What Was the SAT Essay?
The SAT® Essay was an additional writing assignment that appeared at the end of the exam. Students read a passage and wrote an analysis explaining how the author built an argument. Instead of sharing personal opinions, test takers were expected to show that they could understand a text, pick out key techniques, and explain those choices clearly in writing.
SAT Essay Skills Tested
This section of the test focused on 3 big skills:
- Reading
Could you understand the passage accurately, including the author’s main claim, supporting points, and overall purpose?
- Analysis
Could you explain how the author used evidence, reasoning, and persuasive techniques to make the argument more convincing?
- Writing
Could you organize your ideas, use appropriate vocabulary and sentence structure, and follow the rules of grammar and punctuation?
Together, these skills were meant to mirror the kind of close reading and analytical writing students do in high school and early college courses.
SAT Essay Format
On test day, students received a single passage, usually taken from a published article or speech. The prompt stayed consistent over time and asked students to:
- Read the passage carefully.
- Identify how the author builds an argument.
- Write an essay that explains those choices, using evidence from the text.
The task did not ask whether you agreed or disagreed with the author. Instead, it invited you to act like a critic, breaking down how the argument worked and why certain choices were effective.
Timing and Structure
When the essay was offered, it appeared as a separate section at the end of the test:
- Students had a fixed amount of time to read, plan, and write their essay in one sitting.
- The response had to be written in the space provided, which meant planning ahead so there was enough time for organization and a brief revision.
- The score for this section was reported separately from the main test score, so it functioned as an add on rather than part of the core 1600 points.
Although the essay is now discontinued for most test takers, understanding what it used to measure can help you see how similar reading and writing skills still matter on the current SAT and in college level coursework.
Is the SAT Essay Still Offered?
The SAT Essay is no longer part of the exam for students taking the digital SAT or any weekend test date. The standard digital SAT is now a sat no essay format, which means the writing task no longer appears on weekend test dates. Today’s SAT is structured around core reading, writing, and math skills, and these areas already provide colleges with the information they need when interpreting your SAT scores. The only place where an essay may still appear is within certain state or district SAT School Day programs, which use the essay for local evaluation rather than admissions. Because the discontinued essay no longer affects your main results, most students focus instead on preparing for the current SAT format, where strong analytical reading and writing skills matter far more than a separate essay section.
The SAT Essay Is Discontinued for National SAT Dates
For national test administrations, the essay has been fully phased out. Students registering for the exam will only see the standard SAT, often referred to as the SAT without an essay, since there is no option to add a writing component. This streamlines the experience and helps students dedicate their study time to the Reading and Writing section, and many students use an online SAT QBank to get extra practice with the kind of reading and analysis questions that appear on the test.
Where the SAT Essay Still Exists: SAT School Day
A limited version of the essay continues to appear through SAT School Day in select states and districts. In these programs, schools administer the SAT exam during regular class hours, and the essay may be included when local policy requires a writing sample for evaluation. Students do not choose this option during registration. Instead, the essay is automatically added when the district orders that version of the test. Even here, the focus remains on the main test sections, and many students reinforce those skills by reviewing structured explanations and examples in a high quality SAT Course.
How to Know If Your School Day SAT Includes the Essay
If you are unsure whether your SAT School Day will include the essay, the most reliable source is your counselor or testing coordinator. Districts usually specify whether the SAT School Day contract includes the essay, and past announcements or student guides often list the test components clearly. If older students at your school did not complete an essay, you will likely take the same version. Preparing for the core test remains the priority, and if you want a realistic sense of timing and pacing, completing a full SAT Practice Test is a helpful way to understand how the test flows without the essay section.
Why the College Board Ended the SAT Essay
College Board® ended the essay to reduce testing time, improve consistency across administrations, and shift attention to the Reading and Writing section, which already captures a student’s analytical writing ability more effectively. Colleges had stopped requiring essay scores long before the discontinuation, which meant the SAT Essay section added little value to admission decisions. Students now demonstrate writing strength more authentically through personal statements, coursework, and the reasoning based tasks embedded in the main exam.
Does the SAT Essay Still Matter for College Admissions?
From an admissions point of view, the SAT Essay is now almost irrelevant. Many students still search for lists of colleges that require SAT essay scores, but those requirements were removed years ago and are no longer part of the current admission policies. Admission officers do not rely on essay scores when they review applications, even if a student took a version of the test that still included the essay.
Most schools instead look at:
- Your high school transcript and the rigor of your courses.
- Personal statements and supplemental essays.
- Teacher recommendations that highlight your reading and writing skills.
- Performance on the Reading and Writing section of the SAT.
Some score reports may still display an essay score for students who tested in certain school day programs, but that number is not a deciding factor. When colleges evaluate writing, they trust longer, more developed pieces of work and your overall academic record rather than a single timed response on a discontinued section.
How the SAT Essay Is Scored on a School Day
If your state or district still includes the SAT Essay on SAT School Day, your response is scored using a specific rubric that looks at three skill areas: Reading, Analysis, and Writing. Two trained readers evaluate your essay independently. Each reader gives you a score from 1 to 4 in each of the three areas.
Their scores are then added together, so your score report shows three separate numbers, each ranging from 2 to 8:
- Reading score from 2 to 8
- Analysis score from 2 to 8
- Writing score from 2 to 8
These essay results appear in a separate part of your report and are not combined into a single overall essay number. They also sit apart from your main SAT total, so the scores are mainly used to describe how you performed on that particular writing task rather than to change your core test results. There is no separate SAT essay registration option anymore, since the essay is only included automatically when a state or district adds it to SAT School Day.
Should You Take / Prepare for the SAT Essay?
For most students, there is no separate choice to make about the SAT Essay. It does not appear on weekend or digital SAT test dates, so you will not see an option to add it and you do not need to plan a dedicated essay strategy.
The only time preparation is relevant is if your state or district includes the essay as part of SAT School Day. In that situation, you will write it because your school ordered that version of the test. Since the score is reported separately from your 1600 total, a short, focused amount of practice is usually enough:
- Review one or two sample passages and prompts to become familiar with the format.
- Practice outlining how an author uses evidence and reasoning before you start writing.
- Write a couple of timed essays so you can plan, draft, and wrap up comfortably within the time limit.
Because the task relies on careful reading and clear explanation, working with materials that offer model passages, guided questions, and step by step explanations, such as a well structured SAT Books resource, can help you build the same analysis and writing skills you need for the rest of the test while also preparing you for any remaining essay requirement.
SAT Essay: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is the SAT Essay coming back in the future?
There are no signs that the SAT Essay will return on weekend or digital SAT test dates. The College Board redesigned the exam to be shorter and fully digital, with reading, writing, and math measured through multiple question types rather than a single SAT exam essay sample. Colleges have also shifted away from using timed test essays in admission decisions, relying instead on personal statements and coursework. Because both the test maker and universities are aligned on this change, the SAT essay section is treated as a discontinued feature rather than a temporary pause. Students can plan their testing strategy around the SAT without essay format.
Can you still find old SAT essay prompts or samples?
Yes, old SAT essay prompts and sample responses are still available through archived materials and practice resources. These can be useful if your state or district still includes an essay on SAT School Day or if you want to see how the task looked in practice. Reviewing an SAT exam essay sample or two helps you understand how writers organized their response, used evidence from the passage, and explained rhetorical techniques. While these prompts are no longer updated, reviewing them can still help you understand how the former SAT essay task worked and strengthen the analytical skills used throughout the Reading and Writing section.
Is SAT Essay practice useful for the current SAT?
Even though the essay is discontinued for most students, some types of SAT essay practice can still be helpful. The task required close reading, understanding an author’s argument, and explaining how evidence and reasoning were used, which are the same skills tested in many Reading and Writing questions. Working through old SAT essay prompts, outlining arguments, or summarizing rhetorical strategies can sharpen your ability to analyze passages under time pressure. These exercises support stronger performance on the digital SAT, even if you never write a full essay on test day. The goal now is to transfer those analysis skills into multiple choice and short-answer formats.
Do SAT Essay scores show up on your score report?
SAT Essay scores appear on your report only if you took a version of the test that still included the essay, usually through SAT School Day. In that case, the report shows 3 separate numbers for Reading, Analysis, and Writing, each from 2 to 8, grouped under a dedicated SAT essay section. These scores are listed apart from your main section results and do not combine into a single essay SAT score. Students who never sat for the essay will not see any essay line at all. Colleges can view these numbers when you send the report, but they typically treat them as informational rather than evaluative.
Do any colleges require SAT Essay scores now?
Colleges do not currently require SAT Essay scores. Schools that once asked for the essay moved away from it as the test changed format and as application essays became more important for evaluating writing. If an older score report includes an essay result, admission offices may still see it, but they do not treat it as a requirement for admission or scholarships. Submitting the current version of the SAT, which does not include an essay, is fully acceptable and is now the normal path for applicants.
What should you do instead to show writing strength?
To demonstrate strong writing, focus on the parts of your application that colleges actively review. Personal statements and supplemental essays show how you develop ideas, choose evidence, and express your voice, which carries more weight than any optional essay sat score. Challenging English and Humanities courses on your transcript also signal that you can handle reading and writing-intensive work. In addition, performance on the SAT Reading and Writing section reflects how well you interpret arguments, revise sentences, and evaluate claims. Together, these elements provide a fuller picture of your writing ability than the discontinued SAT essay section ever did.
Does the essay score affect the overall SAT score?
In the current test design, the essay score does not affect the overall SAT score out of 1600. When the essay appears for SAT School Day testers, it is scored separately for Reading, Analysis, and Writing, with values from 2 to 8 in each category. These numbers are reported in their own SAT essay section and do not change your Reading and Writing or Math scores. As a result, there is no penalty for taking the SAT without an essay, and your total score is calculated in exactly the same way as it is for any other test taker. Colleges base decisions on those main section scores rather than on any essay-specific results.
