Every individual wants to be successful and live a comfortable life. It is rightly said by many experts that college is not the only path which can lead ones to success. However, it can be easily agreed that college is still one of the most popular paths of leading an individual to a better quality life. This is one of the reasons why students from all across the globe fight it out to get into the college of one’s dream. And some of the most prestigious colleges are situated in the United States of America. And while most colleges have its own admission procedure but students are still required to take the SAT. SAT is a very famous standardized test which has been known by a number of names. This test is held in various countries all across the globe and students take this test to get into the perfect college. In this academic writing piece, readers will be able to learn more about the SAT, its format, and the essay writing tips which one can follow to get the perfect score on the SAT.
An Introduction to SAT and its Format
SAT is a very popular standardized test which students from all across the globe need to take if one wishes to get admission into various colleges situated in the United States of America. It is important for the readers to remember that not all colleges and universities in the United States of America state it as a rule that students should take SAT but a vast majority of colleges and universities explicitly require a student to provide the SAT score in the admission application. This test has been known by a number of different names throughout the years. And some of those names are the Scholastic Aptitude Test, Scholastic Assessment Test, and SAT 1: Reasoning Test, and SAT Reasoning Test. However, it is most popularly known as the SAT now. This test is completely owned, developed, and published by the College Board. The College Board is a non-profit private organization situated in the United States of America.
All readers should be aware of the fact that over the years the format of the SAT has gone through a couple of changes. There was also a recent change made almost two years ago to the format of this standardized test. And according to the format which is followed currently, there are four different sections of this standardized test. Those four different sections of this standardized test are :
- Math Questions
This is the first section of this standardized test and this section consists of questions related to data analysis, algebra, problem-solving, and advanced math. For this section, students are allotted the duration of exactly 80 minutes and the score range of this section is from 200 to 800.
- Reading Questions
This is the second section of this standardized test. In this section, students are allotted a total time of 65 minutes. And within these 65 minutes, students have to solve questions like sentence completion, understanding of passages from sciences, social studies, history, world literature, or US literature. The score range of this section is combined with that of the writing and language section. And that combined score range is from 200 to 800.
- Writing and Language Questions
This is the third section of the standardized test and in this section, students have to answer a number of questions within a time period of 35 minutes. The questions within this section include expression of ideas and standard English convention with the help of various passages from the subjects of science, history, social studies, careers, and humanities. The score range for this section is also from 200 to 800 and it is combined with the score range of the reading section.
- One Optional Essay Section
This is the last section of this standardized test and as the name suggests, this section is optional. This section tests the ability of a student to evaluate an argument with the help of the evidence which might be presented. For this section, students get a total of 50 minutes.
These are the various sections of the SAT.
The SAT Essay Writing Tips Which You Should Definitely Know
Writing an essay within just 50 minutes is a huge task and many universities require students to take the essay section too. That is why it is important for students to follow some writing tips. These tips will allow the students to score the best possible marks within this section. Some of those major tips are:
- Understanding the Timing and Structure
The structure and timing of the essay are explained above. And it is important for a student to keep those points in mind as it will allow one to distribute the time accordingly. This will further ensure that the student uses the time to his or her best advantage.
- Understanding the Scoring
An SAT Essay can have three possible scores. The essay is scored on the scale of reading, analysis, and writing. These three parameters can have a score from 2 to 8. The reading score would reflect the extent to which the essay was understood by the student, the analysis score would reflect the ability of the student to analyze the arguments which were presented, and the writing score reflects the cohesiveness of the essay.
- Practice A Lot
It is a commonly known saying that practice makes one perfect. And this should be the mantra for students who are taking the essay section of the SAT. It is important for the students to go through as many sample passages as possible and one should further try to take as many SAT essay prompts as possible. There are many resources which are available online which students can use to practice for this section.
- Turning to Editorial Essays and Professional Outlets
A large part of the essay requires a student to analyze the arguments or evidence and then present them effectively. And one of the ways through which an individual can improve those skills is by analyzing the essays which are published in reputed newspapers. It is also a good idea to try to analyze those essays and frame another essay on those points of arguments.
- Start with the Outline and Read
This is a tip which one can follow during the test. While working on the essay, a student can make sure to first begin by coming up with a rough outline for the essay. This will ensure that the student follows a clear pattern throughout the essay and is not worried about sounding fragmented. Once the student is finished writing the essay, then the next step for him or her could be actually reading the entire essay once again. This would ensure that the student does not miss any sort of error or detail within the essay.
These are the SAT essay writing tips which all students should know about.
The Conclusion:
SAT is a standardized test which students take from all across the globe to get admission into various colleges and universities in the United States of America. This test is solely management, developed, and owned by the College Board which is a non-profit organization. There are four sections of this test and the essay section is optional. It is important for students to learn a few tips which he or she can follow while working on that section of the test.
The References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAT
https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat
https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/register
https://studyabroad.shiksha.com/exams/sat
https://www.princetonreview.com/college/sat-information
https://collegedunia.com/exams/sat
https://www.khanacademy.org/sat
SAT Exam Dates, Centers, Fee in India 2019 – 2020 | General Information
https://sat.magoosh.com/
https://www.kaptest.com/sat/what-is-the-sat
https://blog.collegeboard.org/8-tips-for-earning-a-high-score-on-the-sat-essay
https://blog.prepscholar.com/sat-essay-tips-15-ways-to-improve-your-writing-score