highest score in sat essay

SAT Essay Scores Explained

On january 19th, 2021, college board announced that they will no longer administer the sat subject tests in the u.s. and that the essay would be retired. read our blog post  to understand what this means in the near term and what the college board has in store for students down the road., our articles on subject tests and the sat essay will remain on our site for reference purposes as colleges and students transition to a revised testing landscape..

Why are there no percentiles for the essay on an SAT score report?

No percentiles or norms are provided in student reports. Even colleges do not receive any summary statistics. Given Compass’ concerns about the inaccuracy of essay scoring and the notable failures of the ACT on that front, the de-emphasis of norms would seem to be a good thing. The problem is that 10% of colleges are sticking with the SAT Essay as an admission requirement . While those colleges will not receive score distribution reports from the College Board, it is not difficult for them to construct their own statistics—officially or unofficially—based on thousands of applicants. Colleges can determine a “good score,” but students cannot. This asymmetry of information is harmful to students, as they are left to speculate how well they have performed and how their scores will be interpreted. Through our analysis, Compass hopes to provide students and parents more context for evaluating SAT Essay scores.

How has scoring changed? Is it still part of a student’s Total Score?

On the old SAT, the essay was a required component of the Writing section and made up approximately one-third of a student’s 200–800 score. The essay score itself was simply the sum (2–12) of two readers’ 1–6 scores. Readers were expected to grade holistically and not to focus on individual components of the writing. The SAT essay came under a great deal of criticism for being too loosely structured. Factual accuracy was not required; it was not that difficult to make pre-fabricated material fit the prompt; many colleges found the 2–12 essay scores of little use; and the conflation of the essay and “Writing” was, in some cases, blocking the use of the SAT Writing score—which included grammar and usage—entirely.

With the 2016 overhaul of the SAT came an attempt to make the essay more academically defensible while also making it optional (as the ACT essay had long been). The essay score is not a part of the 400–1600 score. Instead, a student opting to take the SAT Essay receives 2–8 scores in three dimensions: reading, analysis, and writing. No equating or fancy lookup table is involved. The scores are simply the sum of two readers’ 1–4 ratings in each dimension. There is no official totaling or averaging of scores, although colleges may choose to do so.

Readers avoid extremes

What is almost universally true about grading of standardized test essays is that readers gravitate to the middle of the scale. The default instinct is to nudge a score above or below a perceived cutoff or midpoint rather than to evenly distribute scores. When the only options are 1, 2, 3, or 4, the consequence is predictable—readers give out a lot of 2s and 3s and very few 1s and 4s. In fact, our analysis shows that 80% of all reader scores are 2s or 3s. This, in turn, means that most of the dimension scores (the sum of the two readers) range from 4 to 6. Analysis scores are outliers. A third of readers give essays a 1 in Analysis. Below is the distribution of reader scores across all dimensions.

What is a good SAT Essay score?

By combining multiple data sources—including extensive College Board scoring information—Compass has estimated the mean and mode (most common) essay scores for students at various score levels. We also found that the reading and writing dimensions were similar, while analysis scores lagged by a point across all sub-groups. These figures should not be viewed as cutoffs for “good” scores. The loose correlation of essay score to Total Score and the high standard deviation of essay scores means that students at all levels see wide variation of scores. The average essay-taking student scores a 1,080 on the SAT and receives just under a 5/4/5.

College Board recently released essay results for the class of 2017, so score distributions are now available. From these, percentiles can also be calculated. We provide these figures with mixed feelings. On the one hand, percentile scores on such an imperfect measure can be highly misleading. On the other hand, we feel that students should understand the full workings of essay scores.

The role of luck

What is frustrating to many students on the SAT and ACT is that they can score 98th percentile in most areas and then get a “middling” score on the essay. This result is actually quite predictable. Whereas math and verbal scores are the result of dozens of objective questions, the essay is a single question graded subjectively. To replace statistical concepts with a colloquial one—far more “luck” is involved than on the multiple-choice sections. What text is used in the essay stimulus? How well will the student respond to the style and subject matter? Which of the hundreds of readers were assigned to grade the student’s essay? What other essays has the reader recently scored?

Even good writers run into the unpredictability involved and the fact that essay readers give so few high scores. A 5 means that the Readers A and B gave the essay a 2 and a 3, respectively. Which reader was “right?” If the essay had encountered two readers like Reader A, it would have received a 4. If the essay had been given two readers like Reader B, it would have received a 6. That swing makes a large difference if we judge scores exclusively by percentiles, but essay scores are simply too blurry to make such cut-and-dry distinctions. More than 80% of students receive one of three scores—4, 5, or 6 on the reading and writing dimensions and 3, 4, or 5 on analysis.

What do colleges expect?

It’s unlikely that many colleges will release a breakdown of essay scores for admitted students—especially since so few are requiring it. What we know from experience with the ACT , though, is that even at the most competitive schools in the country, the 25th–75th percentile scores of admitted students were 8–10 on the ACT’s old 2–12 score range. We expect that things will play out similarly for the SAT and that most students admitted to highly selective colleges will have domain scores in the 5–7 range (possibly closer to 4–6 for analysis). It’s even less likely for students to average a high score across all three areas than it is to obtain a single high mark. We estimate that only a fraction of a percent of students will average an 8—for example [8/8/8, 7/8/8, 8/7/8, or 8,8,7].

Update as of October 2017. The University of California system has published the 25th–75th percentile ranges for enrolled students. It has chosen to work with total scores. The highest ranges—including those at UCLA and Berkeley—are 17–20. Those scores are inline with our estimates above.

How will colleges use the domain scores?

Colleges have been given no guidance by College Board on how to use essay scores for admission. Will they sum the scores? Will they average them? Will they value certain areas over others? Chances are that if you are worrying too much about those questions, then you are likely losing sight of the bigger picture. We know of no cases where admission committees will make formulaic use of essay scores. The scores are a very small, very error-prone part of a student’s testing portfolio.

How low is too low?

Are 3s and 4s, then, low enough that an otherwise high-scoring student should retest? There is no one-size-fits-all answer to that question. In general, it is a mistake to retest solely to improve an essay score unless a student is confident that the SAT Total Score can be maintained or improved. A student with a 1340 PSAT and 1280 SAT may feel that it is worthwhile to bring up low essay scores because she has previously shown that she can do better on the Evidence-based Reading and Writing and Math, as well. A student with a 1400 PSAT and 1540 SAT should think long and hard before committing to a retest. Admission results from the class of 2017 may give us some added insight into the use of SAT Essay scores.

Will colleges continue to require the SAT Essay?

For the class of 2017, Compass has prepared a list of the SAT Essay and ACT Writing policies for 360 of the top colleges . Several of the largest and most prestigious public university systems—California, Michigan, and Texas, for example, still require the essay, and a number of highly competitive private colleges do the same—for example, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford.

The number of excellent colleges not requiring the SAT Essay, though, is long and getting longer. Compass expects even more colleges to drop the essay requirement for the classes of 2018 and 2019. Policies are typically finalized in late spring or during the summer.

Should I skip the essay entirely?

A common question regarding SAT scores is whether the whole mess can be avoided by skipping the essay. After all, if only about 10% of colleges are requiring the section, is it really that important? Despite serious misgivings about the test and the ways scores are interpreted, Compass still recommends that most students take the essay unless they are certain that they will not be applying to any of the colleges requiring or recommending it. Nationally, about 70% of students choose to take the essay on at least one SAT administration. When looking at higher scoring segments, that quickly rises to 85–90%. Almost all Compass students take the SAT Essay at least once to insure that they do not miss out on educational opportunities.

Should I prepare for the SAT Essay?

Most Compass students decide to do some preparation for the essay, because taking any part of a test “cold” can be an unpleasant experience, and students want to avoid feeling like a retake is necessary. In addition to practicing exercises and tests, most students can perform well enough on the SAT Essay after 1–2 hours of tutoring. Students taking a Compass practice SAT will also receive a scored essay. Students interested in essay writing tips for the SAT can refer to Compass blog posts on the difference between the ACT and SAT tasks  and the use of first person on the essays .

Will I be able to see my essay?

Yes. ACT makes it difficult to obtain a copy of your Writing essay, but College Board includes it as part of your online report.

Will colleges have access to my essay? Even if they don’t require it?

Yes, colleges are provided with student essays. We know of very few circumstances where SAT Essay reading is regularly conducted. Colleges that do not require the SAT Essay fall into the “consider” and “do not consider” camps. Schools do not always list this policy on their website or in their application materials, so it is hard to have a comprehensive list. We recommend contacting colleges for more information. In general, the essay will have little to no impact at colleges that do not require or recommend it.

Is the SAT Essay a reason to take the ACT instead?

Almost all colleges that require the SAT Essay require Writing for ACT-takers. The essays are very different on the two tests, but neither can be said to be universally “easier” or “harder.” Compass recommends that the primary sections of the tests determine your planning. Compass’ content experts have also written a piece on how to attack the ACT essay .

Key links in this post:

ACT and SAT essay requirements ACT Writing scores explained Comparing ACT and SAT essay tasks The use of first person in ACT and SAT essays Understanding the “audience and purpose” of the ACT essay Compass proctored practice testing for the ACT, SAT, and Subject Tests

About Art Sawyer

Art graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University, where he was the top-ranked liberal arts student in his class. Art pioneered the one-on-one approach to test prep in California in 1989 and co-founded Compass Education Group in 2004 in order to bring the best ideas and tutors into students' homes and computers. Although he has attained perfect scores on all flavors of the SAT and ACT, he is routinely beaten in backgammon.

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Hi! I’m a high school junior who took the October and November SATs. I got a 1500 on October and then retook it to get a 1590 in November. I’m very happy with my score, but my essays are troubling me. I got a 6-4-6 in October and thought I would improve in November, but I got a 6-3-6. I really cannot improve my actual SAT score, but I don’t understand the essay. I’ve always been a good writer and have consistently been praised for it in English class and outside of class. Is this essay score indicative of my writing skill? And will this essay hurt my chances at Ivy League and other top tier schools? None of the schools I plan on applying to require it, but, since I have to submit it, will it hurt my chances? Thank you so much.

Maya, The essay is becoming increasingly irrelevant. Honestly, a 6-4-6 is a fine score and will not hurt your chances for admission. It’s something of an odd writing task, so I wouldn’t worry that it doesn’t match your writing skills elsewhere.

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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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What Is the Highest SAT Score?

The highest SAT score possible is 1600. In order to achieve it, you need to get perfect scores of 800 on both the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and Math Sections. You’ll also receive an essay score, which you can get up to an 8, and a separate set of subscores. In this post, we’ll break down these scores in more detail, and then take a look at how you can get a perfect SAT score!

New to the the test? Check out Magoosh’s guide to everything you need to know about the SAT first!

What’s the Highest Score You Can Get on the SAT?

The SAT score range goes from 200 to 800 per section, or 400 to 1600 overall. This makes a perfect total score 1600 on the SAT. This is your test score for the overall test.

The College Board will also give you subscores in the critical reading section and writing section: you’ll receive a subscore out of a possible 40 points in four separate categories (Command of Evidence, Words in Context, Expression of Ideas, and Standard English Conventions).

This also holds true for Math, where there are three sets of subscores (Heart of Algebra, Problem Solving and Data Analysis, and Passport to Advanced Math). These are based on questions you answered in each of the sections that belong to these categories. (BTW, if you’re aiming for the highest math SAT score, take a look at our guide to scoring a perfect 800 on the SAT math section !)

You’ll also receive cross-test scores for Analysis in History/Social Studies and Analysis in Science. These questions come from different sections in the test.

What does all this look like? Take a look at our sample score report!

In other words, when you get your SAT report, you’ll see a breakdown of the following scores. If you want a good SAT score, you’ll need to land in the upper end of these score ranges.  

How to Get the Highest SAT Score

What does it look like to get a perfect score? It means missing very, very few questions, first of all! For the math section, you’ll need to get all 58 questions correct. For reading/writing, you can miss only one question in reading (out of 52) and none in writing (out of 40). Curious what other results would get you your dream score on test day? Check out our SAT score calculator !

Is this tough to do? You bet! According to the College Board, only around 5% of students score above a 1400 on the test. They’re a little more vague when it comes to those perfect SAT scores: “A top score on the SAT is achieved by only a fraction of a percent of test takers.”

But if all of this seems overwhelming, keep in mind that millions of students in the United States and abroad take this test—meaning that thousands get super high scores on the SAT every year! And there’s no reason why you can’t be one of them!

In fact, Magoosh has talked to (and helped!) many high school students who received amazing scores. Curious how they did it? Check out tips from students who got perfect SAT scores -—or very close to them! Hint: an organized SAT study schedule makes a big difference.

Boosting Your SAT Score

So how can you get a perfect score (or rather, perfect scores ) on the SAT? Luckily, Magoosh has a number of SAT prep resources that can help you get your score up!

• Know that SAT practice tests are one of the greatest tools you have at your disposal!
• Wondering what SAT books to use? We’ve reviewed them and selected our top picks for SAT study guides!
• Ready to dive in to your SAT prep? Try Magoosh and learn how to master the SAT in 20 minutes a day !

A Final Word

Remember that you don’t need to score astronomically high in order to have a good SAT score! Test takers have an average SAT score of around 1000 overall, and most people would consider anything above average to be a pretty darn good SAT score .

And finally, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. College admissions committees in the United States are looking at aspects of your application other than just your test scores. With that said, will achieving the highest score possible on the SAT help your application? Absolutely! But focus on doing the best that you can for yourself instead of measuring up to ideas of perfection—and you may just find yourself reaching your goals all the faster.

Rachel is a Magoosh Content Creator. She writes and updates content on our High School and GRE Blogs to ensure students are equipped with the best information during their test prep journey. As a test-prep instructor for more than five years in there different countries, Rachel has helped students around the world prepare for various standardized tests, including the SAT, ACT, TOEFL, GRE, and GMAT, and she is one of the authors of our Magoosh ACT Prep Book . Rachel has a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature from Brown University, an MA in Cinematography from the Université de Paris VII, and a Ph.D. in Film Studies from University College London. For over a decade, Rachel has honed her craft as a fiction and memoir writer and public speaker. Her novel, THE BALLERINAS , is forthcoming in December 2021 from St. Martin’s Press , while her memoir, GRADUATES IN WONDERLAND , co-written with Jessica Pan, was published in 2014 by Penguin Random House. Her work has appeared in over a dozen online and print publications, including Vanity Fair Hollywood. When she isn’t strategically stringing words together at Magoosh, you can find Rachel riding horses or with her nose in a book. Join her on Twitter , Instagram , or Facebook !

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2 responses to “What Is the Highest SAT Score?”

When I took the SAT in 1977, it was 1600 maximum and only 2 sections. So after 40 years the board went full circle. Seems like maybe lots of time and $ was spent to go back to what was originally a good method.

These be some nice FACTS! Thx dawg.

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SAT scoring is on a scale from 400-1600. The highest SAT score you can possibly earn is 1600. The lowest is 400.  Your total SAT score is comprised of a Math section score and an Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score. Each SAT section is scored between 200 and 800 points. The average SAT score for the class of 2022 was 1050.  The average Math score on the SAT for the class of 2022 was 521. The average EBRW score for the class of 2022 was 529.

Your SAT Score Report

You will find your total score and your section scores on your official SAT score report from the College Board. These are the scores that college admissions committees consider when they review your application. On your SAT score report, you will also find a series of cross-test scores and subscores that analyze various proficiencies.

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SAT Percentiles

• Nationally Representative Sample Percentile : According to The College Board, this percentile compares your performance to those of " all U.S. students in a particular grade, including those who don’t typically take the test."
• Your SAT User Percentile - National : This compares your performance against those of every college-bound SAT-taker in the 11 th or 12 th grades.

The Nationally Representative Sample Percentile will be higher, because your SAT User Percentile doesn’t take into account students who don’t take the SAT or intend to go to college. Your SAT User Percentile is more useful in assessing how competitive your scores are for college admission.

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Students taking the latest version of the SAT have a lot of questions about the Essay section in particular. When the College Board redesigned the SAT in 2016, the Essay section was the aspect of the test that changed most substantially.

As a result, it is the section that is least understood. Keep reading to learn how we approach setting a good target score for this often enigmatic section of the SAT.

What Is the SAT Essay?

Students taking the optional Essay section are provided with a written argument and asked to analyze it. Check out the College Board’s example prompt with sample graded responses to get a sense of what the exam looks like.

Is the SAT Essay Required?

This is the only optional section of the SAT. It does not impact your overall score out of 1600. Instead, your Essay grade stands alone on your score report.

While the College Board does not require the SAT Essay, certain schools do. 

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

Discover how your SAT score affects your chances

As part of our free guidance platform, our Admissions Assessment tells you what schools you need to improve your SAT score for and by how much. Sign up to get started today.

Additionally, these schools do not require the SAT Essay but recommend it.

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
• 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

Should You Take the SAT Essay Section?

We recommend taking the Essay section just in case you want to apply to one of the schools that requires or recommends it. If you’re absolutely sure you won’t apply to any of these schools, you can skip it. Just know that you can’t retake the SAT essay alone, so if you change your mind and want to apply to a school that requires the Essay section, you’ll have to retake the whole test.

How Is the SAT Essay Scored?

Your essay will be evaluated on three criteria—Reading, Analysis, and Writing.

The Reading grade is meant to gauge how well you understand the passage content. Did you absorb the information you just read? Especially when the details are not intuitive, your readers will be checking to see that you read closely and caught the nuance of the piece.

The Analysis score relates to how well you represented the argument that the writer made. Your goal in the Essay section should be to determine what the writer’s main argument is and describe how they present it. 

Finally, your score in Writing reflects your own command over the English language. Your capacity to write clear, well-structured sentences that use a wide range of vocabulary will determine this grade.

Two readers each give the essay a score between 1 and 4, depending on how well each reader thinks you did in the three categories. Their grades are then summed to give you a three-part grade. The highest grade you can receive is 8, 8, 8, while the lowest possible score is 2, 2, 2. To give an example, one student may score a 5, 4, 4, which would mean that their readers submitted the following feedback:

What’s a Good, Average, and Bad SAT Essay Score?

In 2019, the mean score on the Reading and Writing for the SAT Essay was a 5. For the Analysis section, the mean score was a little lower at 3, simply because Analysis is a skill that high school students spend less time honing than Reading or Writing.

For a detailed breakdown of how 2019’s test takers performed, here are a few score distributions:

Here’s a rough breakdown of the percentile scores based on the most recent College Board data. Here’s how this chart works: say you scored a 6 on the Reading section. According to the data, that means that you performed better than 70% of other essay writers.

SAT Essay Score Percentile Rankings

Source: College Board and CollegeVine data analysis

How Should You Understand and Improve Your SAT Essay Score?

Unless your SAT Essay score is rock-bottom, you should not feel the need to retest just to improve your Essay score. If you received a low score that you feel isn’t representative of your writing abilities, focus on crafting stellar college essays instead of retaking the SAT just for the Essay section.

If you were unhappy with your SAT Essay score AND your overall SAT score, however, then you should consider retaking the test with the Essay section. 

Here are a few tips on how to improve your SAT Essay score:

1. Annotate the passage. Read carefully. Start by boxing the main argument of the passage, then put a star next to three or four places where the author employs a strategy to win the readers over. These may include:

• Refuting a counter argument
• Raising a question
• Providing anecdotal evidence
• Using statistics to support a claim
• Citing historical examples
• Employing rhetorical devices, such as metaphor

2. State the main point of the passage author. Make it clear that you understand what the author is trying to say by stating their thesis clearly in your essay response. No one reading your essay should have any doubt as to what you think the main point of the passage is.

Make the author’s thesis clear at the beginning of your response as well as in your concluding paragraph. Tie back to it often within your body paragraphs too.

3. Outline before you write. Spend 3-5 minutes organizing your thoughts. Build up 2-4 points about the argument’s structure. Think of yourself as a debate coach. Give feedback on the persuasion tactics the author used. Which ones were most effective? What could they have done to sway their audience even more?

Remembered the strategies you starred when you were annotating? These are the building blocks of the author’s argument, and your essay should provide analysis of how effectively these building blocks were used.

4. DO NOT include your personal opinion. The essay exists to assess whether you can analyze an argument. It has nothing to do with your personal views. If you find yourself defending or disagreeing with the passage, that is a good sign that you are missing a chance to analyze the argument’s structure.

5. Proofread your essay. Give yourself 2 minutes towards the end of the section to improve the language you used. Search for spelling and grammar mistakes, as well as weak word choice. Replace monosyllabic words like “good” and “is” with more dynamic vocabulary, such as “striking” or “constitutes.” This is a quick and easy way to boost your Writing score.

For more advice on how to study for the Essay section, check out our How to Get a Perfect Score on the SAT Essay and The Ultimate Guide to the New SAT Essay .

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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SAT Essay Scores: All about SAT Essay Score Range

SAT Essay is the one which requires students to read a foundation text and then analyse how the novelist uses several techniques to build their argument. Each SAT Essay entails one passage between 650 and 750 words that students will read and then reply to. Students have 50 minutes to analyse the text and frame their responses. The SAT Essay comprises three main parts:

•       Reading Prompt
•       Reading Selection
•       Essay Instruction

In 2021, College Board made SAT an optional section. It does not affect your overall score of 1600. Instead, your Essay grade stands unaccompanied on your score report. So, to know more about SAT essay score range & much more information on the same. We have curated a guide below about SAT essay scores and their importance with other general information.

SAT Essay Score Ranges: Highest, Good, and Average SAT Scores

Two scorers will assess your essay response. Each grader will allocate SAT essay score range of 1-4 in three categories: Reading, Analysis, and Writing. The highest grade you can achieve is 8 in all 3 sections, and the lowest score can be 2 for each of the three sections of the SAT Essay Paper.

·       Highest SAT Essay Score

The essay SAT score is an optional part of SAT with a self-regulating scoring system, i.e., means essay score is not involved in the total maximum SAT score of 1600. An evaluator will give you between 1 and 4 points for each section. In totality, each dimension is being scored out of 8 likely points. The 3 separate scores out of 8 points mean that the highest possible SAT essay full score is 8-8-8, or 24 total points.

·       Good SAT Essay Score

Any SAT score above the 50th SAT essay score percentiles, or median, is measured as a good result since it designates that you have done good out of the majority of students. A 50th percentile score, on the other side, will not be sufficient at most admired universities. Depending on how competitive the student pool is, the standard for a high SAT score rises meaningly. This is why it’s usually a good idea to aim for a 1200 or above score.

·       Average SAT Essay Score

There are diverse ways and parameters for calculating the average SAT Essay Scores. However, an average SAT Essay score is 14 out of 24 points for all three sections. The average SAT essay score range is 5 out of 8 for the Reading section, 3 out of 8 for the Analysis Section, and 5 out of 8 for Writing.

Suggested: Everything about SAT Exam Pattern

Why is SAT Essay Score Important?

SAT essay, however, is a completely different exercise: it's a 50-minute rhetorical analysis essay at the end of a three-hour test. According to the College Board's SAT Suite of Assessments Annual Report, 68% of students chose to take the essay. The SAT essay requires you to analyse a convincing argument. Topics for the passage can vary significantly but will always be about an argument written for an extensive audience.

 The SAT essay gives you a track to polish it. You can show off your creativity, critical thinking skills, and writing. You can also highlight the colleges where you're enthusiastic about going the extra mile.

Suggested: What Is Considered A Good SAT Score to Study Abroad?

How to Prepare for SAT Essay?

Success on the SAT score with Essay depends on preparation as well as implementation. Here are a few tips that an undergraduate student can go through to prepare well for the SAT essay score.

1.       Study Sample Passages and SAT Essay Prompts

To understand the concept of the SAT essay, go through study sample passages to get high scores in each of the scoring sections, and take time to analyse example SAT essay prompts. As you go through each of the example passages and consistent responses, study how and why the author used to sign, reasoning, and stylistic or persuasive elements.

2.       Understand the SAT Essay Scoring System

Two readers will score your Essay distinctly and allocate a score of 1 to 4 for each of the 3 sections that include reading, analysis, and writing. Your analysis score will imitate how well your essay analyses how the author went about urging the audience. Also, SAT essay score reports offer these three distinct scores, each on a 2 to 8 scale.

3.       Begin with an Outline

An outline helps you plan your writing by giving you a clear logic of direction when transitioning from one point to the next. Planning out your method for an introduction, body, and conclusion when the content is fresh in your mind will safeguard that you don't reach the end of your answer with blocks in your argument.

4.       Make Time for Edits

After making all the approaches and figuring out how to write SAT essay, aim to take out some time in the end for review. In doing so, you may catch misunderstood information or find other ways to extra build on the points you made in your response.

Suggested: SAT Preparation Books to Ace Your Score

The choice is eventually yours to take SAT essay or not, but there are pros to taking the SAT with Essay even if a college or university you're interested in doesn't require it. A clear profit would be that it opens up your possible college choices, regardless of what you've decided on presently. Besides, if you want to know about SAT Score and other information, connect with our Yocket Counsellors and get 15 min free consultation to clear your queries efficiently.

Frequently Asked Questions about SAT Essay Score

What is a good score on SAT essay?

A good SAT essay score would be three 8's; that's a 4 from both graders in all three categories.

Which colleges abroad require SAT Essay?

There are some colleges abroad where SAT essay is required: 1) Benedictine University 2) City University London 3) Delaware State University 4) University of North Texas 5) Dominican University of California 6) DeSales University 7) Western Carolina University 8) Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University

Is the SAT Essay mandatory?

In June 2021, the College Board chose to discontinue the SAT essay. Now, only students in a few states and school regions still have access to and must complete the SAT essay. This obligation applies to some students in the SAT School Day program.

Is 22 a good SAT essay score?

If you can achieve above 22 out of 24, it is the highest SAT score.

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SAT Essay Scores: Score Calculation and SAT Essay Score Range

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Content Writer - Study Abroad | Updated On - Jun 29, 2024

Highlights:

• SAT essay score is measured by 3 sections: reading, analysis, and writing .
• Each section of SAT essay is calculated on a 2 to 8 level .
• From 2021, SAT essay was discontinued .
• Achieving 20 out of 24 SAT exam essay scores was accepted by most of the top universities. 

SAT essay score is measured on a scale of 2 to 8 for each section . Your SAT essay scores were measured on 3 dimensions: reading, analysis, and writing. Certain universities consider SAT exam essay scores vital for admission, despite it being optional. Until 2021, SAT essay score was also an optional section, but this year the essay section was discontinued. SAT essay score is not required anymore, but if you want to showcase your writing skills, you can consider taking an AP English course. Achieving 20 out of 24 SAT writing scores was accepted by most of the top universities . 

SAT Essay Score Range

The SAT Essay Score ranges from 2 to 8 according to their proficiency level. SAT Essay is evaluated on three criteria – Reading, Analysis, and Writing.

SAT Essay is scored by two different people in between 1 and 4. Their grades are then summed up to give you a three-part grade. The highest grade you can receive is 8 for three, and while the lowest possible score can be 2 for each of the three sections of the SAT Essay Paper.

SAT Essay Score Calculation

The SAT essay reading part of your grade assesses how well you read the essay that was provided. The SAT essay analysis part assesses how well you explained your point. The SAT essay writing part assesses how good your syntax and flow was.

The steps on how the SAT Essay is evaluated are given below:

• 2 distinct raters will examine your essay;
• 4 for Advanced level
• 3 for Proficient level
• 2 for Partial level
• 1 for Inadequate level
• After both of them completes the evaluation, the 2 scores for each of the dimensions are added.
• Candidates will receive 3 scores for the SAT Essay: One for each dimension which ranges from 2 to 8 points.

What is a Good SAT Essay Score?

For candidates wondering “What is a good essay score on SAT?”

Well, a good SAT Essay Score is scoring 19 out of 24. If a candidate manages to get above 22 out of 24, it is considered as an excellent SAT Score .

Average SAT Essay Score

There are different ways and parameters for calculating the average SAT Essay Scores. However, an average SAT Essay score is 14 out of a maximum of 24 points for all the three sections. Logically, Average SAT Score should be equal to 15 for all three sections. But apparently, it comes out to be 14. The Analysis dimension is the part of the SAT essay task that is most different from what students have had to do on other standardized test essays. The average SAT Essay score is 5 out of 8 for the Reading section, 3 out of 8 for the Analysis Section, and 5 out of 8 for Writing.

SAT Essay Score Percentile

The rough breakdown of the SAT essay score percentile based on the most recent College Board data is given in the table below:

In order to apply to the top foreign Universities of the English speaking nations, Candidates are required to obtain a decent SAT Essay Score. Universities like Harvard University, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago, Stanford University require a decent SAT Essay score of 5-6 out of 8 in Reading, at least 4 out of 8 in Analysis, and 5-6 out of 8 in Writing.

To attain a good SAT Essay score, students need to practice more and more with the reading part. Try to understand what the author is trying to say and then take time to analyze and organize your thoughts and finally present it in a better way. This is one of the quick and easy ways to boost your SAT Essay Score.

ACT Essay Vs SAT Essay

ACT Vs SAT score conversion helps to determine the better performance of the candidate in these exams.

SAT Essay Sample

Here are SAT example essays for you:

Each section of SAT essay ranges on a scale of 2 to 8, and achieving a score of 6 in every section is considered a good score. Your SAT essay score will be based on your reading, analysis, and writing levels. From 2021 SAT essay scores are not a part of the exam. 

Ques: What is a good essay score on the SAT?

Ans: Each section of SAT essay ranges on a scale of 2 to 8, and achieving a score of 6 in every section is considered a good score. A score of 20+ on SAT essay was acceptable for the top-ranked universities worldwide.

Ques: Is the SAT essay hard?

Ans: Candidates doing regular practice with SAT sample papers and with a good knowledge of English reading and writing can easily achieve a good score on SAT essays.

Ques: Is 14 a good SAT essay score?

Ans: Achieving a SAT essay score of 14 out of 24 is an average score. On average, achieving a score of 20+ is considered a good SAT essay score.

Ques: Is 20 a good SAT essay score?

Ans: Achieving a score of 20 on SAT was considered a good score and was accepted by most of the top universities. The total sum of the three-part SAT essay score was 24.

Ques: Does SAT essay score matter?

Ans: SAT essay score does not matter on your score report. SAT essay was discontinued in 2021. There are other ways to show your writing skills by taking another English essay exam.

Ques: Is a 90% on an essay good?

Ans: Achieving a 90% score on SAT essay was comparatively hard, and you need to write your essay with a perfect intro and conclusion for a higher score.

Ques: Who grades SAT essays?

Ans: SAT essay scores are graded on a scale of 2 to 8 for each section. Your SAT essay score will be based on your reading, analysis, and writing levels.

Ques: Can I send my SAT score without the essay?

Ans: From 2021 SAT essay scores are not a part of the exam. You can send your total SAT score to the universities by visiting the College Board’s official website.

Ques: Is it easy to get 40% on an essay?

Ans: Getting 40% on SAT is relatively easy. You need to write a perfect essay with a good introduction and conclusion to achieve a good score. 

Ques: How to start a SAT essay?

Ans: A perfect introduction to SAT essay describes and paraphrases the argument, and you need to introduce the specific passage and argument that you will discuss in the essay. One thing you need to remember is that your conclusion should sum up all the points you made.

* The article might have information for the previous academic years, which will be updated soon subject to the notification issued by the University/College.

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Are Average SAT Scores Good Enough?

Learn what selective colleges consider solid SAT scores for admission

Average SAT Scores

What is a competitive sat score, sample sat data for selective colleges and universities, private universities: sat score comparison (mid-50%), liberal arts colleges: sat score comparison (mid-50%), public universities: sat score comparison (mid-50%), more about sat scores, the sat writing section, more sat data for selective colleges, sat subject test data, what if your sat scores are low.

• Ph.D., English, University of Pennsylvania
• M.A., English, University of Pennsylvania
• B.S., Materials Science & Engineering and Literature, MIT

What is considered a good SAT score? The SAT exam consists of two required sections: Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, and Mathematics. There is also an optional essay section. The scores from each required section can range from 200 to 800, so the best possible total score without the essay is 1600.

There are different ways to calculate what an "average" score is for the SAT. For the Evidence-Based Reading section, the College Board predicts that if all high school students took the exam, the average SAT score would be a little over 500. For college-bound students who take the SAT, the average SAT score goes up to around 540. This latter number is probably the more meaningful one since it is the average SAT score among students you're competing with for college admission.

For the Math section of the exam, the average SAT score for all high school students is similar to the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section—a little over 500. For college-bound students who are likely to take the SAT, the average Math score is a little over 530. Here again that latter number is probably the more meaningful one since you would want to compare your score to other college-bound students.

Note that the exam changed significantly in March 2016 , and average SAT scores are now slightly higher.

Averages, however, don't really tell you what kind of score you need for selective colleges and universities. After all, every student who gets into a school like Stanford or Amherst is going to be well above average. The table below can give you a sense of the typical score ranges for students who were admitted to different types of highly selective colleges and universities. Keep in mind the table shows the middle 50% of matriculated students. Twenty-five percent of students got  below the lower number , and 25% scored higher than the upper number.

You're obviously in a stronger position if your scores are in the upper ranges in the tables below. Students in the lower 25% of the score range are going to need other strengths to make their applications stand out. Also keep in mind that being in the top 25% does not guarantee admission. Highly selective colleges and universities reject students with near perfect SAT scores when other parts of the application fail to impress admissions teams.

In general, a combined SAT score of roughly 1400 will make you competitive at nearly any college or university in the country. The definition of a "good" score, however, is entirely dependent upon which schools you're applying to. There are hundreds of test-optional colleges where SAT scores don't matter, and hundreds of other schools where average scores (roughly 1050 Reading + Math) will be perfectly adequate for receiving an acceptance letter.

The table below will give you a sense of the types of scores you'll need for a wide range of selective public and private colleges and universities.

View the ACT version of this article

SAT scores aren't the most important part of a college application (your academic record is), but aside from colleges that are test-optional, they can play a big role in a school's admissions decision. Average SAT scores aren't going to cut it at the country's most selective colleges and universities, and some public universities have concrete cut-off numbers. If you score below the required minimum, you won't be admitted.

If you aren't happy with your performance on the SAT, keep in mind that all colleges are happy to accept either ACT or SAT scores regardless of where in the country you live. If your ACT score is better, you can almost always use that exam. This ACT version of this article can help guide you.

You'll find that most schools report critical reading and math scores, but not the writing scores. This is because the writing part of the SAT never fully caught on when it was introduced in 2005, and many schools still do not use it in their admissions decisions. And when the redesigned SAT rolled out in 2016, the writing section became an optional part of the exam. There are some colleges that require the writing section, but the number of schools with that requirement has been rapidly declining in recent years.

The table above is just a sampling of admissions data. If you look at the SAT data for all of the Ivy League schools , you'll see that all require scores that are well above average. The SAT data for other top private universities , top liberal arts colleges , and top public universities is similar. In general, you're going to want math and reading scores that are at least in the high 600s to be competitive.

You'll notice the bar for top public universities tends to be a little lower than for private universities. It's generally easier to get into UNC Chapel Hill or UCLA than it is to get into Stanford or Harvard . That said, realize that the public university data can be a little misleading. The admissions bar for in-state and out-of-state applicants can be quite different. Many states require the majority of admitted students come from in-state, and in some cases this means admissions standards are significantly higher for out-of-state applicants. A combined score of 1200 might suffice for in-state students, but out-of-state applicants might need a 1400.

Many of the country's top colleges require applicants to take at least a couple SAT Subject Tests. Average SAT scores on the subject tests are significantly higher than on the general exam, for the subject tests are taken primarily by strong students who are applying to top colleges. For most schools that require subject tests, you're going to be most competitive if those scores are in the 700 range. You can learn more by reading about score information for different subjects: Biology | Chemistry | Literature | Math | Physics .

The SAT can create a lot of anxiety for students whose scores aren't in line with their college aspirations. Realize, however, there are plenty of  ways to compensate for low SAT scores . There are many excellent colleges for students with not-so-great scores  as well as hundreds of test-optional colleges . You can also work to improve your scores with approaches that range from buying an SAT prep book to enrolling in a Kaplan SAT prep course . 

Whether you work hard to raise your SAT score, or you look for colleges that don't require high scores, you'll find that you have plenty of college options whatever your SAT scores are.

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2024 Little League World Series: Schedules, results, channels

The 2024 Little League World Series is here -- and features some of the best young baseball and softball players in the country.

The Little League Baseball World Series (LLBWS) and the Little League Softball World Series (LLSWS) will showcase an extended field of 20 and 12 teams, respectively, for the third year in a row.

ESPN's coverage of Little League Baseball began Aug. 1 with the United States regional tournaments, while Little League Softball regional tournament coverage began July 6.

While baseball regional tournaments are underway, the LLSWS tournament in Greenville, North Carolina, kicks off Sunday and finishes with the championship game Aug. 11. Meanwhile, the LLBWS tournament in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, starts Aug. 14 and is capped with the United States and International finals on Aug. 24 and the LLBWS championship game on Aug. 25.

This year's MLB Little League Classic will feature the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers facing off at historic Bowman Field in Williamsport on Aug. 18, which you can watch on ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" broadcast at 7 p.m. ET.

We have everything you need to know -- from a comprehensive schedule to how to watch all the games to results and highlights as we get underway.

Full coverage of the LLWS can be found here .

Watch every game: Baseball | Softball

Check out our coverage from the 2023 LLWS:

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Little League Softball World Series schedule

(All times in ET)

Aug. 4 West 2, Mid-Atlantic 1 Southwest 5, Northwest 0 Central 6, Latin America 0 North Carolina 10, Asia-Pacific 0

Aug. 5 Southwest 8, Canada 0 New England 3, West 0 North Carolina 16, Europe-Africa 0 Central 2, Southeast 0

Aug. 6 Mid-Atlantic 2, Europe-Africa 1 Southeast 9, Northwest 0

Aug. 7 and Aug. 8: All games cancelled due to inclement weather

Aug. 9 9 a.m. LLSWS Game 11: Latin America vs. Canada on ESPN2 11 a.m. LLSWS Game 12: Asia-Pacific vs. West on ESPN2 1 p.m. LLSWS Game 13: Southeast vs. Game 11 winner on ESPN2 3 p.m. LLSWS Game 14: Mid-Atlantic vs. Game 12 winner on ESPN2 5 p.m. LLSWS Game 15: New England vs. North Carolina on ESPN 7 p.m. LLSWS Game 16: Central vs. Southwest on ESPN

TBD: LLSWS Game 17: Game 15 loser vs. Game 14 winner TBD: LLSWS Game 18: Game 16 loser vs. Game 13 winner

Aug. 10 2 p.m. Orange Bracket Final Game 19: Game 16 winner vs. Game 18 winner on ESPN 5 p.m. Purple Bracket Final Game 20: Game 15 winner vs. Game 17 winner on ESPN2

Aug. 11 12 p.m. Consolation Game: Game 19 loser vs. Game 20 loser on ESPN2 3 p.m. World Series Championship: Game 19 winner vs. Game 20 winner on ABC

Little League Baseball Regional Tournament schedule

Aug. 1 North Carolina 8, Georgia 5 Texas West 7, Arkansas 3 Florida 5, South Carolina 3 Louisiana 4, Oklahoma 1 Virginia 7, West Virginia 4 Texas East 4, Mississippi 0 Tennessee 19, Alabama 3

Aug. 2 Missouri 14, Nebraska 3 Georgia 8, South Carolina 6 Texas West 5, New Mexico 1 Iowa 12, Kansas 3 Alabama 12, West Virginia 5 Louisiana 3, Texas East 0 South Dakota 11, North Dakota 1 Florida 11, North Carolina 4 Oklahoma 10, Mississippi 0 Tennessee 11, Virginia 2

Aug. 3 Kentucky 7, Michigan 1 Massachusetts 9, Vermont 0 Texas East 3, Arkansas 0 Montana 7, Nevada 1 Minnesota 9, Wisconsin 8 Maine 2, New Hampshire 0 Georgia 18, Virginia 0 New Mexico 1, Oklahoma 0 Missouri 3, Iowa 2 Alabama 4, North Carolina 1 Idaho 6, Washington 4 New Jersey 8, Connecticut 4 Illinois 3, Indiana 0 Oregon 6, Alaska 2

Aug. 4 Maryland 5, Delaware 3 South Dakota 12, Minnesota 0 Georgia 17, Alabama 2 Kansas 6, Nebraska 5 Utah 19, Wyoming 5 Pennsylvania 13, Washington D.C. 1 Texas East 3, New Mexico 2 Florida 8, Tennessee 1 Wisconsin 11, North Dakota 1 Colorado 18, Montana 7 New Hampshire 6, Vermont 4 Texas West 4, Louisiana 1 Kentucky 1, Ohio 0 Hawaii 2, Northern California 0 New York 17, Rhode Island 7 Indiana 11, Michigan 1 Southern California 4, Arizona 0

Aug. 5 Maine 7, Massachusetts 1 Minnesota 16, Kansas 6 Tennessee 11, Georgia 6 Washington 11, Alaska 4 New Jersey 11, New York 1 Indiana 4, Ohio 3 Nevada 24, Wyoming 4 Louisiana 6, Texas East 5 Iowa 6, Wisconsin 4 Washington D.C. 1, Delaware 0 Arizona 3, Northern California 2 Illinois 3, Kentucky 2 Connecticut 13, Rhode Island 2 Idaho 5, Oregon 3

Aug. 6 Iowa 15, Minnesota 0 Pennsylvania 11, Maryland 1 Nevada 6, Montana 0 Indiana 5, Kentucky 3 Florida 11, Tennessee 0 Southern California 11, Hawaii 3 Texas West 6, Louisiana 3 Utah 16, Colorado 2

Aug. 7 Missouri 6, South Dakota 4 New Hampshire 4, Massachusetts 3 Washington 14, Oregon 5 New York 6, Connecticut 5 Illinois 8, Indiana 7 Hawaii 13, Arizona 9

Aug. 8 South Dakota 3, Iowa 0 4:35 p.m. Mid-Atlantic Game 5 Semifinal 2: Washington D.C. vs. Maryland on ESPN 5 p.m. Mountain Game 7 Semifinal 2: Colorado vs. Nevada on ESPN2 7 p.m. New England Championship: Maine vs. New Hampshire on ESPN 9 p.m. Northwest Championship: Idaho vs. Washington on ESPN

Aug. 9 1 p.m. Midwest Championship: Missouri vs. South Dakota on ESPN 3 p.m. Mid-Atlantic Championship: Pennsylvania vs. Game 5 winner on ESPN 5 p.m. Mountain Championship: Utah vs. Game 7 winner on ESPN 7 p.m. Metro Championship: New Jersey vs. New York on ESPN 9 p.m. West Championship: Southern California vs. Hawaii on ESPN

Little League Baseball World Series schedule

Aug. 14 1 p.m. LLBWS Game 1: Caribbean vs. Mexico on ESPN 3 p.m. LLBWS Game 2: New England vs. West on ESPN 5 p.m. LLBWS Game 3: Asia-Pacific vs. Canada on ESPN 7 p.m. LLBWS Game 4: Southeast vs. Midwest on ESPN

Aug. 15 1 p.m. LLBWS Game 5: Japan vs. Puerto Rico on ESPN 3 p.m. LLBWS Game 6: Metro vs. Mountain on ESPN 5 p.m. LLBWS Game 7: Cuba vs. Europe-Africa on ESPN 7 p.m. LLBWS Game 8: Southwest vs. Mid-Atlantic on ESPN

Aug. 16 1 p.m. LLBWS Game 9: Game 1 winner vs. Latin America on ESPN 3 p.m. LLBWS Game 10: Game 2 winner vs. Great Lakes on ESPN 5 p.m. LLBWS Game 11: Australia vs. Game 3 winner on ESPN 7 p.m. LLBWS Game 12: Northwest vs. Game 4 winner on ESPN

Aug. 17 1 p.m. LLBWS Game 13 on ESPN 3 p.m. LLBWS Game 14 on ESPN 5 p.m. LLBWS Game 15 on ESPN 7 p.m. LLBWS Game 16 on ESPN2

Aug. 18 9 a.m. LLBWS Game 17 on ESPN 11 a.m. LLBWS Game 18 on ESPN 1 p.m. LLBWS Game 19 on ABC 2 p.m. LLBWS Game 20 on ESPN 7 p.m. MLB Little League Classic: Yankees vs. Tigers on ESPN

Aug. 19 1 p.m. LLBWS Game 21 on ESPN 3 p.m. LLBWS Game 22 on ESPN 5 p.m. LLBWS Game 23 on ESPN 7 p.m. LLBWS Game 24 on ESPN

Aug. 20 1 p.m. LLBWS Game 25 on ESPN 3 p.m. LLBWS Game 26 on ESPN 5 p.m. LLBWS Game 27 on ESPN 7 p.m. LLBWS Game 28 on ESPN

Aug. 21 1 p.m. LLBWS Game 29 on ESPN 3 p.m. LLBWS Game 30 on ESPN 5 p.m. LLBWS Game 31 on ESPN 7 p.m. LLBWS Game 32 on ESPN

Aug. 22 3 p.m. LLBWS Game 33 on ESPN 5 p.m. T-Mobile Little League Home Run Derby 7 p.m. LLBWS Game 34 on ESPN

Aug. 23 7 p.m. T-Mobile Little League Home Run Derby airing on ESPN

Aug. 24 12:30 p.m. International Championship on ABC 3:30 p.m. U.S. Championship on ABC

Aug. 25 10 a.m. Consolation Game on ESPN2 3 p.m. World Series Championship on ABC

FBI: Thomas Matthew Crooks Had SAT Score High Enough for Harvard

He scored higher than 1500 on his SAT pre-college exam—a score that, paired with a top GPA, is good enough to be admitted to Ivy League universities.

Josh Fiallo

Breaking News Reporter

Aaron Josefczyk/Reuters

The FBI told Donald Trump last week that Thomas Matthew Crooks may have been much smarter than many initially thought.

The FBI reached that conclusion in part because Crooks scored higher than 1500 on his SAT pre-college exam—a score that would put him in the running for universities like Harvard, where an admitted student’s average score is 1520.

Federal agents sat down with Trump on Aug. 1 to inform him of new information they’d uncovered about his would-be assassin, sources told ABC News .

The FBI said in the meeting that they believe Crooks was “strikingly intelligent” but likely suffered from an undiagnosed disorder. Citing loved ones and ex-classmates, the FBI said Crooks “would routinely sway back and forth while standing at the bus stop.”

Crooks, 20, worked at an assisted-living facility and lived with his parents at the time of the attack. The FBI reportedly told Trump that Crooks’ motive was still unknown as of last week.

The Pennsylvania home where Thomas Matthew Crooks lived with his parents.

Google searches released by investigators shed some light on what was going through Crooks’ mind leading up to the July 13 attack, however. He searched for information about possible public appearances for politicians and officials of both parties, and wanted to know how far away John F. Kennedy’s assassin was when he opened fire.

The site of the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, was about an hour north of where Crooks lived and graduated high school.

ABC News described the FBI’s sit-down with Trump as a “standard victim interview,” but it turned into a pseudo-briefing after Trump repeatedly asked questions of agents from the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office.

Sources told ABC that Trump quizzed investigators on whether there was a potential foreign influence involved in the attack. A source told the network that they accessed three foreign email accounts used by Crooks but they “found no indications that anyone else was involved in the attack.”

Trump confirmed the meeting with the FBI in a rambling press conference Thursday. He didn’t divulge any details of the meeting, but said the FBI had “done a very good job.”

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast  here .

READ THIS LIST

What's a Good PSAT Score in 2024?

Access thousands of exclusive scholarships for free

"Be Bold" No-Essay Scholarship

• 01 Understanding the PSAT
• 02 How PSAT Scoring Works
• 03 What Makes a Good PSAT Score?
• 04 Preparing for the PSAT
• 05 Benefits of Achieving a Good PSAT Score
• 06 Strategies for Improving Your PSAT Score
• 07 Frequently Asked Questions About Good PSAT Scores

For high school students, there are only three letters that can have the ability to ruin their day: SAT . This is the one test teachers and school advisors have been preparing students for since freshman year of high school. The pressures of needing high SAT scores to get into college can almost be more intimidating than going to college itself, which is why they have the PSATs. The only four letters that can ease your worries.

Today's article is all about the PSAT: what it is, what is a considered a good score and how students can prepare for both the PSAT and SAT. Understanding what constitutes a good PSAT score is essential for students, especially if the goal is to pass with flying colors. The PSAT serves multiple purposes and I am here to introduce them all. Let's get into it!

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Understanding the PSAT

The PSAT (also known as PSAT/NMSQT), the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test is a test that provides an early indication of a student's potential performance on the SAT . It's designed to assess critical reading, writing, and math skills that are necessary for college success.

PSAT scores are measured in two main sections:

• Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (ERW)

And consists of three main sections:

• Writing and Language

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Each section is scored on a scale of 160-760, combining a total score range of 320-1520. Both structure and content of the PSAT closely mock the SAT which is why the PSAT is an excellent practice tool for students to use. High scorers can also qualify for the prestigious National Merit Scholarship Program, which opens doors to various scholarship opportunities.

The PSAT score is designed to provide students with an idea on where they stand in their academic skills, and by understanding these aspects, they can design their own test strategy that will (hopefully) lead to achieving a good PSAT score.

Now, let's discuss how the scoring is broken down by section.

Breakdown of the PSAT Scoring System

Reading and Writing Test Section :

• Tests comprehension, command of evidence, and language skills.
• Includes passage-based questions assessing understanding and interpretation.

Math Test Section :

• Covers algebra, problem-solving, data analysis, and advanced math topics.
• Divided into two parts: one allowing calculator use, the other not.

How the National Merit Selection Index Score is Calculated

The National Merit Selection Index score is crucial for students aiming for National Merit Scholarship eligibility. It is calculated like this:

• Adding each section score (Reading, Writing and Language, Math).
• Doubling the sum of Reading and Writing scores.
• The formula: (Math + Reading + Writing) x 2 = Selection Index score.

I.e., if you scored 600 in Math and 650 in Reading and Writing each, as an equation, it would look like: (600 + 650 + 650) \times 2 = 3800. This is how the two scaled scores are measured.

So, needless to say, the higher the scores, the better your chances of being eligible for the NMS program.

How PSAT Scoring Works

Within 4-6 weeks after taking the PSAT, you will get an email notification to view your full PSAT score report online at psat.org/myscore . On your score report, you will see how you did on each section and your overall score percentile. Your PSAT score report will also include information about next steps and whether or not you are eligible for the National Merit Scholarship Program .

Your score report will have a score ranging from 160 to 760 on each of the two sections (reading and writing, and math) and your overall PSAT score will range from 320 to 1520. This is calculated when adding your two section scores together.

How Your PSAT Scores Impact National Merit Scholarships

A high PSAT score can make you eligible for the National Merit Scholarship Program. Students who score in the top 1% become National Merit semifinalists, moving one step closer to scholarships. Finalists are selected based on a combination of their PSAT scores, academic record, extracurricular activities, and an essay.

Winning a National Merit Scholarship means great financial assistance for college, so don't take neither the PSAT nor SAT lightly! Scoring high will only increase your chances of qualifying for this incredible scholarship opportunity. And because you can never have too much financial assistance when it comes to your education, you can apply for Bold scholarships, as well!

What Makes a Good PSAT Score?

So, what exactly makes a PSAT score "good"? Well, that varies depending on your goals. For most students, a score above the 75th percentile is considered strong. This means you scored higher than 75% of other test-takers.

However, a good PSAT test score is between 1210 and 1520 , which would put you in the top 10% of test takers. The average score earned on the PSAT is about 920, and a “perfect” score on the PSAT would be the maximum score of 1520. Your PSAT score is a good indicator of how well you will do on the SAT, so it’s important to understand PSAT scoring and to review your score report.

Your overall PSAT score will range from 320 (lowest) to 1520 (highest), according to section, and is calculated by adding your two section scores together. As a former high schooler, I know how easy it is to not take things seriously, but as a college graduate, you will be so proud of yourself for taking  this  seriously.

Comparing Scores to Percentiles and Benchmarks

Understanding how your PSAT score compares to percentiles and benchmarks can give you a better idea of where you stand. Here is what it looks like according to a 2023 study:

Preparing for the PSAT

Understanding the test format is going to be the first step. As stated, the PSAT consists of three sections: Reading, Writing and Language, and Math . Familiarize yourself with the types of questions in each section. For instance, the reading will include passages from literature, historical documents, social sciences, and natural sciences. The writing and language test focuses on grammar , punctuation , writing skills , and understanding the context. And, math will cover algebra, problem-solving, data analysis, and some advanced math concepts. Knowing what to expect will keep you on track and possibly ahead of the game.

Creating a study schedule is also going to set you apart. Studying is always key when it comes to testing, so developing a study plan that fits into your daily routine will help immensely. Set subject matter goals that will help you aim high to achieve more in the long run. And make sure you dedicate specific times each day for PSAT prep. This will give you ample time to review, adjust, and evaluate your progress. And if needed, adjust your schedule as you go, but whatever you do, don't fall off! You can do this.

Another way to prep for a test like the PSAT is by joining study groups. I know that sounds lame, but trust me when I say don't ever underestimate the power of numbers. Using your peers, who are also preparing for the PSAT, to help you understand where your knowledge is lacking is the ultimate cheat code. This will help you all share resources and tips, discuss challenging questions, and keep each other motivated. Always remember, you are not alone!

And if necessary, hire a tutor . Tutors can provide personalized one-on-one guidance meant to help your strengths and weaknesses. Tutors will help with difficult questions, provide test-taking strategies and, most importantly, offer consistent feedback.

Benefits of Achieving a Good PSAT Score

Accessing scholarships based on psat scores.

A strong PSAT score opens doors to numerous scholarship opportunities, one being the National Merit Scholarship Program , one of the most prestigious scholarships linked directly to the PSAT. High-scoring students can become semifinalists, and with an excellent SAT score and application, they may advance to finalist standing, making them eligible for significant financial awards.

Utilizing College Board Resources for SAT Preparation

Your College Board account is home to exclusive resources designed to help you excel in the SAT. By linking your PSAT results to your College Board account, you will create an algorithm of personalized study plans and practice tests tailored to your specific needs.

Using Khan Academy Study Plans to Improve SAT Performance

Khan Academy offers free, personalized study plans based on your PSAT scores. Not only does Khan have a partnership with the College Board, but it also allows you to target specific areas of weaknesses found in your PSAT score. Regular practice with these resources can significantly enhance your readiness for the SAT.

Strategies for Improving Your PSAT Score

As we know, prepping for the PSAT is crucial, and while it's okay to shoot for average PSAT scores, I want you to aim high, so your SAT scores can be even higher! Below are some strategies to help you blow past the overall PSAT score range:

• Create a Study Schedule: Dedicate specific times each week for focused study sessions.
• Practice with Real Tests: Utilize College Board's official practice tests to familiarize yourself with the test format and question types.
• Focus on Weak Areas: Identify your weak subjects and spend extra time improving sections where you score lower. Use resources like Khan Academy for targeted practice.

And don't forget: use your resources!

• Khan Academy : Offers personalized SAT study plans based on your PSAT performance. This adaptive approach helps you strengthen your skills efficiently.
• College Board : Access a catalog of resources, including practice tests, sample questions, and study guides designed to prepare you for both the PSAT and SAT.
• Online Forums and Study Groups: Join online forums and study groups where students share tips, resources, and experiences. Talking to other test takers can provide motivation and new strategies.

Frequently Asked Questions About Good PSAT Scores

What's a good psat score.

A good PSAT score often depends on your goals. Generally, a composite score above 1200 is considered strong and competitive for National Merit Scholarship consideration. However, while aiming for the top percentiles can offer more opportunities, there is no such thing as "perfect score," so just make sure you study, prep well and are doing your absolute best and you will do fine!

Are PSAT scores important for college admissions?

While colleges don’t typically use PSAT scores in admission decisions, these scores are crucial for identifying areas that need improvement before taking the SAT. Strong PSAT performance also opens doors to scholarships.

Can I retake the PSAT?

Students can take the PSAT once per year in 10th and 11th grade. Retaking it in 11th grade provides another opportunity to qualify for National Merit Scholarships and improve SAT readiness. PSAT practice tests are only once a year, so it's crucial to study and prepare well for it.

For those seeking scholarships or ways to fund their education, check out Bold.org , where you can create free profiles to access exclusive scholarships and grants designed to help fight student debt.

If you have any more questions about how to get good PSAT scores, visit our Scholarship Blog to stay informed!

About Chanelle

Chanelle is a dedicated and seasoned writer, editor, and researcher. She’s familiar with college admissions, finding and applying for scholarships, and the financial aid process.

She graduated from the University of South Florida with a major in English, Creative Writing with a specialization in Technical Writing.

Chanelle has over a decade of experience in the writing industry, specializing in blog writing, SEO writing, editing, translations, corporate writing, and various forms of creative writing. She founded and operated Femme Feature Magazine, an online and print publication dedicated to celebrating women in all corners of the creative field. An avid reader, Chanelle is constantly seeking refined and innovative ways to tell her stories. Writing is her foremost passion, and she is always on the lookout for her next narrative adventure.

Since joining the Bold.org team as a Content Writer in 2023, Chanelle has brought her enthusiasm for merging the writing and digital worlds. She is dedicated to assisting students and young adults in navigating their educational and professional journeys.

Chanelle's unwavering commitment to her craft and her dedication to helping others shine through in her work. Leveraging her personal and professional experiences, she provides invaluable support to students, empowering them to achieve their goals and realize their potential.

Quote from Chanelle

“There is always a way to say the same thing over and over again. You just have to be creative and think outside the box.”

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Saturday, 7/27 results

Men's 400m freestyle.

🥇 - Lukas Martens (GER) 🥈 - Elijah Winnington (AUS) 🥉 - Kim Woo-Min (KOR) FULL RESULTS

Women's 400m freestyle

🥇 - Ariarne Titmus (AUS) 🥈 - Summer McIntosh (CAN) 🥉 - Katie Ledecky (USA) FULL RESULTS

Women's 4x100m freestyle relay

🥇 - Australia  OR 🥈 - United States 🥉 - China FULL RESULTS

Men's 4x100m freestyle relay

🥇 - United States  🥈 - Australia 🥉 - Italy FULL RESULTS

Sunday, 7/28 results

Men's 400m im.

🥇 - Leon Marchand (FRA) OR 🥈 - Matsushita Tomoyuki (JPN) 🥉 - Carson Foster (USA) FULL RESULTS

Women's 100m butterfly

🥇 - Torri Huske (USA) 🥈 - Gretchen Walsh (USA) 🥉 - Zhang Yufei (CHN) FULL RESULTS

🥇 - Nicolo Martinenghi (ITA) 🥈 - Nic Fink (USA) 🥈 - Adam Peaty (GBR) FULL RESULTS

Monday, 7/29 results

Women's 400m im.

🥇 - Summer McIntosh (CAN) 🥈 - Katie Grimes (USA) 🥉 - Emma Weyant (USA) FULL RESULTS

Men's 200m freestyle

🥇 - David Popovici (ROU) 🥈 - Matthew Richards (GBR) 🥉 - Luke Hobson (USA) FULL RESULTS

Men's 100m backstroke

🥇 - Thomas Ceccon (ITA) 🥈 - Xu Jiayu (CHN) 🥉 - Ryan Murphy (USA) FULL RESULTS

Women's 100m breaststroke

🥇 - Tatjana Smith (RSA) 🥈 - Tang Qianting (CHN) 🥉 - Mona McSharry (IRL) FULL RESULTS

Women's 200m freestyle

🥇 - Mollie O'Callaghan (AUS) OR 🥈 - Ariarne Titmus (AUS) 🥉 - Siobhan Haughey FULL RESULTS

Tuesday, 7/30 results

Women's 100m backstroke.

🥇 - Kaylee McKeown (AUS) OR 🥈 - Regan Smith (USA) 🥉 - Katharine Berkoff (USA) FULL RESULTS

Men's 800m freestyle

🥇 - Daniel Wiffen (IRL) OR 🥈 - Bobby Finke (USA) 🥉 - Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA) FULL RESULTS

Men's 4x200m freestyle relay

🥇 - Great Britain 🥈 - United States 🥉 - Australia FULL RESULTS

Wednesday, 7/31 results

Women's 100m freestyle.

🥇 - Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) 🥈 - Torri Huske (USA) 🥉 - Siobhan Haughey (HKG) FULL RESULTS

Men's 200m butterfly

🥇 - Leon Marchand (FRA) OR 🥈 - Kristof Milak (HUN) 🥉 - Ilya Kharun (CAN) FULL RESULTS

Women's 1500m freestyle

🥇 - Katie Ledecky (USA) OR 🥈 - Anastasiia Kirpichnikova (FRA) 🥉 - Isabel Gose (GER) FULL RESULTS

Men's 200m breaststroke

🥇 - Leon Marchand (FRA) OR 🥈 - Zac Stubblety-Cook (AUS) 🥉 - Caspar Corbeau (NED) FULL RESULTS

Men's 100m freestyle final

🥇 - Pan Zhanle (CHN) WR 🥈 - Kyle Chalmers (AUS) 🥉 - David Popovici (ROU) FULL RESULTS

Thursday, 8/1

Women's 200m butterfly.

🥇 - Summer McIntosh (CAN) OR 🥈 - Regan Smith (USA) 🥉 - Zhang Yufei (CHN) FULL RESULTS

Men's 200m backstroke

🥇 - Hubert Kos (HUN) 🥈 - Apostolos Christou (GRE) 🥉 - Roman Mityukov (SUI) FULL RESULTS

Women's 200m breaststroke

🥇 - Kate Douglass (USA) 🥈 - Tatjana Smith (RSA) 🥉 - Tes Schouten (NED) FULL RESULTS

Women's 4x200m freestyle relay

🥇 - Australia OR 🥈 - United States 🥉 - China FULL RESULTS

Friday, 8/2

Men's 50m freestyle.

🥇 - Cameron McEvoy (AUS) 🥈 - Ben Proud (GBR) 🥉 - Florent Manaudou (FRA) FULL RESULTS

Women's 200m backstroke

🥇 - Kaylee McKeown (AUS) 🥈 - Regan Smith (USA) 🥉 - Kylie Masse (CAN) FULL RESULTS

Men's 200m IM

🥇 - Leon Marchand (FRA) OR 🥈 - Duncan Scott (GBR) 🥉 - Wang Shun (CHN) FULL RESULTS

Saturday, 8/3

Men's 100m butterfly.

🥇 - Kristof Milak (HUN) 🥈 - Josh Liendo (CAN) 🥉 - Ilya Kharun (CAN) FULL RESULTS

Women's 200m IM

🥇 - Summer McIntosh (CAN) OR 🥈 - Kate Douglass (USA) 🥉 - Kaylee McKeown (AUS) FULL RESULTS

Women's 800m freestyle

🥇 - Katie Ledecky (USA) 🥈 - Ariarne Titmus (AUS) 🥉 - Paige Madden (USA) FULL RESULTS

Mixed 4x100m medley relay

🥇 - United States WR 🥈 - China 🥉 - Australia FULL RESULTS

Sunday, 8/4

Women's 50m freestyle.

🥇 - Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) 🥈 - Meg Harris (AUS) 🥉 - Zhang Yufei (CHN) FULL RESULTS

Men's 1500m freestyle

🥇 - Bobby Finke (USA) WR 🥈 - Gregorio Paltrinieri (ITA) 🥉 - Daniel Wiffen (IRL) FULL RESULTS

Men's 4x100m medley relay

🥇 - China 🥈 - United States 🥉 - France FULL RESULTS

Women's 4x100m medley relay

🥇 - United States 🥈 - Australia 🥉 - China FULL RESULTS

Note: Some components of NBCOlympics.com may not be optimized for users browsing with Internet Explorer 11, 10 or older browsers or systems.

NRL updates: Flanagan accused of biting after Bulldogs defeat Dragons

Sport NRL updates: Flanagan accused of biting after Bulldogs defeat Dragons

Canterbury captain Stephen Crichton has accused St George five-eighth Kyle Flanagan of biting him during the Bulldogs' win over the Dragons.

The allegation was made at full-time, according to ABC Sport reporter Michael Carayannis.

Footage from Fox League shows Crichton on top of Flanagan, who is then alleged to have bitten Crichton's nose, leading to bleeding.

"It looks like there was an incident in the second half, but the complaint wasn't made until after the game," Carayannis told ABC Sport.

Meanwhile, St George Illawarra forward Hame Sele was taken to hospital from Jubilee Stadium after suffering from an irregular heartbeat.

Sele came from the field in the 21st minute unassisted before suffering from discomfort, according to Carayannis.

The Dragons forward was taken to the dressing sheds when club staff noticed he had an irregular heartbeat.

As a precaution, the Dragons put him into an ambulance and sent him to St George Hospital.

"Hame Sele has been taken to hospital to be checked out after experiencing a heart issue. Fingers crossed for him," the club said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Canterbury continued their bid for a home semifinal with an 18-point win over the Dragons . 

And earlier, the Brisbane Broncos scored 36 unanswered points to overrun the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville, keeping their faint finals hopes alive in 2024.

Manly also strengthened their finals hopes with a 22-point win over the Canberra Raiders .

You can relive all the action as it happened in our live blog below, keep up to date with all the latest stats in our ScoreCentre , or tune in to our live radio coverage .

• 18h ago 18 hours ago Sat 10 Aug 2024 at 11:45am Dragon accused of biting
• 18h ago 18 hours ago Sat 10 Aug 2024 at 11:26am FULL-TIME: Canterbury Bulldogs 28 def. St George Illawarra Dragons 10
• 19h ago 19 hours ago Sat 10 Aug 2024 at 10:59am 59' TRY: Kurt Mann refuses to be brought down and extends the Bulldogs' lead

To leave a comment on the blog, please log in or sign up for an ABC account.

Live updates

That is all for the live blog this evening.

By Michael Doyle

We will leave the live blog there.

Our thoughts are with Hame Sele who was taken to hospital out of precaution.

Manly hammered Canberra to cement themselves in the top eight.

The Brisbane Broncos kept their season alive with a commanding win over the Cowboys in Townsville.

The Bulldogs have continued their march to the final with an 18-point win over the Dragons.

We will be back tomorrow for more coverage of the NRL premiership.

We hope you join us then.

Dragon accused of biting

There is some late drama from Jubilee Stadium.

Bulldogs captain Stephen Crichton has lodged a biting complaint against Dragons five-eighth Kyle Flanagan of biting.

Fox League are reporting that the incident happened when Crichton tackled Flanagan.

Footage shows Crichton on top of Flanagan, who is alleged to have bitten the nose of the Bulldog which led to bleeding.

FULL-TIME: Canterbury Bulldogs 28 def. St George Illawarra Dragons 10

Canterbury have continued their push for a home semifinal with an 18-point win over the St Geroge Illawarra Dragons.

In front of a sold-out crowd at Jubilee Stadium, the Bulldogs kept the Dragons scoreless in the second half to win 28-10.

Matt Burton opened the scoring in the fourth minute with an intercept try, running 80 metres to give the Bulldogs the lead.

Canterbury never trailed from that moment, with a first-half double to Bronson Xerri giving the Bulldogs a 20-10 lead at the break.

A tight second half led to just one try to Kurt Mann, while Burton was a perfect five from five with the boot.

75' PENALTY GOAL: Matt Burton extend Canterbury's lead to 18 points

The Bulldogs have controlled the past 10 minutes and have suffocated the Dragons out of the contest.

Attacking close to the line, the Dragons were penalised for being offside.

Matt Burton tells the ref that he will kick for goal, and Burton nails it.

Bulldogs lead by 18 minutes with five minutes to go.

70' Mosese Suli off with a leg injury

More bad news for St George.

Mosese Suli is out for the rest of this match with a leg injury.  

He has just been taken up the tunnel.

59' TRY: Kurt Mann refuses to be brought down and extends the Bulldogs' lead

Kurt Mann has scored the first points of the second half.

He has just come on for Reed Mahoney, who has come off with a shoulder injury.

Close to the line Mann bounced off one tackle and then carried two Dragons over the line to score under the posts.

50' Dragons and Bulldogs turn up the heat

This second half at Jubilee Stadium is fierce and fast.

You get the feeling the first try of this half will be so crucial to the result.

Dragons issue a statement to confirm Sele has been taken to hospital

Wishing Sele all the best and luckily hospital only 5 mins away. - KB

Hame Sele taken to hospital with irregular heartbeat

Some more information from Jubilee Stadium on   Hame Sele.

The prop complained of chest discomfort before it was found by a trainer that he had an irregular heartbeat .

This has prompted the club to immediately have him checked at a hospital.

ABC Sport sideline eye Michael Carayannis says the trip to St George Hospital is precautionary .

He came from the field in the 21st minute unassisted, but while he was sitting on the bench he began to suffer discomfort.

He was taken to the dressing sheds, which is when Dragons staff realised the   irregular heartbeat.

HT: Canterbury Bulldogs 20 leading St George Illawarra Dragons 10

St George needed a late try in that first half, and they got it.

That was an important score to narrow the deficit to 10 points at half-time.

Canterbury deserves their half-time lead.

They have been strong in defence and took their opportunities.

The Dragons are not out of this match, but they will need to be cleaner in attack.

REPORT: Hame Sele rushed to hospital

Some concerning news from Jubilee Stadium.

Dragons prop   Hame Sele came off the field for a Head Injury Assessment.

But ABC Sport sideline eye   Michael Carayannis has just reported that Sele has been rushed into an ambulance and is on his way to hospital.

37' TRY: Sloan scores to breathe life into Dragons

Tyrell Sloan scores and it comes from a great set play.  

The ball is passed to the big man   Luciano Leilua, who gives a subtle inside pass to Sloan in full flight.

Bulldogs fullback Connor Tracey cannot catch his opposite number, who scores in the left corner.

St George needed that to take confidence into half-time.

30' TRY: Xerri goes bang, BANG and gets a double

Bronson Xerri has a double and the Bulldogs have a nice lead after 30 minutes.

St George are their own worst enemy, letting Canterbury into their end with a penalty.

Again it is the combination of Toby Sexton to Xerri.

This time he throws a terrific pass to Xerri, who brushes pass Jaydn Su'A and scores under the black dot.

26' TRY: Bronson puts the Xerri on top with a try

The Bulldogs have responded to St George's terrific grubber-kick try with one of their own.

St George coughed up possession in their own half and Canterbury made them pay.

Toby Sexton put in a grubber to the in-goal and Bulldogs centre Bronson Xerri grounds the footy.

23' TRY: Dragons score their first try as Hunt and Lomax combine

That is terrific from the Dragons.

Ben Hunt has put in an inch-perfect grubber kick for a flying Zac Lomax.

The Dragons winger picks it up — not easy considering the dew on the field — and scores in the right corner.

14' PENALTY GOAL: Bulldogs extend their lead to eight points

This has been a fast contest.

End-to-end and both teams threatened to score.

St George are struggling to hold onto the ball in attacking situations.

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SAT Essay Tips: 15 Ways to Improve Your Score

SAT Writing , SAT Essay

Whether you've never written an SAT Essay or didn't get the score you wanted on your last test, you can benefit from knowing more: both about the essay itself, and what really matters when the graders are reading your essay.

To introduce you to what you'll have to do, we've gathered up these 15 tips to master the SAT essay . If you can reliably follow all these points, you'll be able to get at least a 6/6/6 on the SAT essay—guaranteed.

UPDATE: SAT Essay No Longer Offered

In January 2021, the College Board announced that after June 2021, it would no longer offer the Essay portion of the SAT (except at schools who opt in during School Day Testing). It is now no longer possible to take the SAT Essay, unless your school is one of the small number who choose to offer it during SAT School Day Testing.

While most colleges had already made SAT Essay scores optional, this move by the College Board means no colleges now require the SAT Essay. It will also likely lead to additional college application changes such not looking at essay scores at all for the SAT or ACT, as well as potentially requiring additional writing samples for placement.

What does the end of the SAT Essay mean for your college applications? Check out our article on the College Board's SAT Essay decision for everything you need to know.

The Challenge

The SAT Essay is a very short assignment. You only get 50 minutes to read a 650-750 word passage, analyze the devices the author uses to structure her/his argument, and write a full-fledged essay —and it can pass in a flash if you don't have a method for attacking it.

Writing an SAT essay requires a very specific approach that's unlike the essays you've been writing for English class in school. The goal of this strategy is to cram in as many as possible of the desired components in the 50 minutes you've got. In this article, we give you 15 key tips for the SAT essay.

The first five tips in this article relate to what the College Board tells us about what's a good essay. The next five are truths that the College Board doesn't want you to know (or doesn’t make explicit). And the last five tips for SAT essay writing show you how to build an SAT essay, step by step.

What the College Board Does Tell You: 5 Tips

The College Board explains the main components of the successful SAT Essay in its scoring criteria. Here they are, condensed:

#1: Give a Clear Thesis

The SAT essay rubric states: "The response includes a precise central claim.”

What this means is that your essay needs to make a clear argument that the reader can easily identify.  All you have to do to create your "precise central claim" is to identify the main idea of the passage and list the methods the author uses to support it.

Fortunately, the SAT provides you with the passage’s main idea, so you don’t have to go hunting for it yourself. I've bolded the claim in this (fake) sample prompt so you can see this for yourself:

Write an essay in which you explain how Sam Lindsay builds an argument to persuade her audience that more works of art should feature monsters . In your essay, analyze how Lindsay uses one or more of the features listed in the box above (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of her argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant features of the passage.

Your essay should not explain whether you agree with Lindsay’s claims, but rather explain how Lindsay builds an argument to persuade her audience.

Now, here's an example of a thesis statement for an essay responding to this prompt:

In the article “Monsters Monsters Everywhere,” Sam Lindsay uses personal anecdotes, vivid language, and appeals to emotion to persuade her audience that more works of art should feature monsters.

It's fine to copy the exact words describing the author’s central claim from the prompt into your thesis statement—in fact, this guarantees that the graders will see that your thesis is there and on-topic.

#2: Include Both an Introduction and a Conclusion

The SAT essay rubric states: "The response includes a skillful introduction and conclusion.”

Including an introduction paragraph in your essay is absolutely essential to getting a Writing score above a 4 (out of 8). The introduction paragraph introduces the reader to what you’ll be talking about and allows you to set up the structure for the rest of the essay. Plus, an introduction can be a pretty good indicator of the quality for the rest of the essay—a poorly constructed introduction is often a warning that the essay that follows will be equally discombobulated.

It's best to have both an introduction and a conclusion, but if you’re running short on time and can only have one, definitely pick the introduction. The main reason for this is that a good introduction includes your thesis statement. For the SAT essay, your thesis (or your "precise central claim") should be a statement about what devices the author uses to build her/his argument.

Introductions can be tricky to write, because whatever you write in that paragraph can then make you feel like you’re locked into writing just about that. If you’re struggling with the introduction paragraph, leave yourself 10 blank lines at the beginning of the essay and jump into writing your body paragraphs. Just make sure you remember to go back and write in your introduction before time’s up!

#3: Use Effective Language and Word Choice

There are a couple of parts of the Writing score section on the SAT essay rubric that pertain directly to style.

The SAT essay rubric states this about a perfect-Writing-score essay: "The response is cohesive and demonstrates a highly effective use and command of language."

For most of us, "command of language" is an area that takes a long time to develop, so unless your language skills are really rough or you're prepping at least a year ahead of time (or both), you'll probably get more out of focusing on the other components of the essay.

The SAT essay rubric also states: “The response has a wide variety in sentence structures. The response demonstrates a consistent use of precise word choice. The response maintains a formal style and objective tone.”

This basically boils down to: don't be repetitive and don't make grammar mistakes. In addition, you should avoid using first person statements like "I" or "My" in the essay, along with any other informality. You're writing the equivalent of a school paper, not an opinion piece.

Bad (Too informal):

“I think that Sam’s super persuasive in this article cause she’s just so passionate. It made me feel kinda bad that I don’t really monster it up in my everyday life.”

Good (Formal):

“Lindsay’s passionate defense of how drawing monsters 'allows us to laugh at our personal foibles' causes her audience to put themselves in her shoes and empathize with her position.”

Finally, try to use different words to describe the same idea—don't use "shows" 15 times. Take the chance to show off your vocabulary ( if, and only if , the vocabulary is appropriate and makes sense) . This component is the biggest reason why revising your SAT Essay is essential—it's fast and easy to change repeated words to other ones after you're finished, but it can slow you down during writing to worry about your word choice. If you're aiming for a top score, using advanced vocabulary appropriately is vital.

#4: Only Use Information From the Passage

All the relevant information is in the passage, so avoid getting drawn into the topic and using your outside knowledge—you want to be sure to show that you’ve read the passage.

In real life, there are many ways to support a thesis, depending on the topic. But on the SAT, there's one kind of correct support: specific details drawn from the passage you’re asked to analyze . We'll show you more below.

#5: Focus Your Essay on Relevant Details

You don’t have to mention every single detail that makes the argument effective. In fact, your essay will be more coherent and more likely to score higher in Analysis if you focus your discussion on just a few points . It's more important to show that you're able to pick out the most important parts of the argument and explain their function that it is to be able to identify every single persuasive device the author used.

Think about it as if you were asked to write a 50-minute essay describing the human face and what each part does. A clear essay would just focus on major features—eyes, nose, and mouth. A less effective essay might also try to discuss cheekbones, eyebrows, eyelashes, skin pores, chin clefts, and dimples as well. While all of these things are part of the face, it would be hard to get into detail about each of the parts in just 50 minutes.

And this is the eye, and this is the other eye, and this is the...other eye...and the other eye...and the other...wait...what's going on here?

What the College Board Doesn’t Tell You: 5 Secrets

Even though the SAT essay has clearly stated, publicly-available guidelines, there are a few secrets to writing the essay that most students don't know and that can give you a major advantage on the test.

#1: Read the Prompt Before the Passage

Why? Because the prompt includes the description of the author’s claim. Knowing what the author’s claim is going into the article can help keep you focused on the argument, rather than getting caught up in reading the passage (especially if the topic is one you're interested in).

#2: Your Facts Must Be Accurate…But Your Interpretation Doesn’t Have to Be

A big part of the Analysis score for the SAT essay is not just identifying the devices the author uses to build her argument, but explaining the effect that the use of these devices has on the reader . You don’t have to be completely, 100% accurate about the effect the passage has on the reader, because there is no one right answer. As long as you are convincing in your explanation and cite specific examples, you’ll be good.

Here's an example of an interpretation about what effect a persuasive device has on the reader (backed by evidence from the passage):

Lindsay appeals to the emotions of her readers by describing the forlorn, many-eyed creatures that stare reproachfully at her from old school notebook margins. The sympathy the readers feel for these forgotten doodles is expertly transferred to Lindsay herself when she draws the connection between the drawn monsters and her own life: “Often, I feel like one of these monsters—hidden away in my studio, brushes yearning to create what no one else cares to see.”

Now, you don't necessarily know for sure if "sympathy for the doodles" is what the author was going for in her passage. The SAT essay graders probably don't know either (unless one of them wrote the passage). But as long as you can make a solid case for your interpretation, using facts and quotes from the passage to back it up , you'll be good.

#3: You Should Write More Than One Page

This has always been true for the SAT essay, but for the first time ever, the College Board actually came out in The Official SAT Study Guide and explicitly said that length really does matter . Here's the description of a one-paragraph, 120-word-long student response that received a Writing score of 2/8 (bolding mine).

“Due to the brief nature of the response , there is not enough evidence of writing ability to merit a score higher than 1. Overall, this response demonstrates inadequate writing .” (source: The Official SAT Study Guide , p. 176 )

You’ll have one page for (ungraded) scrap paper that you can use to plan out your essay, and four pages of writing paper for the essay—plan on writing at least two pages for your essay .

#4: Be Objective When Reading the Passage

Being able to stay detached while reading the passage you'll be writing the essay about can be tricky. This task might be especially difficult for students who were used to the old SAT essay (which pretty much made it mandatory for you to choose one side or the other). You’ll have to practice reading persuasive essays and gaining objectivity (so that you are able to write about how the argument is constructed, not whether it’s good or bad).

A good way to practice this is to read news articles on topics you care deeply about by people who hold the opposite view that you do . For instance, as a composer and violist/violinist, I might read articles about how children should not be encouraged to play musical instruments, since it holds no practical value later on in life (a view I disagree with vehemently). I would then work on my objectivity by jotting down the central ideas, most important details, and how these details relate to the central ideas of the article .

Being able to understand the central ideas in the passage and details without being sidetracked by rage (or other emotions) is key to writing an effective SAT essay.

Don't let the monster of rage distract you from your purpose.

#5: Memorize and Identify Specific Persuasive Techniques

Once you’re able to read articles objectively (as discussed in point #4 above), the next step is to be able to break down the essay passage's argument . To do this successfully, you'll need to be aware of some of the techniques that are frequently used to build arguments.

The SAT essay prompt does mention a few of these techniques (bolding mine):

As you read the passage below, consider how Lindsay 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.

It’s certainly possible to wing it and go into the test without knowing specific names of particular persuasive devices and just organically build up your essay from features you notice in the article. However, it's way easier to go into the essay knowing certain techniques that you can then scan the passage for .

For instance, after noting the central ideas and important details in the article about how more works of art should feature monsters, I would then work on analyzing the way the author built her argument. Does she use statistics in the article? Personal anecdotes? Appeal to emotion?

I discuss the top persuasive devices you should know in more detail in the article " 6 SAT Essay Examples to Answer Every Prompt ".

How to Get All the Necessary Components in 50 Minutes: 5 Step-By-Step Strategies

When you write an SAT essay, you only have 50 minutes to read, analyze, and write an essay, which means that you need a game plan going in. Here's a short step-by-step guide on how to write an effective SAT essay.

#1: Answer the Prompt

Don’t just summarize the passage in your essay, or identify persuasive devices used by the author—instead, be sure to actually analyze the way the author of the passage builds her argument. As  The Official SAT Study Guide states ,

"[Y]our discussion should focus on what the author does, why he or she does it, and what effect this is likely to have on readers."

College Board makes a point of specifying this very point in its grading rubric as well—an essay that scores a 2 (out of 4) or below in Analysis " merely asserts, rather than explains [the persuasive devices'] importance. " If you want to get at least a 3/4 (or a 6/8) in Analysis, you need to heed this warning and stay on task .

#2: Support Your Points With Concrete Evidence From the Passage

The best way to get a high Reading score for your essay is to quote from the passage appropriately to support your points . This shows not only that you’ve read the passage (without your having to summarize the passage at all), but also that you understand what the author is saying and the way the author constructed her argument.

As an alternative to using direct quotations from the passage, it’s also okay to paraphrase some of what you discuss. If you are explaining the author's argument in your own words, however, you need to be extra careful to make sure that the facts you're stating are accurate —in contrast to scoring on the old SAT essay, scoring on the new SAT essay takes into account factual inaccuracies and penalizes you for them.

#3: Keep Your Essay Organized

The SAT essay rubric states: “The response demonstrates a deliberate and highly effective progression of ideas both within paragraphs and throughout the essay.”

The main point to take away from this is that you should follow the standard structure for an SAT essay (introduction-body-body-conclusion) . Using a basic four- to five-paragraph essay structure will both keep you organized and make it easier for the essay graders to follow your reasoning—a win-win situation!

Furthermore, you should connect each paragraph to each other through effective transitions. We'll give you ways to improve your performance in this area in the articles linked at the end of this article.

#4: Make Time to Read, Analyze, Plan, Write, and Revise

Make sure you allocate appropriate amounts of time for each of the steps you’ll need to take to write the essay—50 minutes may seem like a long time, but it goes by awfully quick with all the things you need to do.

Reading the passage, analyzing the argument, planning your essay, writing your essay, and revising are all important components for writing an 8/8/8 essay. For a breakdown of how much time to spend on each of these steps, be sure to check out our article on how to write an SAT essay, step-by-step .

#5: Practice

The more you practice analysis and writing, the better you’ll get at the task of writing an SAT essay (as you work up to it a little at a time).

It's especially important to practice the analysis and writing components of the essay if you are a slow reader (since reading speed can be difficult to change). Being able to analyze and write quickly can help balance out the extra time you take to read and comprehend the material. Plus, the time you put into working on analysis and writing will yield greater rewards than time spent trying to increase your reading speed.

But don't forget : while it’s okay to break up the practice at first, you also really do need to get practice buckling down and doing the whole task in one sitting .

What’s Next?

This is just the beginning of improving your SAT essay score. Next, you actually need to put this into practice with a real SAT essay.

Looking to get even deeper into the essay prompt? Read our complete list of SAT essay prompts and our detailed explanation of the SAT essay prompt .

Hone your SAT essay writing skills with our articles about how to write a high-scoring essay, step by step and how to get a 8/8/8 on the SAT essay .

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Laura graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College with a BA in Music and Psychology, and earned a Master's degree in Composition from the Longy School of Music of Bard College. She scored 99 percentile scores on the SAT and GRE and loves advising students on how to excel in high school.

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How Scores Are Calculated

As part of the shift to digital, the SAT is now substantially shorter, lasting 2 hours and 14 minutes instead of 3 hours, with more time, on average, per question. The digital SAT is shorter while still assessing the same core reading, writing and math skills as the former paper and pencil SAT because it uses adaptive testing.

Adaptive Testing

The SAT and PSAT-related assessments use a multistage adaptive design. Each test section—1) Reading and Writing and 2) Math—is administered in two stages. Each stage consists of a module of test questions comprising half of the section's questions (20–25 operational questions and two pretest questions, which don't count for scoring, per module).

Students have half of the section time (32 minutes per module for Reading and Writing, 35 minutes per module for Math) to work through questions in the first module. During that time, they may preview upcoming questions, go back to questions, and change answers within the first module before time runs out.

The first module consists of questions with varying difficulty levels. Once time for the first module ends, the second module begins. The questions students are given in the second module are of mixed difficulty level, tailored to the student depending on how they performed on the questions in the first module, and their section score is based on how they did on all of the questions in both modules. As a result, students should try their best on every single question.

A range of section scores are possible no matter which second module a student sees. Students won't be advantaged just for seeing a higher difficulty set of questions in the second module, or disadvantaged just for seeing a lower difficulty set of questions in the second module. Students can also meet state and College Board benchmarks regardless of which second module they're routed to.

The digital SAT's multistage adaptive test design and use of Item Response Theory (IRT) methodology allow for precise measurement of students' knowledge and skills with fewer questions in less time than possible with traditional paper and pencil tests. IRT is used by many national assessments, including the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) suite from the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), and many state assessments.

In the scoring model used for the digital SAT Suite, the scores students receive are a product of several factors, characteristics of the questions they answered right or wrong (e.g., the questions' difficulty levels), and the probability that the pattern of answers suggests they were guessing. One important implication of this method is that two students who answer the same number of questions correctly in a test section may earn differing section scores based on the characteristics, including difficulty level, of the particular questions they answered correctly.

Administrations of each digital SAT Suite assessment sample from the same content domains across the same range of skill/knowledge elements, meaning all students have an equitable opportunity to demonstrate their strengths. For most students who are trying their best on every question, it's better to guess than leave a question blank, especially if a student can eliminate one or two answer options before guessing.

Two pretest questions are also included in each module. The inclusion of these questions allows College Board to collect performance data on them and evaluate their suitability for possible use in future tests. Student responses to these pretest questions don't affect their scores.

Comparing Digital and Paper Test Scores

While the digital SAT Suite employs a different scoring methodology from paper testing, what the suite measures hasn't changed. The digital tests continue to measure the reading, writing, and math knowledge and skills that students are learning in high school and that matter most for college and career readiness. The digital SAT is still scored on a 400–1600 scale, and educators and students can continue to use digital SAT Suite scores to monitor growth over time.

Prior to the launch of the digital SAT in March 2023, two concordance studies established that scores from the digital SAT are comparable to scores from the paper and pencil SAT and can be used in the similar manner for college admissions and other intended purposes. For example, a score of 1050 on the digital SAT would correspond to and carry the same meaning as a score of 1050 on the paper and pencil SAT.

Additionally, the SAT College and Career Readiness benchmarks of 480 for the Reading and Writing section and 530 for the Math section are the same with the shift to digital testing. As we gather actual college performance data for students who have taken the digital SAT Suite tests, we'll empirically reexamine all benchmarks to validate and update them as needed.

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