This is Part Four of a resource guide for those ambitious students who have decided to take matters into their own hands and self-study for the SAT. The books cost money. The rest is free and readily available on the internet.
This guide has four parts to it: General Info/Intro, Critical Reading, Writing (this!), and Math. I will present each part in its own separate post. As you can see, this is a work in progress!
Did I forget something? Let me know by leaving a comment or sending an email!
Before I continue, I urge you to peruse my general/intro post on the SAT. It includes resources such as the Sparknotes Test Prep website and will help you build solid test-taking technique across each section of the SAT. The resources I list below only build on the info from that post. Okay? Okay!
The writing section of the SAT is comprised of two distinct components:
(1) THE ESSAY
(2) THE MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
(1) THE ESSAY
The SAT essay can leave even the most confident student shaking in his or her shoes. I mean, you have to write stuff for like twenty-five minutes. I understand the terror associated with the SAT essay, but I assure you that it is not so bad. The essay requires some preparation such as thinking about important/universal examples from history, literature, art, your personal life, current affairs, pop culture, etc. Even if your mind goes blank immediately after you read the prompt, you can create imaginary examples to support your thesis. That's right: you can totally make stuff up. Oh, and your writing does not need to be perfect. It just needs to be legible, coherent, well-organized, on-topic, and somewhat persuasive. Bonus points if you can fill up as much space as possible. Done.
A few kind folks have compiled past essay questions/prompts and posted them online. This website has the most complete collection, although you need to scroll about two-thirds of the way down the page and click on links to each individual test administration month and year in order to view the prompts. The SAT Ninja's website features a neatly-organized list of past essay prompts, although I do not think it has been updated in months.
You can prepare for the SAT essay in many different ways. Some approaches are more extreme than others but each one includes helpful tips (i.e. AcademicHacker's "How to Write a 12 Essay in 10 Days"). SAT Ninja's two-part post on the SAT essay is a useful read, as is the essay section on the Ultimate SAT Verbal blog and the RR excerpt about the SAT essay on the FamilyEducation website. PWN the SAT also has a two-parter on the essay.
If you need some inspiration, then you should read this CC post full of perfectly-scored essays. Note: You may need to dig a little in order to find each essay. Obviously, I cannot vouch for the integrity of each essay posted in that thread. Read each one with an open yet critical eye.
Finally, if you need some supporting evidence examples from different areas including history and literature, then look no further than this CC thread. And remember: When all else fails, feel free to make things up. (2) THE MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
The SAT Writing Section typically tests the same kind of grammar rules over and over again. Occasionally, test writers will take a new type of error out for a spin. And even some of the more familiar rules can be confusing for students to identify, including those related to idioms. Unfortunately, most SAT writing books include content beyond what will be tested and can make studying for the section a difficult feat. Still, I am a fan of the Barron's SAT Writing Workbook. (8/22/2011) I am updating to include the author of the Ultimate SAT Verbal blog (Erica Meltzer)'s outstanding book: The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar.
[caption id="attachment_368" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_367" align="aligncenter" width="148" caption="Barron's SAT Writing Workbook"][/caption]
If you have a strong desire to learn proper grammar independent of the SAT, then I recommend you pick up The Elements of Style or The Bedford Handbook.
[caption id="attachment_369" align="aligncenter" width="123" caption="The Elements of Style"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_368" align="aligncenter" width="130" caption="The Bedford Handbook"][/caption]
The Ultimate SAT Verbal blog has a wealth of information about this section of the SAT (plus an Idiom List and Question of the Day exercises), while PWN the SAT has organized SAT writing-related posts onto this single page. CC's Silver Turtle has also written a great deal on this subject (you will just need to scroll down a bit to access it). The Family Education website has two very complete RR excerpts on the writing section's multiple choice questions.
Several grammar-focused websites are easily accessible via a quick search. My personal favorite is The Guide to Grammar and Writing.
Original Article