The SAT Essay is scored within a range of 1-12 and makes up part of your Writing Section score. Though many fuss over its time limit (25 minutes), it is ultimately not hard if you are well prepared to think quickly and write in a clear, effective manner. You are usually provided with a quote with a very general statement, and then asked to support, qualify, or go against this statement, and explain why.

You have twenty-five minutes to write your essay, so the scorers aren’t looking for incredibly beautiful, poetic, flowing English prose, but concise support, clear writing, and good examples to back up a strong thesis. To do well in such a short time frame, what I found effective was to go with a very formulaic and very structured essay:

Brainstorm (5 minutes)
The most important part here is to not get carried away and take up too much of your time. Decide quickly if you want to defend, challenge, or qualify the statement. Then think of three clear, strong examples that support your opinion. Think in different domains: sports, movies, books, personal life, history, current events, etc.

Some recommend not qualifying, as it is difficult to show both sides of the argument in such a short time, and think it best to simply choose a side and stick to it. If you have trouble showing how your evidence supports your thesis or have time issues, it would probably be better to avoid qualifying.

The thesis and the introduction (5 minutes)
This part is the most important one in your essay, and it should be very clear and concise.  Your introduction does not have to be long – you can just go directly to state your thesis in a strong, effective manner.

Do not use phrases like, for example, “I think” or “I believe education is the solution…,” simply state, “Education is the solution to the world’s problems because…”

Examples and body paragraphs (12 minutes)
Set down your three examples (one per paragraph) that clearly support your thesis. Describe the example, and then CLEARLY demonstrate how it supports your thesis. If you describe the plot of a novel in detail but then fail to show how it ties in with your thesis, such an example is useless.  Again, you do not have to sugar-coat your writing with beautiful poetic devices – being concise and clear and showing you can express your points with ease is more important.

Conclusion (3 minutes)
Since it is the last thing your scorers will read, make it strong.  Summarize how your evidence backs up your thesis in one or two sentences, and then re-state your argument, expanding on what its implications might mean in another domain, or another meaningful reflection one may take from it.

Some people find it useful to write their conclusion immediately after writing their introduction, leaving a big space between them on their sheets for the body paragraphs. This way so they can write a strong conclusion and not scribble out something at the end when they don’t have time. While this does not work for me, it has proven very useful for friends who have issues with time.

If you have time to re-read your essay, do so!

And then give yourself a pat on the back, for you have just finished your SAT Essay!

Other tips:
• Use a lot of action verbs!  This automatically makes your writing sound mature and helps it flow with ease (i.e. “The author conveys” instead of “The author is conveying.”)
• One personal example is always good: it is probable that no one else has one just like yours, and the scorers might be impressed by your originality.
• Don’t dwell on the introduction.  If you find you are having a hard time getting started, simply write out your thesis and move on to your supporting paragraphs!
• Keep an eye on your watch: the time frame is the most difficult part of the essay, so make sure to keep tabs on how much time you have left so you can conclude your essay properly.
• Breathe in, breathe out: the more stressed and worried you are, the less you will be able to concentrate and think clearly – and express yourself clearly!

I also found that reading a book before my SAT test got my brain thinking and into “writing mode.” The essay is always the first part of the test, so the reading before always helps get your brain going. .

Good luck!