Amidst all the chaos and confusion of the past several months, we deserve some good news, right?
Yes, our Testing Timelines have all been disrupted, as we’ve have most of our Spring SAT and ACT test dates cancelled. Many colleges have changed up their SAT and ACT requirements and gone “Test Optional,” and many of you have had to make the tough call—doing the bare minimum to get by or going above and beyond to show you WANT admissions?!—all by yourself.
If you’re a Senior, you might still be struggling to sneak in a fall test date for the SAT or ACT while wondering how to write your college application essays. If you’re starting your Junior year, you might just be figuring out which test is right for you.
Either way, I’ve got some news I hope I can get you excited about…since it might just take many hours of studying and test prep and confusion off your plate. Here it is:
Almost NO schools require the essay on the SAT and ACT anymore!
It used to be that every student of mine would write the Essay section on the SAT or Writing component (the essay) on the ACT. A decade ago, the SAT essay was the first section of the test, needed with a couple multiple-choice sections to even tabulate your Writing score! You couldn’t have a score without it. You couldn’t TAKE the test without it.
Then, a few years later, when the College Board redesigned the SAT, the essay was an optional component at the end of the test. The grade was separated from the 1600 points you could earn on the other sections. The ACT’s Writing (essay) section was also optional and scored separately from your Composite Score. That said, even a few years ago, AFTER the “new” SAT came out in 2016, almost all my students (SAT takers and ACT takers alike) had to learn to do the essay on their respective test, because there was almost always a handful of colleges and universities on their college list that required it.
Sometimes, colleges would get very specific about requiring the essay on ONE of the tests, but not the other. Depending on my client’s college list, the essay requirement might even determine which test he took! For instance, if he performed equally as well on the SAT as on the ACT, but his college list had schools that would require the essay on the ACT but not require the essay on the SAT, we’d pick the path of least resistance and go with the SAT, since then we could eliminate having to do an essay.
Every year that went by, a few more schools dropped the requirement for the essay, sometimes for the SAT, sometimes for the ACT, sometimes for BOTH tests. Now, I’m happy to report, in 2020, there are VERY few colleges that require you to write an essay on the SAT/ACT at all!
In fact, unless your college list has one of these few schools on it, you do NOT have to write the Essay on the SAT:
Martin Luther College
United States Military Academy
University of Montana Western
And unless your college list has one of these two schools on it, you do NOT have to do the Writing component (essay) on the ACT:
Martin Luther College
United States Military Academy
It’s worth mentioning here that there ARE three other universities that normally would require the essays on the tests, but because of COVID-19, they are making the essays optional, at least for the class of 2021. Class of 2022 and beyond, if you’re applying to one of these schools, please research their websites to see if you have to do the Essay/Writing:
University of Minnesota—Twin Cities
Abilene Christian University
Soka University of America
So…what does this all mean for you? A few things:
When you’re taking a diagnostic test for the SAT and ACT, only complete the multiple-choice sections! Save yourself some time, and don’t use the essays as a deciding factor in selecting your test.
As you start to prepare for the SAT or ACT, only concentrate on the four multiple-choice sections on your preferred test. Assume you WON’T have to do the essay.
If your college list eventually requires that you DO write the SAT Essay or ACT Writing section, only give yourself a few weeks to practice it, right before test day.
Obviously, if you already KNOW that one or more of the six schools above are on your college list, then plan to do the essay from the start…but don’t prep for it until a few weeks before your test.
So…is the SAT Essay section or ACT Writing component necessary?
Usually I’m here to tell you that even something that’s not required is still a good opportunity to show off what makes you a great fit…but in THIS case, I advise that if you’re not required to take the ACT Writing component or the SAT Essay section, you should go ahead and skip it. That is, if you’re NOT in any of the cases I’ve outlined above, you’re off the hook.
I TOLD you that was some good news!
Despite the stress of so many changes, it’s little updates like this one that can carve out some mental space and bring some clarity to an otherwise-overwhelming process. After all, if you only have to worry about four multiple-choice sections, you, my friend, have just saved yourself a TON of time and energy!
If you want to find out OTHER ways to save yourself countless time and energy while prepping for the SAT or ACT, schedule an Ace the Test: Game Plan™. During our session, I can narrow down EXACTLY what to focus on to get the most points in the least amount of time…and help get you into your dream school! That’s why countless families all over the world seek out my elite test prep services.
