What is a Good SAT Essay Score in 2022? Best Answer. [2024 Update]

SAT Essay is an optional section of the SAT test. Inasmuch as the section is optional, it can help boost your SAT test score, which will increase your chances of getting into your dream school. This is why getting a high score is important.

Now, the question is, what exactly is SAT high score? What is a good SAT Essay score?

Read this article carefully to get the answers. The post is chock-full of important information about SAT essay, how important it is, and what a good SAT Essay score looks like.

What is SAT Essay?

The SAT Essay is a 50-minute “optional” writing project given at the end of the SAT test. In each SAT essay, you will get a reading text as an assignment, which varies.

Here is what you’ll be expected to do!

You must basically provide a “rhetorical interpretation” of the reading passage. So, rather than replying to the author’s arguments, study them and assess their success in persuading the author’s audience. Note, SAT essay is graded in three areas; Reading, Analysis, and Writing.

How is SAT Essay Graded?

The only section of the SAT that is graded by humans is the SAT Essay. They will read rapidly your essay by each of the two essay graders.

They’ll assign you a sub-score in each of the three subcategories: reading, analysis, and writing, based on a unique grading rubric.

Note, these sub-scores ranges from 1 to 4, with 1 being the lowest and 4 being the highest. With three sub-scores, each grader can give you anything from a “3” to a “12” on a scale of one to twelve.

Both graders will assign you their own set of sub-scores, resulting in a final score that ranges from a “6” for a poor SAT Essay to a “24” for an excellent SAT Essay.

There’s a lot more to know about the SAT Essay if you want to do well, but this should give you a wonderful concept of how your writing will be judged.

What is a SAT Essay Score Average?

Although there will always be some variation from test to exam, the “average” SAT Essay score is 14 out of 24. The average “should” be a 15 out of 24, which is right in the middle mathematically. However, in reality, the entire average comes in at 14.

The “average” student, therefore, loses points on test day since they don’t know exactly what they need to perform for the Analysis sub-score.

What Does a Poor SAT Essay Score Mean?

This is one common question most students ask!

A negative SAT Essay score is simply any number that keeps you out of your preferred college because you’re using this score as part of your competition to get into college. So, it won’t be wrong to say that a poor SAT essay score depends on the school of your choice.

For instance, if the school you are applying to has a benchmark of 15 and you score 12 or 13, that could be a poor score.

Is it necessary to take the SAT Essay section?

Is the SAT Essay even regarded as an essential part of the SAT test, given that it will add more stress, time, and work to your testing day?

The truth is that the SAT Essay part is “optional.” That means you can choose whether to take the test with or without an essay part.

Although you’ll pay an extra fee to take the SAT test with the Essay, it’s worth it. This is because it will help boost your score.

So, instead of trying to skip it, why not bear the stress and take it to be on the safer side? After all, if you later decide you need an SAT Essay score for your college applications, you’ll have to retake the entire SAT test only to have one shot at the essay at the end!

Having understood the necessity, the next question is: Is it important to YOU?

Is Your SAT Essay Score Important?

The answer to this question depends on your life priorities.

If you’re applying to a school that accepts SAT Essay scores, a low SAT Essay score will hamper your chances significantly.

However, if you’re applying to one of the many institutions that don’t consider your SAT Essay score, your essay scores will be irrelevant – even if they’re great.

In other words, many universities consider your SAT Essay score, but only a few schools value it.

To cap it all, your SAT Essay score is important when attempting to gain admission to “elite” institutions and universities. It is also important if you’re pursuing a writing or literary degree. And then when you’re applying to many institutions that require an SAT Essay score.

How Do You Achieve a SAT Essay Score that is Good?

If you want to earn a far higher SAT essay score, the following tips will help you:

Understanding how the SAT essay scoring system works.
Using a method for producing essays that is both clear and dependable.
Writing a variety of practice SAT essays on various prompts.
On test day, I’m concentrating hard and making the most of every minute.

Good Overall SAT Score

A good SAT score is any SAT score that is above the 50th percentile, or median. It shows that you outperformed most test-takers.

A 50th percentile score will not get you into most prestigious universities. Depending on how competitive the applicant pool is, the criterion for a good SAT score rises significantly. Therefore, aiming for at least the 75th percentile, or 1200 or higher, is usually a good idea.

Your SAT score is determined by the combination of your two section scores, Math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing. This ranges from 400 to 1600. Each component uses a 10-point scale ranging from 200 to 800. A good Math or EBRW score would be approximately 600 points.

Percentiles can be used to compare your performance to that of other test-takers. To discover what comprises a strong SAT score, look at the percentile charts below. It’s worth noting that the percentile rankings for scores may vary slightly from year to year.

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