<p>My score on the SAT essay was horrid. I think it got scored so low because it was too short and I only used one example. I'm retaking this October and I need to work on my general outline, but how do come up with good examples?</p>
<p>I like to use books/plays that I studied in English class, mainly because I’m familiar with the story and much of the themes behind it.</p>
<p>For example,</p>
<p>Have you studied:</p>
<p>Romeo & Juliet
Antigone
To Kill a Mockingbird
Of Mice and Men</p>
<p>These are a few of the books I studied in English - they are really all I need because they are so juicy and have cover literally every topic.</p>
<p>So do I just go back and study the characters? </p>
<p>Another thing, is it ok to use “I” throughout the essay? Some say it’s fine but others say you should avoid it.</p>
<p>I’ve heard that graders are told not to penalize students for using “I”. However, the use of I usually leads to a weaker argument. </p>
<p>Just avoid using “I believe” or “I think”, because something like “The evidence proves” or “[your example (i.e: Bill Gates’ philanthropic deed] illustrates” is much stronger in argument.</p>
<p>and also, I wouldn’t just study the characters - I would look for and memorize major themes in the book (that you already studied and know well). </p>
<p>For example:</p>
<p>Defiance vs. Conformity
Money vs. Happiness
Good Decision vs Bad Decisions
Truth vs. Lies</p>
<p>Pretty much all of the above could be covered by one example I mentioned earlier: Romeo and Juliet. </p>
<p>Let me just reiterate one last time. Find a book that you are really familiar with, list out all the possible themes (even if its not the point of the book) and make sure that you can be able to write a cohesive argument for each theme.</p>
<p>I would say that a couple of the most important characteristics of a high scoring essay are the neatness of the handwriting & the length of the essay, which usually includes the use of 2-3 examples to stimulate the essay lengthening process.</p>
<p>How many paragraphs should there be?</p>
<p>exactly how long is long enough for the SAT?</p>
<p>@jesilis
Generally, an essay that receives a total score of 12 would fill the provided 2 pages & be 5 paragraphs in length, including the introduction & conclusion.</p>
<p>Thank you guys so much! </p>
<p>One last thing: how important is vocabulary? I know I should have a good variety but is it essential to use an extensive vocab to get a 10+?</p>
<p>Thanks again everyone!</p>
<p>I got a 12 on mine, and only used 1 real example, and 2 fake ones. Using fake examples is especially helpful for people who have trouble thinking of 3 examples in the time they give you, or who are just too lazy to memorize real ones (like I was). I just used real events as background, then focused in on a fake person, which I could mold to any prompt (like a real war, then focusing on a fake general, or the great depression, then focusing on a fake banker). Instead of memorizing books and history to use, you just have to memorize basic background details of the event. It is useful to use at least one real example though, so you should still have a couple books in your memory (summer reading books work really well, I found, for the SAT- books like fahrenheit 451 or brave new world, etc. I also really liked to use The Jungle).</p>