About the SAT Essay...

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
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<p>Hello all. This is my first post, and, first off, I just want to thank all of you guys, for being a part of this site and helping us pour louts with all things college-related.</p>

<p>Now, on to my question: I've read somewhere that it's a good idea to have a subject area already researched out, for the essay section, prior to going in to take the SAT. Eg, if you have an interest in biology, you could research dehydrated pet animals as your subject. (Just an inside joke for those of you who've read the book in question... I was only kidding, PETA. Please don't sue me, lol)</p>

<p>This is especially useful if you don't happen to study current events much (although I do plan to, in the coming 3 months) and don't have too many "personal experiences" to write about, although of course, you could always make up the latter, within reason. (Something I might resort to, if I can't answer the essay question satisfactorily with my chosen subject) </p>

<p>Which takes me to my chosen subject: WWII. </p>

<p>My question for you guys, is this: Is this a good enough subject for the essay section of the SAT? Eg, is it a broad enough category for the kinds of questions I'm going to be getting? Is it appropriate? etc. If it's not, can you maybe suggest any other subject category that would be better?</p>

<p>And, also, did any of you guys (and gals ;) ) who've taken the SAT already use this strategy, if so, did it work, and what was the subject you used? </p>

<p>Comments, answers, and replies are much, much, very much appreciated. If I could hug you guys for answering, and be your forever friend, and buy you all lunch for answering, I would. My eternal gratitude will have to do. :)</p>

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<p>PS A special thanks to all of you who have already written posts with SAT advice. You guys are awesome. :smiley: </p>

<p>And thanks again, in advance, to all who comment here. :stuck_out_tongue: :)</p>

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<p>I’m using this strategy while practicing my essays.
However, to write a good essay (unless you’re really talented) you’ll need more than 1 example, good examples can be found in literature and film, i’d actually stay away from current events because the reader might be a bit bias against you, he isn’t supposed to but subcountiously he probably will be hehe.
Rosa Parks works for a lot of the questions, I also find the movie IronMan very usefull somehow lol.</p>

<p>You might consider reading this arcticle, it’s great!
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/645763-how-write-12-essay-just-10-days.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/645763-how-write-12-essay-just-10-days.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Good luck :)</p>

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<p>I’ve found that the biggest challenge for students is coming up with good examples. So yes, in that sense, you should have prepared examples. But I also want to bust some myths.</p>

<p>First, you don’t need to do a mountain of research on most subjects. I advise my students to read the wikipedia page for a topic – sometimes just the introduction will do, so they get a gist of what happens, and some details they can use.</p>

<p>In addition, I don’t think one subject is enough. There’s certainly a lot of things you can talk about under World War II, but graders value diversity of examples. I would pick out around 10 things you think would make good examples, research them, and memorize your list. These can include movies, books, historical events, presidents, etc.</p>

<p>Ultimately, it comes down to writing. I’ve had students get 12s write about Harry Potter and Batman. I’ve also had students completely choke that wrote about WWII and MLK. I also had a student make up **** about Roman history earn top marks.</p>

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<p>There is a chance that your predetermined essay examples won’t match the prompts. For example, if you research 1984 extremely heavily, you still won’t be able to come up with a decent-size paragraph to the prompt “Do people put too much importance on getting every detail right on a project or task?”</p>

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<p>I see lots of posts about pre-researched SAT examples and they generally miss an important point. The example is not what the essay is about. The essay is about the prompt. Way too often essays come out looking like this:</p>

<p>Prompt: Is telling the truth always a good idea?
Essay thesis: Deception often works.</p>

<p>Intro paragraph: Deception often works as seen by (I hate that phrase) Napoleon, Gatsby and Hitler.</p>

<p>1st paragraph: Napoleon used deception. Now here is a paragraph full of miscellaneous facts about Napoleon. </p>

<p>2nd paragraph: Gatsby used deception. Now here is a paragraph full of miscellaneous facts about Gatsby.</p>

<p>3rd paragraph: Hitler used deception. Now here is a paragraph full of miscellaneous facts about Hitler.</p>

<p>Conclusion: In conclusion, Napoleon, Gatsby and Hitler used deception so it often works.</p>

<p>At its best, such an essay will score 8 (even if you DO fill two full pages.)</p>

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<p>@Wood5440
The form of Essay that you had just written is probably is one used by most SAT students. I mean, isn’t that what everybody writes? If not, what is it then that we have to write? My Essay score has never been higher than an 8 and I guess I can drastically improve my overall score by just getting a 10 or something higher!</p>

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<p>Yes, unfortunately, that is the essay that (almost) everybody writes. And I can tell you for a fact that when I score SAT essays for the tests, I get very sick of reading them. Since I’ve made a few posts recently about this topic, I will cut and paste a response I gave to another writer that I hope will show you what I mean.</p>

<p>If you read SAT prep tutors, it is easy to get the impression that scoring well is some simple trick that involves copying a formulaic introduction followed by ‘canned’ examples that you can wedge the subject of the prompt into. The result of following that kind of advice is almost always mediocre writing and scores of 6 to 8. If you want to score above average, you will have to have something worthwhile to say about the topic. That means having a thesis that is supported and explained in depth. Don’t just present a single idea and then repeat that same idea three times with three examples. Each example should illustrate a new and different idea about your thesis. You actually take a minute or two to THINK about the prompt before you start to write. Which of the following looks better to you?</p>

<p>Here is my one idea about the prompt.</p>

<p>Here is the first example of my one idea about the prompt.</p>

<p>Here is the second example of my one idea about the prompt.</p>

<p>Here is the third example of my one idea about the prompt.</p>

<p>In summary, this, this and this are each an example of my one idea about the prompt.</p>

<p>Or this:</p>

<p>Here is my basic idea about the prompt.</p>

<p>In my first example, you can see two different reasons why I believe that basic idea is true.</p>

<p>In my second example, you can see three reasons why someone else might disagree with me.</p>

<p>In my final example, you can see two reasons why I believe that that person’s ideas should not affect your belief in my position.</p>

<p>In summary, I think I have proven my point and would go further to suggest that, if you believe as I do, you will achieve the following advantages. (List advantages in a single sentence.)</p>

<p>Note that the final outline is NOT intended to be a “template”. It is just an outline to suggest how the intellectual content of one essay might appear to a reader in contrast to another essay. I think you can see which one would get the higher score.</p>

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<p>TomerHD: Thanks for the advice, and article link. :slight_smile: I’ve seen Iron Man, but I’ll rent it again :wink: </p>

<p>blueandgoldprep: Oh, ok. Cool. Yes, I have heard that about making stuff up, which I might do. Thanks for the advice. </p>

<p>tomotox1: Excellent point. :slight_smile: Thanks for replying.</p>

<p>Wood5440: Awesome advice, thanks man. If you live nearby, I’d take you for a cup of coffee or something. :slight_smile: </p>

<p>Thanks again to everyone who’s replied, I will definitely be taking all of the advice.</p>