Should I Register for the SAT or ACT with the Essay or Without?

This is the second most popular question we get asked, right behind “Should I take the ACT or SAT?”

The good news for most students is that the essay section of these two tests is of little or no importance. The essay scores do not get factored into your composite scores for the SAT or ACT. The majority of colleges will ignore these scores completely, and those who do consider essay scores often view them as far less important than other aspects of your application.

In 2017, 71% of students taking the SAT and 54% of students taking the ACT opted to write the essay; however, fewer than 30 schools required the essay, with another 30 or so recommending the essay. What this means is that many students spent time on essay scores that were likely never looked at by the schools reviewing their applications.

Further, schools that were early champions of the newly designed essay sections of the two tests, such as the University of Michigan, Yale, Stanford, Harvard, and Princeton, have stopped requiring the essay section (although some still recommend it).

A Smarter SAT/ACT Testing Plan

Start by taking a look at the list below of schools and their SAT/ACT essay policies. You can search for specific schools by typing their names into the search box. Or try filtering the list to show just the schools that require the essay (type “required” into the search box).

If you are unlikely to apply to any schools that require the essay, search “recommended” to see a list of schools that recommend the essay. This is where it gets a little bit trickier. For many of these schools, a mediocre essay score is not going to significantly alter how they view your application; most just want to make sure you are adequately prepared for college writing. That said, these schools are clearly interested in seeing how you write under standardized testing conditions, and you are taking a risk by not providing them with this data. If there is a school on this recommended list that you are applying to and you are worried about writing the essay, you may find it helpful to reach out to the school’s regional representative for their advice.

If you are not planning on applying to any of the schools that require or recommend the essay, you are in a great position to take the time and energy you would have spent preparing for the essay and redirect them toward other goals.

Note: Because schools frequently change their admission policies, it is always worthwhile to review the testing requirements for each school you are thinking of applying to, which are easily accessible on their admissions pages. The below table shows policies that were in effect August of 2019.  

If You Opt for the Essay

If you are opting to write the essay for the SAT or ACT, one of your best resources will be the model essays available on their official websites (ACT/ SAT).