the exam.
That said, you will definitely want to take the SAT optional essay exam if you are applying to a school that requires it, and it's probably a good idea to take it if any of your top choice schools recommend it. The best place to learn what a college requires or recommends is on the school's website. The College Board has a search tool for identifying college SAT essay policies, but those policies change so regularly that some results will be out of date. You'll also find that many results from a College Board search simply say "contact institution for information."
A Final Word About the SAT Optional Essay
Several years ago, most college admissions advisors would have recommended that you take the optional essay exam if you are applying to selective schools. Today, the essay seems far less essential unless you are applying to a UC campus or about 20 other schools that still require the writing test. For the majority of college applicants, the SAT optional essay is likely to be a waste of time, money, and energy.
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- What Is the SAT?
- SAT Sections, Sample Questions and Strategies
- 2019–2020 SAT Score Release Dates
- SAT Scores for Admission to Top Pennsylvania Colleges
- Redesigned SAT Test Format
- SAT Scores for Admission to New Jersey Colleges
- The Redesigned SAT Scoring System
- What's a Good SAT Subject Test Score?
- SAT Scores for Admission to 30 Top Liberal Arts Colleges
- What's a Good SAT Math Subject Test Score in 2019?
- What to Do the Week Before the SAT if You Haven't Prepared At All
- How to Improve Your SAT Scores
- SAT Score Comparison for Admission to Colorado Colleges
- Are SAT Prep Courses Worth the Cost?
- When and How Many Times Should You Take the SAT?
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What Is the Difference Between the New SAT Essay and the New SAT Writing Section?
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When changes to the SAT were instituted in March of 2016, there were understandably a lot of questions. After all, the SAT is one of only two high-stakes standardized tests widely accepted as a gauge of college readiness and used by college admissions committees to assess applicants.
As news of the changes trickled back to students, teachers, SAT tutors, and high school counselors, some of the most commonly asked questions centered on the difference between the new Writing and Language section of the SAT and the new Essay section. Previously, the writing and essay tests had been combined and required. Now, they’re separate, and the essay itself is optional.
How does the content of each section now differ from that of its predecessor? What form does each exam take, and what skills does it assess? In this post, we will outline the basics of the new SAT Writing and Essay sections, describe what you are asked to do on each portion of the test, and give you an overview of the skills assessed.
Read on to learn more about the difference between the new Writing and Language SAT and the new SAT Essay section.
What is the format of the new SAT Writing and Language Test?
The new Writing and Language section of the SAT is part of the larger Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Test. This section of the test includes 44 questions and lasts 35 minutes. All questions are multiple-choice and all are based on passages.
As you take the Writing and Language test, you will read four passages, each between 400-450 words. There will be one nonfiction narrative, one to two informative or explanatory texts, and one to two arguments. Some passages will be accompanied by informational graphics such as tables, graphs, or charts.
Passages and questions are presented in side-by-side columns with passages on the left-hand side of the page and questions along the right-hand side. Question numbers are embedded in the text of the passage, along with underlining, to indicate which part of the passage is being tested. Some questions may also assess the passage as a whole.
What skills does the Writing and Language Test Assess?
The Writing and Language Test assesses your skills in five primary areas:
Command of Evidence
These questions will ask you to improve the way passages develop information and ideas. For example, you might sharpen an argumentative claim or add a relevant supporting detail.
Words in Context
These questions will ask you to improve word choice, choose the best words to use based on the text, make a passage more precise/concise, or improve syntax, style, or tone.
Analysis in History/Social Studies and in Science
These questions test your ability to critically read passages about topics in history, social studies, and science, and to make editorial decisions that clarify them or improve their focus.
Expression of Ideas
These questions will ask you to consider a passage’s organization and its effectiveness in expressing concepts, as well as which words or structural changes could improve how well the passage makes its point or how well its sentences and paragraphs work together.
Standard English Conventions
These questions assess your knowledge of the building blocks of writing, including sentence structure, usage, and punctuation. You may be asked to change words, clauses, sentences, and punctuation, or edit for verb tense, parallel construction, subject-verb agreement, or comma use.
Basically, on the Writing and Language Test, you will be asked to make editorial decisions to improve the passages on both a minute and large scale.
What is the format of the Essay Section?
By contrast, the essay section (which is now optional and is administered after the required sections of the SAT) includes a passage between 650-700 words long that you will read and then critique. You will have 50 minutes to read the passage, plan your writing, and write your essay.
The passage you are asked to assess varies from test to test, but it is always written for a broad audience and taken from published works. Unlike on the Writing and Language test, the Essay passage is not crafted to intentionally include organizational and grammatical errors.
The passage will argue a point; use logical reasoning and evidence to support claims; and examine ideas, debates, or trends in the arts, science, civics, cultural studies, or politics.
Unlike on previous iterations of the SAT Essay, you won’t be asked to agree or disagree with a position on a topic or to write about your personal experience.
The prompt for the new SAT Essay is always the same or nearly the same:
As you read the passage below, consider how [the author] uses:
•Evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims.
•Reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.
•Stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed.
Write an essay in which you explain how [the author] builds an argument to persuade [his/her] audience that [author’s claim]. In your essay, analyze how [the author] uses one or more of the features listed above (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of [his/her] argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant features of the passage. Your essay should not explain whether you agree with [the author’s] claims, but rather explain how the author builds an argument to persuade [his/her] audience.
It’s important to note that since the SAT Essay is based on a published work, you are not likely to identify major grammar mistakes or failures in structure. Instead, you will primarily discuss the specific ways in which the passage succeeds at supporting its claims and identifying methods it uses to build an argument.
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What skills are assessed on the new SAT Essay?
Your essay will be assessed based on how well you understood the passage and how well you used it as the basis for a well-written, thought-out discussion.
Specifically, you will be scored on:
A successful essay shows that you understood the passage, including the interplay of central ideas and important details. It also shows an effective use of textual evidence.
A successful essay shows your understanding of how the author builds an argument by examining the author’s use of evidence, reasoning, and other stylistic and persuasive techniques and by supporting and developing claims with well-chosen evidence from the passage.
A successful essay is focused, organized, and precise, with an appropriate style and tone that varies sentence structure and follows the conventions of standard written English.
You can see the formal SAT Essay scoring rubric to learn more about how your essay is scored.
Overview of Differences
While there is certainly some overlap between the content area and skills assessed through the Writing and Language test and the Essay test, these skills are assessed in different ways through these sections.
The Writing and Language test asks you to make editorial decisions to improve the content of a written passage and to choose the best answer from multiple answer choices. In this section, grammatical and structural errors are intentionally included in the passage for you to identify and correct.
Meanwhile, the Essay asks you to critique a passage in your own words, identifying areas of strength and weakness and applying your own knowledge of strong written work. The passage on this section is a previously published work and as such, it will not contain the same types of glaring mistakes contained in the passage of the Writing and Language test.
Both tests assess your knowledge of organization and structure of written work, and the ways in which authors support and develop claims with textual evidence. On the Writing and Language Test you will choose the best ways to improve a passage, while on the Essay section you will have to identify successful sections and author choices and articulate these choices through your own written word.
Where can I find free study materials for the SAT?
If you are preparing to take the SAT, whether or not you are taking the optional Essay section, you should consider the following free study resources.
Start your studying by taking the CollegeVine free diagnostic SAT with customized score report and action plan to help get a better idea of where you’re starting from and the direction that your studying should take you.
Another good place to start is the College Board Student SAT Study Guide , which gives an overview of the test’s content and structure along with a breakdown of scoring and subscores to help guide your studying.
The College Board also maintains a Daily Practice SAT App that provides daily test questions, answer hints, and answer explanations.
Finally, Khan Academy is the official, free study partner of the SAT and provides a number of study materials including study tips and video tutorials .
Once you’ve spent some time learning the material, put it to use on some College Board sample questions or a full-length practice test .
Preparing for the SAT? Download our free guide with our top 8 tips for mastering the SAT.
To learn more about the SAT, check out these CollegeVine posts:
- Ultimate Guide to the New SAT Essay
- Ultimate Guide to the New SAT Writing and Language Test
- ACT vs SAT/SAT Subject Tests
- Are PSAT Scores Related to SAT Scores?
- What Should I Bring to My SAT?
- A Guide to the New SAT
- The CollegeVine Guide to SAT Scores: All Your Questions Answered
- How to Register For Your SATs
- Five SAT Strategies You Should Know
- What Makes the New SAT Essay Section Different From the Old One?
Want to know how your SAT score impacts your chances of acceptance to your dream schools? Our free Chancing Engine will not only help you predict your odds, but also let you know how you stack up against other applicants, and which aspects of your profile to improve. Sign up for your free CollegeVine account today to gain access to our Chancing Engine and get a jumpstart on your college strategy!
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The SAT Optional Essay – To Write or Not to Write
April 2, 2020
By: Jordan Salley
The SAT optional essay is a section designed to test students’ ability to write under strict time constraints. For many, this can be an intimidating concept. After all, almost every student has encountered writer’s block at some point. However, this can be a great opportunity to demonstrate your ability to communicate, create, and build an effective argument. This is a skill set that you will carry throughout your pursuit of higher-level education and is necessary in almost every industry or field.
However, this component is optional for a reason. Many colleges don’t ask to see your score and eliminating this essay out of your practice sessions saves you time, allowing you to focus more on nailing the math and reading sections. On the flipside, if you’re shooting for highly selective schools, an impressive performance on the SAT optional essay might strengthen your profile. To guide you through this component, I’ve talked more about the logistics as well as outlined the pros and cons of opting for the essay.
Let’s talk about the logistics of the SAT optional essay . Your response is graded independently and does not impact the composite score for the test. Two graders analyze the essay across three categories: reading, writing, and analysis, which are scored between one to four. They then average the score between the three graded elements, each of which ranges from two to eight. The reading section evaluates the writer’s understanding of the paragraph provided. The analysis portion assesses you on your ability to make and support claims.
The writing score depends on the clarity of the essay and language choices. You have fifty minutes total to respond to the prompt. The standard approach to writing the SAT optional essay includes:
- Reading the prompt
- Understanding the question
- Writing a thesis or central argument
- Outlining the essay
- Proofreading
The goal is to analyze how an author would build an argument based on the statement or argument listed in the prompt. Now that we’ve discussed the layout of this test, let’s dive into reasons why you should or shouldn’t consider writing this optional essay.
Why you should write the optional essay:
Reason #1: it might not actually be optional.
Over the years, the College Board has changed its policy towards the SAT writing section. With that, universities have also taken to adapting to changes in testing policy. A few programs have started requesting an alternative way to evaluate this skill (e.g. Brown and Princeton requested a graded humanities paper, Harvard will accept a written publication by a student). Though the essay is optional, many undergraduate institutions and scholarships have begun to require it. Moreover, you cannot take the essay separate from the SAT test.
If you have already secured an SAT score that you are satisfied with but realize you need the essay portion, you will have to retake the entire test. This can be a scheduling nightmare, especially as you close in on application deadlines. It is worthwhile to make a list of schools that you’re interested in attending prior to planning for your SAT so that you can look into their policies towards the optional essay. If you are looking at applying to Ivy League or top tier schools, this is almost definitely a required component of your application. Nearly every university requires essays or written exams in a freshman seminar course, so it is natural that schools want to see your writing ability to ensure you would succeed in their academic setting.
Reason #2: An opportunity to shine
Whether you are a future Pulitzer prize winning author or someone struggling in high school English, the SAT optional essay is a component that most students can study for in order to perform well. This is an extremely technical writing exam and can easily be boiled down to a structure that can be applied to almost any prompt. The majority of test-takers are able to score between the 25 th to 75 th percentile of this portion of the exam even with a small amount of preparation.
This portion of the test is an invaluable opportunity to showcase your ability to synthesize and create within a narrow window of time. It can be used as a comparison to affirm the quality of your college admissions essays. Moreover, it evidences your ability to communicate. Communication is a skill that universities and employers look for and is generally difficult to teach.
Taking an optional section is also a great way to show that you are an individual who is willing to go above and beyond what is asked of you. As a student, this shows a concrete level of drive beyond the qualities that you have described in your admissions essays or that your teachers discussed in your recommendation letters.
Reason #3: An opportunity to overcome a deficiency
Almost every candidate has a setback at some point in their career. For some students, it is a failed class, a bad score on the advanced placement test, or a weak grade point average. For a student who struggled in an English based course – literature, writing, or grammar – the SAT optional essay is the perfect opportunity to show growth. This section should absolutely be taken by students with a weakness in English as a way to convey to colleges that the deficiency has been overcome. It removes concern that you will not be able to keep up with writing requirements that most college freshman face. It also shows grit and determination, which are necessary skills to carry into your undergraduate education.
Reason #4: Your school requires it to super score
Super scoring is a practice that allows college applicants to combine their most competitive section scores from multiple SAT exams. Some universities may require the SAT optional essay in order to super score. This is another factor to take into consideration when reviewing your list of schools to apply to. Super scoring can allow you to advance your application to the top of the pile statistically. If this is applicable to you, I highly recommend taking this optional section in order to secure your ability to super score.
Why you shouldn’t write the optional essay:
Reason #1: you did not prepare.
There are a number of reasons to take the SAT optional essay . However, preparing for this section of the exam does require additional time and effort. I personally recommend my students work on writing prompts multiple times throughout the week leading up to their SAT date. The more prompts a student practices writing, the easier it will be to develop an argument in a short period of time on test day. There are a number of preparation books, and a simple Google search yields a number of prompts to get you started.
Ultimately, the first time you sit down to write the SAT essay should not be on test day. This is a difficult process if you have never completed writing an essay like this in fifty minutes and could result in a poor score. If you do not have adequate time to prepare for this section or do not feel that you will perform well based on your estimated scores, I would not recommend taking it.
Reason #2: None the schools you are applying to require the SAT Essay section
If you plan to apply to schools and scholarships that do not require the SAT optional essay , it may not be worth spending the extra money. The addition of the essay costs $14 more. Notably, this cost can be eliminated if you qualify for a fee waiver. I would not let cost be your determining factor on taking this section, but it is something to keep in mind.
While there are arguments for or against taking the optional essay section of the SAT, the pros tend to outweigh the cons. Planning on doing this section of the test sets you up on a successful timeline for college applications. Scheduling an additional test if you end up needing the essay could be a difficult and stressful process. Including the additional essay also opens opportunities to apply to schools that require it should you decide to add schools later on in the application process.
In addition, it provides you with an opportunity to overcome a deficiency such as a failed class or a low grade. It allows you to super score your tests at some institutions. Ultimately, this can be a great opportunity to shine and show undergraduate universities another skill set that makes you a desirable candidate. Strong writing abilities are applicable in almost every field or industry. The hard work in preparing for college applications will serve you well in the long run. Best of luck!
About the Author
Jordan Salley is a senior test prep instructor for MyGuru, a boutique tutoring company. For more information on SAT prep, MyGuru’s approach, and SAT tutors, visit https://www.myguruedge.com/sat-tutoring .
Tags : SAT prep , SAT tips , SAT optional essay , should i write the sat optional essay , SAT essay tips , SAT practice
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Should I Register for the SAT or ACT with the Essay or Without?
This is the second most popular question we get asked, right behind “Should I take the ACT or SAT?”
The good news for most students is that the essay section of these two tests is of little or no importance. The essay scores do not get factored into your composite scores for the SAT or ACT. The majority of colleges will ignore these scores completely, and those who do consider essay scores often view them as far less important than other aspects of your application.
In 2017, 71% of students taking the SAT and 54% of students taking the ACT opted to write the essay; however, fewer than 30 schools required the essay, with another 30 or so recommending the essay. What this means is that many students spent time on essay scores that were likely never looked at by the schools reviewing their applications.
Further, schools that were early champions of the newly designed essay sections of the two tests, such as the University of Michigan, Yale, Stanford, Harvard, and Princeton, have stopped requiring the essay section (although some still recommend it).
A Smarter SAT/ACT Testing Plan
Start by taking a look at the list below of schools and their SAT/ACT essay policies. You can search for specific schools by typing their names into the search box. Or try filtering the list to show just the schools that require the essay (type “required” into the search box).
If you are unlikely to apply to any schools that require the essay, search “recommended” to see a list of schools that recommend the essay. This is where it gets a little bit trickier. For many of these schools, a mediocre essay score is not going to significantly alter how they view your application; most just want to make sure you are adequately prepared for college writing. That said, these schools are clearly interested in seeing how you write under standardized testing conditions, and you are taking a risk by not providing them with this data. If there is a school on this recommended list that you are applying to and you are worried about writing the essay, you may find it helpful to reach out to the school’s regional representative for their advice.
If you are not planning on applying to any of the schools that require or recommend the essay, you are in a great position to take the time and energy you would have spent preparing for the essay and redirect them toward other goals.
Note: Because schools frequently change their admission policies, it is always worthwhile to review the testing requirements for each school you are thinking of applying to, which are easily accessible on their admissions pages. The below table shows policies that were in effect August of 2019.
If You Opt for the Essay
If you are opting to write the essay for the SAT or ACT, one of your best resources will be the model essays available on their official websites ( ACT / SAT ).
| School | SAT Essay | ACT Writing |
| Adelphi University | Optional | Optional |
| Allegheny College | Optional | Optional |
| American University | Optional | Optional |
| Amherst College | Recommended | Recommended |
| Arizona State University—Tempe | Optional | Optional |
| Auburn University | Optional | Optional |
| Babson College | Optional | Optional |
| Bard College | Optional | Optional |
| Barnard College | Optional | Optional |
| Bates College | Optional | Optional |
| Baylor University | Optional | Optional |
| Bennington College | Optional | Optional |
| Bentley University | Optional | Optional |
| Binghamton University—SUNY | Recommended | Recommended |
| Boston College | Optional | Optional |
| Boston University | Optional | Optional |
| Bowdoin College | Optional | Optional |
| Brandeis University | Optional | Optional |
| Brigham Young University—Provo | Optional | Optional |
| Brown University | Optional | Optional |
| Bryn Mawr College | Optional | Optional |
| Bucknell University | Optional | Optional |
| Butler University | Optional | Optional |
| California Institute of Technology | Optional | Optional |
| California State University–Fresno, Fullerton, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Monterey Bay, Northridge | Optional | Optional |
| Carleton College | Optional | Optional |
| Carnegie Mellon University | Optional | Optional |
| Case Western Reserve University | Optional | Optional |
| Claremont McKenna College | Optional | Optional |
| Clark University | Optional | Optional |
| Clarkson University | Optional | Optional |
| Clemson University | Optional | Optional |
| Colby College | Recommended | Recommended |
| Colgate University | Optional | Optional |
| College of Charleston | Optional | Optional |
| College of the Holy Cross | Optional | Optional |
| College of William and Mary | Optional | Optional |
| Colorado College | Optional | Optional |
| Colorado School of Mines | Optional | Optional |
| Colorado State University | Optional | Optional |
| Columbia University | Optional | Optional |
| Connecticut College | Optional | Optional |
| Cornell University | Optional | Optional |
| Creighton University | Optional | Optional |
| CUNY—Baruch College | Optional | Optional |
| Dartmouth College | Optional | Optional |
| Davidson College | Optional | Optional |
| Denison University | Optional | Optional |
| DePaul University | Optional | Optional |
| DePauw University | Optional | Optional |
| Dickinson College | Optional | Optional |
| Drew University | Optional | Optional |
| Drexel University | Optional | Optional |
| Duke University | Recommended | Recommended |
| Duquesne University | Optional | Optional |
| Elon University | Optional | Optional |
| Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University | Optional | Optional |
| Emerson College | Optional | Optional |
| Emory University | Optional | Optional |
| Fairfield University | Optional | Optional |
| Fairleigh Dickinson University | Optional | Optional |
| Florida State University | Optional | Optional |
| Fordham University | Optional | Optional |
| Franklin and Marshall College | Optional | Optional |
| Furman University | Optional | Optional |
| Gallaudet University | Optional | Optional |
| George Mason University | Optional | Optional |
| George Washington University | Optional | Optional |
| Georgetown University | Optional | Optional |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | Recommended | Recommended |
| Gettysburg College | Optional | Optional |
| Gonzaga University | Optional | Optional |
| Goucher College | Optional | Optional |
| Grinnell College | Optional | Optional |
| Hamilton College | Optional | Optional |
| Hampden-Sydney College | Optional | Optional |
| Harvard University | Optional | Optional |
| Harvey Mudd College | Optional | Optional |
| Haverford College | Optional | Optional |
| High Point University | Optional | Optional |
| Hobart and William Smith Colleges | Optional | Optional |
| Hofstra University | Optional | Optional |
| Howard University | Optional | Optional |
| Indiana University—Bloomington | Optional | Optional |
| Iona College | Optional | Optional |
| Ithaca College | Optional | Optional |
| James Madison University | Optional | Optional |
| Johns Hopkins University | Optional | Optional |
| Kenyon College | Optional | Optional |
| Knox College | Optional | Optional |
| Lafayette College | Optional | Optional |
| Lake Forest College | Optional | Optional |
| Lawrence University | Optional | Optional |
| Lehigh University | Optional | Optional |
| Lewis & Clark College | Optional | Optional |
| Loyola University Chicago | Optional | Optional |
| Loyola University Maryland | Optional | Optional |
| Macalester College | Optional | Optional |
| Manhattanville College | Optional | Optional |
| Marist College | Optional | Optional |
| Marquette University | Optional | Optional |
| Maryland Institute College of Art | Optional | Optional |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Optional | Optional |
| Mercy College | Recommended | Recommended |
| Miami University—Oxford | Optional | Optional |
| Michigan State University | Recommended | Recommended |
| Middlebury College | Optional | Optional |
| Mills College | Optional | Optional |
| Morehouse College | Recommended | Recommended |
| Mount Holyoke College | Optional | Optional |
| Muhlenberg College | Optional | Optional |
| New School | Optional | Optional |
| New York University | Optional | Optional |
| North Carolina State University—Raleigh | Optional | Optional |
| Northeastern University | Optional | Optional |
| Northwestern University | Optional | Optional |
| Oberlin College | Optional | Optional |
| Occidental College | Recommended | Recommended |
| Ohio State University—Columbus | Optional | Optional |
| Ohio Wesleyan University | Optional | Optional |
| Pace University | Optional | Optional |
| Pennsylvania State University—University Park | Optional | Optional |
| Pepperdine University | Optional | Optional |
| Pitzer College | Optional | Optional |
| Pomona College | Recommended | Recommended |
| Pratt Institute | Optional | Optional |
| Princeton University | Optional | Optional |
| Providence College | Optional | Optional |
| Purchase College | Optional | Optional |
| Purdue University—West Lafayette | Optional | Optional |
| Quinnipiac University | Optional | Optional |
| Randolph-Macon College | Optional | Optional |
| Reed College | Optional | Optional |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Optional | Optional |
| Rhode Island School of Design | Optional | Optional |
| Rice University | Optional | Optional |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | Optional | Optional |
| Rollins College | Optional | Optional |
| Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey—New Brunswick, Newark | Recommended | Recommended |
| San Diego State University | Optional | Optional |
| San Francisco State University | Optional | Optional |
| San Jose State University | Optional | Optional |
| Santa Clara University | Optional | Optional |
| Sarah Lawrence College | Optional | Optional |
| School of the Art Institute of Chicago | Recommended | Recommended |
| Scripps College | Optional | Optional |
| Seton Hall University | Optional | Optional |
| Sewanee—University of the South | Optional | Optional |
| Siena College | Optional | Optional |
| Simmons College | Recommended | Recommended |
| Skidmore College | Optional | Optional |
| Smith College | Optional | Optional |
| Southern Methodist University | Optional | Optional |
| Spelman College | Optional | Optional |
| St. John Fisher College | Optional | Optional |
| St. John’s College Annapolis | Optional | Optional |
| St. John’s University (NY) | Optional | Optional |
| St. Joseph’s University | Optional | Optional |
| St. Lawrence University | Optional | Optional |
| St. Mary’s College (IN) | Optional | Optional |
| St. Michael’s College | Optional | Optional |
| St. Olaf College | Optional | Optional |
| Stanford University | Recommended | Recommended |
| Stetson University | Optional | Optional |
| Stevens Institute of Technology | Optional | Optional |
| Stonehill College | Optional | Optional |
| Stony Brook University—SUNY | Recommended | Recommended |
| SUNY—Geneseo | Optional | Optional |
| Susquehanna University | Optional | Optional |
| Swarthmore College | Optional | Optional |
| Syracuse University | Optional | Optional |
| Temple University | Optional | Optional |
| Texas A&M University—College Station | Optional | Optional |
| The Citadel | Optional | Optional |
| Trinity College (Hartford) | Optional | Optional |
| Tufts University | Optional | Optional |
| Tulane University | Optional | Optional |
| Union College (Schenectady, NY) | Optional | Optional |
| United States Air Force Academy | Optional | Optional |
| United States Coast Guard Academy | Recommended | Recommended |
| United States Military Academy | Required | Required |
| United States Naval Academy | Optional | Optional |
| University at Albany—SUNY | Optional | Optional |
| University at Buffalo—SUNY | Recommended | Recommended |
| University of Alabama | Optional | Optional |
| University of Arizona | Optional | Optional |
| University of California—Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz | Required | Required |
| University of Central Florida | Optional | Optional |
| University of Chicago | Optional | Optional |
| University of Cincinnati | Optional | Optional |
| University of Colorado—Boulder | Optional | Optional |
| University of Connecticut | Optional | Optional |
| University of Delaware | Optional | Optional |
| University of Denver | Optional | Optional |
| University of Florida | Optional | Optional |
| University of Georgia | Optional | Optional |
| University of Hawaii at Manoa | Optional | Optional |
| University of Illinois—Chicago, Urbana-Champaign | Optional | Optional |
| University of Iowa | Optional | Optional |
| University of Kentucky | Optional | Optional |
| University of Maryland—College Park | Optional | Optional |
| University of Massachusetts—Amherst | Optional | Optional |
| University of Miami** | Required | Required |
| University of Michigan—Ann Arbor | Optional | Optional |
| University of Montana | Recommended | Recommended |
| University of New Hampshire | Optional | Optional |
| University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill, Wilmington | Optional | Optional |
| University of Notre Dame | Optional | Optional |
| University of Oklahoma | Optional | Optional |
| University of Oregon | Optional | Optional |
| University of Pennsylvania | Optional | Optional |
| University of Pittsburgh | Optional | Optional |
| University of Puget Sound | Optional | Optional |
| University of Redlands | Optional | Optional |
| University of Richmond | Optional | Optional |
| University of Rochester | Optional | Optional |
| University of San Diego | Optional | Optional |
| University of San Francisco | Optional | Optional |
| University of South Carolina | Optional | Optional |
| University of South Florida | Optional | Optional |
| University of Southern California | Optional | Optional |
| University of Texas—Austin, Dallas | Optional | Optional |
| University of the Pacific | Optional | Optional |
| University of Vermont | Optional | Optional |
| University of Virginia | Optional | Optional |
| University of Washington | Optional | Optional |
| University of Wisconsin—Madison | Optional | Optional |
| Valparaiso University | Optional | Optional |
| Vanderbilt University | Optional | Optional |
| Vassar College | Optional | Optional |
| Villanova University | Optional | Optional |
| Wake Forest University | Optional | Optional |
| Washington and Lee University | Optional | Optional |
| Washington University in St. Louis | Optional | Optional |
| Wellesley College | Optional | Optional |
| Wesleyan University | Optional | Optional |
| Westmont College | Optional | Optional |
| Wheaton College (IL) | Optional | Optional |
| Whitman College | Optional | Optional |
| Williams College | Optional | Optional |
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Optional | Optional |
| Yale University | Optional | Optional |
| Yeshiva University | Optional | Optional |
- Ross Abrams
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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, sat essay optional or not.
Hey y'all, I heard that the SAT doesn't include an essay anymore. Is this true? Or is it just optional and I can take it if I want to? I'm a bit confused here and need some guidance, thanks!
You're absolutely right in your understanding. The SAT Essay was actually completely discontinued by the College Board in 2021. Therefore, it's not available as an option to any students sitting for the SAT now. You wouldn't be able to take it even if you want to. Instead, you could focus your energy on doing well on the Reading, Writing, and Math sections of the SAT. The better your performance in these sections, the higher your composite score will be, which is what colleges will primarily consider. So, you no longer have to worry about the SAT Essay! Hope this provides some clarity.
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SAT Essay Prompts: The Complete List
SAT Writing , SAT Essay
On every SAT Essay, you'll have to read an argument meant to persuade a broad audience and discuss how well the author argues his or her point. The passage you'll have to read will change from test to test, but you'll always need to analyze the author's argument and write a coherent and organized essay explaining this analysis.
In this article, we've compiled a list of the 14 real SAT essay prompts that the College Board has released (either in The Official SAT Study Guide or separately online) for the new SAT. This is the most comprehensive set of new SAT essay prompts online today.
At the end of this article, we'll also guide you through how to get the most out of these prompts and link to our expert resources on acing the SAT essay. I'll discuss how the SAT essay prompts are valuable not just because they give you a chance to write a practice essay, but because of what they reveal about the essay task itself.
UPDATE: SAT Essay No Longer Offered
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In January 2021, the College Board announced that after June 2021, it would no longer offer the Essay portion of the SAT (except at schools who opt in during School Day Testing). It is now no longer possible to take the SAT Essay, unless your school is one of the small number who choose to offer it during SAT School Day Testing.
While most colleges had already made SAT Essay scores optional, this move by the College Board means no colleges now require the SAT Essay. It will also likely lead to additional college application changes such not looking at essay scores at all for the SAT or ACT, as well as potentially requiring additional writing samples for placement.
What does the end of the SAT Essay mean for your college applications? Check out our article on the College Board's SAT Essay decision for everything you need to know.
SAT essay prompts always keep to the same basic format. Not only is the prompt format consistent from test to test, but what you're actually asked to do (discuss how an author builds an argument) also remains the same across different test administrations.
The College Board's predictability with SAT essay helps students focus on preparing for the actual analytical task, rather than having to think up stuff on their feet. Every time, before the passage, you'll see the following:
- evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims.
- reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.
- stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed.
And after the passage, you'll see this:
"Write an essay in which you explain how [the author] builds an argument to persuade [her/his] audience that [whatever the author is trying to argue for]. In your essay, analyze how [the author] uses one or more of the features listed in the box above (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of his argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant features of the passage.
Your essay should not explain whether you agree with [the author]'s claims, but rather explain how [the author] builds an argument to persuade [her/his/their] audience."
Now that you know the format, let's look at the SAT essay prompts list.
14 Official SAT Essay Prompts
The College Board has released a limited number of prompts to help students prep for the essay. We've gathered them for you here, all in one place. We'll be sure to update this article as more prompts are released for practice and/or as more tests are released.
SPOILER ALERT : Since these are the only essay prompts that have been released so far, you may want to be cautious about spoiling them for yourself, particularly if you are planning on taking practice tests under real conditions . This is why I've organized the prompts by the 10 that are in the practice tests (so you can avoid them if need be), the ones that are available online as sample prompts, and the ones that are in the text of the Official SAT Study Guide (Redesigned SAT), all online for free.
Practice Test Prompts
These 10 prompts are taken from the practice tests that the College Board has released.
Practice Test 1 :
"Write an essay in which you explain how Jimmy Carter builds an argument to persuade his audience that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should not be developed for industry."
Practice Test 2 :
"Write an essay in which you explain how Martin Luther King Jr. builds an argument to persuade his audience that American involvement in the Vietnam War is unjust."
Practice Test 3 :
"Write an essay in which you explain how Eliana Dockterman builds an argument to persuade her audience that there are benefits to early exposure to technology."
Practice Test 4 :
"Write an essay in which you explain how Paul Bogard builds an argument to persuade his audience that natural darkness should be preserved."
Practice Test 5 :
"Write an essay in which you explain how Eric Klinenberg builds an argument to persuade his audience that Americans need to greatly reduce their reliance on air-conditioning."
Practice Test 6 :
"Write an essay in which you explain how Christopher Hitchens builds an argument to persuade his audience that the original Parthenon sculptures should be returned to Greece."
Practice Test 7 :
"Write an essay in which you explain how Zadie Smith builds an argument to persuade her audience that public libraries are important and should remain open"
Practice Test 8 :
"Write an essay in which you explain how Bobby Braun builds an argument to persuade his audience that the US government must continue to invest in NASA."
Practice Test 9 :
"Write an essay in which you explain how Todd Davidson builds an argument to persuade his audience that the US government must continue to fund national parks."
Practice Test 10 :
"Write an essay in which you explain how Richard Schiffman builds an argument to persuade his audience that Americans need to work fewer hours."
Special note: The prompt for Practice Test 4 also appears on the College Board's site with real sample essays written in response. If you've written a practice essay for practice test 4 and want to see what essays of different score levels look like for that particular prompt, you can go there and look at eight real student essays.
Free Online Practice
This prompt comes from the College Board website .
"Write an essay in which you explain how Dana Gioia builds an argument to persuade his audience that the decline of reading in America will have a negative effect on society."
This prompt comes from Khan Academy , where it is listed as an alternate essay prompt to go along with Practice Test 2:
"Write an essay in which you explain how Leo W. Gerard builds an argument to persuade his audience that American colleges and universities should be affordable for all students."
The Official SAT Study Guide 2020
The Official SAT Study Guide (editions published in 2015 and later available online for free) contains all 10 of the previously mentioned practice tests at the end of the book. In the section about the new SAT essay , however, there are two additional sample essay prompts (accompanied by articles to analyze).
Sample Prompt 1:
"Write an essay in which you explain how Peter S. Goodman builds an argument to persuade his audience that news organizations should increase the amount of professional foreign news coverage provided to people in the United States."
Sample Prompt 2:
"Write an essay in which you explain how Adam B. Summers builds an argument to persuade his audience that plastic shopping bags should not be banned."
How Do You Get the Most Out of These Prompts?
Now that you have all the prompts released by the College Board, it's important to know the best way to use them. Make sure you have a good balance between quality and quantity, and don't burn through all 14 of the real prompts in a row— take the time to learn from your experiences writing the practice essays.
Step By Step Guide on How to Practice Using the Article
#1: Understand how the SAT essay is graded .
#2: Follow along as we write a high-scoring SAT essay, step by step .
#3: Plan a set of features you'll look for in the SAT essay readings and practice writing about them fluidly. This doesn't just mean identifying a technique, like asking a rhetorical question, but explaining why it is persuasive and what effect it has on the reader in the context of a particular topic. We have more information on this step in our article about 6 SAT persuasive devices you can use .
#4: Choose a prompt at random from above, or choose a topic that you think is going to be hard for you to detach from (because you'll want to write about the topic, rather than the argument) set timer to 50 minutes and write the essay. No extra time allowed!
#5: Grade the essay, using the official essay rubric to give yourself a score out of 8 in the reading, analysis, and writing sections.
#6: Repeat steps 4 and 5. Choose the prompts you think will be the hardest for you so that you can so that you're prepared for the worst when the test day comes
#7: If you run out of official prompts to practice with, use the official prompts as models to find examples of other articles you could write about . Start by looking for op-ed articles in online news publications like The New York Times, The Atlantic, LA Times , and so on. For instance, the passage about the plastic bag ban in California (Official SAT Study Guide sample essay prompt 2, above) has a counterpoint here —you could try analyzing and writing about that article as well.
Any additional articles you use for practice on the SAT essay must match the following criteria:
- ideally 650-750 words , although it'll be difficult to find an op-ed piece that's naturally that short. Try to aim for nothing longer than 2000 words, though, or the scope of the article is likely to be wider than anything you'll encounter on the SAT.
- always argumentative/persuasive . The author (or authors) is trying to get readers to agree with a claim or idea being put forward.
- always intended for a wide audience . All the information you need to deconstruct the persuasiveness of the argument is in the passage. This means that articles with a lot of technical jargon that's not explained in the article are not realistic passage to practice with.
What's Next?
We've written a ton of helpful resources on the SAT essay. I f you're just getting started, we recommend beginning with our top SAT essay tips for a quick overview of the essay task and what you need to know.
A little more familiar with the SAT essay but still not quite sure how to write one? Follow along with our step-by-step guide to writing the SAT essay .
Looking to earn a high score? Learn what it takes to get the highest score possible on the SAT essay here .
Plus, if you want a reference linking you to all of our great articles on the SAT essay, be sure to check out our ultimate SAT essay guide .
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Laura graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College with a BA in Music and Psychology, and earned a Master's degree in Composition from the Longy School of Music of Bard College. She scored 99 percentile scores on the SAT and GRE and loves advising students on how to excel in high school.
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The SAT essay is optional and no longer offered after June 2021. Learn the pros and cons of taking the essay, how it affects your application, and how to find out if any schools require it.
The SAT Essay section is a writing assignment based on a passage that tests your reading, analysis, and writing skills. It is only available in some states as part of SAT School Day administrations. Learn more about the format, scoring, and practice options for the SAT Essay.
The SAT Essay is no longer required or scored as part of the exam, and many colleges do not consider it for admission. Learn about the changes, the reasons schools require or drop the essay, and how to decide if you need to take it.
The fact that more colleges are lifting their ACT/SAT requirement does not imply that either test or any component of it is now obsolete. Students who must write the SAT essay can still stand to ...
The College Board announced that it would no longer offer the SAT Essay after June 2021, except for some schools that opt in for SAT School Day Testing. See the complete list of colleges that require or recommend the SAT Essay and how to decide whether to take it.
While Princeton University has not historically required the SAT or ACT essay, it does request a graded academic writing sample from all applicants. This is designed to " assess the student's written expression in an academic setting" and "further the holistic understanding of the student's application."
The SAT Essay is a 50-minute writing assignment that asks you to analyze a passage and explain how the author builds an argument. Learn about the essay prompt, passage, scoring guide, and tips for taking the test.
Hello! It's true that the importance of the SAT Essay has diminished in recent years. Most colleges have actually moved away from requiring or recommending it for admission, as they find other parts of the application more indicative of a student's writing and critical thinking abilities. That being said, it's essential to check the specific requirements for schools you're interested in, as ...
Learn the pros and cons of taking the SAT with or without the essay, and how it affects your test fee and time. Find out which colleges still require or recommend the essay and how to prepare for it.
Most top schools including all of the Ivy League do not require or recommend the essay, and for most college applicants the essay exam isn't necessary. The Pre-2016 SAT Essay Section In 2005, the College Board changed the SAT exam to include a multiple-choice grammar section and a 25-minute essay writing component.
The new SAT Essay is optional and based on a published passage that you analyze and critique. The new Writing and Language test is part of the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing test and asks you to improve passages with editorial decisions.
Learn about the two sections of the SAT: Reading and Writing and Math, each with two modules. Find out the skills, formats, time, and number of questions for each section and get tips for preparing.
Schools have been dropping the SAT Essay like a hot rock. Figuring out whether you actually need to SAT essay for anything (you probably don't) will help assuage your fears. NOTE: If you DO take the essay "just in case" you will be forced to submit the essay score if you want to submit the EBRW/Math scores from that date.
Hi there! It's great that you're planning ahead for your SAT/ACT tests. As for the essay section, it really depends on the colleges you're interested in applying to. Some colleges require or recommend the essay, while others don't consider it at all. My suggestion is to research the colleges you want to apply to and see what their requirements are.
The SAT Optional Essay - To Write or Not to Write. By: Jordan Salley. The SAT optional essay is a section designed to test students' ability to write under strict time constraints. For many, this can be an intimidating concept. After all, almost every student has encountered writer's block at some point. However, this can be a great ...
Hey, I'm signed up for the March SAT and I've been wondering whether or not to take the essay. With essays being discontinued soon, the few colleges that require it will probably drop that (I'm class of 2022 btw). Should I drop the essay and just focus on the rest of the test or should I still write the essay?
Learn how to write a great SAT essay with this guide that covers the five essential elements, the best format, and a template outline. Find out why the SAT essay is no longer offered after June 2021 and what it means for your college applications.
In 2017, 71% of students taking the SAT and 54% of students taking the ACT opted to write the essay; however, fewer than 30 schools required the essay, with another 30 or so recommending the essay. What this means is that many students spent time on essay scores that were likely never looked at by the schools reviewing their applications.
should I take sat with essay or without it . I am confused, is this option still applicable or not. Also, I am a science and math student, so I want myself to be eligible for most of the universities, therefore which one should I take? ... You cannot take the essay unless you are in one of the US states that still include it as part of their ...
The SAT Essay was actually completely discontinued by the College Board in 2021. Therefore, it's not available as an option to any students sitting for the SAT now. You wouldn't be able to take it even if you want to. Instead, you could focus your energy on doing well on the Reading, Writing, and Math sections of the SAT. The better your ...
Learn how the SAT essay is graded based on a rubric that evaluates reading, analysis, and writing skills. See examples of how to use textual evidence, central ideas, and quotations in your essay.
Find out the 14 official SAT essay prompts released by the College Board for the new SAT. Learn how to analyze the author's argument and write a coherent and organized essay for each prompt.
There used to be an essay, so you could take with or without essay. The essay was discontinued a while ago, so everything is without essay. CB isn't exactly great with their web site. You'll still see it referenced as SAT-R, for "revised", even 6 years after it was changed.