Summary
◦ The SAT Essay may be “optional,” but you should always opt to do it—especially if you’re not sure
whether the schools you’re applying to require it. It’s better to be safe than sorry—and to sit for an
extra 50 minutes once rather than have to sit for the entire test a second time after finding out you
need the essay to apply to your dream school!
◦ The essay is comprised of three separate tasks that will be scored individually: Reading, Analysis,
and Writing.
◦ The essay does not require you to agree or disagree with a position or to write about a personal
experience. Instead, you will have to read a passage and analyze how the author builds his or her
argument.
◦ To score well on the Reading task, you will have to be able to identify (in your essay) the main idea
and supporting details of the text. Think SOAPS:
- Speaker
- Occasion
- Audience
- Purpose
- Subject
◦ To score well on the Analysis task, you will have to be able to explain (in your essay) how the
author uses specific style elements and rhetorical devices to create an effective argument.
◦ While reading and analyzing the passage, you should also think about whether the author makes any
kind of appeal (to credibility, emotion, or logic) to his or her audience.
