Though the SAT essay is no longer a formal requirement for many colleges, preparing for and taking this portion of the SAT can still carry advantages. Practicing your writing can translate into tangible skills that will aid you in high school, college and beyond.
Consider these three academic benefits of the optional SAT essay.
[Read: 3 Steps for Writing a Strong SAT Essay.]
You can learn to write responses under timed pressure. Learning to brainstorm, outline and write under pressure can help with timed essays like the SAT, but it can also come in handy when managing time across multiple college projects. For example, students who learn to write effectively under timed pressure will be well equipped for midterms and finals.
During these time periods, professors may assign in-class writing assignments. Writing with the pressure of a deadline can trigger anxiety and stress if students feel under prepared. However, learning to swiftly dissect a passage, form an approach and write a response in a set period of time while preparing for the SAT essay will help you establish confidence in your ability to successfully complete high-stakes timed writing assignments.
You can learn to develop angles of attack for persuasive writing tasks. The SAT essay requires students to go beyond merely comprehending and summarizing a passage. Students must discuss how an argument is structured, as well as why the author has made specific choices about how to present their argument to their audience. In other words, you have to reflect upon why certain persuasive tactics were selected by strong writers.
This is in some ways a slightly simpler version of the AP English Language and Composition rhetorical analysis free response. If you plan to take AP English Language and Composition or any course that focuses on persuasive writing tasks, you can benefit from learning how to deal with this type of essay in advance. Remember that persuasive writing is key to many fields, including business and history.
[Read: 5 Steps to Mastering the AP Free-Response Questions.]
You can learn to employ evocative and descriptive language outside of creative writing contexts. While students may be used to employing detail in creative writing assignments, essays benefit from detail as well. Students can learn to avoid writing in passive voice, and to select more dynamic verbs.
It is common for students to begin practicing analysis with sentences like, “He used emotional language to have an impact on the audience.” A more evocative sentence might be something like, “He relied on repetition and diction choices related to war to instill a sense of fear and urgency.” It is difficult to explain why something is effective for a particular audience without being specific about the techniques used and their expected impact. The SAT essay asks you to hone your ability to be specific when describing what an author is doing and why–a highly transferable skill.
[Read: Learn to Identify Tone for SAT Reading, Writing Success.]
The SAT essay is a departure from the kinds of essays students are asked to write earlier in their academic careers. As a result, preparing for this essay can also help students learn to adapt to new writing styles. At the same time, this may mean that students may not be sure about what is being asked of them, even after a general overview.
As you prepare, take the time to look at a sample prompt along with sample responses. Want to know how much something like specificity and detail matters? Look at the difference between an essay scored 2/1/1 and 4/4/4 here. Ultimately, the SAT essay requires students to learn valuable skills that can aid them throughout their academic and professional careers.
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3 Ways the Optional SAT Essay Builds Writing Skills originally appeared on usnews.com
