Should You Take The SAT Essay? Know Its Benefits And Drawbacks
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No longer offered: The SAT Essay was discontinued after June 2021. It is still given only on SAT School Day in a few states that require it. For what to study now, see our SAT Reading and Writing practice.
When the SAT Essay was offered, students had to decide whether to take it. It made the SAT one section longer, and it had pros and cons. This post explains how that choice worked.
It was in the 2016 revision of the SAT that the College Board made the Essay optional. Students had to weigh whether an Essay score would strengthen their applications.
The SAT first added a required essay in 2005. When the test was overhauled in 2016, the College Board made the Essay optional, like the ACT's writing test, which has always been optional.
What Is The SAT Essay Test?
The time limit for the SAT Essay was 50 minutes. Students read a passage in which an author argues a position, then analyzed how the author built that argument.
The SAT total score was out of 1600, and the Essay did not count toward it. The Essay was scored separately, from 2 to 8 points on each of three dimensions: reading, analysis and writing.
The most important factor was whether a student's target schools required the Essay. The Essay couldn't be taken on its own: to get an Essay score later, you had to retake the whole SAT.
Here are the benefits and drawbacks students weighed.
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The Benefits Of Getting A SAT Essay Score
- You are able to meet the requirements of your chosen colleges.
With an Essay score, a student was covered for any school that required it. Students applying to many schools often took it just in case.
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- Getting a good score can boost your application.
An Essay score was rarely a deciding factor, but a strong one could highlight a student's writing skills.
The Drawbacks of Getting A SAT Essay Score
- It’s an additional section to study for.
Taking the Essay meant one more section to prepare for, on top of the rest of the SAT. That extra work could take time away from the sections that counted toward the 1600 score. You can see our Best SAT Prep Courses here.
- Your exam will be longer.
The Essay added 50 minutes, so the SAT ran 3 hours 50 minutes instead of 3 hours. That was a real test of focus and stamina.
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- It is added expense.
The Essay cost an extra fee on top of the regular SAT fee, though students with a fee waiver didn't pay it. Today the SAT, with no essay, costs $68 in the U.S.
Those were the pros and cons of the SAT Essay. The College Board ended the optional Essay after the June 2021 test and said it would continue only where a state required it for SAT School Day.
No longer offered: The SAT Essay was discontinued after June 2021. It is still given only on SAT School Day in a few states that require it. For what to study now, see our SAT Reading and Writing practice.
Sources
- An Update on Reducing and Simplifying Demands on Students, College Board
- SAT Test Fees, College Board
