Whether you've never written an SAT Essay or didn't get the score you wanted on

your last test, you can benefit from knowing more: about the Essay itself, and what
really matters when the graders are reading your essay.
Here are 15 SAT Writing tips to master the SAT essay. If you can reliably follow
all these points, you'll be able to get at least a 10 on the SAT essay - guaranteed.
The Challenge
The SAT Essay is a very short assignment - you only get 25 minutes to write a fullfledged essay - and it can pass in a flash if you don't have a method for attacking it.
It requires a very specific approach that's unlike the essays you've been writing for
English class in school. The goal of this strategy is to cram in as many as possible of
the desired components in the 25 minutes you've got.
In this essay, we give you 15 key tips for the SAT essay. 5 of them relate to what the
College Board tells us about what's a good essay. 5 of them are truths that the
College Board doesn't want you to know. The last 5 tips for SAT essay writing show
you how to build an SAT essay, step by step.
At the end of this article, make sure to keep reading to see a full SAT essay
example, constructed step by step.
What the College Board Does Tell You: 5 Tips
The College Board explains the main components of the successful SAT Essay in
its scoring criteria. Here they are, condensed:
1) Thesis: "the essay presents a clear point of view (thesis) in the beginning that
directly addresses the prompt and takes a position on the issue."
In other words, answer the question in the prompt and make it very, very
clear. It's fine to copy the exact words from the prompt into your thesis statement
in fact, this guarantees that the graders will see that your thesis is there and on
topic.

2) Organization and Flow: "the essay is well organized, clearly focused, with a
smooth flow from idea to idea and a complete introduction and conclusion."
This is the hardest part to master; it's tough to do this well in general, much less in
25 minutes. The main point is that you should follow the standard structure for
an SAT essay (introduction-body-body-conclusion). Furthermore, you should
connect each paragraph to each other througheffective transitions. Below, we'll
give you ways to improve your performance in this area.

Just like a stream of water, your essay should flow smoothly from one point to the
next.

3) Language: "the essay contains variety in sentence structure and is free of errors
in grammar, usage and mechanics."
All this means is "don't be repetitive and don't make grammar mistakes." For
most of us, this is an area that takes a long time to develop, so unless your
language skills are really rough or you're prepping a year ahead of time (or both),
you'll probably get more out of focusing on the other components of the essay.

4) Support: "the essay includes appropriate, detailed, and concrete (real life)
examples and/or reasons in support of thesis."
This one is also very often done wrong. This is because in real life, there are many
ways to support a thesis, depending on the topic. But on the SAT, there's one kind of
correct support: specific facts or events from literature, history, news, science or
personal experience. We'll show you more below.

5) Word Choice: The essay makes use of varied, accurate and apt vocabulary.
Again, don't be repetitive, and throw in some ten-dollar words if you can. Try to use
different words to describe the same idea - don't use "courageous" 15 times. This
component is the biggest reason why revising your SAT Essay is essential - it's fast
and easy to change repeated words to other ones after you're finished, but it can
slow you down during writing to worry about your word choice. If you're aiming for a
top score, using advanced vocabulary appropriately is vital.

What the College Board Doesn't Tell You: 5 Secrets

Even though the SAT essay has some clear guidelines in public, there are a few
secrets that most students don't know and that can give you a major advantage on
the test.

These are facts the College Board doesn't want to well-known.

1) You can ignore the quote before the prompt.

Because the SAT essay prompts are so broad and vague, they give you a quote
beforehand to help you understand how it might apply to real life. But you don't
have to interpret the prompt the same way the quote does. All you need to focus
on is the actual prompt, usually phrased in the form of a question (e.g. "Is it
better to have loved and lost, or never to have loved at all?). We'll show you an
example of this in the walkthrough below.

2) You don't need to use academic examples--but it helps.

All the sample high-scoring essays on the College Board website use classic
academic texts, like To Kill a Mockingbird and 1984, as support. But you don't
have to do that - they tell you to use evidence from "your reading, studies,
experience, or observations," which includes pretty much everything in your head.
This means that you can write about the power struggle between vampires and
werewolves inTwilight, and if what you say supports your point, they are supposed
to give you the same score as if you'd written about the power struggle between
India and Pakistan.

Why is this the case? The SAT doesn't want to be elitist. The test has had major
issues with income inequality, and it doesn't want to favor prep school students who
studied Latin literature over those who went to urban public schools. So graders
have to accept all examples equally, as long as they support your thesis.
Despite this, there might be a small unconscious bias against pop culture or less
academic references, so if you think of two examples, and you can write equally
well about both, and one is more academic, choose that one.

3) You don't need to know the facts.

You can make up whatever information you need to support your point. Really. As
with the tip above, if you know the real facts, that's great (since the grader will
probably know them too), but it's not required.
This might sound crazy. You could write about how Germany won World War II, and
the SAT graders are not allowed to penalize you. Why is this?
The SAT doesn't have the resources to do fact-checking on every single
essay. With over a million students taking the test every year, graders only have a
few minutes to put a score of 1-6 to each essay. They can't check whether Martin
Luther King was born in 1929 or 1925.
Thus, the College Board has a simpler rule - all statements are taken as truth. The
important point is that the evidence needs to support your thesis.
(Of course, the College Board doesn't want people to know about this - that would
make the SAT essay sound silly).
If you're short on concrete evidence to prove a point, make up something
realistic-sounding(you can even pretend a newspaper or politician said something
they didn't), and slap it in there. It's much better than trying to write a vague
paragraph without concrete evidence.

Clearly this didn't happen in history. But to the SAT, that doesn't matter - as long as
it supports your point.

4) You should write more than a page.

There is a strong relationship between essay length and score - the longer your
essay, the better your score. In a short essay, it's really hard for you to develop your
points well enough to earn a decent score.
Really, you should write a page and a half if at all possible. Although the College
Board never mentions that length matters, it does. And if you can write more than a
page and a half without repeating yourself or digressing from your point, you'll be in
really good shape.

5) Your first and last paragraphs matter more than the others.
SAT graders have to read a lot of essays very quickly, and they give most of them a
3 or a 4. The fastest way for them to score an essay is to find the thesis (to make
sure that it's there, that it answers the prompt, and that the rest of the essay
supports it) and then skim the first and last paragraphs.
Here's why: if a student's introduction and conclusion paragraphs are wellwritten and logical, it's likely the rest of the essay will be too (and vice
versa). By reading these parts, the grader can usually tell with good confidence

what the score will be. They'll scan the middle to make sure it makes sense, but
they probably won't read every word as closely.
On the other hand, if you don't have time to write an introduction or conclusion, you
will be heavily penalized. It'll be hard to score above an 8 without an introduction
and conclusion.
Make sure you budget enough time to put these in, as we explain below.

How to Get All of the Necessary Components in 25 Minutes: 5 Step-By-Step

Strategies
When you write an SAT essay, you only have 25 minutes, which means you need to
have a game plan before you start the test. Here's a step by step guide on how to
write an effective SAT essay.
1) Pick a side of the question.
SAT essay prompts are always simple yes or no questions. Choose "yes" or "no"
based on which answer seems easier for you to back up with evidence. A thesis that
picks a side is by definition simpler, clearer, and requires less thinking than a thesis
that says "this is true in these situations, but not in these other situations."

2) Choose concrete evidence.

"Concrete" means based on art (books, movies or plays), history/current events,
statistics, or personal experience. No hypotheticals, which means no "if" statements
or evidence based on "a CEO of a company" or "a high school student." Be specific
people should have names, even if you have to make them up.

3) Use a basic 4-5 paragraph essay structure.

This is the essay structure you probably learned in middle school. It starts with an
introduction paragraph that ends with a thesis statement, followed by 2 to 3 (or
more, if appropriate) "body" paragraphs that give support for the thesis, and
finishes with a conclusion paragraph that restates the thesis and summarizes the
support for it.
And don't forget, the paragraphs themselves are importantif you write a perfect
essay with no paragraph breaks or breaks that don't separate different ideas, it'll
lower your score significantly.

4) Make time to plan, write, and revise.

Because the organization and flow of the essay are the hardest components to
master, you need to take a few minutes to plan in order to make sure the structure
is clear.
Likewise, because a few misspelled or misused words can make a difference in your
essay and overall Writing score, revision is well worth the 2-3 minutes you'll need to
set aside at the end to do it.

5) Practice.
If the SAT Essay tips above seem like a lot to manage, it's because they can be. And
to get to the point where you can do them automaticallyleaving mental space for
logical reasoning you have to practice.

Make sure you keep reading and click on the links below to see us put this into
practice.

Getting a top SAT essay score is within everyone's reach. The most reliable way to
score high is to follow our SAT essay template for every essay and to prepare well
beforehand.
In this article, we'll show you how to write a good SAT essay. We'll work
through an SAT essay example, step-by-step, to show you how you can piece
together a great essay yourself.
If you haven't already, read our article on 15 tips on improving your SAT essay. We'll
be using the lessons from that article here in our essay example. Come back to this
article afterward.

Now we'll plan and write an essay in response to the sample SAT essay prompt
below, using the tips we've shared. If you follow our plan below and practice it to
fluency for your 25-minute essay, you're guaranteed a 10 or above on the SAT
essay.
Let's start by reading and understanding the prompt.

Hint: You Can Interpret the Prompt However You Like

As we mentioned in our 15 tips article, the prompt that really matters is the first line
of Assignment: "Should people make more of an effort to keep some things
private?" This is the question you need to be answering.
Don't get confused by the quote above it! It seems, based on the phrase
"confessional and self-expressive," that the author of the quote is talking about
modern culture's obsession with sharing our lives via the internet and social media.
But one of our top essay tips is that the actual Assignment just says "should people
keep things private?" You get to choose what "things" you talk about, and what kind
of "private" you mean. The direction we'll take in the walkthrough, as you'll see, is
quite different from the one that is suggested by the quote in the prompt.
We take 3 major stages to writing an essay:
1. Planning: 2-5 minutes
2. Writing: 15-18 minutes
3. Revising: 3 minutes
Writing takes the most time of the 25 minutes, but Planning is the most important
part.

Stage 1: Plan for 2-5 Minutes

Many students resist planning on the SAT Essay because there's so little time. But
take it from us: you're better off with a plan. This is because the SAT graders look
for a clear structure: introduction, conclusion, and specific evidence in between.
It's almost impossibleand slows down your writingto create this kind of structure
without a plan.

There are 3 steps to Planning: Brainstorm, Pick a side, and Develop your evidence.
At the end of the planning stage, you should have a complete outline with all the
major points clear in your head. All that remains is to flesh out the text around
them.
Let's dig into each of the 3 steps, using our SAT essay example prompt.
1) Brainstorm
Sometimes you instantly know how you want to respond to a prompt and examples
just pop into your head. That's awesome, but it doesn't always happen and you
shouldn't rely on it happening on test day. As we suggest in our other articles, you
should definitely pre-plan a set of 8-10 examples that you can rely on for most
essay prompts the SAT will throw at you.
So when you aren't struck by inspiration, start by asking yourself about both sides
of the question and see what evidence comes to mind first. You should choose
the side that has the most convincing evidence to you (that's also easy for
you to write about).
Side 1 ("Yes"): "What are some things I can think of that should have been kept
private (art, history/current events, statistics, or personal experience)?"

excessive selfies and pictures of food on social media

oversharing personal details

discussing other people's sensitive problems

Side 2 ("No"): "What are some things I can think of that should not have been kept
private (art, history/current events, statistics, or personal experience)?"

"Enhanced interrogation" at Guantnamo after 9/11

Early 2015 Wet Seal store closings that were hidden from employees, leading
to thousands of working-class people losing their income with no warning

Statewide high school textbook changes that were not announced until
shortly before the school year

2) Pick a side of the question

After listing both sides and the evidence, you need to choose your personal answer
to the prompt: "Should people make more of an effort to keep things private?"
Personally, I found the second question easier to answer, so the side I chose is:
No, people should not make more of an effort to keep things private.
Remember that the SAT is not allowed to penalize your essay based on purely on
the side you choose. Therefore, don't think about whether you're fitting the personal
stance of the reader - just focus on what side will be easiest for you to argue
effectively.

3) Narrow or widen your evidence

In this final step of Planning, you need to gather the right amount of evidence. Just
like Goldilocks, not too much, and not too little.
Ask yourself, "how many lines will it take to explain how each example supports the
thesis?" It's sometimes hard to know how much you'll need to write about
something until you write it. But if you try to use too many examples, you'll run out
of time, and if you have too few, your score will take a hit.
So this step is about planning how to prove your point without trying to
write too much or being left with too little.
In order to do this, you look at your evidence from Step 1, and for each example,
answer the question, "This example supports my thesis because ___."

For this essay, we'll be using "___ should not have been kept private because ___."
(Note: when actually planning, you don't need to write all this down, just enough to
remember your ideas. I'm just writing out what's going through my head as I'm
planning.)
1. "Enhanced interrogation" at Guantnamo should not have been kept private
because:
1. it is against the principles of the U.S.
2. if Americans had known about it, many people would have protested
and may have been able to stop it.
2. Recent Wet Seal store closings should not have been kept private because:
1. retail employees already have very little financial security
2. ending their jobs while telling them not to look for new ones is simply
wrong
3. destabilizes the economy.
3. Statewide high school textbook changes should not have been kept private
because:
1. they make teachers rewrite lesson plans
2. they may create gaps in students' knowledge
It would be difficult to explain all three of the examples above in just a few minutes,
so you would pick just two. But which two? Well, since all three are relatively
"academic" (all three are from recent current events), we should pick the two that
we can write fastest about.
For most students, that would be #1 and #2, since there are more obvious specific
details to mention. In any case, just choose the examples1, 2, or 3 of themthat
you think will be easiest to write about and fit into the time and space you have.
Great - now we have a full plan ready, with the specific pieces of evidence we want
to use firmly in our mind. Now comes the laborious part - writing.

Stage 2: Write Until 2-3 Minutes Are Left

Where to Start?

It's easier for most people to write body paragraphs than introductions. If this is the
case, start with the body paragraphs, and just leave 10 lines or so at the top of the
page to add the introduction later. One example should take up 1-2 paragraphs.
Let's try it out with the Guantnamo example using a methodical structure.

Sample Body Paragraph

Start with a transition:
A very serious example of inappropriate secrecy is the method of interrogation used
against detainees at Guantnamo Bay in the years following the attacks on the
World Trade Center.
Then (briefly) introduce your topic:
The 9/11 attacks created an environment of fear in the U.S. that changed the way
the government relates to the people. The Patriot Act allowed the CIA to spy,
without a warrant, on citizens it deemed suspicious. Other new legislation paved the
way for many other secret government activities that would not have been
tolerated before the attack. One of these activities was the torture, which the White
House called "enhanced interrogation," of hundreds of detainees at Guantnamo
Bay.
Explain the example's context and relationship to the thesis:
The U.S. government and citizens pride themselves on fairness and humane
treatment. Our system of due process is supposed to protect the innocent, and this
is the basis of our claim that we are "the best, freest country in the world," as some
patriots say. When we confine prisoners in a Cuban prison camp so that we are not
bound by our own laws, and then torture them, we violate everything we stand for.
The only thing that made the torture of detainees at Guantanamo possible was that
it was kept private, or secret, from the public.
Clearly state, in one sentence, how it is proof of your thesis:
"Enhanced interrogation" at Guantnamo should not have been kept private
because it is against the principles of the U.S. and, if the population had known
about it, many people would have protested and may have been able to stop it.

When you put all these pieces together, it's a winning body paragraph. We
start with a smooth transition from the introduction, give enough background to
understand why it's relevant, then connect it back to the thesis for the knockout
punch.

Try to read through this again so the structure really makes sense to you.
Notice how this is formulaic - every one of your body paragraphs can be written
in this structure, and you'll get an excellent score! Having a structure like this would
make many students less anxious about the SAT essay.
Then you would go through the above process with the other 1-2 examples. (In
some cases, one very good example can be enough, if you can write 2-3 relevant
paragraphs about it without repeating yourself. But having 2 examples is usually
safer.)

Introduction and Conclusion

After finishing your body paragraphs, don't forget your introduction and conclusion
paragraphs. Both should briefly mention the examples you're using to support your
thesis, but everything else is up to you. Some students write about the concept in
theory, and others just try to restate the thesis in different ways. Even a couple of
sentences is better than nothing - try to scribble something in even if you're running
out of time.
Sample Introduction Paragraph
Many people think that modern American society is characterized by sharing our
lives with the whole world online. And while that may be true of the average citizen,
the people who control most of societynamely, government and industryare
using secrecy under the guise of privacy to keep massive amounts of information
out of the public's hands. A great majority of the 1% who own most of the U.S.
simply hide their illegal or immoral activities from the public, or anyone who might
try to stop them, for as long as they can. The government's treatment of detainees
at Guantnamo and Wet Seal, Inc.'s dishonesty with employees at closing stores
show that No, people should not make more of an effort to keep things private.

Stage 3: Revise for 2-3 Minutes

Much like planning on the SAT Essay, revision seems unnecessary to most students.
But trust us, it will help your score.
There are two reasons for this: one, it helps you mix up your vocabulary and fix
mistakes and illegible words; two, if you know you'll revise, you can write much
faster because you don't have to worry about making it perfect.
On the SAT essay, you can cross out words that you don't want the grader to read.
You don't need to waste time erasing them, unless you want to replace it with
something.

So what do you do when you revise? Well, let's take the body paragraph we wrote
earlier and revise it. New text is bolded.
A very serious example of inappropriate secrecy is the method of interrogation used
against thegovernment coverup of the torture of detainees at Guantnamo
Bay in the years following the attacks on the World Trade Center. The 9/11 attacks
created an environment of fear in the U.S. that changed the way the government
relates to the people. The Patriot Act allowed the CIA to spy, without a warrant, on
citizens it deemed suspicious. Other New legislation paved the way for
manyother secret government activities that would not have been tolerated before
the attack by citizens if they had known about it. One of these activities was
the torture, which the White House called "enhanced interrogation," of hundreds of
detainees at Guantnamo Bay.
The U.S. government and citizens prides itself themselves on fairness and humane
treatment. Our system of due process is supposed to protect the innocent, and this
is the basis of our claim that we are "the best, freest country in the world," as some
patriots say. When we confine prisoners in a Cuban prison camp so that we are not
bound by our own laws, and then torture them, we violate everything we stand for.
The only thing that made the torture of detainees at Guantnamo possible was that
it was kept private, or secret, from the public. "Enhanced interrogation" at
Guantnamo should not have been kept private because it is against the principles
of the U.S. and, if the population had known about it, many people would have
protested and may have been able to stop it.

At this point, you'll have a complete winning essay. Even though I typed this essay, I
still tried to write it within 25 minutes, and it's likely this essay will get a score of 1012.
Our goal here was to show you how formulaic the SAT essay can be. By making the
essay more predictable, you'll go into every test with a game plan in mind, making
the test much easier.

The questions you have to answer in the SAT essay may seem strange or random
when you first read them, but like everything on the SAT, they actually follow a very
specific pattern.
In this article, we've identified that pattern for you and compiled a list of over
60 real SAT essay prompts, from all the real tests we could find from the past 10
years. This is the most comprehensive set of essay prompts available
online today.

Just as important as having SAT writing prompts is knowing how to use them. At the
end of this article, we'll also guide you through how to get the most out of these
prompts and link to our expert resources on acing the SAT essay.
Overview
The SAT essay topics tend to revolve around a few common themes, which we've
broken down for you below. All of the prompts have been taken from actual SATs or
College Board practice materials, and as you can see, they are all similar enough to
fit nicely in these narrow categories.
The College Board's predictability with SAT essay questions is great, because you
can memorize the details of a few widely-applicable sources ahead of time. Make
sure you check out the end of this article, where we discuss how to choose
effective examples to answer most essay prompts, and link to 6 detailed examples
you can use in your essay to make the essay a whole lot easier.
First, let's look at the SAT essay prompts list.

The 5 Major Categories of SAT Essay Prompts

Opinions and Values

These questions are about weighing the value of things, including the opinions of
others.
> Should people weight all opinions equally, or place more weight on informed
opinions?
> Should people pay more attention to the opinions of people who are older and
more experienced?
> Should people always value new things, ideas, or values over older ones?
> Should people be valued according to their capabilities rather than their
achievements?
> Is it better to be idealistic or practical?

> Should books portray the world realistically or idealistically?

> Can working to reach an objective be valuable even if the objective is not
reached?

Morality
These questions are about right and wrong.
> Are teams or groups beneficial for individuals, or does group membership prevent
individuals from forming their own moral judgments?
> Is it best to always suspect that others may have ulterior motives?
> Is it better to decide one's own ideas of right and wrong or follow the crowd?
> Can dishonesty be appropriate in some circumstances?
> Can deception have good results?
> Is it necessary to make mistakes even when it harms others?
> Are people more motivated by conscience or by money, power, and fame?
> Are bad and good choices equally likely to have negative consequences?

Success and Achievement

These questions are about paths and obstacles to achieving goals.
> Is productivity the result of the demands of others?

> Is accomplishment the result of freedom to do things one's own way?

> Are important discoveries the result of focusing on one subject?
> Can any obstacle be turned into something beneficial?
> Is it better to be consistent or to adapt when circumstances change?
> Is it better to use cooperation or competition to achieve success?
> Can success to be disastrous?
> Is success the result of being extremely competitive?
> Is achievement the result of expecting more of oneself than others do of
themselves?
> Is greatness the result of identifying and focusing on one's greatest strength?
> Is success the result of effort or luck?
> Does progress or improvement usually involve a significant drawback or problem?
> Is it more important to do fulfilling or high-paying work?
> Is the process or the outcome of an project more important?
> Is a successful community the result of individuals sacrificing their personal
goals?

Society and Culture

These questions are about the state of modern society.
> Should people look up to heroes instead of celebrities?
> Should people look up to celebrities?
> Should people challenge authority?

> Should people try harder to maintain privacy?

> Can average people be better role models than famous people?
> Do people underestimate the value of community due to our culture of
individualism?
> Is the world changing in a positive way?
> Is the world actually harder to understand due to the abundance of information
now available?
> Do people overvalue getting every detail right?
> Are people defined by their occupations?
> Are people too materialistic?
> Do people value convenience too much?
> Is most of what people buy totally unnecessary?
> Should citizens be more responsible for addressing local or national issues?
> Do changes that make our lives easier not necessarily make them better?

Knowledge, Learning, and Creativity

These questions are about the conditions and situations that lead to various kinds
of learning and inspiration.
> Is self-knowledge the result of being forced into action?
> Do people discover more by exploring the unfamiliar or by examining the
familiar?
> Is it more effective to learn from others or to teach oneself?
> Is learning the result of experiencing difficulties?

> Is self-knowledge the result of interacting with others?

> Is self-knowledge the result of adversity?
> Is creativity the result of closed doors?
> Is the world in need of creativity now more than ever?
> Does planning interfere with creativity?
> Can knowledge be a burden?
> Do people learn from the past?
> Is it better always to be original rather than imitating?
> Are people ever truly original?
> Is it preferable to care deeply about something or to remain emotionally
detached?
> Should people be guided by their feelings when making major choices?
> Is a person's identity established from birth or developed over time?

How do you get the most out of these prompts?

Now that you have all the prompts used by the SAT, it's important to know the best
way to use them.
In this case, it's much better to focus on quality rather than quantity. You
shouldn't be writing 60 essays on all these topics. Instead, you should focus on
topics that give you trouble, and prepare for the most common topics.
Luckily, we've written detailed guides that give you all the information you need to
ace the essay.

Here's a step by step guide on how to practice:

1) Understand how the SAT essay is graded, and read our 15 tips to getting a high
score.
2) Watch us write a high-scoring SAT essay, step by-step.
3) Review the topics above at a glance. Do any stick out to you as difficult to write
about?

4) Pre-plan a set of 5-8 examples that can broadly apply to most of the topics.
Memorize the examples so you can write fluidly.
5) Choose a topic at random from above, or choose a topic that is deliberately hard
for you to write about. Write an essay with a timer set to 25 minutes. Don't give
yourself any extra time!
6) Grade the essay out of 12, using the SAT essay rubric. Notice your weak spots
and try to improve on them. Do you run out of time? Do you forget an intro and
conclusion?
7) Repeat Steps 5 and 6. Choose harder topics so that you're prepared for the worst
come test day.
A major secret to excelling on the SAT essay is to pre-plan the examples and
evidence you want to use. By preparing a collection of reliable examples that can
answer most prompts, you'll cut down on planning time and significantly increase
the amount you can write.
In this article, we give you 6 good SAT essay examples to use that can answer
nearly every prompt the SAT throws at you. By memorizing these examples and
practicing writing about them, you'll be able to walk into every SAT essay confident.
Before You Continue
If you haven't already read our list of every single SAT prompt ever given, check it
out now. This will give you a good idea of the range of prompts you'll have to
prepare for. Then come back to this article.

Preselecting Your Examples

As you can see, the SAT essay prompts cover a lot of common ground. This means
that you can have a pretty good idea ahead of time of what you might see when
you open the booklet on test day. And because of that, you can prepare yourself
with SAT essay topics that involve more than one of these issueswe've provided
some ideas below.
In the SAT writing examples, we've tried to use books, people and events that most
high school students are already familiar with. Remember that personal examples
are just as valid as academic ones, but since we don't spy on your life, we don't
know what personal examples are noteworthy in your life.
We've chosen 2 books, 2 examples from American History, and 2 current events
that you can use as stellar evidence to support your thesis. Play to your
strengths - if you like English, you might develop more examples in literature. If
you're a news buff, you might use current events that are on your mind.

For each example below, we also show you how you can use the evidence to
support your thesis across a range of prompts. This should prove to you how
effective pre-planned examples are.
So, without further ado, onto our list of multipurpose support for any SAT Essay
prompt.

Examples from Literature

Books are great examples to use since they cover a wide range of human
experience and social issues. You don't need to have read a book to write about it you just need to understand key points about the plot and be able to relate it to the
thesis.

Animal Farm
This short novel written by George Orwell in 1945 is a parable (a short story used to
illustrate a lesson) about the Russian Revolution. It describes a farm's animals
banding together to overthrow the farmer who exploits their work and products
(milk, eggs, etc.) so they can take control of the farm themselves. However, the pigs
(with specially bred dogs as guards) immediately begin scheming to control the
farm themselves, and ultimately take advantage of the other animals in the same
way the farmer did.
This is a literary classic, and for good reason - it touches upon many core human
struggles. Animal Farm can be used to support the following theses, among many
others:
(Opinions and Values) Should people pay more attention to the opinions of
people who are older and more experienced?

Yes; in Animal Farm, the only animal who suspects the pigs' deception is
Boxer, the oldest animal on the farm. Soon, the pigs send him to be killed,
and the other animals are even more helpless than they were before.

(Morality) Is it best to always suspect that others may have ulterior motives?

Yes; the animals in Animal Farm would have been better off if they had
suspected that the pigs were planning to exploit them.

(Success and Achievement) Are important discoveries the result of focusing on

one subject?

No; in Animal Farm, the success of the animals in running the farm depends
on their ability to teach themselves how to read, do math, build structures,
and harness electricity, among other skills.

Frankenstein
This classic novel by Mary Shelley, first published anonymously in 1818, tells the
story of Dr. Victor Frankenstein, who alienates his family by following his obsession
with animating a man made of corpses, creating artificial life for the first time. But
he is horrified by his creation, and the monster, lonely and miserable, wanders the
earth, rejected by everyone. He develops anger toward his creator and kills Victor's
brother, and then Victor's wife, on their wedding day. Victor then chases the
monster all over the world, trying to kill him, and dies in the process.
Frankenstein can be used to support the following theses, among others:
(Knowledge, Learning, and Creativity) Is self-knowledge the result of adversity?

Yes; Dr. Frankenstein can only understand the horror of artificially creating life
(or "playing God") after multiple people are killed.

(Success and Achievement) Can success to be disastrous?

Yes; in the first part of the book, Dr. Frankenstein sacrifices everything to
achieve his goal of bringing his monster to life. But as soon as he does, his
life becomes more and more miserable until he finally dies in the Arctic.

(Morality) Is it better to decide one's own ideas of right and wrong or follow the
crowd?

Follow the crowd; Dr. Frankenstein ignores everyone's warnings that his
obsession is dangerous. His creation of the monster is a direct result of his

deciding for himself what is right and wrong, because his obsession clouds his
judgment.

Examples from American History

You've likely learned a lot about American history in school, but a few notable
examples stand out as compelling events that you can use to support a wide range
of prompts.

The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan

During the last stage of World War II, after Germany surrendered to the Allies, Japan
refused to surrender. Instead of a military invasion of the mainland of Japan, the U.S.
decided to end the war by dropping two atomic bombs on Japan with no warning:
one on the city of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and the other on the city of
Nagasaki on August 9. Japan surrendered on August 15, but the immediate effects
of the explosions killed 90,000166,000 people in Hiroshima and 39,00080,000 in
Nagasaki; about half of the deaths in each city occurred on the first day. Over the
next few months, large numbers of peoplemostly civiliansdied from radiation
burns, radiation sickness, and other injuries, exacerbated by illness and
malnutrition.
The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki can be used to support the following
theses, among others:
(Knowledge, Learning, and Creativity) Can knowledge be a burden?

Yes; some of the scientists who worked on the atomic bomb, in 1945, signed
the Szilrd petition, which asked President Truman not to bomb Japan without
warning. This shows that their understanding of the possible effects of the
bombs was a burden on their respective consciences.

(Morality) Are bad and good choices equally likely to have negative consequences?

Yes; the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki caused massive civilian

casualties, but had the cities not been bombed, many Americans and
Japanese would have died in further ocean- and land-based warfare.

(Opinions and Values) Should people weight all opinions equally, or place more
weight on informed opinions?

Place more weight on informed opinions; After Pearl Harbor, many Americans
hated the Japanese and wanted their whole country eradicated. But the
scientists who understood the awful power of the atom bomb had a different
view; they were wary of dropping it on Japan with no warning. Many fewer
civilians would have had to die if the concerned scientists had been heeded
and the Japanese had been warned about the bombings ahead of time.

The Life of Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) was an African-American social reformer, public
speaker, writer, and politician. Born a slave in Maryland, he taught himself to read
and write (despite literacy being forbidden to slaves) and eventually escaped to the
North. He became an important leader of the abolitionist movement through his
persuasive writing in antislavery publications and the talks he gave during his
frequent speaking tours. He made it clear that slaveholders' arguments about
slaves' inferior intelligence were fabricated and helped see the country through the
Civil War and out of the era of slavery.
The life of Frederick Douglass can be used to support the following theses, among
others:
(Opinions and Values) Should people be valued according to their capabilities
rather than their achievements?

Yes; Douglass, like many others even today, faced nearly insurmountable
difficulties in achieving even literacy. For these people, opportunities for

achievement are rare, and capabilities are the only accurate measure of their
value.
(Morality) Can dishonesty be appropriate in some circumstances?

Yes; Douglass had to be dishonest with the slaveholders who 'owned' him in
order to learn how to read and write, because slaves were not allowed that
privilege. He later had a large influence on the abolishment of slavery, so his
dishonesty was well worth the cost.

(Success and Achievement) Is productivity the result of the demands of others?

No; Douglass achieved and an unimaginable amount and published a number

of booksdespite the fact that he was a slave and nothing at all was expected
of him.

Examples of Current Events

Notable events happen constantly in the news. Many students will pull on these to
support their topics, but the key is to understand the topics thoroughly and be able
to speak beyond a superficial level. This will impress the grader since you rise above
other testtakers.

The Shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO

The shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown occurred on August 9, 2014, in Ferguson,
Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. Darren Wilson, 28, a white Ferguson police officer,
shot the unarmed teenager from a distance, but it was unclear whether Brown was
surrendering or threatening Wilson. The unclear circumstances of Brown's death,
the resulting nationwide protests, and police forces' perceived overreaction to the
protests all led to a serious national debate about law enforcement's treatment of
African-Americans in the United States.
The events surrounding the shooting death of Michael Brown can be used to support
the following theses, among others:
(Knowledge, Learning, and Creativity) Do people learn from the past?

Yes; despite widespread anger, the protests in Ferguson were mostly

nonviolent, reflecting the practices of earlier civil rights protesters in the U.S.
These nonviolent protests successfully led to widespread awareness of the
growing nationwide law enforcement problems of racial profiling and use of
excessive force.

(Success and Achievement) Is it better to use cooperation or competition to

achieve success?

Cooperation; in the wake of the shooting, conflicts between protesters and

police in Missouri led President Obama to call for funding to support initiatives
to support cooperation between communities and law enforcement.

(Morality) Are people more motivated by conscience or by money, power, and

fame?

Conscience; The shooting of Michael Brown brought thousands of protesters

all over the country onto the streets to make a statement against racial
profiling and police brutality. Monitored by the police themselves, these
protests have potential for conflict, but people attended them anyway,
motivated by their conscience.

The American Wealth Gap and the 1%

In 2014, the Washington Times reported that the top wealthiest 1% of Americans
hold 40% of the nations wealth; the bottom 80%, by contrast, hold 7%. Another
way to put it is that the "richest 1% in the United States now own more wealth than
the bottom 90%." The top 10% of Americans has 1,000% of (or ten times) the
wealth of the middle class; that increases another 1000% for the top 1% of
Americans. This means that the average employee needs to work more than a
month to earn what the average CEO earns in one hour.

The wealth gap in the U.S. can be used to support the following theses, among
others:
(Success and Achievement) Is success the result of effort or luck?

Luck; most of the wealthiest people in the U.S. were born into wealth, and
have been lucky enough to have their investments not fail. Effort clearly does
not factor into the wealth differences between a CEO and a minimum-wage
worker.

(Society and Culture) Should people look up to celebrities?

No; celebrities, like other super-rich people, have all of their needs handled
by other people and lead lives that are totally different from average
people's. To look up to people who are rich because of modeling or acting
careers is to compare ourselves to people who live in a different world from
average people because they happen to be beautiful or good at acting.

(Morality) Are people more motivated by conscience or by money, power, and

fame?

Power, money, and fame; The wealth gap implies that power and money
(which are strongly connected, of course) are such powerful motivators that,
once people become rich, much of their energy goes into
becoming more rich. This is the only way to build the kind of wealth that
creates the American income gap: to focus completely on what will bring in
more money, regardless of the consequences.

Review
As you can see, these examples from literature, history and current events can be
used to support lots of different thesis statements for a wide range of
topics. This is because the examples themselves are so meaningful and complex
that they touch upon a lot of issues that we as humans struggle with.
You can use these 6 examples, or you can research your own. Students often find it
easier to memorize and write about topics they're passionate about, so feel free to
collect a group of examples that inspire you. Just make sure that they can tackle a
wide range of SAT essay prompts (refer to our comprehensive guide to make sure).
The main point is, you don't have to wait until you see the prompt to develop an
arsenal of facts you can use to support your points. Instead, collecting them
beforehand will save you a lot of time and anxiety when the test rolls around.

The SAT Essay is a large part of the Writing section - roughly 1/3 of the entire 800
Writing score. And if you're aiming for a high Writing score, learning how to
consistently write perfect SAT essays will be a huge boost to your overall SAT score.
In this article, we'll discuss what it takes to get a 12 SAT essay, and what you need
to do to train yourself to get to this top score.
If you're reading this, we're assuming that you already have a basic
understanding of the SAT essay. You know the standard format of how you
should write an essay - introduction, evidence paragraph 1, evidence paragraph 2,
conclusion. You know that you should state your thesis in the introduction. All of this
will get you an 8 as long as you develop your points enough.
If you aren't fully aware of this, we'll be publishing a guide to SAT essay tips soon.
But how do you push your essay to the next level? That's what this article is about.
The Big Secret
You'll have to practice this. The perfect SAT essay is like a puzzle that happens to be
in writing form--it can be mastered, but to do it well and completely every time
requires practice with a lot of sample topics. You need to learn the format of an
effective essay and how to fill out a complete essay within 25 minutes.
What a 12 Means
If you're already scoring an 8 or above on practice (or real) SAT essays, you have a
shot at completely nailing what the graders want, represented by a score of 12, with
a little practice. But there's something important to remember in your quest for
perfection: on the SAT essay, a 12 is not always achievable. We've got good news
and bad news for those of you who are determined to score a 12 on the SAT essay.
The bad news

Because the whole essay must be written in 25 minutes, getting a 12 requires some
luck. You have to pick a thesis and pull together relevant and convincing evidence
to support it before you can even start writing, so a lot depends on how quickly you
can come up with a thesis and relevant support for whatever the prompt happens to
be. You'll need to use precise language to show mastery of English writing. And
because 12 essays are almost always near two pages long, you don't have any time
to spare. If you fumble on any one of these aspects, the grader might not give your
SAT essay 12.
The good news
Because the essay is so formulaic, it's always possible to get a reliable 10. You
may not always be able to rocket past the expectations of the grader to get the
perfect score, but with practice you will always be able to impress them to get a 10.
Also remember that you can score a perfect 800 on the Writing section with a 10
essay score. On top of this, no college worth its salt is going to base your college
admission on getting those last two points on an essay you had to write in 25
minutes. The goal, really, is to show that you can write a decent essay in that time,
and a 10 shows that just as well as a 12 does. But we should aim as high as we can,
so keep reading to find out what it really takes to get an SAT 12 essay.

The Difference between a 10 and a 12

If we asked the College Board what the difference is between a 10 and a 12 SAT
essay, they would direct us to their scoring criteria below that describes the
difference between the 5 and 6 essay scores. (As you may already know, a total
score of 12 comes from two readers separately giving your essay a 6.) We've
marked the differences between the 5 and 6 criteria.

Score of 6

Score of 5

(Overall
Ability)

An essay in this category

demonstratesclear and consistent
mastery, although it may have a few
minor errors.

An essay in this category

demonstrates reasonably
consistent mastery,
although it has occasional
errors or lapses in
quality.

Point of
View and
Evidence

Effectively and insightfully develops a

point of view on the issue and
demonstrates outstanding critical

Effectively develops a point

of view on the issue and
demonstrates strong

Mastery

thinking, using clearly appropriate

examples, reasons and other evidence to
support its position

critical thinking, generally

using appropriate
examples, reasons and
other evidence to support
its position

Organizati Is well organized and clearly focused,

on and
demonstrating clear coherence
Focus
andsmooth progression of ideas

Is well organized and

focused, demonstrating
coherence and progression
of ideas

Vocabular Exhibits skillful use of language, using

y
avaried, accurate and apt vocabulary

Exhibits facility in the use

of language, using
appropriate vocabulary

Sentence
Structure

Demonstrates meaningful variety in

sentence structure

Demonstrates variety in
sentence structure

Grammar

Is free of most errors in grammar,

usage and mechanics

Is generally free of most

errors in grammar, usage
and mechanics

Let's condense the information above. A 6 essay:

Is extremely clear

Is consistent, smooth and easy to read

Has few errors

Is not repetitive in content or language

Is sufficiently detailed to fully support thesis

In other words, you need to excel in every one of these aspects to get to a perfect
score.

A Sample Essay
Now we'll look at a sample 12 SAT essay, and make note of how it fits the criteria
above. The prompt for the essay below is as follows:
Should people take more responsibility for solving problems that affect their
communities or the nation in general? Plan and write an essay in which you develop

your point of view on the issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples
taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.
Here's the essay. Read it first, and we'll have annotations below.
The government's involvement in the daily lives of Americans is a high contested
issue--where do our rights end and invasions of our privacy begin? Though it may be
true that the government should not control deeply personal decisions, such as the
decision to marry or the freedom of a woman to control what is done to her body,
there are times when decisive executive choices must be made without leaving the
responsibility to the common people. This fact does not work against Americas
goals of democracy and self-sufficiency, but rather proves that our government can
support these goals by taking action to solve serious nationwide problems.
With the stock market crash of 1929 as a catalyst, the Great Depression is a
historical incident requiring the government's solution to society's ills. The
ineffective President Hoover was resented by a tired nation, as poverty struck the
widespread "Hoovervilles" of makeshift homes. For farmers in the Dust Bowl, the
environment and soil degradation prevented even subsistence farming. Desperate
for change, the people turned to Franklin D. Roosevelt, who promised jobs with his
New Deal recovery plan.
This New Deal and general support of the rural and working class American inspired
a sense of optimistic nationalism and, while there was still economic deficits by the
1930s, there was something new permeating American hearts: hope. Had these
desperate people merely taken the Great Depression into their own hands, there
might have been a revolt and a power vacuum, resulting in even further despair and
perhaps less desirable forms of government, such as the fascism that struck Italy
and Germany during WWII. By looking to authority figures, the nation clung to the
American ideals of democracy and camaraderie.
Another precarious situation regarding the authority of an executive decision was
the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in order to end WWII. If the decision had
been up to popular opinion, the result would have been indecisive. Perhaps
thousands more would have died as a result of prolonging the war. Though President
Truman's controversial decision resulted in both irreparable physical and
psychological damage, his decisiveness allowed a choice that the population could
not have made, potentially saving many lives.
The New Deal and the bombing of Japan demonstrate that the American ideals of
self-sufficiency and independence are not necessarily undermined by the
expectation that the government should solve societal problems. While individuals
may need to address more local challenges, many of the U.S.s hardest problems
could only have been solved by government.
Here are our notes on what stands out in this essay:

Note that not every 12 essay needs to have exactly the same items in here, nor do
you need to argue in exactly the same way. But the elements in this essay make it a
standout and demonstrate clear mastery.
And now for the million dollar question:

What makes this SAT essay a 12 rather than an 8 or 10?

Precise language
SAT graders are big on clarity, and clarity requires precise language and obvious,
sound logic. In this essay, adjectives are used effectively; Hoover is described
as ineffective, not just farming butsubsistence farming is mentioned, and the people
of the U.S. during the depression are noted asdesperate. All of these adjectives help
support and explain the author's point.
Effective Logic
His clarity extends to his logic, as well. The examples are clear, set in a specific time
and place, and background is given to explain the problem that needed to be
solved. Where relevant, the author acknowledges the controversy and possible
flaws inherent in the New Deal and the bombing of Japan, but he does it quickly and
it doesn't distract from his point.
Consistency throughout
The clarity of the argument and the lack of errors remain consistent from start to
finish. The incorrect words in Comment 4 are two of only a few errors in the whole
essay. The wording of the thesis statement in the introduction and the conclusion is
similar but not identical, and the reasons given for government action in both
examples are the same.
Transitions
Transitions between all paragraphs create a smooth, consistent argument that is
easy to follow. Transitions are noted in Comments 3, 7, and 8. Another great
example of moving smoothly between paragraphs is mentioning the New Deal at
the end of the second paragraph and beginning the next paragraph with "This New
Deal...". This kind of quick-draw transition is a type of writing "flourish" that SAT
graders seem to like in higher-scoring essays.
Variety

The author uses a variety of words (marked in blue) and sentence structures to
convey similar ideas in different ways throughout the essay. Another example is all
the words used for "problem":ill, precarious situation, and challenge among them. In
Paragraph 3, "Had these desperate people..." could easily be the simpler "If the
people had taken...". This kind of linguistic "flourish" can be found in most 12scoring SAT Essays. Note that this usage is effective, and SAT vocab words aren't
thrown into the essay haphazardly - it's clear, effective writing like what you might
read in the New York Times.
Detail and Length
The essay is long enough to detail two complex examples and include introductory
and concluding paragraphs. While the College Board doesn't acknowledge that
length is a factor in scoring SAT essays, most experts agree that it is. But length
means nothing if there isn't valuable information filling the space, so long SAT
essays also need to be detailedthis author uses the space to give lots of context
for his examples.

Dos and Don'ts for a 12 SAT Essay

The key to a perfect score on the SAT essay is to use every second of your time
wisely. To this end, here are a few tips to avoid common time-wasters and put your
energy where it will get you the most points.
Do spend time:

Writing as much as you can without including repetitive or irrelevant

information.

Revising the first and last paragraphs (they stand out in readers' minds).

Making sure you have effective transitions for a seamless essay.

Don't spend time:

Thinking of 'smart' sounding evidenceThe Hunger Games is just as viable as

evidence as1984.

Trying to correct every errorthe grammar and spelling do not have to be

perfect to score a 12. Spend the extra time trying to write more and develop
your points.

Adding as many vocabulary words as you canyou do need some stylistic

flourishes, as noted above, but you shouldn't over do it, or your writing will
sound clunky.

How to Train to Improve Your SAT Essay Score

As I mentioned above, most anyone can train to get a 10 reliably on the essay, and
many can move beyond that to consistently get 11's or 12's. Here's a framework for
how to do this:

Find a list of SAT essay prompts (we'll be publishing one soon)

Create a list of evidence examples that you can use for most topics

Practice first with extended length time - 40 minutes - so you can feel what it
takes to get a top-scoring essay

Find a way to grade your essay. If you can be objective about your writing,
you can notice weak spots, especially if you ran out of time but know what to
do. Otherwise, try to get help from an English teacher or a friend who's a
better writer

Start narrowing the time down to 25 minutes to mirror the actual test

SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips

How to Get 800 on SAT Math, by a Perfect Scorer
Posted by Allen Cheng on Feb 27, 2015 5:00:00 PM

inShare0

Are you scoring in the 600-750 range on SAT Math? Do you want to raise that score
as high as possible - to a perfect 800?
Getting to an 800 SAT Math score isn't easy. It'll require perfection. But with hard
work and my strategies below, you'll be able to do it. I've scored 800 on Math on all
my SATs, and I know what it takes. Follow my advice, and you'll get a perfect
score - or get very close.

Brief note: This article is suited for students already scoring a 600 on SAT math or
above. If you're below this range, my "How to improve your SAT Math score"
article is more appropriate for you. Follow the advice in that article, then come back
to this one when you've reached a 600.

Overview
In this article, I'm going to discuss why scoring an 800 is a good idea, what
it takes to score an 800, and then go into the 8 key SAT Math strategies so
you know how to get an 800 on SAT Math.
Stick with me - as an advanced student, you probably already know that scoring
high is good. But it's important to know why an 800 Math score is useful, since this
will fuel your motivation to get a high score.
Finally, in this guide, I talk mainly about getting to a 800. But if your goal is a 700,
these strategies still equally apply.

Understand the Stakes: Why an 800 SAT Math?

Let's make something clear: for all intents and purposes, a 2300+ on an SAT is
equivalent to a perfect 2400. No top college is going to give you more credit for a

2390 than a 2350. You've already crossed their score threshold, and whether you
get in now depends on the rest of your application.
So if you're already scoring a 2350, don't waste your time studying trying to get a
2400. You're already set for the top colleges, and it's time to work on the rest of
your application.
But if you're scoring a 2300 or below AND you want to go to a top 10
college, it's worth your time to push your score up to a 2300 or
above. There's a big difference between a 2250 and a 2350, largely because it's
easy to get a 2250 (and a lot more applicants do) and a lot harder to get a 2350.
A 2250 places you right around average at Harvard and Princeton, and being
average is bad in terms of admissions, since the admissions rate is typically below
10%.
So why get an 800 on SAT Math? Because it helps you compensate for
weaknesses in other sections. By and large, schools consider your composite score
moreso than your individual section scores. If you can get an 800 in SAT Math, that
means you only need a 1500 in SAT Reading and SAT Writing combined. This gives
you a lot more flexibility.

MIT expects an 800 in SAT Math.

There are two other scenarios where an 800 in SAT Math is really important. First
is if you're planning for a quantitative or science major (like math, physics,

statistics, chemistry). The second is if you're applying to a highly selective

technical school like MIT or Caltech.
Here's the reason: college admissions is all about comparisons between applicants.
The school wants to admit the best, and you're competing with other people in the
same "bucket" as you.
By applying as a math/science major, you're competing against other math/science
folks: people for whom SAT Math is easy. Really easy.
Here are a few examples from schools. For Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Caltech,
and even less selective schools like Harvey Mudd, the 75th percentile SAT
Math score is an 800. That means at least 25% of all students at these schools
have an 800 in SAT Math.
Even more surprising: the 25th percentile score for SAT Math at MIT and
Caltech are 750 and 770, respectively. This means if you score a 750 on your
SAT Math, you're well below average for these schools!
I'm not going to lie. SAT Math was super easy for me. I got 800 on pretty much
every practice test and official SAT I ever took. This was largely because I had a
strong math background and competed in math competitions like AMC/AIME. I also
worked hard and applied the strategies below to achieve perfection.
You're competing against people like me. And if you apply with a 700 on Math,
schools like MIT, Harvard, and Princeton are going to doubt your
ability. Because SAT Math is supposed to be trivially easy for you.
But if you can work your way to an 800, you show that you're at an equal
level (at least on this metric). Even if it takes you a ton of work, all that matters is
the score you achieve at the end.

Know that You Can Do It

This isn't just some fuzzy feel-good message you see on the back of a Starbucks
cup.
I mean, literally, you and every other reasonably intelligent student can
score an 800 on SAT Math.
The reason most people don't is they don't try hard enough or they don't study the
right way.
Even if math wasn't your strongest suit, or you got a B+ in Calculus, you're capable
of this.
Because I know that more than anything else, your SAT score is a reflection
of how hard you work and how smartly you study.
Here's why: the SAT is a weird test. When you take it, don't you get the sense
that the questions are nothing like what you've seen in school?
It's purposely designed this way. The SAT can't test difficult concepts, because this
would be unfair for students who never took AP Calculus. It can't ask you to
solve Fermat's Last Theorem. The SAT is a national test, which means it needs a
level playing field for all students around the country.
So it HAS to test concepts that all high school students will cover. Numbers
(integers, fractions, ratios), Algebra (solving equations for x, word problems),
Geometry (x-y coordinate geometry, circles squares and triangles), and Probability.
You've learned all of this before in high school.

But the SAT still has to make the test difficult to differentiate student skill levels,
so it needs to test these concepts in strange ways. This trips up students who
don't prepare, but it rewards students who understand the test well.
Here's an example: Find the area of the shaded region below, if the radius of
the circle is 5.

This is a classic SAT type question. You might already know how to solve it. But it's
unlikely you ever ran into something like this in school.
The first time you see this, it might be confusing. How do you get the area of each
of the shaded corners? It kind of looks like a triangle, but not really because of the
curve region.
But you've learned all the concepts you need to solve this.
Notice that the shaded area is the area of the square, with the area of the circle
punched out. To get to the answer quickly, this means that the area of a square is
10 x 10 = 100, and the area of a circle is r2, or * 5 * 5 = 25.
So the area of the shaded region is 100 - 25.
The SAT math section is full of weird examples like this, some of which get
much more difficult.
To improve your score, you just need to:

master the types of questions that the SAT tests, like the one above

draw on the correct concepts you already know to solve the questions

practice on a lot of questions so you learn from your mistakes

I'll go into more detail about exactly how to do this. First, let's see how many
questions you need to get right an 800.

What It Takes to Get An 800 in Math

If we have a target score in mind, it helps to understand what you need to get that
score on the actual test.
Here's a sample raw score to SAT Math Score conversion table. (If you could use a
refresher on how the SAT is scored and how raw scores are calculated, read this.)
Raw Score

Math Scaled Score

Raw Score

Math Scaled Score

54

800

44

680

53

800

43

670

52

780

42

660

51

760

41

650

50

740

40

640

49

730

39

630

48

720

38

620

47

710

37

620

46

700

36

610

45

690

35

600

Source: College Board

In this grading scale, you can miss one question and still get an 800. In other tests,
you must get EVERY question correct to get an 800 - missing 1 would bring you
down to an 800. This all depends on how the particular test you're taking is scored.
The harder the math questions are, the more likely you can miss one question and
get an 800.
The safest thing to do is to aim for perfection. On every practice test, you
need to aim for a perfect raw score for an 800.
Whatever you're scoring now, take note of the difference you need to get to a 800.
For example, if you're scoring a 700 now, you need to answer 8 more questions
right to get to an 800.
As a final example, here's a screenshot from my exact score report showing that I
missed 0 questions and earned an 800.

OK - so we've covered why scoring a higher SAT math score is important, why you
specifically are capable of improving your score, and the raw score you need to get
to your target.
Now we'll actually get into actionable strategies that you should use in
your own studying to maximize your score improvement.

Strategies to Get an 800 on SAT Math

What's your greatest weakness?

Strategy 1: Understand Your High Level Weakness: Content or Time Management

Every student has different flaws in SAT Math. Some people aren't comfortable with
the underlying math material. Others know the math material well, but can't solve
questions quickly enough in the harsh time limit.
Here's how you can figure out which one applies more to you:

Take only the math sections of a practice test. We have the complete list of
free practice tests here.

For each section, use a timer and have it count down the time allotted for
that section. Treat it like a real test.

If time runs out for that section and you're 100% ready to move on, then
move on. If you're not ready to move on, keep on working for as long as you
need. For every new answer or answer that you change, mark it with a
special note as "Extra Time."

When you're ready, move on to the next section, and repeat the above until
you finish all math sections.

Grade your test using the answer key and score chart, but we want two
scores: 1) The Realistic score you got under normal timing conditions,
2) The Extra Time score. This is why you marked the questions you
answered or changed during Extra Time.

Get what we're doing here? By marking which questions you did under Extra Time,
we can figure out what score you got if you were given all the time you needed. This
will help us figure out where your weaknesses lie.
If you didn't take any extra time, then your Extra Time score is the same as your
Realistic score.
Here's a flowchart to help you figure this out:
Was your Extra Time score a 700 or above?
If NO (Extra Time score < 700), then you have remaining content weaknesses.
You might have weaknesses across a range of subjects, or a deep weakness in only
a few subjects. (We'll cover this later). Your first plan of attack should be to develop
more comfort with all SAT Math subjects.
If YES (Extra Time score > 700), then:

Was your Realistic score a 700 or above?

If NO (Extra Time score > 700, Realistic < 700), then that means you have a
difference between your Extra Time score and your Realistic score. If this difference
is more than 50 points, then you have some big problems with time management.
We need to figure out why this is. Are you generally slow at math across most
questions? Or did particular problems slow you down? Generally, doing a lot of
practice questions and learning the most efficient solutions will help reduce your
time. More on this later.
If YES (both Extra Time and Realistic scores > 700), then you have a really
good shot at getting an 800. Compare your Extra Time and Realistic score - if they
differed by more than 30 points, then you would benefit from learning how to solve
questions more quickly. If not, then you likely can benefit from shoring up on your
last content weaknesses and avoiding careless mistakes (more on this strategy
later).
Hopefully that makes sense. Typically I see that students have both timing and
content issues, but you might find that one is much more dominant for you than the
other. For example, if you can get an 800 with extra time, but score a 700 in regular
time, you know exactly that you need to work on time management to get an 800.

Strategy 2: Do a Ton of Practice, and Understand Every Single Mistake

On the path to perfection, you need to make sure every single one of your weak
points is covered. Even one mistake on all of SAT Math will knock you down from an
800.
The first step is simply to do a ton of practice. If you're studying from free
materials or from books, you have access to a lot of practice questions in bulk. As

part of our PrepScholar program, we have over 1,500 SAT questions customized to
each skill.
The second step - and the more important part - is to be ruthless about
understanding your mistakes.
Every mistake you make on a test happens for a reason. If you don't understand
exactly why you missed that question, you will make that mistake over
and over again.
I've seen students who did 20 practice tests. They've solved over 3,000 questions,
but they're still nowhere near an 800 on SAT Math.
Why? They never understood their mistakes. They just hit their heads against
the wall over and over again.
Think of yourself as an exterminator, and your mistakes are cockroaches. You need
to eliminate every single one - and find the source of each one - or else the
restaurant you work for will be shut down.
Here's what you need to do:

on every practice test or question set that you take, mark every question that
you're even 20% unsure about

when you grade your test or quiz, review every single question that you
marked, and every incorrect question. This way even if you guessed a
question correctly, you'll make sure to review it.

in a notebook, write down the gist of the question, why you missed it, and
what you'll do to avoid that mistake in the future. Have separate sections by
subject and sub-topic (number theory - fractions, algebra - solving equations,
etc.)

It's not enough to just think about it and move on. It's not enough to just read the
answer explanation. You have to think hard about why you specifically failed on this
question.
By taking this structured approach to your mistakes, you'll now have a running log
of every question you missed, and your reflection on why.

No excuses when it comes to your mistakes.

Always Go Deeper - WHY Did You Miss a Math Question?

Now, what are some common reasons that you missed a question? Don't just say, "I
didn't get this question right." That's a cop out.
Always take it one step further - what specifically did you miss, and what do you
have to improve in the future?
Here are some examples of common reasons you miss a question, and how you
take the analysis one step further:
Content: I didn't learn the skill or knowledge needed to answer this question.
One step further: What specific skill do I need to learn, and how will I learn this
skill?

Incorrect Approach: I knew the content, but I didn't know how to approach this
question.
One step further: How do I solve the question? How will I solve questions like this
in the future?

Careless Error: I misread what the question was asking for or solved for the wrong
thing.

One step further: Why did I misread the question? What should I do in the future
to avoid this?

Get the idea? You're really digging into understanding why you're missing
questions.
Yes, this is hard, and it's draining, and it takes work. That's why most students who
study ineffectively don't improve.
But you're different. Just by reading this guide, you're already proving that you care
more than other students. And if you apply these principles and analyze your
mistakes, you'll improve more than other students too.

Bonus: If all of this is making sense to you, you'd love our SAT prep
program, PrepScholar.
We designed our program around the concepts in this article, because they actually
work. When you start with PrepScholar, youll take a diagnostic that will determine
your weaknesses in over forty SAT skills. PrepScholar then creates a study program
specifically customized for you.
To improve each skill, youll take focused lessons dedicated to each skill, with over
20 practice questions per skill. This will train you for your specific area weaknesses,
so your time is always spent most effectively to raise your score.
We also force you to focus on understanding your mistakes and learning from them.
If you make the same mistake over and over again, we'll call you out on it.
Theres no other prep system out there that does it this way, which is why we get
better score results than any other program on the market.
Check it out today with a 5-day free trial:
SAT Free Signup

Strategy 3: If You Have Content Gaps, Be Ruthless About Filling Them

Within SAT Math, you have to master a lot of subjects. At the high level, you need to
know number operations, algebra, geometry, probability, and more. Even within
each subject, you have subskills to master. Within algebra, you need to know how to
solve equations, how to deal with word problems, properties of functions, etc.

Unless you're a math whiz and are already scoring a 750-800, it's unlikely that
you've mastered all of these evenly. You probably have different strengths and
weaknesses across these subjects.
If from the analysis of mistakes above you find that you have a content
problem, you need to improve your understanding of that content.
By Content problem, I mean that you're not comfortable with the underlying math
concepts in a subject. Maybe you forgot how to solve a type of problem, or you
forgot a formula to use, or you just don't remember the subject material.
If you've identified one of these issues, you've spotted an opportunity for
yourself to improve your score.

Fill in the potholes of your understanding.

Think of a mistake like discovering a cavity in your mouth. When your dentist fills in
a cavity, he doesn't just patch up the hole right away. He cleans out the entire
cavity, sterilizes it, then adds a filling.
Content mistakes are similar - you have a weakness in a subject, say x-y coordinate
geometry. This probably means you have a lot of other weaknesses in that subject
other than the one identified by that question. Don't just focus on understanding
that one question you missed.

Take the opportunity to research that subject and get more practice in it.
You need to find a way to get lesson material to teach yourself the main concepts
that you're forgetting. Then you need to find more practice questions for this skill so
you can drill your mistakes.
In our SAT prep program PrepScholar, we do that work for you by splitting up our
1,500+ practice questions by skill and difficulty. If you're weak in algebra - solving
equations, you get 20+ questions in a quiz dealing specifically with that skill. This
repetitive practice fills up your content gap far better than any other method I know.

Strategy 4: If You Miss a Question, Re-Solve It First

When you're doing practice questions, the first thing you probably do is read the
answer explanation and at most reflect on it a little.
This is a little too easy. I consider this passive learning - you're not actively
engaging with the mistake you made.
Instead, try something different - find the correct answer choice (A-E), but don't
look at the explanation. Instead, try to resolve the question once over again
and try to get the correct answer.
This will often be hard. You couldn't solve it the first time, so why could you solve it
the second time around?
But this time, with less time pressure, you might spot a new strategy, or something
else will pop up. Something will just "click" for you.
When this happens, what you learned will stick with you for 20 times
longer than if you just read an answer explanation. I know this from personal
experience. Because you've struggled with it and reached a breakthrough, you
retain that information far better than if you just passively absorbed the
information.
It's too easy to just read an answer explanation and have it go in one ear and out
the other. You won't actually learn from your mistake, and you'll make that mistake
over and over again.
Treat each wrong question like a puzzle. Struggle with each wrong answer for
up to 10 minutes. Only then if you don't get it should you read the answer
explanation.

Strategy 5: Finish With Extra Time and Double Check

Your goal at the end of all this work is to get so good at SAT Math that you solve
every question and have extra time left over at the end of the section to
recheck your work.
In high school and even now, I can finish a 25 minute section in 15 minutes or less. I
then have 10 minutes left over to recheck my answers two times over.
The best way to get faster is, as explained above, to do so many questions and get
so fluent at the questions that the ways to solve the question become obvious to
you. Complicated circle questions become as easy for you as 2+2.
What's the best way to doublecheck your work? I have a reliable method that I
follow:

Try to resolve the question another way. If I solved a question algebraically, I

can recheck it by plugging in the solution.

If I'm 100% sure I'm right on a question, I mark it as such and never look at it
again. If I'm not sure, I'll come back to it on the third pass.

At least 2 minutes before time's up, I rapidly doublecheck that I bubbled the
answers correctly. I try to do this all at once so as not to waste time looking
back and forth between the test book and the answer sheet. Go 5 at a time
("A D E C B") for more speed.

If you notice yourself spending more than 30 seconds on a problem and aren't clear
how you'll get to the answer, skip and go to the next question. Even though you
need a perfect raw score for an 800, don't be afraid to skip. You can come back to it
later, and for now it's more important to get as many points as possible.

Quick Tip: Bubbling Answers

Here's a bubbling tip that will save you 2 minutes per section.
When I first started test taking in high school, I did what many students do: after I
finished one question, I went to the bubble sheet and filled it in. Then I solved the
next question. Finish question 1, bubble in answer 1. Finish question 2, bubble in
answer 2. And so forth.
This actually wastes a lot of time. You're distracting yourself between two distinct
tasks - solving questions, and bubbling in answers. This costs you time in both
mental switching costs and in physically moving your hand and eyes to different
areas of the test.
Here's a better method: solve all your questions first in the book, then
bubble all of them in at once.
This has several huge advantages: you focus on each task one at a time, rather
than switching between two different tasks. You also eliminate careless entry errors,
like if you skip question 7 and bubble in question 8's answer into question 7's slot.
By saving just 10 seconds per question, you get back 200 seconds on a section that
has 20 questions. This is huge.
Note: If you use this strategy, you should already be finishing the section with
ample extra time to spare. Otherwise, you might run out of time before you have
the chance to bubble in the answer choices all at once.

Strategy 6: Eliminate Careless Mistakes

Careless mistakes are one of the most frustrating types of errors to make, and
nearly everyone makes them.
You know the underlying material, you know how to solve the question, and you're
feeling good. But then you grade the quiz, and you find a careless mistake.
Oops - the question asked for the perimeter of the circle and not the area, which is
what you calculated.
These types of errors are the most costly and frustrating. You've already put
in a ton of work to master the underlying material, and here a question has tricked
you into losing a point.
This is why finishing the test early, like I mention above, is so helpful. You get extra
time to take a breather and doublecheck your answers.
If you find that careless mistakes are a recurring problem for you, here are some
strategies to get rid of them:

In the question, underline what the question is specifically asking you to solve
for. It's so easy for the SAT to trick you into solving the wrong thing.

If you're solving for a particular value (like length, area, etc), write the units
down in the scratch space.

Be careful with calculator entry. A missing parentheses makes a big

difference. "4 + 9 / 2" is completely different from "(4 + 9) / 2"

Avoid bubbling errors by using the Quick Tip above.

Here's an example:

This question is asking us to solve for y + z. Not x, y, or any other combination of

variables.
To make sure I remember this, I underline y + z, and I also write "y + z = ?" in the
work space so that I remember what I'm solving for.
You can bet that in many answer choices, the SAT will have trap answers for other
things you can solve for, like x. (This one happens not to, but it's very common).

Memorize the SAT Math Formulas.

Strategy 7: Memorize the Formulas and Common Math Facts
If you're still flipping to the front of the section to look at the math formulas, you
haven't gotten to understand SAT Math well enough yet.
Not only does this cost you time, it also indicates that you haven't practiced enough
with SAT Math to have the required formulas come to you fluidly.

Memorize the formulas at the front of the section and these common math facts:

calculating slope from two points (rise over run)

common right triangles: by angles: 45-45-90 (1-1-2), 30-60-90 (1-2-3); and

by sides: 3-4-5, 5-12-13

formulas for arithmetic and geometric sequences

formula for diagonal of a rectangular prism

This list isn't complete, but if you study according to my advice above, you'll notice
which formulas come up over and over again. You should memorize these.

Strategy 8: Keep a Calm Mind During the Test, No Matter What

Now you know what it takes to achieve perfection on SAT Math.
You know that it's critical to get a perfect raw score, or you might score a 780.
This makes a lot of students freak out during the test.
"I can't solve this question...my 800 is gone...I'm getting more nervous and I have to
skip the next questino too..."
You can see how quickly you can unravel like this. Before you know it, you're scoring
way worse than you ever did on a practice test.
You need to learn to be mentally strong, like an athlete on game day.
Yes, you might have to skip a question on the first pass through. Maybe even two in
a row.

But you've practiced hard up to this point. You know this stuff, and you'll come back
to those questions and get it later.
You need to keep up a positive mindset during the test, or you'll crumble.
And in the worst case, maybe you won't get an 800. But if you've consistently been
getting 800's on the practice tests, you likely won't go much lower than 750 - and
that's still really good.

In Overview
Those are the main strategies I have for you to improve your SAT math score to an
800. If you're scoring above a 600 right now, with hard work and smart studying,
you can raise it to a perfect SAT Math score.
Notice that I didn't actually teach you that much math content. I didn't point to any
specific math solutions that will instantly raise your score.
That's because these one-size-fits-all, guaranteed strategies don't really exist. (And
anyone who tells you this is deceiving you). Every student is different.
Instead, you need to understand where you're falling short, and drill those
weaknesses continuously. You also need to be thoughtful about your mistakes and
leave no mistake ignored.
Keep reading for more resources on how to boost your SAT score.

Many students say their biggest problem on the SAT is running out of time. In this
post, well cover some basic time-saving SAT strategies.
Strategies for All Sections
Get familiar with the test ahead of time.
Know the instructions and formulas provided so you dont have to read them on test
day. They wont be different from whats in the current blue book (The Official SAT
Study Guide). This also provides the psychological advantage of comfort and visual
familiarity on test day.

Practice.
There is a limited number of question types on the SAT, and if you do even a few
practice tests, youll start to get used to them. PrepScholar uses extensive practice
quizzes and real SAT practice tests to acquaint you thoroughly with the question
types and the skills they test. But even if you dont prep with us, make sure you
practice--a lot.

Dont second guess yourself.

Indecision is the biggest time waster for many students on the SAT. After you
eliminate a few wrong answers, which is much easier than picking the right one,
check the question to make sure you know what youre looking for and pick from
whats left. Dont come back to the question until youve answered all the others.

Strategies for the Reading Section

Dont read the passages.
That is, dont read them in full before you look at the questions. They all fall into
one of five basic categories and have many things in common, so there arent a ton
of surprises. We at PrepScholar recommend a skim of the passage rather than a full
reading. Most of the questions require you to reread sections of the passage
anyway, so you might as well get only the specific details you need rather than try
to remember every aspect of the passage.

Strategies for the Writing Section

Dont go for too much in the essay.
There are examples in the blue book (the Official SAT Study Guide) of essays that
got perfect scores using only one example. Many students think that the essay
needs to be crammed with historical or literary information, but a personal
experience--if it suits the prompt and your thesis--is no less valuable. Focus on the
structure and flow of the essay, as well as using specific details, and dont worry
about the quantity of academic information it contains.

Dont get sucked into analyzing weird sentences.

The SAT loves to use awkward or outdated phrasing to make Writing questions more
difficult. Often, students get totally bewildered and freak out. But these bizarre
sentences are still trying to test the same Writing concepts as all the other
questions, so you just have to strip away the nonsense and look for that number
agreement or verb tense problem.

Strategies for the Math Section

Skip the ones that you dont immediately understand.
Weve all had the experience of staring at a question for a full minute and thinking,
How the heck am I supposed to figure this out? On the SAT, these questions must
be saved until the end of each section. Every question on the test is worth the same
amount, so the #1 priority is to get all the easy questions first. After that, you can
start worrying about the harder ones. Even if the question isnt technically hard, but
youre having trouble wrapping your mind around it, skip it and come back.

If it seems too hard, look for an easier way.

Many of the Math questions on the SAT are designed to waste your time if youre
not clued in to the specific set of shortcuts they use. Pythagorean triples, for
example, can tell you the measure of the hypotenuse of a right triangle (when you

know the base and height) without doing any calculations at all. You can figure it out
using the Pythagorean theorem, but thats wasted time.

Learn the shortcuts.

Pythagorean triples are only one kind of shortcut on the math section; there are
many others, which you can learn from us (or other sources, of course). If you dont
bother to do this, youll almost definitely run out of time.

The Bottom Line

There are lots of ways to buy yourself more time on the SAT and thus improve your
score, but the common denominator among them is time. Youll have to spend some
time in order to do it right. If youre looking for a structured, online learning program
that can help you manage the time you spend prepping for the SAT, check us out. If
youre not, I hope these tips helped you think about your timing and how to improve
it.

The SAT is designed to be taken by every high

school student in the country, which means it can only test math concepts that
every student has experience with. The way the creators of the test make it hard is

by presenting questions in unusual ways--ways that you never see in your math
classes--and by putting you on a strict time crunch.
If you've ever started freaking out at the end of an SAT Math section, unsure how
you're ever going to get through the entire section, you know exactly what I mean.
But don't despair! In this guide, I'll walk you through the timing of the test and
teach you how to beat the clock and maximize your time on the SAT.

Breakdown of the Math Sections by Time

The SAT math sections are divided into three parts--two 25 minute sections and one
20 minute section. One of the 25 minute sections will be all multiple choice, the
other will be a combination of multiple choice and grid-in.
The order that they come on the test may vary, but you will always get all three
sections on the SAT, and the timing will always work this way.

25 Minute Section, All Multiple Choice

This is the longest multiple choice section. It will always have 20 questions in 25
minutes, which gives you 1.25 minutes per question

25 Minute Section, Multiple Choice and Grid-In

This section is a combinantion section and will have 18 questions total in 25
minutes, which is roughly 1.4 minutes per question. The first eight questions will
be multiple choice and question 9-18 will be grid-in. They give you a bit of
extra time here because you must find your own answers on most of the questions

20 Minute Section, All Multiple Choice

This is the shortest multiple choice with 16 questions in 20 minutes. Again, this
gives you 1.25 minutes per question.

What This Means for You

1.25 or 1.4 minutes per question may not seem like a lot of time (especially if you
start to panic or freeze up), but almost every SAT problem can be solved well

under one minute if you are familiar with how to approach the problem. When you
become familiar with the typical SAT question patterns, you can get faster at both
understanding what these weird questions are asking and in finding quick solutions
and shortcuts.
Your strategy for buying yourself more time depends on both your initial
score range and your target score (and will evolve as your scores change). Take
a practice test to determine your current score (both curved and raw). Next,
determine your target score (check out our step by step guide on how to figure out
what SAT score you should aim for), and then apply our time-saving tips
accordingly.
Weve organized these time-maximizing strategies into four categories: general
time-saving tips for all levels, tips if youre currently scoring below 400 in the math,
if youre scoring between 400 and 600, and if youre scoring over 600.

Raw Scores and Scaled Scores

Before you move to the strategy that suits your current curved-score level, its a
good idea to understand the relationship between your curved score and your raw
score. Here is the chart to see how your curved score relates to your raw score.

Understand the relationship between your raw score and your scale score to find
your best strategy
After you take a practice test, figure out your current raw score and scaled score.
Now find the raw score of your target curved score and make that the goal you
strive for. Notice that each 100 curved points is roughly 10-12 raw points,
depending on where you are along the curve.
Keep your target raw score in mind as you go through strategies to maximize your
time--if your target raw score is 25, plan to answer 31 or 32 questions. This
will allow you to get a few questions wrong and still meet your goal.
Remember that the difficulty level of questions roughly goes up in order on
each section of the test, so if youre scoring below a 600, skip the last questions
of each section and answer only the questions in the beginning and middle. For
students scoring in the 600 or above range, its going to be in your best interest to
attempt, if not answer, every problem.

The exception to the rule of difficulty level is in the section with gridins. The multiple choice questions of that section go from easy to medium to
hard and then resets in the grid-in. So the first question of the grid-in is going to be
more straightforward and less challenging than the last question of the multiple
choice.

Practice your timing strategies, and you'll find you have time enough to complete
each section

Time-Saving Tips for All Scoring Levels

1) Familiarize yourself with the test ahead of time.

The instructions are the same at the beginning of every math section on every SAT.
Read them ahead of time so you dont waste time on test day. Familiarize yourself
with the structure of the test until it feels more comfortable and less foreign.

2) Practice, practice, practice

Sit down with a test at home and take it timed. Get used to both the types of
questions on the test and the pacing youll need to finish on time.

3) Learn to let go of a question

It can be very tempting to sit and try to puzzle a question out, but you have to learn
how to be more ruthless, both with how you answer questions and in choosing

which questions to answer. Each and every question is worth the same amount of
points, so pick the questions you can solve easiest and fastest first and then try the
more time-consuming ones.
If you look at a question and have no idea how you would go about solving it, mark
it and move on. Sometimes moving on and coming back to a question later can
trigger your mind to think of a new approach.

4) Eliminate answer choices.

As you go through the test, write on your booklet. Write in the angles and lengths
youre given, draw diagrams, and, most importantly, eliminate wrong answers.
Often, youll be given a range of choices, one or two of which will be wildly wrong.
Do yourself a time-saving favor and cross these off your booklet immediately. The
faster and more efficiently you can eliminate your wrong answer choices, the better
off youll be when solving for the right answer.
And bonus! Sometimes you will be able to eliminate all but one or two answer
options. You dont necessarily have to know a particular answer is right if
you know that the rest are unmistakably wrong.

5) Identify problems that will take a long time

Sometimes a problem is not necessarily difficult to solve, but is instead a time-suck.
Identify these and save them for last. If this is a multiple choice question, it is a
particularly good time to use process of elimination on some of the answer
choices. That way, if you need to mark the question to come back to it later, youve
already narrowed down your potential answer options.

6) Practice smart and identify your areas of weakness

Its not enough to simply practice the test over and over again if you continue to
make the same mistakes with regards to your timing.
Identify which types of problems are the most difficult for you or take you
the longest amount of time and save those for last. Are they usually
geometry problems? Word problems? Probabilities? As you get more used to the test
and the types of math questions/concepts that appear, see if there are faster or
easier ways to solve the questions that take you the most time.

Sometimes this can be remembering the properties of special right triangles, like a
30, 60, 90 triangles, so that you dont have to take the time to find the side lengths
via the pythagorean theorem. Sometimes it might mean using plugging in answers
or plugging in your own numbers (coming soon!) instead of trying to solve the
problem algebraically.

7) Employ skipping strategies and study strategies according to your

current score level and target score.
As your scores increase, your strategies will change. For now, take a practice test
and determine both your raw score and your curved score and understand how the
test is scored. Then, use the time-saving strategies that best suit you for your
current level.

8) Don't worry about anyone else's pacing

As much as possible, ignore everyone else in the room while you're taking your test.
If you start to worry about how much faster or slower other people are taking the
test, you will lose your focus. Concentrate on your test alone and disregard
everyone else's pacing. Your test and your goals are all that matter.

This is a race against the clock, not a race against anyone else

Time-Saving Strategies: If Youre Currently Scoring Below 400

If scoring 400 and below and aiming for a 500, you will need to get a raw score of
24. Your biggest time-saving asset will be in skipping questions.
Considering there is a potential raw point possibility of 54, at a 400-level you can
answer half of all the questions available and still get a 500! You just have
to pick the right questions to answer to make sure you can get the correct answer.
For example, if you answer just questions 1-12 in the longest multiple choice
section, questions 1-5 and 9-16 on the grid-in, and 1-10 in the short multiple choice
section, youll be answering 35 questions total. Giving yourself room for some
of them to be wrong, youre now likely to be scoring somewhere in the 500s
range. And best of all, youve saved yourself a tremendous amount of time!
If you just answer those first 12 questions on the longest multiple choice section,
youve gone from 20 questions in 25 minutes (1.25 minutes per question) to 12
question in 25 minutes (2 minutes per question!). Youve nearly doubled your
time on the test just by skipping the most difficult and time-consuming
questions.
This will give you a chance to breathe and may even give you enough time to check
over your work to make sure your answers are all correct.

The SAT is all about steady pacing.

Time-Saving Strategies: If Youre Currently Scoring Between 400 and 600

If youre scoring a 500 and aiming for 600, youll need a raw score of 35. This
means you could answer just 2/3s of the questions on the test and still get a 600!
By skipping the more difficult and time-consuming questions, youll free up
time and energy to work on the questions you feel comfortable and confident about.

This may even give you time to go back and check your work (something we always
recommend).
Allowing yourself to get a few questions wrong, attempt to answer 41 or 42
questions in order to meet your raw score goal of 35.
As a start, try questions 1-15 on the longest multiple choice section, questions 1-6
and 9-17 on the grid-in and 1-12 on the short multiple choice. Allowing for the
occasional wrong answer, this should save you precious time and still get you
scoring in your target range.
For example, youll now have 1.67 minutes per question on the longest multiple
choice section instead of 1.25 minutes. It may not seem like much, but thats a
33% increase in time!

You are capable of succeeding on the SAT. Stay

calm, practice, and don't panic.

Time-Saving Strategies: If Youre Currently Scoring 600 or Above

If youre in or above the 600 range, you will be attempting (although not necessarily
answering) every question on the test. Always skip questions if you cannot narrow
down the answer to two options, but at your score level, you will at least look at
every question to determine if it is one you know how to do.

For you, understanding how to complete the questions faster will be more useful
than skipping questions to buy more time. Luckily, almost every question on the
SAT can be solved in multiple different ways. Your job is to become used to
solving problems in the short cut way, rather than the formal way youre probably
used to doing math in the classroom.
For questions with multiple variables in particular, it can save you both time and
give you increased accuracy to plug in your own numbers (coming soon!). If youre
able to solve questions by using shortcuts, youll have time enough to finish the test
and maybe even check your work over again (which we always recommend
whenever possible).
And if youre a 600 and above scorer, it will serve you well to memorize your most
important formulas, both ones you are given and ones you are not given. This will
save you time flipping to the front of each section to look up the necessary
formulas. It will also give you enough time after youve solved a problem to plug in
the answer to double check if it is correct.
Plugging in the answers (PIA) is always a useful tool to have, but it can take time to
use as an initial solving method if you feel pressed for time. If youre feeling like
youre going too slowly through the test and are most concerned about speed, solve
the problem via a formula and then double check with PIA. If youre more concerned
with initial accuracy and/or dont like using formulas, solve with PIA from the start.
And to get used to finding the fastest ways to solve SAT problems, check out our
article on the most common types of questions and question patterns on the SAT
math (coming soon!) to find the most expedient way to solve problems.

Sometimes the best way to approach a problem is to simply go around it

If You're Time Pressured, Remember This and Breathe

Though the SAT is tested on a time crunch, you can find ways to maximize the time
youre given and get the best score possible. By familiarizing yourself with the test,
finding ways to eliminate answers, and by skipping the most time-consuming
questions, you can find your best possible test-taking pace.

Feeling pressed for time on any test is extremely frustrating. For me, its always
the case of my anxiety from racing the clock pitted against the feeling of if only I
had more time, I could do better! Its even worse on tests like the SAT and ACT
because theyre so lengthy: if you run out of time on a section, you don't get the
relief of "Well, at least I'm done with the test" because you have to move right on to
the next section.
Since you cant stop time (probably?) and, except for some special circumstances,
cant get extra time, you'll need another solution to help you avoid running out of
time. So what strategies can you use? Ill discuss the top misconception
students have about running low on time on SAT Critical Reading section
and strategies to avoid running out of time.
First, however, I want to do a quick run-through of the timing for SAT Critical
Reading - after all, in order to stop running out of time on the section, you first
must know its basic layout. We have an in-depth explanation of this in another
article, but in case you don't have the time to read it through I've written up a
summary below.

feature image credit: 12 sec by Peter, used under CC BY-SA 2.0/Cropped from
original.

How Long Is The SAT Critical Reading Section?

SAT Reading consists of 67 questions over 70 minutes, divided into 3 sections
(two 25 minute sections, one 20 minute section, with the possibility of an additional
25 minute experimental section). Each section is a mixture of passage-based
questions (with passages on a variety of subject areas) and the sentence
completion questions; in total, the Critical Reading section is composed of 48
passage-based questions and 19 sentence completion questions. We have
more on what's actually tested on the SAT's Critical Reading section in this article.
The sentence completion questions (choosing the right word or words to
complete a sentence in a way that makes sense) are all about being able to use
vocabulary correctly. (I go more into detail about strategies for tackling these
types of questions if you don't know the vocabulary).
Passage-based questions may include long passages, short passages, or
comparing two passages. These questions come in 6 flavors:

Big Picture: Questions about the main point of the passage.

Detail/Little Picture: Questions about a specific line or lines in the passage.

Inference: Questions that ask you to interpret the meaning of line or two in a
passage.

Vocabulary In Context: Questions that ask for how a word is used in a

particular instance in the passage.

Function: Questions that ask how a phrase, sentence, or paragraph

functions in the larger context of the paragraph or passage.

Author Technique: Questions that ask about the passage's tone or style;
you'll often be asked to compare and contrast different authors techniques.

Click here for more information on the best way to read the SAT Critical Reading
passages.

#1 Reading Misconception

The number one thing I've heard when it comes to the SAT Reading is something
along the lines of Im a slow reader, so Ill never be able to finish the SAT Critical
Reading section in time and I won't be able to bring my reading score up. FALSE.
Excelling on the SAT Critical Reading section is not just about reading
speed otherwise, it would be called the SAT Speed Reading section (or something
like that). If you read a lot, or read quickly, that may give you a little bit of an
edge, especially with the sentence completion questions that rely on a
working knowledge of advanced vocabulary.
If youre a slow reader or dont read a lot, you might be reading this and thinking
well, great. Im already starting from behind. But reading quickly in NO WAY
guarantees that you will excel on the SAT Reading, or even that you wont be
rushed.
In reality, the key skill to doing well on the SAT Critical Reading section is
the ability to skim text while retaining meaning. If you're a slow reader, you
can learn to skim through practice. If you're a fast reader, you must be aware that
SAT Critical Reading is very different from light fiction reading; you'll need to
practice to get the important points from the SAT passage.
So how do you avoid being rushed and running out of time on SAT Critical Reading,
even if you are a slow reader?
The Solution: Practice, Practice, Practice.
Its not just the way to get to Carnegie Hall (as the old music joke goes) - practicing
the ACT will help you get better at taking the ACT. But it's not enough to practice in
any way you can think of - you must practice/study effectively. When studying for
SAT Reading, there are three main areas to focus on to get better at finishing the
section in time.

1. Practice: Monitoring Your Time

Know how long youre taking on each question.
If you find youre taking too much time on a question, mark it and come back to it in
review.
But what is too much time? Well, it depends on your target score, or the score you
are aiming for on a particular section; therefore, when preparing for the SAT
Reading, you must know your raw and scaled target scores. Why does this matter?
If youre aiming for a lower target score, you can skip more questions, and
spend more time on the questions you do answer.

Remember, the SAT Critical Reading section consists of 67 questions over 70

minutes: if youre spending much more than a minute on a question, youre going to
run into problems, just by the simple math (bonus practice). This 62 seconds-perquestion time constraint only applies, however, if you are aiming for a
perfect or near-perfect score and need to give every question a fair shot.
If you're aiming for a scaled score of 600, you can guess on the hardest
20% questions and focus your answering energies on easier questions (although
of course which questions these are will be different for everyone). This also means
you get more time to spend on the questions you are answering - if you only need
to get 49 questions right to reach your target score, then you can spend
up to 23 seconds more on each question (49 questions in 70 minutes vs 67
questions in 70 minutes - even more math!). Read our article on getting a 600 on
SAT Reading for more strategies like this.

Know how much time you have remaining during the test.
This doesnt necessarily mean dividing up the time beforehand, as in, Okay, I have
25 minutes with 5 sentence completion passages and 3 passages to read, so I
should spend 6 minutes on each passage and questions and 4 on sentence
completions and then Ill have 3 minutes to go over everything at the end."
Those calculations (a) hurt my brain, and (b) take up way more time than theyd
save. Instead, get used to keeping an eye on the clock. You'll need to be able
to balance passage-based questions with sentence completion questions dont let
sentence completion questions suck up all of your time and force you to scramble to
get through a passage and its questions.
I personally try to check the time ONLY after I've finished skimming a passage and
after I've answered all the questions on that passage (even though my initial
instinct is to constantly be time-checking). You'll need to figure out what works best
for you, but my advice is to avoid checking the time more than once every
few questions - otherwise, you'll end up wasting time trying to save time.
If you find that you have zero concept of time when youre practicing answering
questions, you can practice with a stopwatch set to go off at 5 minute increments
just remember that you wont actually be able to do this on test day (although the
test proctors may give verbal warnings at 10 minutes left and 5 minutes left).

Time monitoring strategies

When looking over the test, mark questions you end up spending a long time
on as well as the ones youre not sure about. Really break down what stumped

you about the questions you spent too much time on as well as the ones you got
wrong or were uncertain about. Was it the wording of the question? The type of
question (sentence-based completion, big picture, inference)? Were you just tired
and misread the passage, so you didn't see the answer? Is there a pattern to the
questions you're running out of time on?
All of this data is valuable fodder for your test prep process: establishing a
feedback loop of testing, reviewing your mistakes, and testing again. It is
essential not to skip over the middle step of reviewing your mistakes thoroughly (for
more on this, read my article on the best way to review mistakes on the SAT).
Not sure running out of time is your only issue? Read the section on understanding
your high level weaknesses in this article.

Great! Time left for a beer! by Mike Schinkel, used under CC BY 2.0/Cropped from
original.
Pace yourself to avoid RUNNING out of time.

2. Practice: Sentence Completion, Reading Passages, And Answering Questions

No, practicing the SAT Critical Reading questions over and over wont necessarily
make you a faster reader. It will, however, make you better at searching for
clues to help you with sentence completion questions and at reading the
passages in a way that will help you answer the questions more efficiently.
What do I mean?

Sentence-Based Completion Questions

Here's advice on how to answer sentence-based completion questions when you
dont know the vocab. My advice: if you struggle with these questions, save
them for after the passage based reading. That way, you wont use up time
and energy on questions that youre less likely to get right. After all, SAT questions
are each worth one point, so a reading passage find the detail question on a short
passage is worth just as much as knowing the definition of picayune.
This is also a case in which it might be helpful to set yourself a hard time limit:
allow yourself 45 seconds per question when first reading it to figure out if youll be
able to answer it quickly. If you can't answer a question after 45 seconds, you can
mark it and decide whether or not you can eliminate enough answers that its worth
guessing AFTER youve answered questions you definitely can answer in the
passage-based reading section
Note: Sentence completion questions are going away on the new SAT (2016), so if
these questions are your Achilles heel and you are class of 2017 or later, definitely
consider taking the new SAT in addition to the current SAT.

Passage-Based Questions
I cannot dictate the best way for YOU read the passages, but if your current
approach is not working, you might want to consider switching it up.
The 3 Main Options:
1. Read the whole passage in detail. This is really only a good strategy if
you are both thorough and quick as a reader probably the worst option if
you're already worried about running out of time.
2. Read the questions first. Inform what details you look for in the passage
by reading the questions first, then jumping back to the passage.
3. Skim, then attack the questions. Get a sense of the content, structure,
and purpose of the passage before approaching the questions, and then
return to passage for more detailed information required by specific
questions.
The more familiar you are with the SAT Reading passages and questions, the more
you'll be accustomed to the test and the better youll know what to pay attention to
and when to use which strategy. For instance, if you read the questions first, if a
question has specific lines associated with it (e.g. In lines 10-38), only read those
specific lines to answer it; do not pull your answer from the rest of the passage.

Compare the above advice to a strategy for if you skim first: get used to noticing
words and phrases like however and in contrast. These words are important
because they indicate a change in tone, as in Despite the fact that the viola has a
long and noble history, negative stereotypes about violas (and violists) abound in
modern day classical music communities.
We have more strategies, as well as more detailed information on why you might
want to choose one approach over the others, in our article on the best way to read
the passage on the SAT Critical Reading section.

More Strategy Suggestions

The passage you read first can make a big difference if you tend to run out of
time. Scan through all the passages in the section and see if any subject
matter looks easier to tackle for you, then start with those, rather than
taking the section in order. That way, you wont be rushing through and getting
things wrong on passages you should get and can with a clear mind devote yourself
to passages that are more difficult for you.
You can also see if bubbling in all your answers at the end helps (read more
about this in the Quick Tip section of our perfect scorer article). This strategy is only
helpful, however, if you can make sure to leave a good 1-2 minutes at the
end of each section to do this, since you dont want to run out of time before
you bubble in answers that you got (the ultimate in frustrating).
If you can think of other ways to keep yourself from running out of time on SAT
Reading (perhaps by using some mindfulness techniques to focus?), that is also
great. As always, you should only use strategies that work for you.

Chess game by Kamil Porembiski, used under CC

BY-SA 2.0/Cropped from original.
Think about which strategies will work for you.

3. Practice: Taking The SAT Reading As Part Of The Whole SAT

Theres knowing the material on the SAT Critical Reading section...and then
theres stamina. Unlike the ACT, the SAT varies the order in which material is
presented; for instance, you won't always encounter a test ordered Writing
(Essay)-Math-Writing-Reading-Math-Writing-Reading-Math-Reading-Experimental.
The only constant is that on the SAT, the essay is always first (at least for now; read
more about all the changes in the 2016 SAT here).
What does that mean for you? Dont get too used to taking the test in a certain
order. You have to be able to switch your brain from Math to Reading to
Writing mode and back again. For me, this worked better than the ACT's "do all
the math NOW" organization, because I didnt encounter brain fatigue from focusing
on one subject for an extended period of time, but for other people I know,
switching back and forth was more difficult (and so the ACT was a better choice).
Since most colleges nowadays accept both ACT and SAT scores, its good to do
both a timed SAT and a timed ACT and see which format works best for
you.
Another point to keep in mind: youll most likely be taking the SAT on a Saturday
morning, so if youre not a morning person, be extra sure to do some
practice Reading sections in the morning to give yourself a good idea of your

energy levels. If youre more sluggish in the mornings in general, your reading
speed will probably be affected as well; taking practice tests in the afternoon may
not give you an accurate picture of how quickly you can complete the SAT Critical
Reading section under real test conditions.

Special Circumstances
If you really have trouble with reading in time-constrained situations, you might
qualify for special testing accommodations. It's unlikely that prepping for and
taking the SAT would be the first time you notice that you have major
problems with reading; however, it could be the first time you wouldn't be able to
compensate for it in other ways (for instance, spending hours and hours on
homework and extra credit to make up for low test scores).
SAT does offer accommodations for documented issues to eligible students, along
with information for students on the steps they'll need to take in order to get
accommodations on testing day. But a word of warning: Accommodations are
far more likely to be granted to students if their special circumstances
have been documented for a longer period of time. CollegeBoard tends to be
leery of students who get diagnosed with something or other just in time to take the
test, since the students might be stretching the truth in order to get extra time.
How can you avoid getting caught in red tape and having your accommodations
held up? Plan and apply for special accommodations early, if at all possible the request process alone can takeup to seven weeks. If you are in middle school or
early high school and are having serious problems with reading when compared to
your peers, get psycho-educational testing then, rather than waiting.
If for whatever reason applying for special accomodations early was not possible
(for instance, if you only recently acquired a hearing or visual impairment), make
sure it is clear to the person documenting your condition (who will provide you with
the information to send on to the CollegeBoard) why you are only doing something
about this now - they may also want you to be able to explain this to them, so its
good to have an explanation ready.

Actions to Take: A Recap

1. Take timed practice tests and monitor your time.
2. Get comfortable with taking the SAT Reading so you can use strategies
effectively

3. Make sure you take entire practice tests in sequence a few times so
you know what to expect.
4. If you think theres a bigger problem that's causing you to run out of time
on the SAT Reading, get psycho-educational testing as early as possible to
confirm it and see if you are eligible for special accommodations on the SAT.

Now, go forth and read!