The Peculiar Challenge Of Standardized Test Essays
It's hard to write with a gun to your head.
But that's what you have to do when you "turn the page and begin" your SAT or ACT essay. Worse, these essays are unlike any you've written before.
The good news is, in a lot of ways, they're easier!
Standardized test essays are designed to assess only one thing: your ability to write. Specifically, your ability to write a convincing argument. They are not tests of your knowledge, depth, or creativity. You don't need to read up for them, study for them, or learn new vocabulary. Unlike college application essays, there's no value in personal or revealing stories, and unlike class assignments, the facts of the case don't really matter. All that matters it that the case itself be convincing. There are really only two things you need to know to ace such a test:
The first is how to structure a convincing essay.
The second is how to relax.
Of the two, the first one is easier.
I can show you how to structure your essay to get the most out of your argument and quickly plan it out so that you won't find yourself stuck midway through. More importantly, as a writer who's had more than my share of brain freezes, I can teach you some hard-won techniques to help you forget about the gun to your head, focus on the task at hand, stop worrying about words, and start writing them.
But that's what you have to do when you "turn the page and begin" your SAT or ACT essay. Worse, these essays are unlike any you've written before.
The good news is, in a lot of ways, they're easier!
Standardized test essays are designed to assess only one thing: your ability to write. Specifically, your ability to write a convincing argument. They are not tests of your knowledge, depth, or creativity. You don't need to read up for them, study for them, or learn new vocabulary. Unlike college application essays, there's no value in personal or revealing stories, and unlike class assignments, the facts of the case don't really matter. All that matters it that the case itself be convincing. There are really only two things you need to know to ace such a test:
The first is how to structure a convincing essay.
The second is how to relax.
Of the two, the first one is easier.
I can show you how to structure your essay to get the most out of your argument and quickly plan it out so that you won't find yourself stuck midway through. More importantly, as a writer who's had more than my share of brain freezes, I can teach you some hard-won techniques to help you forget about the gun to your head, focus on the task at hand, stop worrying about words, and start writing them.