How to Improve SAT Essay Writing Skills?

Undoubtedly, entering college requires a lot of effort and time. To start their education, students need to prepare for the exams carefully and deepen their knowledge in every subject that will appear at the exams. A responsible attitude to entering a good university is a guarantee of a successful future and a great career. That is why you should pay attention to the written form of the essay, namely the SAT essay.

Fortunately, you can easily find basic rules and tips in writing a successful SAT essay in our article. Performing test tasks requires a clear knowledge of the material in a certain subject, but still, there is a chance to guess the correct answers. But there is no such opportunity when it comes to writing the essay from scratch. In writing the essay, you need to take into account various aspects and articulate your thoughts. You should be aware of the required structure and allowed content.

How to Prepare for SAT Essay Quickly?

If you want to know how to write a good SAT essay, use the useful tips that are gathered in our article and make your preparation easier.

1. Review the List of Colleges for Which the SAT Essay Writing is Required

Some colleges allow you to enter without essay writing. However, in most colleges, essay writing is added to the list of passing exams.

2. Familiarize Yourself with the Requirements of the Essay for SAT Exams

Entrance exams prepare students for entrance difficulties. They are created to choose the smartest students who can adapt to the requirements of writing an essay. The main problem faced by future students is a lack of time. In 50 minutes, you need to read a passage of text, analyze it and write an essay. If you do not pay attention to these important components, you may not have time to complete the conclusion and lose points.

3. Pay Attention to the Task Requirements

Find out the structure of the work, i.e. how many arguments you need to use, and paragraphs to write. You need to have an idea of how to form an opinion to meet the requirements and get the highest score.

For example, it is recommended to create 5 paragraphs, because usually the best results are obtained with this number. You do not need to oversaturate your essay with arguments, even if you know some more, because the examiner will have the impression that you can not clearly express and convince your point of view. Too few paragraphs can damage the quality of your essay, because you can omit critical information and forget to specify important information. You need to find the middle ground so that the essay sounds harmonious.

4. Study the Given Structure

In the first paragraph, you should outline in general what evidence you will use in the main body of the essay and what point of view you choose. Then in the offensive, write 3 examples that you decided to give. Be sure to back up your arguments with information you’ve read before, research results, or cite a situation from your own experience. In this way, the essay will be more convincing and will give credence to your assumptions.

Do not forget about the conclusion, because it will help strengthen the importance of your arguments and summarize all the information.

Be sure to check the requirements, vocabulary, and punctuation. Make sure you remember the structure

4. Brainstorm

Think about all possible ways to express your opinion, weigh your strengths, and check the level of ability to describe all the points preceded by the requirements. If you are not sure that you can correctly paint and design the thesis, the main part, and the conclusion, then it is better to choose another path you got when brainstorming.

5. Deep into the Principle of the SAT Essay Evaluation System

The score is calculated according to three criteria separately: writing, analysis, and reading. The first will assess your English level, grammar, and ability to speak fluently. The score for the analysis shows how correctly you have revealed the opinion of the author of the passage. And the last figure will depend on your understanding of what you read. Remember that you will end up with 3 grades per essay.
Avoid these widespread mistakes:

6. Discover Essay Samples

To better understand what you will have to face, read examples of the relevant essays on the Internet. After reading as many essays as possible, you will have an understanding of the structure of writing. You should always practice trying to structure your essay like it is shown in a sample. It is the opportunity to see your mistakes and to prevent them on the exam.

7. Read the Relevant Literature

In general, the process of reading as a whole has a positive effect on our brain, enriching our vocabulary and developing our imagination. At the expense of books, you will be able to see how to systematize thoughts and express themselves clearly to other people. Also, after reading, take a few minutes to understand, analyze, and orally reproduce the information. This exercise will help to train skills that will help in writing the essay.

Read as many books as possible, but pay attention to the reliability of sources. It is better to get acquainted with textbooks in your chosen field or turn the pages of classics. Thanks to their years of proven knowledge, you will be able to improve your essay. You can also periodically read, for example, the authoritative newspaper The New York Times, analyzing articles, and world news.

8. Choose the Appropriate Words for the Topic

It is important to remember that in an essay you need to use concepts following the specified topic and refrain from dialects and slang. Your work should be with impeccable literacy without any word abbreviations that are often found in everyday life. But don’t make your essay too saturated, that is, don’t write ostentatious words. You also do not need to abuse artistic means and embellish the text with adjectives and adverbs. Creativity is a great feature, but for the exam, you need to put more emphasis on your analytical skills, because first, your main task is to show your knowledge and ability to write according to grammar rules. Use academic collocations.

9. Practice as much as possible

You should never be upset if you can’t write the perfect essay for the first time. Constant practicing is the key to success. Regular practicing will improve your writing and time management skills. Take the time to write, concentrate, and start writing due to the samples. Regular writing will help to formulate an idea faster, and you will start writing like a professional.

This guide will definitely help you compose a paper that meets academic standards as well as will ease your college life. So, don’t hesitate to use this guide and benefit from it.