The New SAT Essay

The new SAT Essay is designed to be more like a typical college writing assignment. It measures your ability to read, analyze, and write. The essay prompt begins with a passage which makes a persuasive argument. You will need to read the passage and then analyze the construction of this argument. You will not be asked to asked to agree or disagree with the argument, and you will not be asked to write about your personal experiences. The time limit for the new SAT Essay is 50 minutes.

The SAT Essay is now an optional part of the test. However, many colleges recommend or require the essay as part of your application. To prepare for your essay, check out our essay writing tips and strategies. We also have several sample prompts that you can use for writing practice essays.