What to Write for SAT Essay Topics
The SAT will include a range of methods to apply Math, Verbal and Grammar into the Writing section. You can use specialized tactics for the multiple choice section of the exam. Process of Elimination, for instance, is a basic scheme: if you cannot find the correct answer, you need to make choices. Usually two of them will not be right; hence you can eliminate these and guess for the best ones.
However, this method is not applicable to the sat essay topics section. It is basically theoretical which leaves nothing to erase, back solve or analyze. It will simply provide a prompt like a description or quote of a specific situation, and some homework to evaluate and write information from readings, studies, observations or experience. That’s about it although you are given time bounds. So when was the last time you had written an analytical essay, let’s say in about 25 minutes? For many students, the essay can be the most perplexing section of any standardized exam.
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I had a student whom I tutored once. His practice essay prompt was the quote “What comes up must come down!” While reading the quote, the student made his remark. He had no idea what to write about. He finally made a decision, got mixed up on how to support his argument. Seven minutes passed and he realized that he had consumed precious time. He panicked and immediately wrote without checking the sense of the sentences he made. He went back and reviewed his work only to change his mind and start over. Time ran out and this left him with an incomplete essay. It created a big minus in his SAT score. He also did not do any proofreading, so his essay had grammatical and spelling errors. Had there been enough time left, he could have made the corrections.
The student was left with no options. He hadn’t the slightest idea what to write and he had to conceptualize a great essay. The former can be addressed easily through preparation; but for the latter, he had to let go.
The mantra of this experience is to write about what you know. This is what professional writers do when they have to write something they are not familiar with. If you think that the quote has a close relation to the unexpected changes in life but think of writing about gravity, then this must be some mistake. It will have you short for words especially if you can’t remember a thing. However, if you write what you know and consider it a passion, words will simply flow spontaneously.
Students are advised to list all things they are passionate about such as favorite movies, books, subjects they are studying, historical and current events, meaningful personal experience, etc. This will provide a connection to the prompt and help them conceptualize an essay. SAT essay prompts have huge scopes that favorites can fit into the theme. Choices will depend on how the student feels about the topic.
Certainly the list is not allowed in the testing area, but on the SAT, the essay is first section on the exam. You will need to review the list before the exam begins so examples can be fresh. The point is if you don’t know what to write, you just have to find out what you can possibly write about.
In school, students are taught to be thorough when preparing for a research paper or essay. To do this, teachers encourage students to write a thorough outline. It can be written in one or two drafts before handling the final paper. On the SAT, this is simply not possible. You have to do your best to write a great final draft.
After evaluating the prompt, decide on a response with two examples from your passion list. Write a SAT version of the outline while being very careful with grammar and spelling. If you think you made a slight error in the sentence, edit it at once and proceed. Corrections can be done, however, once the essay is completed. The last few minutes of the SAT essay must be spent on proofreading. Also consider the fluidity of your essay and make minor changes to improve the flow.
In actuality, a standardized test essay within the sat essay topics turns an abstract concept into a solid argument using limited time. To ensure you have an answer, be ready with valid ideas and examples on what you may and may not do. Being prepared in this way will ensure that you have only one direction possible, and that is forward with success.
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