3.8 SAT Essay - Length: The Measure of Success

Length: The Measure of Success:  The number of words has a strong influence on your SAT score.  There is certainly a target number to hit when developing your ideas.  The correlation between high scores and words simply reflects that extent of a writer’s development.  Not to say that a low number of words cannot do justice to a topic, but the College Board expects you to fill your page with enough development that manifests your critical thinking ability.  Again, this is no time to be creative with a ONE clever paragraph, resting on the laurels of neatly packaged and sophisticated ideas.  Instead, play the conservative card by analyzing word counts and typical scores.  For example, scores of 5 and 6 have on average 350-450 words.  This word count allows for at least three to four paragraphs of development.  The word count drops significantly when scores drop.  Scores of 1 and 2 typically range from 100 to 200 words.  Though scores of 3 and 4 may be of the same word count, though usually of fewer words, there are errors of language mechanics, structure, and purpose that cause the writer to lose ground on the 5 and 6.  The key idea here is to ensure that you do write enough but not too much.  An indiscriminate use of words, i.e., 500+ may simply frustrate the SAT grader.  The grader is looking for 350-400 words of solid composition that do not leave him guessing.  Reading your essay must be a smooth ride ALL the way through- remember EVERY word, EVERY sentence, Every paragraph counts.