Taking the SAT: Tips for Completing the Essay Portion

Back in the old days, the SAT consisted of only two torturous sections: math and verbal. Now, ETS has expanded the torturing to a whopping three sections: math, critical reading and writing. The new writing section is often where many students struggle. It tests grammar skills as well as writing skills.

Furthermore, students often have no idea how to write the SAT essay because they do not know what the graders want. Let me tell you (and I will stress this point constantly), the SAT essay graders are not looking for something fancy or a literary masterpiece.

No, they are looking for a well-organized and well-supported 5 paragraph essay. All you really need to do is have a clever introduction followed by a strong thesis that highlights the key points of evidence that you will use.

For your support/evidence, I suggest you choose three diverse sources. I often tell students to use one literary source, followed by a historical event that illustrates the situation or theme, and end with a strong real life anecdotal evidence.

The best literary source to use is the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald because it contains multiple themes and events that can be used to support almost any claim. The versatility of this book makes it perfect to use for the SAT essay. However, if you decide to do something different, be well-versed with the book. You do not want to sound like you have no idea what you are talking about. It is better to use a source that you understand.

As for the historical event, there are infinite examples. I would suggest studying a war or two so you can pull examples from them. Wars are helpful because it can explain themes such as learning from past mistakes, how a leader's ego can inhibit his judgment, and a number of others. Using history as a source can allow you to draw an example from any field, ranging from fashion to presidential elections.

Finally, the last source should be a current event or a real life example that you have experienced or heard about. This source alone is extremely weak in an argumentative essay, but combined with the literary and historical evidence, a real life example can effectively convey a message. Be careful when choosing this source and make sure it is relevant to your claim. Try to be as descriptive and direct as possible and fully connect the situation to your thesis, which is your main focus.

The SAT essay seems intimidating, but it can be easily overcome. Just follow the steps I outlined above and you will most certainly get a 10 or higher.