Ques: Is 14 a good SAT essay score?


More of the , and people who don’t submit scores are sending the message that their scores are low. Instead of viewing the SAT/ACT as a barrier that will keep you out of college, think of it as an opportunity to distinguish yourself from your competition.


I was surprised that the essay, an optional part of the SAT test, can be an asset on the college application for many disadvantaged students because these students often struggle with writing. However, , the organization that owns and earns revenue from the SAT, detailed how the essay portion increased the ability to predict how well an applicant would do in college English and writing classes. For some groups of students — those whose best language was not English alone and those who identified as Black, Latino, Asian or multiracial — the essay score improved the ability to predict how well the applicant would do in college English and writing classes by more than 30 percent above knowing only the student’s high school grades and verbal SAT score (currently called Evidence-based Reading and Writing or ERW).

Two graders will read your essay and assign you a score on a scale of 1-4 in three categories: Reading, Analysis, and Writing. The total score range is 2-8 for each category. A perfect SAT essay score would be three 8’s — that’s a 4 from both graders in all three categories.

Ques: Is 20 a good SAT essay score?

The SAT essay has been through a lot of changes in recent years. In the new SAT, it exists as a separate section from the rest of the sections. You may have heard that not all schools require it, even the ones that require standardized test scores. Why is that? Also, just because it isn’t required, does that mean you don’t have to do it? And what’s a good essay score, anyway?

Second, the most important thing you can take away from this post is: don’t assume you need to take the SAT or ACT with the essay! The number of schools that require it is low, and fewer and fewer schools are even recommending it. In recent years, schools like the California Institute of Technology, Claremont McKenna College, and the University of Michigan have all stopped asking for it. Princeton University started asking for a graded paper instead.

In short? Unless you know you’re going to score well, based on past experience or a diagnostic test, or you’re applying to certain schools, reconsider if preparing for the ACT/SAT Essay is a good use of your test prep time or if you should just skip it altogether.

Even though colleges can’t require the SAT essay anymore, some students taking the SAT on a school day may be interested in getting a good essay score for their own satisfaction. The SAT essay is scored separately from Math and Reading and Writing. You’ll get 50 minutes to write an essay that analyzes the author’s claims and argument in a given passage.


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

That’s it! Of course, the University of California system is huge and includes heavy hitters like Berkeley, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and more. If you’re considering applying to any of these schools, you’ll need to take the SAT Essay. Otherwise, unless these remaining schools are on your list, you don’t explicitly need to take the essay as part of the SAT.

SAT Essay Score Percentile Rankings

The SAT used to offer an optional essay. In 2021, however, the College Board announced it would no longer offer the SAT essay. The only exception to this policy is if your state requires the SAT, in which case you may need to take the essay on an .

Frequently Asked Questions about SAT Essay Score

However, in college admissions, required isn’t the end of the line. A good number of additional schools recommend the SAT Essay. For these schools, you won’t be automatically turned away without the essay, but it’ll help your chances to have it present.

When will the optional essay be discontinued?

You might be surprised to learn that most of the very top schools – Harvard University, Yale University, Brown University, etc. – are not terribly interested in the SAT Essay, even though they care quite a bit about your overall SAT score (or ACT score). That’s in part because highly selective schools ask high school applicants for extensive essays, which they use to evaluate applicant’s proficiency with written English.

SAT Essay Tips to improve your score:

The College Board’s decision on Jan. 19, 2021 to eliminate the essay portion of the SAT may have delighted millions of current and future high school students but its discontinuation could also be a loss for students of color and those whose primary language isn’t English.

SAT essay tips to improve your score

If any of these schools are on your list, you should seriously consider including the essay in your SAT or ACT test prep plans. Still, there are a few things to keep in mind.