is sat essay cancelled 2022

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.

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High school students having their exam inside a classroom.

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.

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Home » The New School » Is The Essay Required On The Sat 2022?

Is The Essay Required On The Sat 2022?

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We’ve also discontinued the optional SAT Essay Writing remains essential to college readiness and the SAT will continue to measure writing and editing skills, but there are other ways for students to demonstrate their mastery of essay writing, and the SAT will continue to measure writing throughout the test.

Does the SAT have 2022 essay?

March 28, 2022, at 5:21 p.m. 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.

Should class of 2022 take the SAT essay?

Compass recommends our students forgo the SAT and ACT optional essays on future exams . The SAT Essay and ACT Writing continue to pose a conundrum for students. While College Board and ACT have made these components optional, a small number of colleges continue to require or recommend them.

Will SAT be required for class of 2022?

A new tally finds that more than 1,600 four-year colleges and universities will not require students to submit ACT or SAT scores to be considered for fall 2022 enrollment . That is more than two-thirds of the 2,330 bachelor-degree institutions in the United States.

Is the SAT on paper or computer 2022?

Get it sent to your inbox. The SAT will soon be taken exclusively on a computer , the College Board announced on Tuesday, ending an era in which high schoolers have had to make sure their No. 2 pencils were sharpened and their answer bubbles were completely filled in.

Are SAT essays Cancelled?

In January of 2021, the College Board announced the elimination of the SAT Essay and SAT Subject Tests . These portions of the SAT were always optional, so the overall makeup of the General SAT remains the same.

Is SAT getting rid of essay?

Last month, the College Board announced that it would discontinue the essay-writing section of the SAT . It’s the latest in a series of recent decisions to reduce the use of standardized testing in college admissions. Proponents of the decision cited claims of racism and bias against underrepresented groups.

How long is the SAT exam 2022?

approximately three hours The test takes approximately three hours , not including breaks. There is also an optional Essay portion that lasts an extra fifty minutes at the end.

Does Harvard require SAT for 2022?

Since Harvard College is not requiring applicants to submit standardized test scores for the 2022-2026 application cycles , your standardized scores will not display in the Common Application PDF preview, even if you have chosen to submit them.

Can the SAT essay hurt your score?

Your SAT writing score comes from the multiple-choice part of the exam, while your SAT essay score is derived from a new part of the exam. That is the SAT Essay section, which stands on its own and does not affect your score in either of the multiple-choice sections .

Will not submitting SAT scores hurt 2022?

Even if you take the ACT/SAT and don’t do well, you may choose not to submit your scores. There’s no harm in taking it as it can only benefit you if you get a high score .

What is a good SAT score 2022?

What Is a Good SAT Score for 2022 Overall?

What does test optional for 2022 mean?

After the Covid-19 pandemic made it near impossible to secure a testing site for many students, almost all colleges across the U.S. announced a “test-optional” policy for applicants. For the first time ever, applicants to top-tier schools were not required to submit SAT or ACT scores .

Will the 2022 SAT be online?

SAT changes include a new digital format, shorter test time and an embedded graphing calculator. Feb. 7, 2022, at 9:52 a.m. No more filling in bubbles or waiting for proctors to collect the exam sheets: The SAT is going digital, among other modifications.

Are SATs happening 2022?

In 2022 the KS2 SATs will take place between Monday 9th May 2022 – Thursday 12th May 2022 . Over this period pupils will sit 6 different tests, with English normally taking place at the beginning of the week and maths at the end.

Is the SAT essay required?

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.

Is the SAT changing in 2021?

With input from educators and students, we are adapting to ensure we continue to meet their evolving needs.” Among the changes: the digital SAT will be shorter—about two hours instead of three for the current SAT, with more time per question.

Should I take the SAT essay 2021?

At the end of this post, we discuss what this means for students planning on taking the SAT between now and June 2021. The SAT Essay is optional . Students do not have to sit for it. In fact, they must elect to take the Essay when registering for the SAT.

Is SAT essay required for Harvard?

Harvard requires you to take the SAT Essay/ACT Writing section . They’ll use this as another factor in their admissions consideration.

Why was SAT essay discontinued?

The College Board said it would discontinue the essay section on the main SAT test because “ there are other ways for students to demonstrate their mastery of essay writing ,” including, it said, the test’s reading and writing portion.

Why did SAT remove essay?

Jon Ort / The Daily Princetonian 19, the College Board announced that it will eliminate the optional essay section from the SAT as well as the SAT subject tests. These moves come after the COVID-19 pandemic rendered traditional standardized test-taking difficult or inaccessible to many high school students .

By Cary Hardy

Hi there! I'm Cary Hardy, an education expert and consultant. I've worked with students of all ages and backgrounds, and I love helping them unlock their full potential. I'm also a big believer in lifelong learning- there's always something new to learn!

I got my start in education as a teacher, working with students in grades K-12. After several years of teaching, I transitioned into the world of educational consulting. I've since worked with schools and districts all over the country, helping them improve their curriculums and instruction methods.

I'm passionate about helping people achieve their dreams, and I believe that education is the key to unlocking everyone's potential. Thanks for reading!