Whenever I write the essay, I panic and trip up. HELP

<p>I can't think clearly because of the time limit. I have difficulty following the preset essay structure. Contriving an AGO (attention grabbing opening) takes me 2 minutes, and then I have to restate the prompt. Then, I have to think of 2 supporting points, which is the most difficult part because I have absolutely zero background information to use as supporting examples. When I'm trying fit my writing into this formula, I just lose it. My mind just goes blank. Help.</p>

<p>Just write.</p>

<p>Write about you.</p>

<p>Be who you are.</p>

<p>I prefer historical examples over person stuff</p>

<p>I feel like shooting myself.</p>

<p>Think about all the books you have read in high school, and I'm sure you can find at least one example that you can mold to the prompt. It won't always come right away. You'll have to think about it for a couple of minutes. Don't spend so much time thinking of an attention grabber. Just make some BS up. The introduction is not as important as your examples.</p>

<p>My eraser top just disappeared after writing 2 paragraphs.</p>

<p>same with me here. when i take tests i need time especially with wrting esssays, and when i took a practice essay i PANICED cuz i cant work under pressure. they should make it longer. its unfair too cuz i can write a really good essay if i get a lot of time, but when im given 25 minutes i juts cant think. plus its the first part of the SAT, so its very nerve wrecking.</p>

<p>Usually SAT topics are very general, so you could probably find some very good historical or personal examples on the fly. Don't bother with a hook if you can't think of one in 20-30 sec. It's much better if you just stated your main point in a sentence or two and have great body paragraphs than having a great hook but bad body and conclusion paragraphs. Remember, the intro isn't important at all, you could even just write 1-2 sentence and flat out state your main idea and move on if pressed for time, just make sure you have a main idea and state it clearly.</p>

<p>Sidra: you might want to work on the timed essay problem of yours because SAT essays won't be the only timed essay you'll face. There are also APs (AP english lang/lit, foreign langs, histories, etc) where you'll have 120min for 3 full length 2 page essays, and college professors will probably give out essay tests. I would suggest you take a class that has lots of in-class writing; for example, I was afraid of timed essays but i took AP english lang and the teacher forced us to write 1 timed full length essay a week and needless to say, I got over that fear quickly (and trust me, the topics are much harder than SAT prompts)</p>

<p>Don't worry about an attention-grabbing opener. It's good to have a few solid books that you can use pretty much all the time (but don't force anything) , so if you haven't read many books full of pretty universal themes, you should pick a couple up (To Kill a Mockingbird is a good one). I also usually use an example from history, and if I can't think of anything, I just use observation. Also, don't get hung up on using large words and synonyms. For full-blown essays for school, I spend hours and hours writing essays, but for 25-minute ones, it's mandatory to have a different approach and be more succinct.</p>

<p>If you're looking for more books to grab ideas from, you might want to consider reading some of the books from this</a> list this summer. In addition to To Kill a Mockingbird, I recommend Jane Eyre<a href="if%20you're%20a%20girl,%20guys%20might%20find%20it%20a%20bit%20too%20feminine">/i</a>, *Lord of the Flies, The Catcher in the Rye, A Farewell to Arms and Animal Farm, if you haven't read them already. All of them have a lot of good ideas to draw from and are not too long and boring. Picking up on vocabulary from these books to add to your essay and to help you with CR is not a bad idea either.</p>

<p>thank you all
i appreciate it</p>

<p>I just read "To Kill A Mockingbird this year for my freshman english class. I totally agree with Kelkyann that this books is a good refference for the essays. I can connect the book with anything the essay requires me to write about because of the wide range of characters the book has to offer, and its historical context.</p>

<p>First take about 6 Essay prompts and think of a few examples that apply to all of them. This won't be easy, but once you get a few "stock" examples you will feel far more confident going into the exam. </p>

<p>Allow me to illustrate: I will use WWII, gas prices, and enviornmental degradation. </p>

<p>Sample Prompt 1 (March 2005 SAT): "Is the opinion of the majority a poor guide?"
WWII - b4 the war, most of Western Europe believed that Hitler could be pacified, but it turned out that it took Churchill to stand up against Hitler, even though most believed that Hitler could be reasoned with.</p>

<p>Gas prices - in the early 2000s most people did not think that gas prices were that high and as a result purchased large SUVs. Now however, many people resent their purchases as gas prices have climbed to basically twice what the were a few years ago.</p>

<p>Enviornmental degradation - most people do not see global warming happening b4 their eyes so they did not really believe that global warming is occurring. Hence the majority will need systematic exposure to the scientific foundation of global warming to be convinced of global warming.</p>

<p>OK, I confess that these are pretty weak, but my point is if you have 6-8 stock examples in your back pocket (metaphorically of course) the essay isn't so scary, right?</p>

<p>Read a lot of books to get some solid examples. Not stupid books. Good strong books.</p>

<p>Just write what you think. It isn't brain surgery.</p>

<p>I ALWAYS have backup examples.</p>

<p>Eh, most of the questions I've come across are just defend a position. don't worry about catchy openings, just state your thesis then use a TON of acedemic examples, try to stay away from of personal stories.</p>

<p>"I ALWAYS have backup examples."</p>

<p>true :)
I never have back-ups. I've read a lot of business books and it gives great examples. For example, today I did another practice SAT and topic was something like :"How important is taking time to think, when making decisions?" or something like that. I used this example: Steve Jobs (apple computers) and he went to this guy to offer him stock if he would help him with a trade show presentation. the guy rejected (not knowing apple would become a success) and etc... you should find an interest. I'm interested in business, so i've read countless books on business etc.. you should find an interested, read books, and get 2 benefits:
1) learn about your interest
2) get examples that you'll remember for SAT's :)</p>

<p>a highly highly recommended book to practice reading high levels to prep up for the SAt is the "Norton Reader" .. TOp Notch with questions to test your understanding of concepts .. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ~</p>