<p>I am planning to take SAT 1 for the first time in January. </p>
<p>I really hope I get over 2100 :/ </p>
<p>On practice tests I usually get about 600s on the reading sections and 700s on the writing section.</p>
<p>One thing I am concerned about is the essay portion of the writing section.</p>
<p>I am a really strong writer at school and all that so I never worried about it. </p>
<p>But because the SAT essay is pretty different from AP Lit essays or any other english class essays i have written, I get frustrated these days. </p>
<p>I wrote one and got it checked by my teacher and he said it was good.</p>
<p>But how well I can do on the SAT essay depends on the topic and my condition so much.</p>
<p>Any tips on preparing for SAT essay?</p>
<p>My advice is to pick a side (as you know, SAT essays are essentially persuasive essays) and stick to it like white on rice. Use compelling language and when using examples use a format along these lines:
- state the example
- BRIEFLY give background
- relate example (characters, actions, etc) to your side
- end the paragraph with a statement that explicitly states why your side is better. (“Had so and so done <em>this</em> / been more like <em>this</em> he would have avoided his tragic demise.”)</p>
<p>Also, having a great vocabulary is nice and all, but make sure it flows well with the tone/voice of your essay.</p>
<p>The conclusion should recap the examples, restate your side, and end with another compelling statement.</p>
<p>This is usually controversial, but some people say eliminate " I " in your essay, especially in your thesis/introduction. Personally, I agree because it’s easier to make the thesis weak by saying " I believe/think…" I favor beginnings like " It is crucial for people to…" </p>
<p>As far as preparing examples, one thing I’ve done is pick a novel or story and write out the themes, characters’ flaws, major conflicts, etc. This can be done for historical and personal examples as well ( just exclude the themes bit). And don’t forget you can use pop culture, too! I had a field day analyzing Spiderman, Iron Man, and several other superheroes; they’re all great for providing themes and such. Celebrities can be appropriate in some cases as well (ex: Lady Gaga’s extraordinary confidence and boldness has cemented her status as a pop icon.) Do this before you take your test so you can have more time to adapt your examples to more SAT topics. (There’s a thread on this site that’s archived SAT topics from 2005 and up) I think writing out these details will also help if a new idea flashes in your head on testing day because you would be used to looking for them.</p>
<p>Thanks! I heard that if using too many personal examples only will hurt my grade. Is it true? Do I always need literature, history, etc examples?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Strong essay writers do well on almost any kind of essay, including the one on the SAT.</p>
<p>Before you go seeking “advice” that purports to be SAT-specific, would you mind posting a sample of your writing?</p>
<p>What I’d like to see is an unfiltered response by you to an SAT essay prompt. In other words, go online and find an SAT essay question and spend 20-30 minutes on it.</p>
<p>Then post it here.</p>
<p>
The basic answers to your questions are as follows:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>“Too many” personal examples won’t necessarily hurt your grade. Part of this depends on how you define “personal examples.”</p></li>
<li><p>You do not “always” need lit or history “examples.”</p></li>
</ol>
<p>However, I implore you to NOT preoccupy yourself with this kind of stuff until you try what I suggested above.</p>
<p>Just pick a topic and post an honest written response WITHOUT regard to what you think the essay should look like. </p>
<p>After that, we can attend to whatever issues reveal themselves.</p>
<p>If you’d rather not post your essay in this forum, you can PM it to me. (I’ll be around most of the day.)</p>
<p>haha sure thanks! I will pm it to you guys today. I don’t mind posting it here but I guess it might be a little personal. Thanks anyways!</p>