Is the SAT Essay Required

Is the SAT Essay Required Typically, a portion of SAT prep time is dedicated to success on the essay section. As of late, however, a large number of schools are making the SAT essay optional to applicants. Ivy League schools including Brown, Harvard, and Yale are no longer requiring students to sit for the essay section of the exam. This begs the question, what does this mean for you? Is the SAT essay really required? When examining the requirement behind the SAT essay, its important to understand the SAT essay basics, the benefits and drawbacks of taking the essay, and how recent changes apply to you. Looking to gain a deeper understanding of the SAT essay requirement? Keep reading to learn more about whether the SAT essay is truly required. SAT essay basics The SATs essay is a 50-minute assessment in which youre asked to read a passage and to then write an essay that explains how the author forms his or her persuasive argument. A successful SAT essay will point to evidence from the passage as support for its explanation. The essay is scored on the following criteria: Readinghow well you understood the passage and its central ideas. Analysisyour ability to give insightful analysis of the passage and to evaluate the authors use of evidence and reasoning. Writingyour essay is well organized and shows a good command of standard writing conventions and style. [RELATED: What is an Average SAT Score?] Changes to the SAT essay In 2016, the SAT changed its essay portion from required to optional. This began raising the question for students and colleges alike as to whether to continue using the essay for admissions. Now that the essay is optional for test-takers, many schools are changing their application requirements, as well. In the first eight months of 2018, a slew of prominent schools, including Harvard, Dartmouth, and Yale, announced that they would no longer require the SAT essay. The end result is that only a handful of schools nationwide require the essay, although others still recommend that students take it. There are several reasons schools give for dropping the essay requirement. One primary reason is that many public school students are now able to take the SAT for free during the school day, and those tests dont always include the optional essay, which costs an additional amount. Also, colleges and universities generally already require applicants to show their writing ability in other ways, making the essay test less essential to some admissions processes. [RELATED: ACT and SAT Test Dates for 2018-2019] Who should take the SAT essay? Although the essay is now optional for test-takers and most colleges are no longer requiring it, that doesnt mean you shouldnt consider taking it. First, find out whether any of the schools youre interested in require or recommend the essay. You can find this information here. If your schools of interest require you to submit an essay score, be sure to sit for it on test day. Additionally, if the schools youre interested in dont require the SAT essay, it could still be a good way to showcase your writing skills to these schools. If you choose not to take the essay, inquire about other ways you can show your writing skills to these potential schools. Regardless of whether a school requires or recommends the SAT essay, they still view writing as an important skill for college success. Typically, schools will require their own essays as part of the overall application process, and some are asking students to submit a graded high school essay as an example of their writing skills. Use those opportunities, as well as the SAT essay if you so choose, to showcase your style and analytical abilities, and make the case that youre a worthy applicant. [RELATED: What I Wish I Knew About Taking the ACT/SAT] Any topics you want to know more about? Let us know! The Varsity Tutors Blog editors love hearing your feedback and opinions. Feel free to email us at blog@varsitytutors.com.