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The SAT Optional Essay – To Write or Not to Write

April 2, 2020

By: Jordan Salley

The SAT optional essay is a section designed to test students’ ability to write under strict time constraints. For many, this can be an intimidating concept. After all, almost every student has encountered writer’s block at some point. However, this can be a great opportunity to demonstrate your ability to communicate, create, and build an effective argument. This is a skill set that you will carry throughout your pursuit of higher-level education and is necessary in almost every industry or field.

However, this component is optional for a reason. Many colleges don’t ask to see your score and eliminating this essay out of your practice sessions saves you time, allowing you to focus more on nailing the math and reading sections. On the flipside, if you’re shooting for highly selective schools, an impressive performance on the SAT optional essay might strengthen your profile. To guide you through this component, I’ve talked more about the logistics as well as outlined the pros and cons of opting for the essay.

Let’s talk about the logistics of the SAT optional essay . Your response is graded independently and does not impact the composite score for the test. Two graders analyze the essay across three categories: reading, writing, and analysis, which are scored between one to four. They then average the score between the three graded elements, each of which ranges from two to eight. The reading section evaluates the writer’s understanding of the paragraph provided. The analysis portion assesses you on your ability to make and support claims.

The writing score depends on the clarity of the essay and language choices. You have fifty minutes total to respond to the prompt. The standard approach to writing the SAT optional essay includes:

• Reading the prompt
• Understanding the question
• Writing a thesis or central argument
• Outlining the essay
• Proofreading

The goal is to analyze how an author would build an argument based on the statement or argument listed in the prompt. Now that we’ve discussed the layout of this test, let’s dive into reasons why you should or shouldn’t consider writing this optional essay.

Why you should write the optional essay:

Reason #1: it might not actually be optional.

Over the years, the College Board has changed its policy towards the SAT writing section. With that, universities have also taken to adapting to changes in testing policy. A few programs have started requesting an alternative way to evaluate this skill (e.g. Brown and Princeton requested a graded humanities paper, Harvard will accept a written publication by a student). Though the essay is optional, many undergraduate institutions and scholarships have begun to require it. Moreover, you cannot take the essay separate from the SAT test.

If you have already secured an SAT score that you are satisfied with but realize you need the essay portion, you will have to retake the entire test. This can be a scheduling nightmare, especially as you close in on application deadlines. It is worthwhile to make a list of schools that you’re interested in attending prior to planning for your SAT so that you can look into their policies towards the optional essay. If you are looking at applying to Ivy League or top tier schools, this is almost definitely a required component of your application. Nearly every university requires essays or written exams in a freshman seminar course, so it is natural that schools want to see your writing ability to ensure you would succeed in their academic setting.

Reason #2: An opportunity to shine  

Whether you are a future Pulitzer prize winning author or someone struggling in high school English, the SAT optional essay is a component that most students can study for in order to perform well. This is an extremely technical writing exam and can easily be boiled down to a structure that can be applied to almost any prompt. The majority of test-takers are able to score between the 25 th to 75 th percentile of this portion of the exam even with a small amount of preparation.

This portion of the test is an invaluable opportunity to showcase your ability to synthesize and create within a narrow window of time. It can be used as a comparison to affirm the quality of your college admissions essays. Moreover, it evidences your ability to communicate. Communication is a skill that universities and employers look for and is generally difficult to teach.

Taking an optional section is also a great way to show that you are an individual who is willing to go above and beyond what is asked of you. As a student, this shows a concrete level of drive beyond the qualities that you have described in your admissions essays or that your teachers discussed in your recommendation letters.

Reason #3: An opportunity to overcome a deficiency  

Almost every candidate has a setback at some point in their career. For some students, it is a failed class, a bad score on the advanced placement test, or a weak grade point average. For a student who struggled in an English based course – literature, writing, or grammar – the SAT optional essay is the perfect opportunity to show growth. This section should absolutely be taken by students with a weakness in English as a way to convey to colleges that the deficiency has been overcome. It removes concern that you will not be able to keep up with writing requirements that most college freshman face. It also shows grit and determination, which are necessary skills to carry into your undergraduate education.

Reason #4: Your school requires it to super score  

Super scoring is a practice that allows college applicants to combine their most competitive section scores from multiple SAT exams. Some universities may require the SAT optional essay in order to super score. This is another factor to take into consideration when reviewing your list of schools to apply to. Super scoring can allow you to advance your application to the top of the pile statistically. If this is applicable to you, I highly recommend taking this optional section in order to secure your ability to super score.

Why you shouldn’t write the optional essay:

Reason #1: you did not prepare.

There are a number of reasons to take the SAT optional essay . However, preparing for this section of the exam does require additional time and effort. I personally recommend my students work on writing prompts multiple times throughout the week leading up to their SAT date. The more prompts a student practices writing, the easier it will be to develop an argument in a short period of time on test day. There are a number of preparation books, and a simple Google search yields a number of prompts to get you started.

Ultimately, the first time you sit down to write the SAT essay should not be on test day. This is a difficult process if you have never completed writing an essay like this in fifty minutes and could result in a poor score. If you do not have adequate time to prepare for this section or do not feel that you will perform well based on your estimated scores, I would not recommend taking it.

Reason #2: None the schools you are applying to require the SAT Essay section  

If you plan to apply to schools and scholarships that do not require the SAT optional essay , it may not be worth spending the extra money. The addition of the essay costs $14 more. Notably, this cost can be eliminated if you qualify for a fee waiver. I would not let cost be your determining factor on taking this section, but it is something to keep in mind.

While there are arguments for or against taking the optional essay section of the SAT, the pros tend to outweigh the cons. Planning on doing this section of the test sets you up on a successful timeline for college applications. Scheduling an additional test if you end up needing the essay could be a difficult and stressful process. Including the additional essay also opens opportunities to apply to schools that require it should you decide to add schools later on in the application process.

In addition, it provides you with an opportunity to overcome a deficiency such as a failed class or a low grade. It allows you to super score your tests at some institutions. Ultimately, this can be a great opportunity to shine and show undergraduate universities another skill set that makes you a desirable candidate. Strong writing abilities are applicable in almost every field or industry. The hard work in preparing for college applications will serve you well in the long run. Best of luck!

About the Author

Jordan Salley is a senior test prep instructor for MyGuru, a boutique tutoring company. For more information on SAT prep, MyGuru’s approach, and SAT tutors, visit https://www.myguruedge.com/sat-tutoring .

Tags : SAT optional essay , should i write the sat optional essay , SAT essay tips , SAT practice , SAT prep , SAT tips

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All About the SAT Optional Essay

In addition to the four required SAT sections ( Reading , Writing and Language , Math (No Calculator) and Math (Calculator)), you have the choice to opt in to a fifth section: the Essay. To learn more about what you're getting yourself into when you sign up for this additional section, read on!

SAT Essay: An Overview

The optional Essay follows the calculator-permitted Math section or a short, experimental section and is always the final portion of the exam. When you get to the Essay, you'll have 50 minutes to write one rhetorical analysis essay using the provided source text. Your essay will be graded by two human readers, who will each give three scores of 1 to 4 in three areas: Reading, Analysis, and Writing. Your score report will show the combined scores for each separate area (2 to 8), but will not provide an overall composite.

That's a lot of information to unpack, so let's start at the beginning.

If the SAT Essay Is Optional, How Do I Know If I Should Take It?

The primary reason to complete the Essay is because some schools require it for admission. Over the past few years, fewer and fewer schools have required the Essay, and the pandemic has accelerated this trend. However, there are still some schools that recommend you take the SAT Essay, and if you're applying to any of these, it's in your best interest to take (and do well on!) the Essay.

As you start your prep, check the standardized test policies for each of the schools on your list to see whether they require or recommend the SAT Essay. If none of those schools do so, and you're sure you won't be applying to any other schools, then don't take the Essay! If you don't have a list of schools locked down yet, or any of the ones you are thinking about do require or recommend the SAT Essay, then you should take it.

So, What's a Rhetorical Analysis?

The SAT Essay task is to write a "rhetorical analysis" of a given text. This means that you need to explain how the author of the provided text makes her or his argument: What are the elements that contribute to the persuasiveness of the argument, and how do those elements affect the audience? You may have encountered this type of writing before, especially if you've taken AP English Language and Composition (one of the Free Response Questions on that test is very similar to the SAT Essay prompt).

Notably, this task does not require you to give your opinion on the writing in front of you; in fact, the College Board explicitly want you to avoid giving your opinion! Focus on analyzing the devices that the author uses and keep your opinion out of it!

What's up With the Three Scores?

Here's the short and sweet version of all three scores you'll get on the SAT Essay:

• Reading: How accurately you describe the main idea of the text, the major lines of reasoning and the context of the text.
• Analysis: Whether you can 1) identify devices used by the author of the text, 2) describe the impact of those devices on the audience, and 3) tie that impact to how the device makes the author's overall argument more compelling.
• Writing: How well-written your essay is, from the micro-level (grammar and word choice) to the overall structure of your essay.

There is no composite Essay score, as the College Board maintains that colleges should consider the three different scores separately. It's hard to tell exactly which scores the schools you apply to will value most, although it does seem as if the Writing score is the most varyingly used, with some ignoring it. It's still a good idea to aim for top marks in each category, and you can visit the College Board website to learn more about what earns high scores in each field.

Just like the rest of the SAT, the optional Essay is a test for which you can prepare. Pick up a copy of our book, SAT Prep , for access to practice tests and study tips, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for new, weekly content to help you reach your top SAT score.

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What Is the SAT Essay?

College Board

• February 28, 2024

The SAT Essay section is a lot like a typical writing assignment in which you’re asked to read and analyze a passage and then produce an essay in response to a single prompt about that passage. It gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your reading, analysis, and writing skills—which are critical to readiness for success in college and career—and the scores you’ll get back will give you insight into your strengths in these areas as well as indications of any areas that you may still need to work on.

The Essay section is only available in certain states where it’s required as part of SAT School Day administrations. If you’re going to be taking the SAT during school , ask your counselor if it will include the Essay section. If it’s included, the Essay section will come after the Reading and Writing and Math sections and will add an additional 50 minutes .

What You’ll Do

• Read a passage between 650 and 750 words in length.
• Explain how the author builds an argument to persuade an audience.
• Support your explanation with evidence from the passage.

You won’t be asked to agree or disagree with a position on a topic or to write about your personal experience.

The Essay section shows how well you understand the passage and are able to use it as the basis for a well-written, thought-out discussion. Your score will be based on three categories.

Reading: A successful essay shows that you understood the passage, including the interplay of central ideas and important details. It also shows an effective use of textual evidence.

Analysis: A successful essay shows your understanding of how the author builds an argument by:

• Examining the author’s use of evidence, reasoning, and other stylistic and persuasive techniques
• Supporting and developing claims with well-chosen evidence from the passage

Writing: A successful essay is focused, organized, and precise, with an appropriate style and tone that varies sentence structure and follows the conventions of standard written English.

Learn more about how the SAT Essay is scored.

Want to practice? Log in to the Bluebook™ testing application , go to the Practice and Prepare section, and choose full-length practice test . There are 3 practice Essay   tests. Once you submit your response, go to MyPractice.Collegeboard.org , where you’ll see your essay, a scoring guide and rubric so that you can score yourself, and student samples for various scores to compare your self-score with a student at the same level.

After the Test

You’ll get your Essay score the same way you’ll get your scores for the Reading and Writing and Math sections. If you choose to send your SAT scores to colleges, your Essay score will be reported along with your other section scores from that test day. Even though Score Choice™   allows you to choose which day’s scores you send to colleges, you can never send only some scores from a certain test day. For instance, you can’t choose to send Math scores but not SAT Essay scores.

Until 2021, the SAT Essay was also an optional section when taking the SAT on a weekend. That section was discontinued in 2021.

If you don’t have the opportunity to take the SAT Essay section as part of the SAT, don’t worry. There are other ways to show your writing skills as part of the work you’re already doing on your path to college. The SAT can help you stand out on college applications , as it continues to measure the writing and analytical skills that are essential to college and career readiness. And, if you want to demonstrate your writing skills even more, you can also consider taking an AP English course .

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SAT School Day with Essay

If you are taking a state-provided SAT, you may be required, or have the option, to answer an essay question as part of your test. The SAT Essay is a lot like a typical college writing assignment that asks you to analyze a text. It shows colleges that you're able to read, analyze, and write at the college level.

The SAT Essay asks you to use your reading, analysis, and writing skills. You'll be asked to:

• Read a passage.
• Explain how the author builds an argument to persuade an audience.
• Support your explanation with evidence from the passage.

SAT Essay Overview

• Total questions: 1 prompt, with points to consider and directions
• Time allotted: 50 minutes to read and analyze the passage and to develop a written response

What the SAT Essay Measures

The SAT Essay shows how well you understand the passage and use it as the basis for a well-written, well-thought-out response. Your essay will be scored on three dimensions, each on a 2–8 scale:

• Reading: A successful essay shows that you understood the passage, including the interplay of central ideas and important details. It also shows effective use of textual evidence.
• Examining the author's use of evidence, reasoning, and/or stylistic and persuasive techniques (or other elements of your choosing)
• Supporting your claims and points effectively
• Focusing on those features of the passage that are most relevant for completing the task
• Writing: A successful essay is cohesive, organized, and precise, uses an appropriate style and tone, has varied sentences, and observes the conventions of standard written English.

The Essay Prompt

The prompt shown below is nearly identical to the one that will appear on the SAT.

As you read the passage below, consider how [the author] uses:

• Evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims.
• Reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence.
• Stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed.

Write an essay in which you explain how [the author] builds an argument to persuade [their] audience that [author's claim]. In your essay, analyze how [the author] uses one or more of the features listed above (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of [their] argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant features of the passage. Your essay should not explain whether you agree with [the author's] claims, but rather explain how [the author] builds an argument to persuade [their] audience.

The Essay Passage

All passages have these things in common:

• Written for a broad audience
• Argue a point
• Express subtle views on complex subjects
• Use logical reasoning and evidence to support claims
• Examine ideas, debates, or trends in the arts and sciences or in civic, cultural, or political life
• Always taken from published works

All the information you need to write your essay will be included in the passage or in notes about it.

SAT Essay Scoring Guide

SAT Essay Practice

To practice for the SAT Essay:

• Download Bluebook™ .
• Go to Practice and Prepare on the Bluebook homepage, and select SAT Essay Practice . (You can access the essay practice with the same sign-in credentials provided by your school.)
• After you've finished the practice test in Bluebook, go to My Practice and sign in with the same credentials provided by your school to view your essay response, prompt, self-scoring rubric, and additional student sample essays.

SAT Practice Essays and Score Explanations—Digital

These full-length official SAT practice essay prompts—and their score explanations—were written by the same people who wrote the SAT. Download them to get started.

SAT Practice Essay 1—Digital

This full-length, official SAT practice essay was written by the same people who wrote the SAT. Download it to get started.

SAT Practice Essay 1 Score Explanations—Digital

Download student sample essays—and the explanations that show why they received the score they did—for SAT Practice Essay 1.

SAT Practice Essay 2—Digital

Sat practice essay 2 score explanations—digital.

Download student sample essays—and the explanations that show why they received the score they did—for SAT Practice Essay 2.

SAT Practice Essay 3—Digital

Sat practice essay 3 score explanations—digital.

Download student sample essays—and the explanations that show why they received the score they did—for SAT Practice Essay 3.

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Articles & Advice > Test Prep > Blog

SAT With Essay: Take the Option and Write It!

Though the Essay portion of the SAT is optional, it's a great way to practice your writing skills and show off these core skills to colleges. Here's what you should know about the SAT Essay, plus tips on how to get a high score.

by Imani Bashir Writer, Educator

Last Updated: Mar 16, 2023

Originally Posted: May 22, 2018

My students have often verbally opted out of doing the SAT with Essay because it is “optional.” However, I always express that showing impeccable writing skills can help in the college selection process. In fact, most schools ask for an admission essay, so what better way to practice your skills than by completing the essay prompt for the SAT? By using the tools you’ve accumulated throughout your English classes , you should be able to score well.

The SAT Essay prompt is an analytical portion of the test and is 50 minutes long. Though it is optional, it is still a vital way to show colleges you have core skills that’ll transcend into a higher learning setting. Some schools actually require doing the written prompt, so if you aren’t sure which colleges you’re going to apply to, you may want to complete this section just in case. 

What to do during the test

• Read the passage carefully.
• Come up with a strong thesis.
• Explain how the author uses their argument to persuade an audience.
• Use supported evidence from within the passage.

A strong thesis contains two components: an argument and a "so what." The argument makes a specific claim about an element of the text, while the "so what" tells your reader why this topic/ argument is important and why it merits further exploration.

Simple, right? Yes, it is just that simple! Take all that you have learned, in writing, and apply it to the writing prompt.

What will the passage include?

All passages will include:

• An argument of a point
• Use of logic and evidence to support claims
• Excerpts from already published works
• A variety of themes (politics, art, ideas, science, etc.)

What should your essay show?

• Evidence from the text that supports you claim
• Persuasive components that appeal to the audience’s emotions
• Understanding of the passage

How is your essay measured?

Your essay is scored based on three categories:

• Reading : Based on the context of your essay, you are scored 1–4 points. This part examines if you have proven comprehension of the passage by use of textual evidence.
• Analysis : This is the meat and potatoes of the essay. You will score 1–4 points based on how you show the author’s use of reasoning, evidence, and persuasive techniques. Remember that you must support your claim based on evidence that comes directly from the text. This essay is not about your opinion or what you think, but what is already written.
• Writing : Your essay will need to show that you understand structure and style in writing. A great essay will be organized and structured and stick to the conventions of standard written English.

SAT Essay scoring is done by two people and follows a rubric based on the aforementioned. What is interesting about the SAT Essay score is that you will receive three scores—one for each dimension mentioned above—but there is no composite SAT Essay score, as the three scores are not added together and there are no percentiles.

Take your time, read thoroughly, and only write what’s in front of you. Good luck!

Find more SAT Essay tips in our Test Prep section.

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About Imani Bashir

Imani Bashir is a writer, wife, and mother who spent five years as a professional broadcaster before a sporadic move to Egypt, where she has taught English Literature and became a Supplemental Instruction Specialist & Consultant for ESL learners worldwide. Imani travels for a living and wants to cultivate a narrative that says "women everywhere can be anything they choose!"

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Should You Take the SAT Optional Essay Exam?

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Students registering to take the SAT are immediately confronted with a decision: should they sign up for the optional essay or not? The essay adds 50 minutes to the exam time, and $15 to the cost. It can also add some stress to what is already a rather miserable morning.

So just how important is the SAT optional essay in the college admissions process? As you'll see below, much less important than it used to be.

Does the SAT Optional Essay Matter?

Nationally, fewer than 30 colleges currently require the SAT optional essay, and that number keeps decreasing. Most top schools including all of the Ivy League do not require or recommend the essay, and for most college applicants the essay exam isn't necessary.

The Pre-2016 SAT Essay Section

In 2005, the College Board changed the SAT exam to include a multiple-choice grammar section and a 25-minute essay writing component. This new SAT writing section immediately came under significant criticism because of the short time allowed for writing the essay, and because of an MIT study showing that students could raise their scores by simply writing longer essays and including bigger words.

In the first couple of years after the change in the SAT, very few colleges and universities placed significant (if any) weight on the SAT writing score. As a result, the general impression had been that the SAT writing score didn't matter for college applicants.

That said, a 2008 study by the College Board actually showed that of all the SAT sections, the new writing section was the most predictive of college success. As a result, even though few colleges were happy with the idea of a 25-minute essay, more and more schools gave weight to the SAT writing section as they made their admissions decisions. Some colleges also use the SAT writing score to place students in the appropriate first-year writing class. A high score would sometimes place a student out of college writing altogether.

In general, then, the SAT writing score did matter.

The Change to an Optional Essay

In 2016, the College Board entirely revamped the SAT to make it less about aptitude and more about what students actually learn in school. The exam changed, in fact, to be much more like the ACT, and many believe the change was motivated by the fact that SAT was losing market share to ACT. Along with the changes to the multiple choice exam, the essay section became optional.

The fallout from that change was not what most would have predicted. With the pre-2016 exam, the schools that cared most about the essay section tended to be selective colleges and universities. When the essay became optional, however, the great majority of the nation's most selective schools decided to not require the optional essay, and most don't even recommend the essay.

Colleges that Require the SAT Optional Essay

None of the Ivy League schools require or recommend the essay. Top liberal arts colleges such as Pomona College , Williams College , and Amherst College do not require or recommend the exam. Duke recommends the essay but does not require it.

Indeed, the number of schools that either require or recommend the optional essay section has been dwindling ever since 2016. Some schools still do require the essay, most notably all of the University of California campuses . Most other schools that require the optional essay, however, are not overly selective: DeSales University, Delaware State University, Florida A&M, Molloy College, the University of North Texas, and a handful of other schools. It's quite possible that if the UC system ever drops the SAT essay requirement, the College Board will find there's little point in continuing to offer the exam.

That said, you will definitely want to take the SAT optional essay exam if you are applying to a school that requires it, and it's probably a good idea to take it if any of your top choice schools recommend it. The best place to learn what a college requires or recommends is on the school's website. The College Board has a search tool for identifying college SAT essay policies, but those policies change so regularly that some results will be out of date. You'll also find that many results from a College Board search simply say "contact institution for information."

A Final Word About the SAT Optional Essay

Several years ago, most college admissions advisors would have recommended that you take the optional essay exam if you are applying to selective schools. Today, the essay seems far less essential unless you are applying to a UC campus or about 20 other schools that still require the writing test. For the majority of college applicants, the SAT optional essay is likely to be a waste of time, money, and energy.

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What Colleges Require the SAT Essay?

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If you’re going to be applying to college soon, there’s a good chance that you’re already thinking about the SAT. Most colleges still require standardized test scores, and millions of students across the country tackle this exam each year. 

As you begin your college search, it’s important to understand the exact standardized test requirements of the colleges on your list. Some will be test-optional . Others require scores from the SAT or ACT. In addition, some will require that you submit scores from the optional essay portions of these tests. There may also be schools that require or recommend SAT Subject Tests. Knowing the exact testing policy at each school you’re considering will help you plan your test taking strategy, and begin test prep well in advance. 

If you’re planning to take the SAT, you won’t want to miss this complete overview of what colleges require the SAT essay. 

What is the SAT Essay? How is it Scored?

Before we dive into which schools require it, let’s take a closer look at what exactly the SAT essay is, and how it is scored. 

On the SAT Essay, students are provided with a written argument that they must read and analyze. Students have 50 minutes to read the passage, plan the essay, and write their response. Most successful responses stick to the standard five-paragraph essay format. To see an example prompt and scoring rubric, check out the Essay Sample Questions on the College Board website. 

It’s important to note here that the SAT Essay score is separate from your overall composite SAT score. It does not impact the score ranging from 400-1600 as reported on your score report. Instead of being included in your composite score, it is provided in addition to it. 

The Essay is scored on a scale from 2-8 in three areas of evaluation—Reading, Analysis, and Writing. Each essay is reviewed by two scorers, and scores between 1-4 are awarded in each dimension. These scores are then added together so that you’ll receive three scores for the SAT Essay—one for each dimension—ranging from 2–8 points. A perfect score on the essay would be 8/8/8, but the mean score on the essay is a 5 for Reading and Writing, and 3 for Analysis. This means if you can achieve any score over 5/3/5, you have scored above average on the essay. For a more complete look at how the test is scored, don’t miss our post What is a Good SAT Essay Score?

Should I Take the SAT Essay?

First of all, the SAT essay is technically an optional section, so no, you are not required to take it. That being said, some colleges do require applicants to take the SAT with Essay. If you choose not to take the essay portion of the test, you will not be an eligible applicant for any of these schools. 

The SAT Essay used to be required at many top colleges, but it has become optional at many schools. Now, among elite schools, only the University of California schools require the Essay. Other selective colleges like Duke University, Amherst College, and Colby College recommend the Essay, but it’s not required. 

Take a look at the colleges on these lists, and see if there are any you plan to apply to. Also be sure to double-check on your schools’ webpages, as these policies can change. 

If you think you might change your mind about which schools you want to apply to, you should take the SAT Essay to leave those doors open. This is why we generally recommend taking the essay, regardless of whether or not it’s required. After all, you can’t go back and just take the SAT Essay if you decide to change your mind and apply to a school that requires it—you’d have to retake the entire SAT.

Some colleges don’t require the essay, but do recommend it. In these cases, we always direct students to do what the college recommends. 

That being said, there is currently no option to withhold your essay score if you do terribly on it. Your essay scores will always be reported with your other test scores from that day, even to colleges that don’t require them. 

What Colleges Require the SAT with Essay?

There colleges request scores from the SAT with Essay in order to apply.

Schools that Require the SAT Essay:

• All of the University of California schools
• Benedictine University
• City University London
• Delaware State University
• DeSales University
• Dominican University of California
• Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
• Howard University
• John Wesley University
• Kentucky State University
• Martin Luther College
• Molloy College
• Schreiner University
• Soka University of America
• Southern California Institute of Architecture
• Texas A&M University—Galveston
• United States Military Academy (West Point)
• University of North Texas
• West Virginia University Institute of Technology
• Western Carolina University

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These schools do not require the SAT Essay, but do recommend that students submit it. At CollegeVine, our best advice is to always follow a college’s recommendations. 

Schools that Recommend the SAT Essay:

• Abilene Christian University
• Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
• Allegheny College
• Amherst College
• Art Institute of Houston
• Augsburg University
• Austin College
• Caldwell University
• California State University, Northridge
• Central Connecticut State University
• Central Michigan University
• Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
• Coastal Carolina University
• Colby College
• College of Wooster
• Colorado School of Mines
• Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
• Corban University
• Cornerstone University
• Dallas Christian College
• Duke University
• Eastern Illinois University
• Eastern Nazarene College
• Easternn University
• Endicott College
• Five Towns College
• Gallaudet University
• George Washington University
• Georgia Highlands College
• Greenville University
• Gwynedd Mercy University
• High Point University
• Hofstra University
• Holy Family University
• Husson University
• Indiana University South Bend
• Indiana University Southeast
• Indiana Wesleyan University
• Inter American University of Puerto Rico: Barranquitas Campus
• Juilliard School
• Keiser University (West Palm Beach)
• Lehigh University
• Madonna University
• Manhattan College
• Marymount California University
• Massachusetts Maritime Academy
• McMurry University
• Mercy College
• Modern College of Design
• Montana Tech of the University of Montana
• Morehouse College
• Mount Saint Mary College
• Mount St. Joseph University
• National-Louis University
• New Jersey City University
• Nichols College
• North Park University
• Occidental College
• Ohio University
• Oregon State University
• Purdue University Northwest
• Randall University
• Randolph-Macon College
• Reading Area Community College
• Rowan University
• Rutgers University—Camden Campus
• Rutgers University—Newark Campus
• Saint Michael’s College
• Sciences Po
• Seton Hill University
• Shiloh University
• Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
• Silver Lake College of the Holy Family
• Southern Illinois University of Carbondale
• Southern Oregon University
• Spring Hill College
• Sul Ross State University
• SUNY Farmingdale State College
• SUNY University at Stony Brook
• Tarleton State University
• Texas A&M International University
• Texas A&M University
• Texas State University
• The King’s College
• United States Air Force Academy
• University of Evansville
• University of La Verne
• University of Mary Hardin—Baylor
• University of Massachusetts Amherst
• University of Minnesota: Twin Cities
• University of New England
• University of Northwestern—St. Paul
• University of the Virgin Islands
• University of Toledo
• University of Washington Bothell
• VanderCook College of Music
• Virginia Union University
• Wabash College
• Webb Institute
• Webber International University
• Wesleyan College
• William Jewell College

If any of the schools you are considering appear on either of the lists above, we recommend taking the SAT with Essay. In fact, we recommend that most, if not all, students take the SAT essay since it leaves more doors open in your college search. However, if you’re absolutely sure you won’t be applying to colleges that require or recommend the SAT with Essay, you can skip it.

Regardless, as you consider which colleges to add to your list, you’ll want to be certain you know what colleges require the SAT essay so that you can plan ahead for this part of your test. 

For help figuring out which schools might be a great fit for you, don’t miss our customized and innovative Chancing Engine and School List Generator . Here, we use a proprietary algorithm backed by over 100,000 data points to develop a school list based on your real admissions chances and preferences.

Want to know how your SAT score impacts your chances of acceptance to your dream schools? Our free Chancing Engine will not only help you predict your odds, but also let you know how you stack up against other applicants, and which aspects of your profile to improve. Sign up for your free CollegeVine account today to gain access to our Chancing Engine and get a jumpstart on your college strategy!

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The SAT Essay: Should You Take It?

Should you take the sat essay in 2021.

NOTE: The SAT Essay no longer exists as of 2024. The SAT has transitioned into a new digital format, which is radically different. For an updated guide to the new digital SAT, follow the link here.

The SAT Essay is optional. Students do not have to sit for it. In fact, they must elect to take the Essay when registering for the SAT. This costs an additional $15 .

Plenty of U.S. universities and colleges do not require the SAT Essay, including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, Dartmouth, and Brown. But in the context of college admissions, “optional” often takes on a whole new meaning. 

What’s more, the CollegeBoard will now be discontinuing the SAT Essay following the June 2021 SAT administration .

Should you take the SAT essay between now and 2021? Or should you pass on it and spend those 50 minutes elsewhere?

In this article, we answer these questions and more.

Here’s what we cover:

The SAT Essay: The Basics

• How We’ve Approached the Essay Until Now (2021)
• Should You Take the Essay Between Now and June 2021?

If they’ve registered for it, students take the SAT essay after they have completed the first 4 sections of the test. The Essay portion is 50 minutes long (as opposed to the old SAT’s 25-minute essay section) and is hand-written.

The Purpose of the SAT Essay

According to the College Board, the SAT essay is “about the real world.”

The SAT Essay is a lot like a typical college writing assignment in which you’re asked to analyze a text. Take the SAT with Essay and show colleges that you’re ready to come to campus and write.

Yes, students must write analytically after nearly three hours of testing, when their brains are significantly fatigued! Nonetheless, the SAT essay is designed to showcase a student’s writing capabilities in the context of college preparedness .

Source : College Board

Notice how students are not asked whether or not they agree with the author’s argument. Nor are they asked to assess its logical soundness.

They must simply identify the tools or “rhetorical devices” the author uses to make his/her argument persuasive.

Passages will be similar in length and style to those on the Evidence-Based Reading test of the SAT, although notably more argumentative in nature. Many essay passages are speeches or editorials. These can be from any century.

SAT Essay Scoring

Two separate readers will assess students’ essays and score these in three categories:

• and Writing

They will award 1-4 points for each category. The SAT test graders then add the two scores for each category. Here’s an example:

A student’s SAT essay scores do not impact their SAT composite score or Verbal section score. Essay scores appear separately on the score report itself. These do not include a composite score or percentiles.

Our Historic Approach to the SAT Essay (pre-2021)

Before the CollegeBoard announced that it would be discontinuing the SAT Essay in June 2021, these were our thoughts on this optional section of the test.

First things first, plenty of institutions have dropped their requirement of the SAT or ACT essays due to the financial obstacle it may pose to some students. As we’ve already mentioned, the SAT essay requires $15 on top of the exam’s registration fee of $49.50. ( Fee waivers do exist.)

Yet some colleges have sometimes filled the SAT essay gap with something else, such as supplemental writing materials .  Despite not requiring it, a dwindling number of institutions have “recommended” that students take the essay if they have the means to do so.

College Application Requirements 

In the past, the CollegeBoard has been quick to emphasize that taking the SAT Essay enables students to apply to schools that “recommend or require it.” 

Indeed, some of the colleges on students’ lists may have different policies and/or requirements when it comes to the SAT Essay. 

If you do use this tool, be sure to confirm essay policies with what colleges specify on their websites.  

Essay Alternatives

Some colleges have requested an alternative to the SAT essay in past admission cycles.

While Princeton University has not historically required the SAT or ACT essay, it does request a graded academic writing sample from all applicants. This is designed to “ assess the student’s written expression in an academic setting” and “further the holistic understanding of the student’s application.”

Other universities, such as Harvard , permit applicants to supplement their applications with academic papers, research projects, and other scholarly documents of which they are the sole author. 

In other words, colleges are keen to assess students’ writing capacities, SAT/ACT essay aside.

SAT Test Prep

The essay does incorporate much of what both SAT verbal sections already test: expression of ideas, logical organization, critical analysis of a text, and author’s intent.

Students who prepare for both SAT verbal sections will thus already be poised for success on the essay!  In this sense, studying for the SAT essay nicely complements any SAT test prep timeline and curriculum. 

AP English students may also be at an advantage for the SAT essay. The prompt’s focus on argument and rhetorical devices frequently aligns with AP English curriculum, making essay prep more straightforward. 

Taking the SAT Essay in 2021

The CollegeBoard will no longer offer the SAT Essay after the June administration of the SAT.

In the past, we’ve encouraged students to take the Essay to keep their options open, especially those applying to more selective colleges. We haven’t advised  spending too much time preparing for the Essay, however.

Now what? S hould you even consider signing up for the SAT Essay since it’s going away in six months?

In general, plan on taking the SAT Essay if:

• You have already significantly prepared for the essay at this point in your SAT test prep
• You’ve taken the SAT essay once and plan on taking the SAT at least one more time before or on June 2021
• You plan on taking the SAT at least twice by June 2021  (this allows for SuperScoring with Essay)
• You desperately wish to showcase your writing skills and/or
• You have substantial extra prep time (i.e., preparing for the Essay won’t compromise your prep for other more valuable sections)

We recommend that you skip the essay if:

• You are just starting your test prep journey now
• You plan on taking the SAT after the June administration, at least one time
• At least one college on your list requires an essay alternative (such as an academic paper)
• You’ve already taken the essay at least twice and/or
• Your time is better spent preparing for the required sections of the SAT (Math, Reading, Writing & Language)

At the end of the day, colleges are likely to still be interested in applicants’ ability to write well and think critically.

That’s why we encourage students to spend time honing their personal statements , in-class academic papers, and supplemental essay responses , regardless of their history with the SAT Essay.

Kate is a graduate of Princeton University. Over the last decade, Kate has successfully mentored hundreds of students in all aspects of the college admissions process, including the SAT, ACT, and college application essay.

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Should I Take The Sat Essay? How to Make a Decision

Should i take the sat essay.

Are you preparing for the SAT examination? Great! Then you need to figure out if you want to take the test with the Essay or not. If you are worried about “ Should I take the SAT Essay “, then let me tell you, you are not alone. With so many announcements and prohibitions, this can be difficult to decide.

On 21st January, the College Board declared that it is not mandatory to take the Essay part of the SAT examination. This is because many schools have kept the SAT Essay optional. They don’t care whether the candidates submit the SAT score with an Essay or not. 

Yet some schools consider the SAT score with Essays. They have introduced an optional Essay section along with SAT. So, if you are wondering, ‘ Should I take the SAT Essay ‘ or not, don’t worry! In this guide, we’ll assist you with all the information you need to know before you decide. Let’s begin with which schools need SAT with Essay scores.

Which Schools Need SAT with Essay?

Generally speaking, most state schools don’t need the SAT with essays, while a significant number of them do. However, even within states, there are a lot of odd variances. For instance: All California schools need The SAT with Essay. But most California State University schools do not.

There are colleges that require you to take the SAT with Essay to apply. Those are –  

• Benedictine College  
• Delaware State University    
• City University of London  
• University of DeSales  
• California Dominican University  
• Agricultural and Mechanical University of Florida  
• Howard College  
• All of the universities in California  
• Kentucky State University    
• John Wesley University  
• Southern California Institute of Architecture   
• Martin Luther College   
• Molloy College   
• Schreiner Uni  
• Soka Uni of America  
• United States Military Academy (West Point)   
• University of North Texas    
• West Virginia Institute of Technology   
• Texas A&M University—Galveston  
• Western Carolina University  

Don’t assume that all schools need the SAT with Essays. Instead, check with each school’s testing criteria to know if they need one. This will help you decide on ‘ Should I take the SAT with Essay ‘ or avoid it. 

Purpose of the SAT Essay

As per the College Board, the SAT essay is “about the actual world.” Students will have to write analytical answers for 3 hours when their brains are exhausted! This is intended to prove a student’s writing talents in the setting of college readiness. 

How to Appear For the Essay Section

Students must analyze a passage and respond to the author’s reasoning in writing. On Test Day, the SAT Essay prompt will always be the same. The only difference will be the passage that students must analyze before responding.

It’s worth noting that questions don’t ask the candidates whether they approve of the author’s point of view. Besides, they don’t even ask to check its rationale. Students need to identify the tools or “rhetorical tactics” that the author employs to persuade the audience. The passages will be equal in length and structure to those on the SAT’s Evidence-Based Reading test. But they will be much more controversial. Speeches or editorials make up a large part of the Essay. These could be from any time.

Students Who Should Opt For SAT Essay

Although the SAT Essay has become optional, it can benefit some students. Especially the ones who meet the following criteria. Having said that, if you meet any of the criteria mentioned below, the answer to “ Should I take the SAT with Essay ” should be yes. 

• You want to showcase your analytical writing abilities.
• You want to major in a field that values analytical writing.
• You can’t showcase your analytical writing abilities on any other exam.

1. You Want To Showcase Your Analytical Writing Abilities

Students who failed as analytical writers in high school can use the SAT’s optional Essay to measure their progress. Brilliant results in the Essay can be rewarding to students who had a less-than-satisfactory marks in English or literature. Students can take this test to show how they have improved their writing skills. To sum up, if any students feel that poor results in English in high school can lower their chance of admission, they can start preparing for the SAT Essay examination. 

2. You Want To Major In A Field That Values Analytical Writing

Many academic fields consider writing skills necessary. Various branches of science and mathematics also consider it essential. Besides, it is also beneficial for students planning to pursue humanities. Since schools need students to conduct research papers, this can be essential. Thus, strong writing skills can help in easier admission to college.

3. You Can’t Showcase Your Analytical Writing Abilities On Any Other Exam

While wondering whether “ Should I take the Essay on the SAT “, ask yourself if you can show analytical writing abilities in other exams. If yes, you can skip the examination. If not, this is a good chance.

Many schools do not provide CLEP, AP English language, or similar classes. Thus, SAT Essay provides an alternate way to show improvements in college-level writing. SAT Essay also provides an opportunity for all candidates to prove their writing abilities. Besides, it also gives chances to 11th and 12th-grade students to showcase their college writing abilities.

Questions Helps You Determine Whether to Take the SAT Essay

While deciding on “ Should I take the SAT with Essay “, consider these four questions to help you make decisions.

Do any of the Schools I’d like to Apply to Require an SAT Essay?

It is essential to know whether the school you are applying for needs an SAT Essay. If it does, you have to sit for the SAT Essay examination to show the results. However, if you don’t sit for the examination, your application will remain incomplete. Therefore, you will not get admitted to your desired school.

On the contrary, if you wish to apply to a school that does not need an SAT essay, your score with an Essay won’t matter. You can avoid that examination. To be clear, institutions that need the SAT Essay will disregard your score if you take the SAT without it.

The final thing you want to do is achieve a solid score without the Essay, only to discover that your target schools need you to take the SAT with Essay. Remember that some institutions’ application policies change from year to year. So double-check the testing rules of the institutions to which you’re applying.

Do any of the Schools I’d like to Apply to Suggest the SAT Essay?

This is another important question you need to ask. Even if you’re not planning to enroll in any institution that needs the SAT Essay section , we will still recommend taking it. This will broaden your school list for admission. Besides, this will add another dimension to your application that schools can consider. But, there are some situations where you can go without taking the examination.

If you are not eligible for SAT fee waivers and paying the extra cost to take the SAT Essay is a financial strain for you, please do not feel obligated to take it. In this situation, taking the SAT without the Essay is alright. Additionally, if you have difficulty writing essays under time limits, you may skip the Essay. But, this is only for students who have excellent English and writing skills but find it difficult to compose logical essays due to time pressure.

Are there any Scholarships that Need an SAT Score with an Essay?

Many awards like the National Merit Scholarship Program demand SAT results. But some demand SAT plus Essay scores. As a result, double-check the criteria of every scholarship you intend to apply for. Scholarships that do not need or recommend the SAT Essay will accept your SAT with the Essay result. But scholarships that do need the Essay part will not take your SAT score into account if you complete the no-essay version.

Is the SAT Essay Going to Help Me in Other Ways?

If it isn’t compulsory, taking the SAT Essay won’t add much to your application in general. In reality, universities that don’t suggest or need the Essay don’t give it much thought. Nonetheless, the Essay may be helpful for overseas students who wish to show their command of the English language. If you fall in the same group, consider taking the SAT with Essay. If you believe you’ll achieve a good score, there is no harm in trying. But, I recommend against taking the Essay if you do not think you’ll do well on it.

Hopefully, the guide has helped clear your dilemma on “ Should I take the SAT Essay . ” If it has, then why are you delaying? Start preparing for the examination today to get a good SAT essay score. But if you decide to skip the test, keep preparing for the SAT without worrying about the essay section. 

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Test Optional and Optional Essay: What Optional Really Means

So far, 2020 has proven to be a year of big changes, and the college admissions process is no different. Some pieces of the application that used to be required are now optional, and what colleges mean by “optional” needs further explanation and clarification.

What “test optional” means

Test optional means just that: it is not mandatory for applicants to submit test scores to be considered for admission. In response to the testing disruptions caused by COVID-19, many colleges and universities have suspended their policy that applicants must submit SAT or ACT results as part of their application.

Eighteen colleges have gone test optional in the last four months. Some schools have waived their standardized test requirement only for applicants seeking to enroll in fall 2021; others waived the requirement for three years (to be followed by an assessment of what they’ll do about tests going forward); and still others made the change permanent. Look at the list of colleges you plan to apply to, and make sure you know which policy each of your schools has adopted. If any of your colleges are test optional, consider the average scores for admitted students (if that college publishes them). If you feel your scores will help your application, send them. If you feel they will hurt your application, don’t send them.

The list of test optional schools can be found at fairtest.org . If you are a client of International College Counselors, your college advisor will help you navigate the policies.

Why take the ACT, SAT, and/or SAT Subject Tests

Be aware that schools with a “test optional” policy are still considering submitted test scores. This means that students who submit strong test scores may have an advantage over students who do not submit them, as reported scores will be factored into the decision-making process. Only if a school explicitly states they have a “test blind” admissions policy (meaning they will not consider test scores even if the applicant submits them), will scores not be factored into the admission decision. There are only a few schools that have “test blind” SAT/ACT admission policies (for example, Northern Illinois University, Loyola of New Orleans, and the University of New Hampshire).

Speaking of “test blind,” several schools, including Cornell, Caltech, MIT, and Harvey Mudd have moved to “test blind” for SAT Subject Tests , meaning they will no longer consider these scores even if an applicant submits them . There are still, however, a number of colleges that still “recommend” or “consider” SAT Subject Test scores (for example, Carnegie Mellon, University of Virginia, Rice, and Northwestern).

In addition, athletes who plan to play at the college level many need an ACT or SAT score to be eligible to compete.

How standardized tests help colleges

Many college admission offices, and many college administrations, though not all, support the use of the SAT or ACT in assessing a student’s college readiness. They claim that the scores are objective, are useful in negating grade inflation, and help identify promising applicants whose high school transcripts do not reflect their potential. They will also tell you that test scores can help a college evaluate an applicant’s academic performance in relation to the rest of the applicant pool, which is applying from thousands of different high schools across the country and around the world.

Scholarships, SAT, and ACT scores

Another reason to take the SAT or ACT is that many colleges offer scholarships to students who have earned a minimum GPA as well as a high SAT/ACT score. These scholarships may range from a few thousand dollars to a “full ride.” Many states also award scholarships to students who meet certain minimum GPA and SAT/ACT requirements. Students who do not take the SAT or ACT may not be eligible for these scholarships.

“Optional” essays which aren’t optional

On the college application, students may see that an essay is “optional.” At International College Counselors, we believe that optional essays are not optional and that students should complete all “optional” essays. Optional essays may help schools differentiate between students with similar qualifications. Writing the optional essay demonstrates that a student has initiative and is serious about attending. In addition, a strong “optional” essay gives the admissions officer more information to consider in their decision.

However, there is at least one exception to the “rule” that optional essays aren’t really optional.  On their application last year, Duke included the following optional prompt: Duke’s commitment to diversity and inclusion includes sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. If you would like to share with us more about how you identify as LGBTQIA+, and have not done so elsewhere in the application, we invite you to do so here . This prompt should only be answered by students who feel that their application would otherwise be missing an integral component of their identity and who feel comfortable sharing this information with the admission committee.

Independent college advisors are a good option

At International College Counselors, we believe in helping students develop holistically. A holistic approach allows a student to demonstrate and spotlight their strengths and best leverage their unique talents and situation. Enable us to expand your student’s options.

Looking to connect with a top SAT or ACT tutor, a college admissions essay expert, or a college advisor who can help your student develop holistically? Contact us. International College Counselors strives to be a strong resource and partner for your family. Even in these unprecedented times, we can enable your student to reach their fullest potential in the college admissions journey. We’re here to help.

For help with any or all parts of the college admissions process or decision making, visit http://www.internationalcollegecounselors.com or call 954-414-9986.

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Should I still do the optional essay?

Apparently, College Board is removing the essay portion from last June onwards. So should I still take it or is it a waste of time? Will it help me with the SAT? Like improve it or anything?

Thanks ahead bc I I will be doing one now. And won't be able to check for a day or two.

The Worst Way to Do College Admissions

Making standardized-test scores optional has harmed the disadvantaged applicants it was intended to help.

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In the past five weeks, Dartmouth, Yale, and Brown have all announced that they would once again require applicants to submit standardized-test scores, ending an experiment that began in 2020. Hundreds of colleges made test scores optional during the pandemic, when COVID forced the SAT and ACT to shut down temporarily. Even after the pandemic receded, however, most stuck with their test-optional policies, ostensibly on equity grounds. Some elite institutions, including Emory and Vanderbilt, have recently announced extensions to their test-optional policies. Others, such as the University of California system, have sworn off even considering test scores. Critics argue that the SAT and ACT are biased against disadvantaged students, and just one more way for children of wealth and privilege to get an unfair advantage. And yet Dartmouth, Yale, and Brown all made the exact opposite claim in their announcements. They say that bringing back testing will allow them to do a better job of identifying and admitting talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The data are clear: These colleges have it right, and the critics are wrong. Yes, SAT and ACT scores do strongly correlate with parental income levels. But when colleges take tests off the table, the remaining measures used to assess applicants are even more biased. Wealthy kids have countless advantages in college admissions. They attend schools with more Advanced Placement classes and extracurricular opportunities. Expensive college coaches help them write essays about their unique life experiences (or even simply ghostwrite them). Poor kids can’t demonstrate their merit in the same way, not because they don’t have it, but because they’ve never been given the opportunity. Everyone at least has a chance to ace the SAT.

David Deming : The single biggest fix for inequality at elite colleges

Moreover, because colleges know that the standardized-test playing field isn’t level, they put a thumb on the scale for disadvantaged students. In a recent study of the long-run impacts of elite-college admissions, my colleagues and I found that low-income applicants to “Ivy-Plus” colleges were much more likely to be admitted than middle-class or upper-middle-class applicants with the exact same SAT scores. (The very wealthiest sliver of applicants received the biggest admissions advantage, however.) Colleges understand that test scores measure not just innate talent but rather a combination of talent and opportunity, and they adjust accordingly.

Colleges care about diversity and equity, but they also care about academic excellence. Standardized-test scores do a good job of showing who is ready for college-level work, and they are equally predictive of later life success. In our study, my co-authors and I linked all SAT and ACT test-takers to internal college-admissions data and to U.S. tax records. We found that test scores were much better than high-school grades at predicting who would be a top earner or attend a prestigious graduate school. Importantly, the tests were equally predictive for disadvantaged students.

Even if you buy all that, you might still favor test-optional admissions. After all, colleges still allow applicants to submit their test scores if they think it will benefit them. Choice is good, right?

Not necessarily. To understand the impact of test-optional policies, Dartmouth commissioned a study of its own admissions data. The study compared the application cohorts of 2017 through 2019, when tests were required, with the test-optional cohorts of 2021 and 2022. During this time, the average SAT score for Dartmouth students was about 1480. Applicants from the test-optional cohorts who scored below that mark were, understandably, much less likely to submit the score. However, internal data from the Dartmouth study showed that low-income and first-generation applicants scoring in the 1400s were twice as likely to be admitted if they submitted a score than if they did not. There was no such gap for high-income students. The study also found that low-income applicants were less likely overall to submit their scores, and concluded that “there are hundreds of less-advantaged applicants with scores in the 1400 range who should be submitting scores to identify themselves to Admissions, but do not under test-optional policies.” In other words, low-income students were harmed by test-optional admissions because they underestimated how much Dartmouth wanted them. A test-optional policy turns out to be the worst of both worlds.

We shouldn’t be surprised. Test-optional admissions may sound like a reasonable approach, but in practice, it adds significant complexity to an already-bewildering college-application process—and complexity tends to harm the already disadvantaged. Simplifying the college-application process, however, can bring in more low-income students. For example, in 2015, the University of Michigan sent personalized mailings to high-achieving, low-income high-school seniors in Michigan guaranteeing them four years of free tuition and fees if they were admitted. A group of researchers who studied the policy—called the HAIL scholarship— found that receiving this up-front promise made students twice as likely to attend the University of Michigan, and that about a quarter of those kids would otherwise not have attended college at all. The complexity and opacity of the standard application process had been deterring low-income students from revealing their talent to selective colleges who would be very happy to admit them.

Kathryn Paige Harden: The SAT isn’t what’s unfair

How did the university identify those high-achieving students? Crucially, Michigan is one of only a few states that require all high-school juniors to take the SAT or the ACT. Universal testing made it much easier for the University of Michigan to find disadvantaged kids with untapped potential. That’s consistent with evidence from several other states , where universal testing has improved college outcomes for low-income students.

And yet, despite this exciting progress, the University of Michigan announced recently that it would remain test-optional for the foreseeable future. It also ended the HAIL scholarship program in 2023 in favor of a new program called the Go Blue Guarantee, which gives financial aid up to full tuition but first requires income and asset verification. The same researchers that evaluated HAIL found that the added complexity of the Go Blue Guarantee made it much less effective .

The fact that more schools aren’t following the lead of Dartmouth, Yale, and Brown should trouble anyone who cares about fairness in higher education. The SAT and ACT aren’t perfect, but they are the best way to identify talented low-income students who can succeed at highly selective colleges. Their universality is their virtue. To make college admissions more equitable, we should test more, not less.

Standardized testing could be made even fairer by solving some practical problems. Colleges should discourage “super-scoring,” in which only the highest score on each subtest is included in an application. This creates a strong incentive for applicants to take the test repeatedly, because there is no cost to racking up low scores on the way to a better one. A recent study found that high-income students are more likely to retake the SAT and that, for them, retakes increase scores by 40 to 50 points. Colleges could instead require applicants to submit all scores, as Georgetown and a handful of others currently do. Colleges should also take on the responsibility of making sure potential applicants know about and can access free or low-cost test prep through online resources such as Khan Academy .

Because selective college admissions is so competitive and high-stakes, the rich will exploit any advantage, including buying access to academic and extracurricular experiences that are unavailable to ordinary families. Instead of scrapping college-entrance exams, we should focus on making them universal and fair—allowing talented poor kids to earn the academic distinction that money can’t buy.

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, should you take the act with or without writing.

ACT , ACT Writing

Because ACT Writing is optional, many students are unsure whether they need to add the extra 40 minutes to the test. However, there's a simple answer to whether you should take the ACT with writing or without writing: it depends on whether the colleges you want to apply to require a writing score.

This guide will walk you through how the ACT writing section got started, how to determine whether you should take the ACT with or without Writing, and some other considerations you may want to keep in mind.

What Is ACT Writing?

Since 2005, students have had the choice between two different versions of the ACT: the ACT and the ACT with Writing. The writing test is an optional 40-minute essay task that students can elect to take at the end of the multiple choice test.

ACT, Inc. added the Writing section in response to the 2005 SAT overhaul, which added a Writing section that included both grammar multiple-choice questions and an essay. The addition of the writing task to the ACT was meant to keep the two tests equivalent and easily comparable. Nonetheless, the SAT's essay was required and the ACT's was optional .

This discrepancy between how the two tests incorporated their essay portions caused a fair amount of confusion for students and colleges. Ultimately, each college set its own policy about the two tests' Writing sections : some simply ignored SAT Writing scores and didn't require the ACT Writing, others considered SAT Writing but didn't require Writing with the ACT, and a third group considered SAT Writing and required the Writing with the ACT.

To complicate the situation further, the SAT's essay has now been discontinued . This caused many schools to change their policy about ACT Writing as well. Very few schools now require ACT Writing. Nonetheless, the basic facts remain the same: whether you take the ACT with or without Writing depends on whether the schools you're applying to require it.

The Key Consideration: Which Colleges Require ACT Writing?

With the trend of more schools becoming test optional (especially as a result of the coronavirus pandemic), more and more schools were already not requiring SAT or ACT Writing. When the SAT ended its essay, nearly all schools that required or recommended ACT Writing changed their policies.

Currently, most schools either don't look at your ACT Writing scores at all, or they'll consider them, but they won't have a large impact on your application (and not doing ACT Writing won't hurt your application). Check out our updated list of the schools that require or recommend ACT Writing for the most up-to-date information.

You can also look up schools' most up-to-date standardized testing policies on their individual websites: just search for "[school name] ACT writing requirement" online.

A Few Other Things to Keep in Mind

Although whether the schools you're interested in require you to submit the ACT with Writing should be the primary factor in your decision about which version of the test to take, there are a couple of other pros and cons worth taking into account.

A Good ACT Writing Score Can Boost Your Chances of Admission—Slightly

Even if a school doesn't require the test, a high score on the ACT Writing may give your application a slight boost , since it serves as an indication of strong writing and analysis abilities. This is basically just a way of providing some extra information and will generally have only a minor benefit (similar to submitting both ACT and SAT scores ).

The main circumstances in which it would be worth submitting the ACT with Writing even if it isn't required would be if you're applying to especially competitive schools or schools that recommend the Writing section .

Also be aware that some schools simply won't look at your Writing score, even if you send it. Make sure to read each school's policy carefully so you know what's worth spending time on.

Costs of Taking the ACT With Writing

So far I've focused on reasons you would want to take the Writing section, but there are also some costs associated with doing so.

Registration Fee

There is an extra fee ($25) to take the writing portion of the test.

Extra Study Time

If you take the Writing section you will need to study for the Writing section, which means investing extra hours into ACT prep .

However, ACT Writing is relatively straightforward once you know how it works, so even just a few hours of prep (say, reading through the rubric and some examples and trying a practice essay ) can be very helpful.

Both of these costs are relatively minor and neither should prevent you from applying to schools that do require ACT Writing . If the added fee is a serious issue, you may qualify for a fee waiver , which covers the writing section as well as the general registration.

Final Verdict

Let's go through each possible situation you might be in and whether you should take the ACT Writing.

If even one of the schools you want to apply to requires the ACT with Writing...

...take the ACT with Writing. You won't be able to get in without it, so it's worth the slightly higher fee and extra time commitment.

If you're applying only to schools that won't consider ACT Writing scores...

...skip taking the ACT with Writing. If schools won't even consider it, it's just a waste of time and money.

If you're looking at schools that don't require ACT Writing and aren't very competitive...

...only take the ACT with Writing if your application shows major weaknesses in English language skills.

If you're applying to more competitive schools or schools that recommend ACT Writing...

...take the ACT with Writing, unless the cost and stress profoundly outweigh the potential benefit of more information for colleges.

If you're not sure where you want to apply...

...take the ACT with Writing. It will save you from having to retake the test if you realize you need to submit ACT Writing scores later.

No matter what your situation, make sure to double check whether the schools you're applying to require you to submit ACT Writing scores . There's nothing worse than thinking you're completely finished with standardized testing, only to realize that you have to take the test all over again.

What's Next?

Just realized you need to take ACT Writing ? Check out our complete guide to the new Enhanced Writing test and tips on how to get a 12 on the essay .

If you're more focused on other sections of the test , check out our ultimate prep guides for ACT Reading , English , Math , and Science .

Alex is an experienced tutor and writer. Over the past five years, she has worked with almost a hundred students and written about pop culture for a wide range of publications. She graduated with honors from University of Chicago, receiving a BA in English and Anthropology, and then went on to earn an MA at NYU in Cultural Reporting and Criticism. In high school, she was a National Merit Scholar, took 12 AP tests and scored 99 percentile scores on the SAT and ACT.

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