Tips and Strategies on How to Write the Best SAT Essays

The recent additive of an essay section on the SAT's has led many high schools to scramble and push students to do more writing, and in a sense, this is a good decision. Even if a student is not the best writer, or does not have the best ideas for writing, every student should have an effective command of English grammar, and the ability to properly format an essay. The level of substance may differ, but the ability to write effectively should be the goal of every high school English class.

Today's SAT now begins with the writing section. This part of the test will last for a total of 60 minutes: 25 minutes for the essay, and 35 minutes devoted to multiple choice questions. Yes that is right; there is a multiple choice question section that is part of the writing section of the SAT. Since the actually written essay section is only 25 minutes, not a good amount of time to write anything masterful or polished for that matter, the multiple choice section will allow the students to show more of their abilities and skill level with respect to how well they can improve sentences, identify errors within given sentences, and improving paragraphs that are given. Combining all these areas in the writing section will give a well-rounded view into the student's ability to write effectively, and scoring on this section will range from 200-800.

When you really think about it, 25 minutes to write an actual essay is definitely not enough time to produce true quality writing, which is why SAT stresses that they are not looking for the essay to be polished because the student basically has one chance to write their final draft. This means there is no time to go through the whole writing process, no time to free write, no time to outline, no time to rough draft, and no time to rewrite. The SAT essay assignment will be direct and ask the student to develop an essay where they will present and support the student's point of views related to specific issues.

It is good to know what the essay section will actually be measuring, because this will help the student make sure those areas are covered to the best of their ability. Since the student will be given an excerpt related to an issue, they should make sure they develop and keep their point of views focused on that specific issue. Whatever view or position the student takes, they should be sure to show support and back up their point of view through reasoning and giving relevant examples such as ones from literature, studies, life observations, and personal experiences. The student should make sure they stick with the writing techniques and standards they were taught in school, because it will give them a guideline to follow and help their format.

Keep in mind that the high school and college teachers, who will be scoring the essay, are not going to score higher because a student wrote an extensively long essay, or made sure to stick with the 5 paragraph structure, or used literary examples for supporting evidence. These teachers have seen it all; they are looking for quality writing, well developed points of view with well identified reasons and examples, and whether or not the student has a command of language and grammar skills.

Remember, the essay part of the SAT is only 25 minutes and it is obvious that this is a small amount of time to carry out the task of writing the very best essay. If the notion of taking the SAT itself was not something to become anxious over, the idea of the weight this essay will have on the score is quite enough to stir anyone's nerves. However, relax, stay focused, and write your thoughts clearly. The following are some tips and strategies that a student may wish to keep in mind as they prepare and actually take their SAT essay section:

It is very important that you take the time to thoroughly read the essay assignment you are presented with. Sure, you are thinking 25 minutes is just enough time to glimpse and skim the assignment because you have to get right to the writing. But, it is essential that you read the expectations of the assignment so you do not miss important information that may be useful in your writing. Use that time to decide what your actual view will be. Will you oppose, argue, or agree? Are there specific reasons and ideas you can use as examples and supporting evidence? By answering these questions, it will give your actual essay a clear direction and point of view to steer your essay towards.

The key to writing an effective SAT essay is to develop your point of view. Do not spend time coming up with an abundance of examples and reasons to use to support your view, but rather spend time developing a few good points. Students have a tendency to believe more is better, and so they do not spend enough time developing a good example. Instead they cut off the thought mid-point and move to the next example, and this lends to oversimplifying. So, take the time to develop and explain one or two thoughtful points instead of spending time creating three or more simplistic and underdeveloped reasons and examples.

Do not be afraid to use "I" when developing your view points. After all, you are being asked to express your views and take a position. This will also help you develop more meaningful examples. Sometimes when we are able to dig down deep inside our personal banks of experience and observations, we are able to pull out the most thought provoking and meaningful support for our views. Knowing that you can infuse the "I" point of view into your SAT essay, may even help you relax and reflect yourself in your writing, taking the pressure off may even lead to a better score.

Last, you will want to make sure you show the scorers that you have writing skills and are aware of grammar necessities. Be consistent in your writing, meaning you need to be aware of the tenses you use, shifts in pronouns, agreement in noun usage, and watch your subject and verb agreement. Your ideas will need to be expressed logically, as well as, clear and precise. Make sure you know how to use commas, identify sentence fragments and run-on sentences, and know when you are becoming too wordy.

It all comes back to the 25 minutes given to effectively write your SAT essay. Sure, it does not seem like enough time to write something of quality; however, if you stay focused on the actual assignment's expectation, develop a few thoughtful supporting reasons, and keep in mind grammar, you will wind up with an essay that satisfies you and the scorer.