· The College Board announced on Tuesday that it will discontinue the optional essay component of the SAT and that it will no longer offer subject tests in U.S. history, languages and math, among Note: The optional SAT Essay is discontinued for weekend SAT. The directions below are representative of what students will encounter on test day. The essay gives you an opportunity to show how effectively you can read and comprehend a passage and write an essay · The optional SAT Essay is discontinued for weekend SAT
Should I Take the SAT Essay? How to Decide
For many, this can be an intimidating concept. 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.
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, sat optional essay, each of which ranges from two to eight.
The analysis portion assesses you on your ability to make and support sat optional essay. The writing score depends on the clarity of the essay and language choices. You sat optional essay fifty minutes total to respond to the prompt. The standard approach to writing the SAT optional essay includes:. The goal is to analyze how an author would build an argument based on the statement or argument listed in the prompt. 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. Brown sat optional essay Princeton requested a graded humanities paper, Harvard will accept a written publication by a student. Though the essay is optional, many undergraduate institutions sat optional essay scholarships have begun to require it.
Moreover, you cannot take the essay separate from the SAT test, sat optional essay. 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. If you are looking at applying to Ivy League or top tier schools, sat optional essay, this is almost definitely a required component of your application. Nearly every university requires essays or written exams in a freshman seminar course, sat optional essay, so it is natural that schools want to see your writing ability to ensure you would succeed in their academic setting.
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 sat optional essay 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. Sat optional essay can be used as a sat optional essay 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.
Almost every candidate has a setback at some point in their career, sat optional essay. 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, sat optional essay, or grammar — the SAT optional essay is the perfect opportunity to show growth. This section should absolutely be taken by students with a sat optional essay 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. Super scoring is a practice that allows college applicants to combine their most competitive section scores from multiple SAT exams, sat optional essay.
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, sat optional essay.
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 sat optional essay up to their SAT date, sat optional essay.
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, sat optional essay, the first time you sit down to write the SAT essay should not be on test day, sat optional essay. 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.
If you plan to apply to schools and scholarships that do not require the SAT optional essayit may not be worth spending the extra money. 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 sat optional essay 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, sat optional essay, 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, sat optional essay. 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! Jordan Salley is a senior test prep instructor for MyGuru, a boutique tutoring company, sat optional essay. Tags : SAT prepSAT tipsSAT optional essayshould i write the sat optional essaySAT essay tipsSAT practice.
The SAT Optional Essay — To Write or Not to Write Guest Sat optional essay 2, sat optional essay, share on. 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 Writing Proofreading The goal is to analyze how an author would build an argument based on the statement or argument listed in the prompt.
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. Sat optional essay 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.
Reason 3: Sat optional essay opportunity to overcome a deficiency Almost every candidate has a setback at some point in their career. 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.
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 essayit may not be worth spending the extra money. About the Author Jordan Salley is a senior test prep instructor for MyGuru, a boutique tutoring company. Schedule a free consultation to find out how we can help you get accepted.
The Rise and Fall of the SAT® Essay!
, time: 11:17SAT Essay | SAT Suite of Assessments – The College Board
· The optional SAT Essay is discontinued for weekend SAT Note: The optional SAT Essay is discontinued for weekend SAT. The directions below are representative of what students will encounter on test day. The essay gives you an opportunity to show how effectively you can read and comprehend a passage and write an essay · The College Board is discontinuing the SAT Subject Tests and optional essays due to COVID concerns. “The pandemic accelerated a process already underway at the College Board to reduce and simplify demands on students,” said the board in a statement on Tuesday (Jan. 19, ). “We are no longer offering the Subject Tests and discontinuing the optional SAT Essay
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