In my first semester in college I got a B on my first exam. I know what you’re probably thinking a B is a good grade but I was disappointed… here’s why.
I knew every answer to every question.
So why did I get a B?
That’s what I asked another student who got an A.
And here’s what he told me:
“Rodney, your answers are good and concise but if you want to get A’s you’ve got to write longer answers. Include every piece of information from the course that you can in your answer to each question.”
During the next exam, I didn’t study as hard but I creatively wove as many bits of information from the course into each question.
When I got my test back a few weeks later, I was pretty stoked. I got an A.
Fast forward to 2005 when I’m teaching students how to beat the SAT Essay. I review the research done at MIT and I find that longer essays get better scores on the SAT.
I’ve checked other sources since then and they all agree that length is the greatest factor that contributes to your score.
So why do I bring this up today?
First, I know the SAT is comming up soon. And if you’re at all concerned about getting a top score on the essay, I know you need this information right away.
Second, I want to give you a tip that I’ve found will make you more effective on test day. It’s a tip that you can use to improve your skills quickly and takes only a few minutes a day.
Here’s the tip:
Practice writing just one paragraph responses to SAT Essay prompts at least once a day.
Do this every day and your ability to write quickly will improve.
Imagine what would happen if you lifted weights each day or ran up hills. By the end of a week you’d already be stronger and faster.
It’s the same with the SAT Essay.
If you just write one paragraph a day, your writing speed will go up. And the faster you write the more you can write in 25 minutes on test day.
And the more you write, the higher your score.
If you find this tip helpful, please leave a comment below.
And if you’d like to see my entire system for training yourself to beat the SAT Essay visit The SAT Essay Formula.
Leave A Reply (22 comments So Far)
Thomas Bateman
654 days ago
You might want to learn how to spell coming
which you posted above as “comming.” This error deflates your claim.
[Reply]
Rodney Reply:
April 21st, 2010 at 12:30 pm
Thomas,
Thanks for catching that. That sentence was provided by a wordpress plugin called “What would Seth Godin Do?” And I never realized that some of the pre-programmed sentences had typos. I just updated it so that won’t happen again.
However, typos aside. It looks like you judged the information based on that one error. Hopefully it won’t cost you major points on test day.
Rodney
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Pepper
654 days ago
Hey every makes typing errors.
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Kaze
654 days ago
Thanks
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Pearline
654 days ago
Thanks for the tip. I will be using the information.
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Rodney Reply:
April 22nd, 2010 at 8:17 pm
Pearline,
I’m glad you liked the tip.
Rodney
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Austin
653 days ago
Good info!
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Jasmine Dimayuga
653 days ago
Thanks for the tip
My English teacher actually told my class the same thing for the essay section. However, I am just wondering, will the teachers read out entire essay? Or just work on the first and last sentence of every paragraph?
[Reply]
Rodney Reply:
April 21st, 2010 at 7:48 pm
Jasmine,
The teachers do read the entire essay so you definitely need to make sure there is real content in your paragraphs.
Rodney
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Charles Frank
653 days ago
I like the tip!, I will apply it in my coming exams which require explanations.
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Rodney Reply:
April 22nd, 2010 at 8:18 pm
Charles,
Glad that my information is helping you.
Let me know how much it improves your grades.
Rodney
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David Munyoki
652 days ago
Thanks very much for your essay tips which have helped me so much in my preparation for the sat which i’m going to sit for soon.Thanks alot
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Rodney
652 days ago
David,
You’re welcome. Let me know how well you do on the upcoming SAT.
Rodney
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Ali
650 days ago
Really helpful
But have any idea what kinds of books should I read to help in the SAT? I mean novel books.
[Reply]
Rodney Reply:
April 25th, 2010 at 3:07 pm
Focus on novels you studied in school already. There’s no reason to read new books in preparation for the SAT Essay. If you review older books you’ll remember more and be more confident that you understand the story.
[Reply]
nourhan
649 days ago
However most of my english teachers told me the same as you have previously mentioned, I disagree with them and with you.I think that expressing your ideas perfectly must not be long to be persuasive, but it must be well-organized.
Anyway it is my point of view.
[Reply]
Rodney Reply:
April 26th, 2010 at 3:02 am
Nourhan,
I understand your point of view–that an essay can be persuasive without being long. However, the data shows that your score is influenced by length. This is not an opinion but a fact. If you want a high score write a longer essay. Now in business and law being concise is more important. People in those fields value their time too much to read anything that’s longer than it needs to be.
When you are trying to succeed at something, always look at what strategies will help you in that specific area. Never assume what will work. Always find out. And if you have an opinion be willing to give it up when the facts show you that your ideas may not work.
Rodney
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Maria
647 days ago
Sorry, but i agree with nourhan in one point . An essay does not have to be long ,it should get straight to the point and be persuasive at the same time ,because the essay readers have so much to read and they might get annoyed if they have to read a 2 page long essay.
[Reply]
Rodney Reply:
April 28th, 2010 at 2:22 am
Maria,
I understand that you agree with Nourhan. And you are both right in principle. However, on the SAT Essay the longer essay wins out. It’s better to write long on this exam if you want a higher score. Be concise for other types of writing such as legal briefs, business memos etc.
Rodney
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Sandy Fan
641 days ago
Thank for your esay tips.
The problem I have with writing the SAT essays is coming up with examples. I mean I read books and watch movies, but I don’t remember the examples. I don’t remember the events in the book I have read. For an example, I read sea wolf a year ago, and now you ask me what the story was about, I will tell you I have no idea, maybe except Humphrey kill Wolf Larsen at the end. I know you are suppose to come up one to two strong exampes to illustrate your idea, but the point is I don’t remember any examples, so that’s why I end up with only a 4 or 8 total on my SAT essay.
[Reply]
Rodney Reply:
May 3rd, 2010 at 8:18 pm
Sandy,
The best examples to use in an SAT Essay are the one’s you remember. You may not remember everything from Seal Wolf or other books you’ve read but here’s a trick from the research to boost your memory by 50%.
Take a test on the material.
It turns out that if you take a test on material you’ve studied that it increases memory by 50% as compared to additional study time. This effect is strongest when the harder the test. Meaning the more wrong answers you get on the test you take the more it boosts your memory.
I know it sounds like a strange idea. But you can look it up by typing “testing effect” into Google and you’ll find research papers describing it. It’s actually a well-known effect in psychology.
So take a test on Seal Wolf. You can find one online by searching for “Seal Wolf Test” in Google. Take a few tests and just do your best. Then take another test a day or so later. You’ll find that you can all-of-a-sudden remember more material.
Let me know if this helps you,
Rodney
[Reply]
Rodney
623 days ago
Ali,
Use what you know. You’ll know the books you’ve studied in school better than anything you try to learn just before the test.
Rodney
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