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Thinking about tackling the SAT Essay? Here's what you need to know: you'll be asked to read a text (typically a speech or editorial of some sort) and discuss how the author effectively builds an argument. This might be a familiar task if you’ve done it in school, but if not, don’t worry. The format is straightforward, and with some practice, you can learn how to write a great SAT essay.

What is the SAT essay?

The SAT essay is optional and costs an additional fee of $17.00. Currently, only 25 colleges and universities require the SAT essay. You can find a searchable list of school requirements for the essay here . If there is any chance that you might apply to one of those schools, you should sign up for the essay. If you are not sure where you will apply, you should strongly consider signing up for the essay. Your essay score will appear on every score report you send to colleges, regardless of whether or not the school requires an essay. 

Here are 5 tips for writing a killer SAT essay, should you decide to add on that section:

1. Stay Objective

The thing to remember here is that ETS (the company that writes the test) is not asking you for your opinion on a topic or a text. So be sure to maintain formal style and an objective tone. Tip: Avoid “I” and “you.

2. Keep It Tidy

Handwriting is becoming a lost art. Unfortunately, this is one occasion where your skill with a pencil matters. Graders read tons of essays each day. If they cannot decipher your script, they will lower your score. Do yourself a favor and write legibly.

3. (Indented) Paragraphs Are Your Friend

Remember the basic essay structure you learned in school: introductory paragraph, body paragraphs and a conclusion? The SAT essay graders love it! Your introduction should describe the text and paraphrase the argument being made, as well as introduce the specific elements of the passage and argument that you will discuss in the essay. Your conclusion should restate the goal of the passage/argument and sum up the points you made.

Read More: SAT Tips and Strategies

4. For Example…

Use your body paragraphs to back up your thesis statement by citing specific examples. Use short, relevant quotes from the text to support your points.

5. Don't Worry About the Exact Terms for Things

Blanking on terminology? When describing how the author builds his or her argument, “appeal to the emotions” is fine instead of specifically referencing “pathos.” And “comparison of two things” can be used instead of referring to a metaphor. If you do know the official terms, though, feel free to use them!

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SAT Essay Prompts (10 Sample Questions)

What does it take to get a high SAT Essay score, if not perfect it? Practice, practice and more practice! Know the tricks and techniques of writing the perfect SAT Essay, so that you can score perfect as well. That’s not a far off idea, because there actually is a particular “formula” for perfecting the SAT Essay test. Consider that every prompt has a format, and what test-takers are required to do remain the same- even if the passage varies from test to test.

The SAT Essay test will ask you to read an argument that is intended to persuade a general audience. You’ll need to discuss how proficient the author is in arguing their point. Analyze the argument of the author and create an integrated and structured essay that explains your analysis.

On this page, we will feature 10 real SAT Essay prompts that have been recently released online by the College Board. You can utilize these Essay SAT prompts as 10 sample SAT Essay questions for easy practice. This set of SAT Essay prompts is the most comprehensive that you will find online today.

The predictability of the SAT Essay test necessitates students to perform an organized analytical method of writing instead of thinking up random ideas on their own. Consider that what you will see before and after the passage remains consistent. It is recommended that you initially read and apply the techniques suggested in writing the perfect SAT Essay (🡨link to SAT Essay —- SAT Essay Overview: How to Get a Perfect Score) before proceeding on using the following essay prompts for practice.

Check our SAT Reading Practice Tests

10 Official SAT Essay Prompts For Practice

Practice Test 1

“Write an essay in which you explain how Jimmy Carter builds an argument to persuade his audience that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should not be developed for industry.”

Practice Test 2

“Write an essay in which you explain how Martin Luther King Jr. builds an argument to persuade his audience that American involvement in the Vietnam War is unjust.”

Practice Test 3

“Write an essay in which you explain how Eliana Dockterman builds an argument to persuade her audience that there are benefits to early exposure to technology.”

Practice Test 4

“Write an essay in which you explain how Paul Bogard builds an argument to persuade his audience that natural darkness should be preserved.”

Practice Test 5

“Write an essay in which you explain how Eric Klinenberg builds an argument to persuade his audience that Americans need to greatly reduce their reliance on air-conditioning.”

Practice Test 6

“Write an essay in which you explain how Christopher Hitchens builds an argument to persuade his audience that the original Parthenon sculptures should be returned to Greece.”

Practice Test 7

“Write an essay in which you explain how Zadie Smith builds an argument to persuade her audience that public libraries are important and should remain open”

Practice Test 8

“Write an essay in which you explain how Bobby Braun builds an argument to persuade his audience that the US government must continue to invest in NASA.”

Practice Test 9

“Write an essay in which you explain how Richard Schiffman builds an argument to persuade his audience that Americans need to work fewer hours.”

Practice Test 10

“Write an essay in which you explain how Todd Davidson builds an argument to persuade his audience that the US government must continue to fund national parks.”

Visit our SAT Writing Practice Tests

What Is An Example Of A SAT Essay That Obtained A Perfect Score?

Here is an example of Practice Test 4 above and how a perfect SAT Essay in response to it looks like. This has been published in the College Board website.

Answer Essay with Perfect Score:

In response to our world’s growing reliance on artificial light, writer Paul Bogard argues that natural darkness should be preserved in his article “Let There be dark”. He effectively builds his argument by using a personal anecdote, allusions to art and history, and rhetorical questions.

Bogard starts his article off by recounting a personal story – a summer spent on a Minnesota lake where there was “woods so dark that [his] hands disappeared before [his] eyes.” In telling this brief anecdote, Bogard challenges the audience to remember a time where they could fully amass themselves in natural darkness void of artificial light. By drawing in his readers with a personal encounter about night darkness, the author means to establish the potential for beauty, glamour, and awe-inspiring mystery that genuine darkness can possess. He builds his argument for the preservation of natural darkness by reminiscing for his readers a first-hand encounter that proves the “irreplaceable value of darkness.” This anecdote provides a baseline of sorts for readers to find credence with the author’s claims.

Bogard’s argument is also furthered by his use of allusion to art – Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” – and modern history – Paris’ reputation as “The City of Light”. By first referencing “Starry Night”, a painting generally considered to be undoubtedly beautiful, Bogard establishes that the natural magnificence of stars in a dark sky is definite. A world absent of excess artificial light could potentially hold the key to a grand, glorious night sky like Van Gogh’s according to the writer. This urges the readers to weigh the disadvantages of our world consumed by unnatural, vapid lighting. Furthermore, Bogard’s alludes to Paris as “the famed ‘city of light’”. He then goes on to state how Paris has taken steps to exercise more sustainable lighting practices. By doing this, Bogard creates a dichotomy between Paris’ traditionally alluded-to name and the reality of what Paris is becoming – no longer “the city of light”, but moreso “the city of light…before 2 AM”. This furthers his line of argumentation because it shows how steps can be and are being taken to preserve natural darkness. It shows that even a city that is literally famous for being constantly lit can practically address light pollution in a manner that preserves the beauty of both the city itself and the universe as a whole

Finally, Bogard makes subtle yet efficient use of rhetorical questioning to persuade his audience that natural darkness preservation is essential. He asks the readers to consider “what the vision of the night sky might inspire in each of us, in our children or grandchildren?” in a way that brutally plays to each of our emotions. By asking this question, Bogard draws out heartfelt ponderance from his readers about the affecting power of an untainted night sky. This rhetorical question tugs at the readers’ heartstrings; while the reader may have seen an unobscured night skyline before, the possibility that their child or grandchild will never get the chance sways them to see as Bogard sees. This strategy is definitively an appeal to pathos, forcing the audience to directly face an emotionally-charged inquiry that will surely spur some kind of response. By doing this, Bogard develops his argument, adding gutthral power to the idea that the issue of maintaining natural darkness is relevant and multifaceted.

Writing as a reaction to his disappointment that artificial light has largely permeated the prescence of natural darkness, Paul Bogard argues that we must preserve true, unaffected darkness. He builds this claim by making use of a personal anecdote, allusions, and rhetorical questioning.

Related Topic:  SAT Requirements

This response scored a 4/4/4.

Reading—4: This response demonstrates thorough comprehension of the source text through skillful use of paraphrases and direct quotations. The writer briefly summarizes the central idea of Bogard’s piece ( natural darkness should be preserved ;  we must preserve true, unaffected darkness ), and presents many details from the text, such as referring to the personal anecdote that opens the passage and citing Bogard’s use of  Paris’ reputation as “The City of Light.” There are few long direct quotations from the source text; instead, the response succinctly and accurately captures the entirety of Bogard’s argument in the writer’s own words, and the writer is able to articulate how details in the source text interrelate with Bogard’s central claim. The response is also free of errors of fact or interpretation. Overall, the response demonstrates advanced reading comprehension.

Analysis—4:  This response offers an insightful analysis of the source text and demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of the analytical task. In analyzing Bogard’s use of personal anecdote, allusions to art and history, and rhetorical questions , the writer is able to explain carefully and thoroughly how Bogard builds his argument over the course of the passage. For example, the writer offers a possible reason for why Bogard chose to open his argument with a personal anecdote, and is also able to describe the overall effect of that choice on his audience ( In telling this brief anecdote, Bogard challenges the audience to remember a time where they could fully amass themselves in natural darkness void of artificial light. By drawing in his readers with a personal encounter…the author means to establish the potential for beauty, glamour, and awe-inspiring mystery that genuine darkness can possess…. This anecdote provides a baseline of sorts for readers to find credence with the author’s claims ). The cogent chain of reasoning indicates an understanding of the overall effect of Bogard’s personal narrative both in terms of its function in the passage and how it affects his audience. This type of insightful analysis is evident throughout the response and indicates advanced analytical skill.

Writing—4: The response is cohesive and demonstrates highly effective use and command of language. The response contains a precise central claim ( He effectively builds his argument by using personal anecdote, allusions to art and history, and rhetorical questions ), and the body paragraphs are tightly focused on those three elements of Bogard’s text. There is a clear, deliberate progression of ideas within paragraphs and throughout the response. The writer’s brief introduction and conclusion are skillfully written and encapsulate the main ideas of Bogard’s piece as well as the overall structure of the writer’s analysis. There is a consistent use of both precise word choice and well-chosen turns of phrase ( the natural magnificence of stars in a dark sky is definite ,  our world consumed by unnatural, vapid lighting ,  the affecting power of an untainted night sky ). Moreover, the response features a wide variety in sentence structure and many examples of sophisticated sentences ( By doing this, Bogard creates a dichotomy between Paris’ traditionally alluded-to name and the reality of what Paris is becoming – no longer “the city of light”, but moreso “the city of light…before 2AM” ). The response demonstrates a strong command of the conventions of written English. Overall, the response exemplifies advanced writing proficiency.

Related Topics:

• Practice Tests for SAT Reading
• SAT Writing And Language Practice Tests
• SAT Languages Test
• SAT Essay Test  SAT Writing Practice Tests
• SAT Science Test, Topics & Subjects Content
• SAT Registration
• SAT Test Dates
• SAT vs ACT, Which One Should You Take?
• Why Take the SAT?

The Optional SAT Essay: What to Know

Tackling this section of the SAT requires preparation and can boost some students' college applications.

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Even though an increasing number of colleges are dropping standardized test requirements, students who must write the SAT essay can still stand to gain from doing so.

Although the essay portion of the SAT became optional in 2016, many students still chose to write it to demonstrate strong or improved writing skills to prospective colleges.

In June 2021, the College Board opted to discontinue the SAT essay. Now, only students in a few states and school districts still have access to — and must complete — the SAT essay. This requirement applies to some students in the SAT School Day program, for instance, among other groups.

How Colleges Use SAT, ACT Results

Tiffany Sorensen Sept. 14, 2020

Whether or not to write the SAT essay is not the biggest decision you will have to make in high school, but it is certainly one that requires thought on your part. Here are three things you should know about the 50-minute SAT essay as you decide whether to complete it:

• To excel on the SAT essay, you must be a trained reader.
• The SAT essay begs background knowledge of rhetoric and persuasive writing.
• A growing number of colleges are dropping standardized test requirements.

To Excel on the SAT Essay, You Must Be a Trained Reader

The SAT essay prompt never comes unaccompanied. On the contrary, it follows a text that is about 700 words long or approximately one page. Before test-takers can even plan their response, they must carefully read and – ideally – annotate the passage.

The multifaceted nature of the SAT essay prompt can be distressing to students who struggle with reading comprehension. But the good news is that this prompt is highly predictable: It always asks students to explain how the author builds his or her argument. In this case, "how” means which rhetorical devices are used, such as deductive reasoning, metaphors, etc.

Luckily, the author’s argument is usually spelled out in the prompt itself. For instance, consider this past SAT prompt : “Write an essay in which you explain how Paul Bogard builds an argument to persuade his audience that natural darkness should be preserved.”

Due to the essay prompt’s straightforward nature, students should read the passage with an eye toward specific devices used by the author rather than poring over “big ideas.” In tour SAT essay, aim to analyze at least two devices, with three being even better.

The SAT Essay Begs Background Knowledge of Rhetoric and Persuasive Writing

Since your SAT essay response must point to specific rhetorical devices that the author employs to convince the reader, you should make it a point to intimately know 10-15 common ones. The more familiar you are with rhetorical devices, the faster you will become at picking them out as you read texts.

Once you have read the passage and identified a handful of noteworthy rhetorical devices, you should apply many of the same essay-writing techniques you already use in your high school English classes.

For instance, you should start by brainstorming to see which devices you have the most to say about. After that, develop a concise thesis statement, incorporate quotes from the text, avoid wordiness and other infelicities of writing, close with an intriguing conclusion, and do everything else you could imagine your English teacher advising you to do.

Remember to always provide evidence from the text to support your claims. Finally, leave a few minutes at the end to review your essay for mistakes.

A Growing Number of Colleges Are Dropping Standardized Test Requirements

In recent years, some of America’s most prominent colleges and universities – including Ivy League institutions like Harvard University in Massachusetts, Princeton University in New Jersey and Yale University in Connecticut – have made submission of ACT and SAT scores optional.

While this trend began as early as 2018, the upheaval caused by COVID-19 has prompted many other schools to adopt a more lenient testing policy, as well.

Advocates for educational fairness have long expressed concerns that standardized admissions tests put underprivileged students at a disadvantage. In light of the coronavirus pandemic , which restricted exam access for almost all high school students, colleges have gotten on board with this idea by placing more emphasis on other factors in a student’s application.

To assess writing ability in alternative ways, colleges now place more emphasis on students’ grades in language-oriented subjects, as well as college application documents like the personal statement .

The fact that more colleges are lifting their ACT/SAT requirement does not imply that either test or any component of it is now obsolete. Students who must write the SAT essay can still stand to gain from doing so, especially those who wish to major in a writing-intensive field. The essay can also demonstrate a progression or upward trajectory in writing skills.

The SAT essay can give a boost to the college applications of the few students to whom it is still available. If the requirement applies to you, be sure to learn more about the SAT essay and practice it often as you prepare for your upcoming SAT.

13 Test Prep Tips for SAT and ACT Takers

Tags: SAT , standardized tests , students , education

About College Admissions Playbook

Stressed about getting into college? College Admissions Playbook, authored by Varsity Tutors , offers prospective college students advice on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses, SAT and ACT exams and the college application process. Varsity Tutors, an advertiser with U.S. News & World Report, is a live learning platform that connects students with personalized instruction to accelerate academic achievement. The company's end-to-end offerings also include mobile learning apps, online learning environments and other tutoring and test prep-focused technologies. Got a question? Email [email protected] .

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Home > College Admissions > SAT > SAT Practice Test

SAT Practice Test

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Congrats on taking our SAT Sample Quiz. Take one of our full-length SAT practice tests or one of our study sets. Everything is 100% free!

1 . Question

What percentage does 90 represent in relation to 360?

2 . Question

7 added to 4 times a quantity y is equal to 62. Which equation represents this condition?

• a. 7(4y) = 62
• b. 7 – 4y = 62
• c. 7 + 4y = 62
• d. 4y – 7 = 62

3 . Question

For a cost of $57, how many pounds of avocados were bought at a rate of $19 per pound?

4 . Question

The table displays three sets of values for x and their corresponding f(x) values for a linear function f. What equation accurately represents the definition of f(x)?

• a. f(x) = 6x + 65
• b. f(x) = 8x + 65
• c. f(x) = 65x + 73
• d. f(x) = 73x + 81

5 . Question

If \frac{x}{15}=20 , what is the value of \frac{15}{x} ?

6 . Question

What is the equation that defines line p in the xy-plane, given that it passes through the point (-4, 6) and has a slope of 6?

• a. y = 6x + 30
• b. y = 6x – 30
• c. y = 6 + 30x
• d. y = 6x – 30x

7 . Question

2.5b + 5r = 80

The provided equation expresses the connection between the quantity of biscuits (b) and raisins (r) that a reviewer business can handle in a single day. If the business is tending to 16 raisins on a specific day, what is the capacity for biscuits that it can manage on the same day?

8 . Question

In a specific rectangular area, the length-to-width ratio is 45 : 15. If the width of the region grows by 8 units, how should the length be adjusted to uphold this ratio?

• a. It must decrease by 24.5 units.
• b. It must increase by 24.5 units.
• c. It must decrease by 24 units.
• d. It must increase by 24 units.

9 . Question

In a circle with center O, the arc XY measures 105°. What is the degree measure of the angle XOY that corresponds to this arc?

10 . Question

In a right triangle, the side lengths are 3\sqrt3 , 2\sqrt3 ,and \sqrt{70} units. What is the area of the triangle in square units?

*Enter in just the number for your answer.

All SAT Practice Tests

If you want some more in-depth prep, use a free SAT practice test listed below.

• Practice Exams = Timed and Full-Length
• Practice Sets = Not Timed and Smaller Sets of Questions

SAT Practice Exam #1

SAT Practice Exam #2

SAT Practice Exam #3

SAT Practice Exam #4

SAT Math Practice Sets

SAT Reading & Writing Practice Sets

If you want some additional help with prepping for the SAT, consider using  SAT prep courses .

Official SAT PDF Practice Exams

If you want to study using PDFs, use the links below. These are full-length practice exams provided by the CollegeBoard.

Overview of the SAT

The SAT is an entrance exam used by colleges and universities to help make decisions about admissions.

The SAT is administered by the CollegeBoard and is given 7 times per year. The exam is a timed, mainly multiple-choice exam, taken by students in high school.

Beginning in the spring of 2024, the SAT will be going fully digital. The digital SAT (DSAT) will have some formatting and content changes to it, along with some other changes. You can review those changes below.

New SAT (Digital SAT)

This exam will be given to students starting in spring of 2024.

Old SAT (Written Exam)

This exam will be given to students up until spring of 2024.

The biggest difference between the old SAT and the digital SAT is that the digital SAT is taken completely online and has combined some sections to streamline the exam.

Scoring of the SAT

You will receive a score for math and a score for reading/writing. Each of those scores will be between 200 and 800 .

Your total score will be the sum of those two scores. You can receive a total score between 400 and 1600 on the SAT.

The average SAT score is 1060. Learn more about good SAT scores .

Registering for the SAT and Test Dates

You can register for the SAT online via the CollegeBoard site .

You will need to do the following when registering for the SAT:

• Have a Valid Photo ID
• Upload a Photo of Yourself When Registering Online
• Pay Registration Fees
• Print Your Admission Ticket

It will cost your $60 to take the SAT. There may be some additional fees like canceling, changing test center, etc..

The SAT is typically given 7 times per year. The exam is given on Saturdays. You can expect the exam to be given in these months:

• Early March
• Late August
• Early October
• Early November
• Early December

You can find exact dates on the official website .

Steps for Using SAT Practice

When using our free SAT practice tests, we recommend the following steps to get the most out of your time:

• Take 1 practice exam from each subject.
• Determine which subject you struggled the most with.
• Focus on that 1 subject moving forward. Take additional practice exams in that subject, study important concepts, and invest in a SAT prep course if need be.
• Take a practice exam on that subject again and see where you stand. Continue to focus on that subject if you need more help or move on to another subject if you did well on this practice exam.
• Repeat steps 3 and 4 for other subjects.

Benefits of Using SAT Practice Questions

There are many benefits to using SAT questions during your prep process. Some of those benefits include:

Help With Timing

The SAT exam is a timed test. Keeping a steady pace is critical to achieving a high score.

You can improve your decision making and your time by taking practice exams.

Test Familiarity

All standardized tests, including the SAT, have their own unique way of presenting questions and answer choices.

You will gain more familiarity and comfort with the SAT question style as you take more practice quizzes. On the real exam day, there will be no surprises.

Efficient Studying

When you take many practice exams, you will get a sense of your test strengths and weaknesses.

Many students mistakenly spend time working on their strengths while ignoring their weaknesses.

Knowing which subjects you struggle with will help you focus your study time.

Work On Problem Solving

Tests like the SAT measure your ability to solve problems, not just memorize information. It is critical to have strong problem-solving abilities.

The answer explanations provided in our score reports can help you understand how to solve problems that you may be struggling with.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the sat going to the digital format.

The SAT will be switching to the digital format in the spring of 2024.

How many questions are on the SAT?

There are 154 questions on the old SAT (written version).

There are 98 questions on the new SAT (digital version).

How much time do you have to take the SAT?

You will have 3 hours and 15 minutes to take the old SAT (written version).

You will have 2 hours and 14 minutes to take the new SAT (digital version).

Can I use a calculator on the math section of the SAT?

There will be 1 math section in which you can use a calculator and 1 math section in which you cannot use a calculator on the old SAT (written version).

You will be permitted to use a calculator on all math modules on the new SAT (digital version).

What is a good way to practice for the SAT?

We recommend taking 1 practice exam for each subject. You can then determine which subject gave you the most trouble and focus your studies on that subject.

• Authored By: Adam Groden
• Last Updated: January 19, 2024

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Should the sat still matter after all these years why some colleges are bringing it back.

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Generations of American teens have taken the SAT, a blood-pressure-raising multi-hour exam they are told could make or break their academic futures.

The longest-enduring standardized college admissions test in the nation, the SAT has faced decades of controversy over bias and criticism for reducing aspiring college students to a test score. It has also been denounced as part of the high barrier to entry into the so-called American meritocracy.

Related video above: Almost 2,000 universities in the U.S. are scrapping or have scrapped standardized testing requirements. That's not the case at all universities.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when dozens of the most prestigious universities in the nation suspended their standardized testing requirement, some were hopeful of a new era of more equitable college admissions.

But this year, many of these institutions have done an about-face on their test-optional policies. At the same time, at least 1,825 US colleges and universities, or more than 80% of four-year schools, will still not require testing for 2025 admissions, according to FairTest, the National Center for Fair & Open Testing.

The splintering of admissions policies post-pandemic has reinvigorated debate around the necessity of the SAT.

To test, or not to test?

Criticism has dogged the SAT for years. The exam, whose acronym originally stood for "Scholastic Aptitude Test," was developed in the 1920s by Princeton-based eugenicist Carl Brigham, who believed immigration was diluting American intelligence and adapted US Army mental tests to determine whether similar exams could measure innate student intelligence. (Brigham retracted some of his views several years later.)

The College Board, the educational non-profit that designs and administers the exam, told CNN the SAT has been "completely overhauled" since the 1920s and now measures how well a student has learned specific content, not inherent aptitude.

But the test's legacy — one steeped in racism and classism — has raised questions about the need for high-stakes testing at all. The National Education Association has noted that the SAT, and its counterpart the ACT, can factor too heavily in the college admissions process.

"It's important that we don't overly rely on them because they're not holistic. They are one snapshot on one day and it can determine whether or not you get into college," NEA's Director of Policy Daaiyah Bilal-Threats told CNN.

Most colleges have no plans to reinstitute their pre-pandemic testing requirements.

"Test-optional policies continue to dominate at national universities, state flagships, and selective liberal arts colleges because they typically result in more applicants, academically stronger applicants and more diversity," said FairTest Executive Director Harry Feder in a February statement, after some Ivy League schools announced they would reinstitute their testing requirements.

A strong emphasis on high SAT scores has also spurred the rise of a lucrative test prep industry in the United States, which is estimated to grow by about 7% to almost $50 billion by 2027, according to a report in October 2023 from market researcher Technavio.

Discrepancies with standardized testing appear to be symptomatic of the inequality endemic to the education system. Some experts point out that doing away with the SAT as an admissions component, like many universities did at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, does little to remedy systemic inequity. In fact, it can bring the disparity into starker focus.

Wealthier students may have access to prestigious internships, schools with better-funded clubs and sports, as well as music and arts programs — all elements of the quintessential college application.

Video below: Last year, a study found that very high-performing students from middle-income families are the least likely to be accepted to Ivy-league schools

"(Students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds) don't have any of these fancy extracurriculars. They haven't played in a fancy jazz band. They don't do fancy internships. They don't work as volunteers in Guatemala. And yet some of them will be very capable students," said Daniel Koretz, a testing policy expert at Harvard's Graduate School of Education. He says the question is: How do schools find these students?

According to Koretz, the SAT's longevity can be attributed to its efficacy in predicting how a student will perform in college.

A study published in January by Harvard's Opportunity Insights center found that standardized tests are more effective predictors of performance than high school grades.

Critically, the study also found that students from different socioeconomic backgrounds who have similar test scores have "virtually identical" college GPAs.

Weeks after the study was released, several schools that had been test-optional for nearly four years officially reversed their stances. Yale and Dartmouth announced in February they were reinstating a testing requirement and were quickly joined by private and public institutions, including Brown, Georgetown, Harvard, the University of Florida and the University of Texas at Austin.

"SAT/ACTs can be especially helpful in identifying students from less-resourced backgrounds who would succeed at Dartmouth but might otherwise be missed in a test-optional environment," Dartmouth wrote in a statement in February.

"With an abundance of high school GPAs surrounding 4.0 … an SAT or ACT score is a proven differentiator that is in each student's and the University's best interest," UT Austin said in March.

Still a need for standardized tests

Education experts who spoke to CNN say the SAT is necessary because there is no "standard" American education.

Individual schools may have different grading criteria. Some schools weigh grade point averages differently. An A+ in an AP class in one district is equivalent to a 4.0 GPA. In another, it could be 5.0, 4.5 or 4.2.

Even within the same school and subject, some teachers might grade more or less leniently than others.

College admissions officers simply don't have the ability to account for all of these minute discrepancies, experts told CNN, so standardized tests will likely stick around unless US education becomes standardized in other ways.

"Anytime you have a system as big as ours and in the absence of that kind of standardization in the K-12 system, schools are going to find value in finding ways to compare students. It doesn't have to be the SAT necessarily, but something standardized like it," said Ethan Hutt, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Education.

Democratizing education

This lack of standardization reaches back to the early days of U.S. education. Throughout the 1800s, there was little tracking of student achievement, and grades and written tests weren't common.

"In the 19th century, schools … would gather parents and townspeople, and the teacher would basically put on an exhibition with the class," said Hutt. "They would ask students questions and to recite things (they had learned)."

Oral examinations were the norm until 1845, when education reformer and then-Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education Horace Mann instituted a written test to gauge the level of student instruction across Boston-area public schools.

A college education was exceedingly rare, as the system was designed to favor wealthy White men funneled from elite private schools in the Northeast to prestigious private universities also in the Northeast.

"Often, it would consist of either colleges accrediting certain high schools and saying, 'OK, any graduate of (Phillips Exeter Academy) is automatically given entrance to Harvard,' or they would send out professors to do exams at individual schools," said Hutt.

First administered in 1926, the SAT was an attempt to broaden the university candidate pool.

Three legislative milestones indirectly expanded the influence of the SAT. First, the 1944 Servicemen's Readjustment Act, commonly known as the GI Bill, gave returning soldiers the funds to pursue higher education. Between 1944 and 1951, more than two million veterans enrolled in college.

Second, the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibited colleges and universities that received federal money from discriminating against applicants according to "race, color, or national origin." Eight years later, Congress would pass another landmark legislation — Title IX — a law that prohibited institutions from discriminating on the basis of sex. These laws, at least in theory, sought to even out the playing field for college admissions.

Between 1945 and 1995, the percent of Americans older than 25 who had earned a bachelor's degree had increased from about 5% to 23%, according to the Census Bureau. And as higher education grew more attainable, the SAT became the most important exam some Americans would ever take.

A standard in flux

The College Board continually revamps and redesigns both its SAT scoring metrics and exam content. For decades, the test consisted of two multiple-choice sections: math and verbal reasoning. Each section was worth a total of 800 points, making a perfect score 1600.

In 2005, the College Board added an 800-point writing section to the exam alongside its math and verbal reasoning sections. The test, scored out of 2400 instead of 1600, was also 45 minutes longer. About nine years later, the SAT reverted to a 1600-point essay-optional model before entirely scrapping the essay section in 2021.

On March 9, the College Board administered its first fully digital SAT exam. At around two hours, the test, which was taken by over 200,000 students on a test-taking app, is much shorter than its predecessors. It's also adaptive, meaning the questions in the second half of the reading and math sections are adjusted based on the student's performance on the first half.

Video below: Pencils down: SAT makes all-digital change for college prep test

Part of the push to redesign comes from competition with the Iowa-based ACT, which has been administered since 1959 but has since become the preferred exam in many parts of the country.

"When the ACT started getting so much more traction and because it was shorter, the SAT really wanted to maintain its market share, and so it made a number of changes for that reason," said Rachel Rubin, a higher education policy expert and co-founder of Massachusetts-based educational consulting company Spark Admissions.

Although the SAT has seen a slight slump in the number of test takers, with 1.9 million students sitting for the exam in 2023 compared to 2.2 million pre-pandemic, the College Board's exam still reins supreme. Only about 1.4 million students took the ACT in 2023, compared to 1.7 million in 2019.

Working through a history of bias

The SAT's analogy section, a fixture of the exam until 2005, had long been criticized for presupposing that test-takers come from certain cultural backgrounds. An infamous example from the 1980s exam included "regatta," which is a sporting event consisting of boat races that is almost exclusively common in wealthy Northeast communities.

"For many years the SAT … was crafted by people who were almost entirely White, were overwhelmingly male, and were largely educated in colleges and universities from the Northeast," said Jack Schneider, the head of UMass Amherst's Center for Education Policy. "The assumptions that they made about the things that any well-educated person should know were in many ways biased against communities of color, low-income communities, and communities where languages other than English were the predominant language."

Schneider acknowledges that eliminating bias from the SAT is incredibly difficult because "we live in a biased society."

The College Board told CNN it has also done away with its esoteric vocabulary in the past decade.

"Starting in 2014, we said let's measure all the most common things that are most useful in college and that students are more likely to encounter in their high school classrooms," said College Board CEO David Coleman, noting this applies both to the math curriculum and the mastery of vocabulary.

In recent years, the College Board has implemented cost-saving initiatives for eligible test-takers to promote equity, such as waiving the $60 registration fee and offering college application fee waivers, which can save applicants as much as $90 per school . It has partnered with education non-profit Khan Academy since 2015 to provide free test prep materials.

The SAT School Day program, which launched in 2014, allows students to take the test on a weekday rather than on a designated weekend at a potentially unfamiliar testing center. The College Board say a majority of students use the program, which "has been shown to lead to higher college-going rates for low-income and rural students."

Coleman says administering the test in a familiar environment can reduce the stress inherent to the SAT experience. He added that the shorter digital exam is also aimed at accommodating different types of test-takers.

"(The older version of the SAT) can feel like it's designed for young people who are very quick, and it's a great error to confuse quick and smart," Coleman said. "The digital exam gives kids 160% more time per question … to make sure they can finish the exam without feeling out of breath."

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Opinion: With pandemic behind them, more colleges say yes to the test

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Many high school students hoping colleges would keep optional policies on ACT and SAT scores will have to dig out those test prep guides from under their beds or in the back of their closets.

While the University System of Georgia announced last week it will continue to waive scores at all but its most selective campuses, some elite schools are abandoning the test-optional policies precipitated by the pandemic.

The California Institute of Technology and Harvard College are the most recent campuses to cease their test waivers. These high-profile rescindments will likely prompt more campuses to follow suit.

In announcing Harvard’s decision this month, a dean said in a statement : “Standardized tests are a means for all students, regardless of their background and life experience, to provide information that is predictive of success in college and beyond. ... In short, more information, especially such strongly predictive information, is valuable for identifying talent from across the socioeconomic range.”

Yale, Brown and Dartmouth — small Ivy League campuses with outsized influence — are also reviving testing requirements for admission. Dartmouth leaders acted because of its own findings that SAT and ACT scores boosted odds of admission for low-income students to their campus and predicted success once at the college.

Dartmouth President Sian Leah Beilock acknowledged t he research indicating that higher-income students with access to exam prep and better-resourced high schools had a testing edge. But in a statement, she said, “Crucially, though, the research shows that standardized test scores can be an important predictor of academic success at a place like Dartmouth and beyond — more so even than just grades or recommendations, for example — and with a test-optional policy, prompted by the pandemic, we were unintentionally overlooking applicants from less-resourced backgrounds who could thrive here.”

Not all schools are returning to pre-pandemic admissions standards. Emory will remain test-optional, although John F. Latting , dean of admission and associate vice provost, said the university is “doing a deep dive study about this matter involving faculty and carefully looking at data.”

“We have four years of the test optional format, and I will say it’s worked well for us,” said Latting. “We are pleased with our ability to predict academic success and the effects on the applicant pool have been really positive. The signaling to the public is an important factor. Being test optional signals that tests are the not be-all-and-end-all of the process, and I think that’s a healthy message to send.”

Half of Emory applicants still submit SAT or ACT scores, along with scores on Advanced Placement tests. “It is positive to have a high-test score, just like any strong credential,” said Latting.

Some colleges discovered that waiving test scores and relying on grade-point averages, teacher recommendations and nonacademic laurels weren’t yielding the desired applicant quality or diversity. Yes, test scores reflect privilege, but extracurriculars, athletic prowess and student essays favor affluent applicants even more.

Holistic admissions standards gave greater advantage to the already advantaged because it turns out money can help enhance a college essay and a tennis serve. Expensive private high schools employ seasoned college counselors who devote the summer to penning persuasive recommendation letters for rising seniors and have admissions officers at top campuses on speed dial.

Harvard highlighted the research of faculty member Raj Chetty, who studies opportunity and intergenerational mobility. Chetty found c hildren from the highest income levels reaped the most benefit when colleges assigned more weight to nonacademic factors. And those nonacademic factors didn’t predict or align with success at college or beyond.

Another phenomenon fueling this return to admissions tests is grade inflation. While waiving test scores for all campuses except the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech and Georgia College & State University, Chancellor Sonny Perdue said the policy could change in the future and referenced bloated GPAs.

“I think there’s some concern, over the desire for HOPE scholarship and others, that we’re seeing some grade inflation in the state,” said Perdue at last week’s Board of Regents meeting.

In reinstating standardized test scores last month as an admissions requirement, the president of the University of Texas, Austin, noted the jump in applicants with GPAs near or at 4.0. University President Jay Hartzell called an ACT or SAT score “a proven differentiator that is in each student’s and the university’s best interest.”

About the Author

Maureen Downey has written editorials and opinion pieces about local, state and federal education policy since the 1990s.

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Don’t Trust Our Test!

The College Board, creator of the SAT, is abandoning merit for racialism—and it doesn’t intend to let the Supreme Court stand in its way.

In January, the New York Times interviewed several high school seniors, asking them about the college-application process since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action last June. All but one of the students told the Times that under the advice of their high school counselors, they had, following the ruling, rewritten their college application essays to highlight their race or ethnicity.

The Times described one Hispanic student who said that she had originally written her essay about a death in her family, but “reshaped it around a Spanish book she read as a way to connect to her Dominican heritage” after the ruling. Another student had “wanted to leave his Indigenous background out of his essay,” but later “reworked it to focus on an heirloom necklace that reminded him of his home on the Navajo Reservation.” The most dramatic change came courtesy of an interviewee who identified as both black and Asian: “The first draft of Jyel Hollingsworth’s essay explored her love for chess. The final focused on the prejudice between her Korean and black American families and the financial hardships she overcame.”

Many high school counselors and college admissions officers believe that while the Court struck down Harvard and the University of North Carolina’s race-conscious admissions policies, it did not foreclose the consideration of race in college admissions altogether. They point specifically to the majority’s statement that “nothing in this opinion should be construed as prohibiting universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise.” Advocates of colorblindness disagree with those officials’ interpretation, noting that the majority also warned that “universities may not simply establish through application essays or other means the regime we hold unlawful today.”

Did the Supreme Court, in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard ( SFFA ), remove race and ethnicity from college admissions entirely? Americans are unlikely to get a clear answer until the justices take up another case involving racial preferences. In the interim, proponents of colorblindness ought to ask something else: Who is encouraging underrepresented minorities—namely, black and Hispanic students—to frame their college-application essays around their racial and ethnic identities?

One culprit is the College Board, a nonprofit with more than 6,000 collegiate, high school, and other institutional members, best known for its Scholastic Aptitude Test and Advanced Placement exams. It was founded as the College Entrance Examination Board in 1900 to create and administer a single standardized test for college admissions in the U.S. The SAT’s goal was to provide students, regardless of race, religion, or socioeconomic status, with a chance to obtain higher education. Today, the College Board boasts on its website that it “pioneered programs like the SAT[] and AP[] to expand opportunities for students and help them develop the skills they need.”

For the past 20 years, though, the organization behind the SAT and AP has quietly advocated for racial preferences. Indeed, one week after the SFFA decision, the College Board, alongside top education consulting firm EducationCounsel, began advising high school counselors and college admissions officers on how to help black and Hispanic students frame their application essays around their race or ethnicity.

The College Board’s foray into racialism began in 2004. In response to 2003’s Grutter v. Bollinger , in which the Supreme Court held that colleges could consider race in admissions given institutions’ “compelling interest” in diversity, the organization co-founded the Access and Diversity Collaborative. The ADC, per the College Board, is a group of education professionals, professional organizations, and colleges and universities “dedicated to upholding the principles of equitable access to higher education and promoting diversity on campus.” Today, the ADC has 95 members, including Dartmouth, Columbia, Princeton, the Association of American Medical Colleges, and the National Association of College Admission Counseling.

The ADC and College Board have supported racial preferences in three ways: they’ve filed amicus briefs in affirmative action cases, provided admissions officers with blueprints on how to increase the number of black and Hispanic students at their institutions, and, since SFFA , have held an information session on how such students can mention race in their college application essays. These combined efforts suggest that the groups believe applicants’ skin color is more valuable than their academic achievements.

First, consider the amicus brief that the College Board filed in 2016’s Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin , a case in which the Supreme Court evaluated the university’s affirmative action program. In its brief, the College Board argued that “the predictive value of the SAT for admissions purposes does not lead to the conclusion that SAT scores should be the sole (or even the principal) factor in judging a student’s ability to succeed at a particular institution.” Likewise, in its brief in SFFA , the organization wrote , “Any hint that standardized test scores on their own are the equivalent of ‘merit’ are unfounded,” and “Eliminating consideration of an applicant’s unique lived experience and perspective associated with their race and ethnicity would unfairly treat applicants for whom that is a critical part of their life story.”

Second, in 2019, the College Board published a “playbook” on how admissions officers can use apparently race-neutral strategies to boost the number of black and Hispanic students at their respective colleges and universities, such as minimizing the role of standardized tests in the application process. Given racial disparities in SAT performance, the document calls on institutions to acknowledge the exam’s “inherent limitations,” and counsels them to “never us[e] a standardized test as a sole criterion for high-stakes purposes like admission and aid, considering test scores in light of other contextual factors associated with an applicant’s background and experience.”

Finally, since June, the ADC and the College Board have advised high school counselors and college-admissions officers on how black and Hispanic students can frame their application essays around their racial and ethnic identities. For example, the College Board shared “preliminary guidance” from EducationCounsel on its website, stating: “The practice of considering an applicant’s background, experiences, and perspectives associated with race or ethnicity in admissions is permissible, and should shape the design of application essay questions.”

Their efforts to maintain race-conscious admissions after SFFA didn’t end there. The ADC has also held information sessions for high school counselors and college admissions officers. At a  November 2023 session , panelists urged counselors not to discourage minority students from talking about race-related experiences in their college essays. Darryl Tiggle, Director of College Counseling at the Friends School in Baltimore, Maryland (where tuition begins at $24,400 for prekindergarten and goes up to $38,000 for grades 9–12), seemed to suggest that students could wink and nod at their racial identity without explicitly mentioning it and used the following story as an example: 

“As melodic harmonies of gospel music and the squelching wet sponge against the countertops weave their way into my drowsy consciousness, I know it’s a signal from my mother that it’s time to embark on a sacred mission: cleaning my room.”

Based on that story, Tiggle continued, “We knew something about her identity right away but she’s not going to be talking about that journey, but she’s sort of giving you some context about her life.”

At the same information session, Stephanie DuPaul, the vice president of enrollment management at the University of Richmond, shared a telling hypothetical:

Two applicants apply. They’re both lacrosse players. . . . One of them writes his essay about being a lacrosse player and blowing his knee . . . That applicant happens to be African American. The second applicant also is [an] African American lacrosse player, and he writes about blowing his knee . . . but he also writes about . . . how it’s been an interesting experience for him to be a student of color in a majority-white sport, and how he’s occasionally experienced some hurdles others might not have.

Dupaul suggested that the second essay was superior to the first.

The College Board’s abandoning merit for racialism is all too familiar. The ACLU, the American Medical Association, and many other storied organizations have, in recent decades, also replaced their longstanding missions with progressive orthodoxy. That doesn’t make the College Board’s degradation any less unfortunate—especially for black and Hispanic students, who, like their white and Asian peers, deserve to be judged on their academic prowess, not their race or ethnicity.

Justice Clarence Thomas, in his dissent in Grutter , explained that one reason he rejects racial preferences is that he believes “blacks can achieve in every avenue of American life without the meddling of university administrators.” Clearly, the College Board and its affiliates do not share that belief.

Renu Mukherjee  is a Paulson Policy Analyst at the Manhattan Institute and a Ph.D. candidate at Boston College.

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Cornell to reinstate standardized test requirements for fall 2026

By james dean, cornell chronicle.

Cornell will reinstitute standardized testing requirements for students seeking undergraduate admission for fall 2026 enrollment, based on evidence from a multiyear study conducted by the university’s Task Force on Standardized Testing in Admissions.

Cornell will remain test-optional for students applying in the upcoming admissions cycle for enrollment in fall 2025, although these applicants are encouraged to submit SAT and/or ACT scores to the Cornell colleges and schools that are currently test-optional.

To provide students with time to prepare and take standardized tests, Cornell will remain test-optional for those applying to enroll for fall 2025 to the College of Arts and Sciences, Cornell Engineering, the College of Human Ecology, the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy and the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. However, while the submission of SAT and/or ACT scores is optional, it is recommended. For students applying to enroll in fall 2025, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the College of Architecture, Art and Planning, and the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business will remain score-free.

Effective for those applying to enroll for fall 2026 or beyond, applicants to all eight Cornell undergraduate colleges and schools will be required to submit standardized test scores.

In 2020, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, test scores became optional at five of Cornell’s undergraduate colleges and schools (A&S, Cornell Engineering, Human Ecology, the Brooks School and the ILR School) and were not considered by three others (Cornell CALS, AAP and the SC Johnson College). Analyzing admissions since 2020, the task force found that when reviewed in context with other application materials, such as GPA, academic rigor, extracurricular engagement, essays and letters of recommendation, test scores help to create a more complete picture of an individual applicant.

Though standardized test scores are imperfect measures of a student’s aptitude and potential, the data suggests that when taken in context, these scores provide valuable insights into a student’s potential for academic success while at Cornell, and thereby help to ensure that admitted students are likely to thrive academically. After accounting for other predictors, including high school GPA, student demographics and high school characteristics, those who were admitted with test scores tended to have somewhat stronger GPAs and were more likely to remain in good academic standing.

The data also showed that test-optional policies may have inadvertent consequences. Cornell’s fall 2022 New Student Survey showed that 91% of matriculating first-year students took the SAT and/or the ACT at least once (and 70% had taken multiple tests), but only 28% of applicants opted to provide test scores even though doing so could have advantaged them.

“While it may seem counterintuitive, considering these test scores actually promotes access to students from a wider range of backgrounds and circumstances,” said Provost Michael I. Kotlikoff. “Our analysis indicates that instituting the testing requirement likely enhances, rather than diminishes, our ability to identify and admit qualified students.”

Students’ decisions to share test scores are shaped by social background factors such as the type of high school they attended, their family income, and their access to and use of college counseling. Students from different kinds of backgrounds may decide to withhold scores that are strong enough to help them gain access to Cornell, which means that test-optional policies may undermine equity in admissions. For example, an applicant might choose not to submit a score that is at or slightly below Cornell’s median score, even though a reviewer would note favorably that the score is in the top tier for that student’s high school. Such an application would be stronger with the score included.

“While important, standardized test scores represent only one of many factors we consider in the admissions process,” said Lisa Nishii, vice provost for undergraduate education and interim vice provost for enrollment. “In addition to test scores, Cornell will consider both the context provided by the rest of a student’s application materials and the context of where they are applying from – their high school, personal circumstances and background. We are committed to evaluating an applicant’s academic preparedness as well as how their unique interests, lived experiences and strengths will contribute to Cornell’s vision of ‘… any person … any study.’”

A summary of the task force’s report can be viewed here .

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So Your High School Doesn’t Offer APs—Are AP Exams Still Important For College Admissions?

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Advanced Placement courses are offered at thousands of high schools across the U.S.— approximately 35% of public high school graduates in the Class of 2023 took at least one AP exam, and approximately 2.8 million students sat for AP exams in 2023. However, a large number of schools do not offer AP courses. In many cases, this is due to a lack of resources—though strides have been made to increase access to AP courses in underprivileged schools, a gap in access persists along racial and socioeconomic lines. In other cases, schools are ditching the AP curriculum as a result of their educational philosophy. In 2018, elite private schools in the D.C. area such as Sidwell Friends and Georgetown Prep announced their intention to phase out AP classes, citing their desire for a more independent curriculum and a growing frustration with the AP’s orientation toward testing rather than other metrics for success.

Despite these drawbacks, AP courses and exams remain highly regarded by many colleges and universities, as they offer insight into students’ academic acumen and potential to complete college coursework successfully. As a result, many students without access to AP courses are left wondering whether they should still register, study and sit for AP exams.

First and foremost, students should know that colleges and universities evaluate their applications in the context of their school and the opportunities available to them. This means that if students did not have AP classes available to them at their schools, admissions officers will not expect to see AP courses or AP exam scores included in their applications. As such, these students’ applications will not be disadvantaged in any way by not including AP exams.

That being said, there are some scenarios in which a student may still wish to take an AP exam despite not having taken an AP course. These are the top three reasons that students might consider sitting for one or more AP exams:

1. To Earn College Credit

One of the main reasons students take AP exams is to earn college credit. Many colleges and universities grant credit for high AP exam scores (typically for 4s or 5s). By earning credit through AP exams, you may be able to fulfill prerequisites, skip introductory courses, or accelerate your progress toward graduation once you enroll in college. However, this is not the case at every school. In order to determine whether the time and effort you will put into studying and taking an AP exam will be justified, you should research whether the schools you are considering applying to give college credit for high AP exam scores. You can often find this information on admissions or departmental websites, or by contacting admissions representatives at each respective school. You can also check the College Board website to see if the schools on your list accept AP credits, but note that these policies change frequently, so you should still follow up with the schools for verification. If a handful of the schools on your list do accept high scores for credit, it may be a strategic choice to sit for one or more exam.

Apple iPhone 16 Unique All New Design Promised In New Report

Huawei s pura 70 ultra beats iphone with pioneering new feature, meet the fintech billionaire making a fortune rewarding home renters, 2. to use exam scores in lieu of the sat or act.

As Ivy League and other top schools reinstate their standardized testing requirements, some schools have announced their intention to allow students to submit test scores from AP examinations in place of ACT or SAT scores. Dartmouth allows students applying from schools outside of the U.S. to satisfy their testing requirement by submitting three AP exam scores. Meanwhile, Yale’s new test-flexible policy also allows students applying domestically to submit AP and IB scores in lieu of other standardized tests. If you are applying internationally or if you have reason to believe that you will achieve a stronger score on AP exams than on the SAT or ACT, you can consider sitting for the exams. Note that not all schools have such flexible testing policies, so you will likely still need to sit for the SAT or the ACT.

3. To Demonstrate Your Academic Abilities

It is important to remember that while they are not the only way to demonstrate their academic capabilities, AP exams are an unbiased and quantifiable way to assess students’ preparedness for college coursework. Students who struggled academically earlier in their high school years or who want to highlight their skills in a specific discipline may benefit from the inclusion of AP scores in their applicant profiles.

Finally, while students who do not have access to AP classes should consider their options and make a strategic decision about taking exams on the basis of their applicant profiles and academic goals, students who have taken AP courses absolutely should take AP exams. Failing to sit for the exams will not only foreclose the possibility of earning college credit, but it will also reflect poorly on your application and raise questions with admissions committees.

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Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, should i take the sat essay how to decide.

New SAT , SAT Essay

The SAT underwent some major revisions in 2016, and one of the biggest changes is that its previously required essay is now optional. This can be confusing for some students and parents. Should you take the essay? Will colleges require the essay or not? Will taking the essay make your application stronger?

Read on for answers to all these questions. This guide will explain what the SAT essay is, what the pros and cons of taking it are, and how you can make the best choice for you.

UPDATE: SAT Essay No Longer Offered

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In January 2021, the College Board announced that after June 2021, it would no longer offer the Essay portion of the SAT (except at schools who opt in during School Day Testing). It is now no longer possible to take the SAT Essay, unless your school is one of the small number who choose to offer it during SAT School Day Testing.

While most colleges had already made SAT Essay scores optional, this move by the College Board means no colleges now require the SAT Essay. It will also likely lead to additional college application changes such not looking at essay scores at all for the SAT or ACT, as well as potentially requiring additional writing samples for placement.

What does the end of the SAT Essay mean for your college applications? Check out our article on the College Board's SAT Essay decision for everything you need to know.

What Is the SAT Essay?

The SAT essay is one of the sections of the SAT. After being required since its inception, the College Board has now decided to make the essay optional. This is similar to the ACT, whose essay has always been optional.

During this section, students will be given 50 minutes to write an essay. The essay for the new SAT is very different than it was for the previous version of the SAT. You can read all about the changes to the SAT here , but, as a brief overview, the essay will give you a passage by an author who is taking a stance on an issue. Your job will be to analyze how the author built that argument.

If you choose to take the essay, it will be its own section of the SAT, and the score you get on the essay will be separate from your score on the rest of the exam. Your main SAT score will be out of 1600 while your essay will be graded across three different categories: Reading, Analysis, and Writing. For each area, your essay will be given a score from 2-8.

Below is a sample prompt from one of the official practice tests released by the College Board. Here you can read the entire prompt, including the passages you would need to analyze.

Do Colleges Require the SAT Essay Now That It's Optional?

So, the College Board has now made the essay an optional part of the SAT, but does that change how colleges view the essay (or if they even view it at all)? Kind of. Some schools that used the essays before no longer require them now that both the ACT and SAT have made the essays optional, but other schools continue to require the SAT essay.

Each school makes this decision individually, so there are no patterns to follow to try and guess who will require the essay and who won’t. Even top schools like the Ivy League are divided on whether to require the essay or not.  

This can make things confusing if you’re applying to college soon and don’t know if you should take the SAT essay or not. The following sections of this guide will explain the benefits and drawbacks of taking the essay and walk you through different scenarios so you can make an informed decision.

The #1 Consideration: Do Any of the Schools You're Interested in Require the Essay?

The absolute most important factor, the factor that matters more than anything else in the rest of this guide, is if any of the schools you’re applying to or thinking of applying to require the SAT essay.

The best way to get this information is to  Google “[school name] SAT essay requirement,” look directly on each school’s admission webpage, or   check out our list of the schools that require the SAT essay.

Find this information for every school you plan on applying to, even schools you’re not sure you want to apply to, but are considering. If even one school you’re interested in requires the SAT essay, then you should take it, regardless of any other factors.  There is no way to take just the SAT essay by itself, so if you take the SAT without the essay and then, later on, realize you need an essay score for a school you’re applying to, you will have to retake the entire test.

So, if a school you’re interested in requires the SAT essay, your choice is clear: take the essay when you take the SAT. However, what if the schools you’re interested in don’t require the essay? If that’s the case, you have some other factors to consider. Read on!

Benefits of Taking the SAT Essay

If none of the schools you’re thinking of applying to require the SAT essay, why would you want to take it? The two main reasons are explained below.

#1: You're Covered for All Schools

Taking the SAT essay means that, no matter which schools you end up applying to, you will absolutely have all their SAT requirements met. If you decide to apply to a new school that requires the SAT essay, that won’t be a problem because you’ll already have taken it.

If you already are absolutely certain about which schools you’re applying to and none of them require the essay, then this may not be a big deal to you. However, if you have a tentative list of schools, and you’ve been adding a school or removing a school from that list occasionally, you may want to be better safe than sorry and take the SAT essay, just in case.

Taking the SAT essay means you have all your bases covered, no matter which schools you end up applying to.

#2: A Good Score May Boost Your Application Slightly

While it’s highly unlikely that your SAT essay will be the deciding factor of your college application, there are some cases where it can give you a small leg up on the competition. This is the case if a school recommends, but doesn’t require the essay, and that school is particularly competitive.

Having a strong SAT essay score to submit may strengthen your application a bit, especially if you are trying to show strong English/writing skills.

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Drawbacks to Taking the SAT Essay

There are also costs to taking the SAT essay; here are three of the most common:

#1: It's Another Section to Study For

If you choose to take the essay, that means you have an entire extra SAT section to study and prepare for. If you already feel like you have a ton of SAT prep to do or have doubts about staying motivated, adding on more work can make you feel stressed and end up hurting your scores in the other SAT sections.

#2: It Makes the Exam Longer

Taking the essay will, obviously, increase the total time you spend taking the SAT. You’re given 50 minutes to write the essay, and, including time needed for students not taking the essay to leave and things to get settled, that will add about an hour to the test, increasing your total SAT test time from about three hours to four hours.

If you struggle with keeping focused or staying on your A game during long exams (and, let’s be honest, it’s not hard to lose concentration after several hours of answering SAT questions), adding an additional hour of test time can reduce your test-taking endurance and make you feel tired and distracted during the essay, likely making it hard for you to get your best score.

#3: The Essay Costs Extra

Taking the SAT with the essay will also cost you a bit more money. Taking the SAT without the essay costs $46, but if you choose to take the essay, it costs $14 extra, raising the total cost of the SAT to $60.

However, if you're eligible for an SAT fee waiver, the waiver also applies to this section of the exam, so you still won't have to pay anything if you choose to take the essay.

Taking the essay likely means the cost of taking the SAT will be slightly higher for you.

Should You Take the SAT Essay? Five Scenarios to Help You Decide

Now you know what the SAT essay is and the pros and cons of taking it. So, what should you decide? Five scenarios are listed below; find the one that applies to your situation and follow the advice in order to make the best decision for you.

Scenario 1: You're planning on applying to at least one school that requires the essay

As mentioned above, if even one school you’re thinking about applying to requires the SAT essay, you should take it in order to avoid retaking the entire SAT again at a later date because you need an essay score.

Scenario 2: None of the schools you're applying to look at essay scores

If none of the schools you’re thinking about applying to even look at SAT essay scores, then you shouldn’t take it. Even if you get a perfect score, if the schools don’t consider essay scores, then taking it will have no benefits for you.

Scenario 3: The schools you're applying to don't require the SAT essay and aren't highly competitive

In this case, you don’t need to take the SAT essay, unless you’re trying to make up for weak writing skills in other parts of your application.

Scenario 4: The schools you're applying to recommend the SAT essay and are more competitive

For this scenario, you should take the SAT essay in order to give your application an extra boost, unless you really think you’d perform poorly or preparing for and taking the essay would cause your scores in other sections to decline.

Scenario 5: You aren't sure where you're going to apply yet

If you’re not sure which schools you want to apply to, then you should take the SAT essay, just to be safe. This way you’re covered no matter where you end up applying to college.

If the thought of figuring out which colleges to apply to has you as confused as this blue panda, your safest option is to take the SAT essay.

Because of the College Board’s recent decision to make the SAT essay optional, students are now faced with the decision of whether they should take it or not.  The best way to decide is to learn the essay policy for each of the colleges you're interested in applying to.  Some schools will still require the essay, some won’t even look at an applicant’s essay scores, and other schools don’t require the essay but will look at your score if you do take it.

Use these school policies to help decide whether you should take the essay. Remember, if you end up needing to submit an essay score, you will have to retake the entire SAT, so make sure you have accurate and up-to-date information for each school you are thinking of applying to.

What's Next?

Have you decided to take the essay and want to know how to start studying? We have a step-by-step guide that explains how to write a great SAT essay.

Want more examples of sample prompts? Here are all of the real SAT essay prompts that have been released by the College Board.

Are you aiming for a perfect SAT essay score?  Check out our guide on how to get a perfect 8/8/8 on the SAT essay.

Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?  We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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Guest Essay

Do Not Make Survival Even More Difficult for People on the Streets

By Laura Riley

Ms. Riley is the director of the clinical program at the School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of “Homeless Advocacy.”

In 2013, Grants Pass, Ore., came up with a strategy to deal with a growing homeless population in the city of roughly 40,000, one that might best be described as kicking the can down the road.

Through a series of ordinances, the city essentially made it illegal to sleep outside in public. In particular, anyone sleeping anywhere in public with bedding, a blanket or a sleeping bag would be breaking the law.

“The point,” the City Council president explained at the time, “is to make it uncomfortable enough for them in our city so they will want to move on down the road.”

Unhoused individuals wouldn’t have much choice. There are no homeless shelters in Grants Pass. At least 600 people in the city were unhoused in 2018 and 2019, according to counts by a local nonprofit that serves the unhoused.

Now the United States Supreme Court is being asked whether the enforcement of the city’s camping regulations, which apply to all of the city’s residents but affect them in vastly different ways, violate the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. Oral arguments are scheduled for Monday.

Of course, weighing the legality of camping obscures the real issue, which is how, in a nation with roughly 650,000 unhoused people, the federal, state and local governments can make sure there are enough beds for people to sleep in. Forcing unhoused people to the next town does not create housing that is affordable or available.

The case is an appeal to a ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that prohibited Grants Pass from using citations to enforce its public camping ordinance. The Ninth Circuit had earlier prohibited cities from enforcing criminal restrictions on public camping unless there was access to adequate temporary shelter.

In the decision being challenged by Grants Pass, the Ninth Circuit concluded that the city “cannot, consistent with the Eighth Amendment, enforce its anti-camping ordinances against homeless persons for the mere act of sleeping outside with rudimentary protection from the elements, or for sleeping in their car at night, when there is no other place in the city for them to go.”

Which there rarely is, in Grants Pass or elsewhere, and which is why people often have no choice but to sleep outside.

In a friend of the court brief, the National Homelessness Law Center argued that Grants Pass had “rejected” its obligation to care for unhoused residents and that vulnerable groups would continue to be marginalized unless the court decides once and for all that those ordinances are cruel. In its brief to the court, the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund noted that the laws disproportionately affect people with disabilities and don’t serve any rehabilitative or deterrent interest.

If nothing else, one thing this case has done is unite many officials on the left and the right of the political spectrum, from San Francisco to Arizona. They have complained in briefs to the court that the Ninth Circuit has hamstrung their communities in dealing with homeless encampments.

But homelessness arises from policy decisions, not from a ruling by an appellate court. The Supreme Court should uphold the Ninth Circuit’s ruling. Otherwise it will open the door for communities to pass local laws that effectively punish unhoused people for existing within their borders, making what is clearly cruel permissible.

It would not be unexpected for the Supreme Court’s conservative majority to give the green light for the kind of camping bans at issue. Unhoused people would be pushed further to the margins, increasingly out of sight and mind. They will still be out there, parked in cars in rural areas or subsisting on urban streets, perhaps after being fined or jailed for the crime of trying to survive without a roof over their heads.

This case shines a light on the abdication of responsibility by governments at all levels to their unhoused residents. Instead of arguing about the legality of bans on sleeping in public, we should be asking: Why move people down the road to another community, one that is likely also short on shelter beds?

There is no doubt that the path to creating permanent housing (and more temporary shelter) is politically challenging and expensive. But there are many solutions along this path that go beyond what lawyers and the courts, even our highest one, can accomplish, and that the public should be demanding.

Governments at all levels should invest in homelessness prevention programs and strategies. Those include providing housing subsidies to people who otherwise could lose their housing and supportive transitional services for those leaving mental health treatment and correctional centers.

People on the brink of homelessness should have a right to counsel in eviction proceedings and should be offered the possibility of mediation in housing courts to give them a chance to remain in their houses or apartments.

Businesses should be increasing employment opportunities by not requiring a permanent address in job applications. Lawmakers should create more pathways for people to clear their criminal records, some that arise from targeted enforcement of low-level, nonviolent offenses, because those records can make it much more difficult to get a job.

For populations with unique needs, such as young people and veterans, social service agencies should pursue particularized interventions that address the underlying reasons that pushed individuals into homelessness.

And, of course, we should be building more housing, plain and simple, and we should be providing affordable housing incentives in areas with grocery stores and medical care nearby.

The Supreme Court should not further criminalize homelessness. But whether it does or not, this case should put governments at all levels on notice that humane policies can help to reduce homelessness. We don’t have to let this crisis continue.

Laura Riley is the director of the clinical program at the School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of “Homeless Advocacy.”

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