SAT Essay Additional Help

The Fiction Factor

"I understand that a few factual errors won't count against me. But what if I deliberately make something up?"

Here's another important point to remember about your readers: They don't know you. Not only are they instructed not to deduct points for an incorrect date or a misspelled name, but they have no idea who your friends and family are. If you can't come up with a third example, you can simply make one up. Using the sample prompt and assignment on page 6, imagine that two of your predetermined topics worked well, but then you got stuck. You can do one of two things: Wrap up the (short) essay in four paragraphs, or come up with one more example. That example might be the fictitious situation of a friend or relative or something like this: "A recent story in The New York Times described a tragic situation in Iraq. A commanding officer was unsure of whether to advance his troops. While he tried to decide, his unit was ambushed." Is this true? No. Does it matter, or will it be counted against you? Again, no.

It's easier for most students to come up with a situation involving a friend or an older relative. Need an example of a bad decision? The friend who blew off studying for a big test to go to a party. Or the elderly uncle who quit his job to sell a "surefire" product door-to-door—right before the company that made the product went bankrupt.

Your score on the SAT essay is based on how well you develop and support your point of view—not on the accuracy or truth of the information you use.

There's An "I" in SAT Essay

"I've always been told to keep 'I' statements out of my essays. My teachers only want me to back up what I say with facts and expert opinion."

Here's another important difference between your classroom writing and the SAT: The College Board encourages you to use personal examples and evidence in your essay. The directions always state that your experiences and observations are fair game, and scorers are instructed not to deduct points for personal rather than academic content.

What The Essay Measures

"I know I can write a better essay when I'm not rushed or nervous. What can colleges learn about my writing ability from my SAT Essay score?"

Much of the controversy surrounding the SAT essay (and the Writing section in general) has to do with whether it's a true measure of your writing ability. The Writing section was developed in response to an outcry from colleges who were tired of admitting students who couldn't write well. They sought some way to determine writing ability within the admissions process. But is the College Board's answer really what they were looking for?

For most of your classes in college, you'll be given essay assignments and have a period of time in which to draft, edit, and rewrite your work. Occasionally, you'll also get essay exams. The SAT essay is obviously more like an exam than a take-home assignment. But the SAT also differs significantly from college essay exams. Your professor will be asking you to demonstrate how well you have learned the material that has been covered in his or her course. So even though you might not know the exact subject, your writing will be based on specific readings and lectures. The SAT essay assignments are completely unknown (although, as you'll see in Chapter 3, they're general enough that you can prepare content in advance that can address them).

So is your ability to write on an unknown topic in 25 minutes a true measure of your writing ability? The answer to that question is still up for debate.