Should You Take the SAT or ACT Essay?

As you register for the ACT / SAT, you might see an option to add the written essay portion. Should you? Could it help your scores or chances of admission? While the written essay was once a common requirement, most students today can confidently skip the essay without hurting their college prospects. Here’s why.

A Little History

In 2005, College Board introduced a new test format that included a 25 minute written essay for every student. These essays were factored into a student’s Writing score (back in the time when a perfect score was 2400, not the 1600 we are used to.) ACT, not to be outdone by its competitor, added an optional essay. The SAT format has changed since then and for a while the written essay was optional. In January 2021, College Board dropped the essay entirely.

However, you may now see optional essays as part of your SAT and ACT registration. Why? Some states are using these test, and the written essays, as part of their high school graduation requirements. (If you don’t live in a state with an ACT/SAT graduation requirement, you should view this test add-on for what it really is: an obvious money grab.)

Here’s why you shouldn’t add the written essay to your test registration:

1. Colleges No Longer Require It

Colleges do not require the essay portion of the ACT or SAT. They don’t use it and don’t want it. Schools that previously required the essay, such as Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford, have all dropped it.

Check the admissions requirements of your potential colleges. You may find some schools are completely test-optional and even those that aren’t don’t ask for the SAT/ACT essays.

2. The Essay Score Can’t Help Your ACT or SAT Scores

It is a nice idea, especially if you are a great writer, but not a great test taker, but even perfect essays won’t help your ACT or SAT results. The optional essays receive separate scores that cannot be added to or combined with standard ACT English or SAT Reading results.

3. Time and Energy Are Better Spent Elsewhere

The ACT Writing Test adds an additional 40 minutes to an already long exam. Instead of spending extra time and effort preparing for an essay that won’t impact admissions, focus on areas that will—such as improving your SAT/ACT composite score, working on college essays, or strengthening extracurricular activities.

4. Colleges Have Other Ways to Evaluate Writing Skills

Colleges want to see strong writing skills, but they rely on a student’s application essays and high school coursework instead of standardized test essays. In fact, admissions officers prefer personal statements and supplemental essays because they showcase a student’s voice, critical thinking, and storytelling abilities in a way a timed, formulaic test essays cannot.

Fun Fact

I scored SAT essays when they were first introduced in 2005. Back then I thought it would be a good experience and the idea of grading from home seemed appealing. It was stressful. I had to pass a scoring quiz, by accurately scoring sample essays, every time I logged in. I was expected to grade for 20 hours in the 10 day grading window, keeping a suggested rate of one essay every two minutes. It was the worst job!

Conclusion

For the vast majority of students, taking the SAT or ACT essay is unnecessary. If your high school requires the essay as part of your graduation requirements, you will know it and students will receive additional testing details in school. Everyone else should focus on achieving a strong overall test scores, crafting compelling application essays, and developing talents, interests, and abilities.

By making strategic choices about test prep, you can maximize success without wasting time on an outdated and unnecessary section of the exam.