[hpnotiq]

I'm having a lot of issues on the Writing section of the SAT's so I just wanted everyone else's word on it.

The first time I took my SAT's I got an 8 on my essay, which imo is just horrible since it totally cuts down your score on the entire section. But I started to go to Elite (almost everyone in southern cali knows exactly what it is. If you don't, its basically a SAT prep place) & I've gotten 11's on all my essays except for 2 of them which I got 12's on.

But thats not what I wanted to know. I just wanted to know how many supporting examples everyone uses. Some people tell me that you should only do 1 & others say that you need at least 2. I've also heard that using personal examples are not so great & that you should use historical or literary examples, true?

& does anyone else think the whole essay is not fair? imo, its not fair because different graders have different opinions & want different things in essays even if collegeboard provides a rubric for the essays.

Ah I hate SAT's.

[chinese tears <3]

well, usually practice essays you take in prep class aren't really going to be what you're going to get because yeah, the person grading is different. i would go with using two examples, because one is not enough unless it's a super good example that you can elaborate on.

i've heard that about the personal experience one too. my SAT prep teacher told me not to use personal experience, but one of my friends did and well.. i trust his judgement more than my teacher's. ;; i think if it's a good personal experience that really fits into what the question's asking for, then use it. i used a personal and a historical example and i got a 10.

it might just be the person grading it the first time was ick though. maybe if you retake the SAT, you'll get your 11 and 12's.

[s0urp@tchk!d]

it all comes down to your tone.

if you can pull of a personal statement in a mature sounding fashion, by all means, personalize away. the reason why ppl advise not to is only b/c most students don't have that developed sense of voice so they usually end up sounding very juvenile and that specific experience is made to sound very trivial.

8 is really not. you can still score like 780/90s on writing. just own MC. :] good luck.

[jess89]

i always do 2 examples. 3 is overdoing it and i feel as if 1 just isnt enough. if you wanna do 1, your example better be amazingg. i find myself always using a personal and a historical example. funny thing is.... i hate history haha. stupid ap classes. yeah and i got two 10's using a personal & historical.

[cyberfruit]

I got a 10 for my first writing. I tend to use around 2 supporting examples and when I write the paper, I make sure the tone is not too formal or else it will sound robotic and not like me. I tend to write as if I'm having a conversation with someone, like I'm explaining what I'm writing to someone in my head (I know it sounds crazy, but it works for me).

As for personal examples, there's nothing wrong with using them as long as the topic is relevant. If the topic is, say, "Write about a time you learned about responsibility", then you would add personal examples and not literary ones. If the topic is about "How would you define character development" or something pertaining to "Disillusionment", then you would use literary examples.

Bah, its the same thing for the AP, ACT, TAKS, etc. That's life.

[hpnotiq]

I guess everyone uses 2 examples except for me.
How do you guys manage to fit in 2 examples during 25 minutes? I don't think I can..

[deadgiveaway]

Literary and historical examples would be the best to use, I think. Think of a few examples beforehand - obviously, they should be ones that you could apply to almost any prompt that they throw at you. I think using literary/historical examples is actually easier than using personal examples, because it seems like you could more directly support your ideas.

[litoxshortaii]

the questions are usually general and made so that you can argue any way. i think ur good as long as you present ur topic with clear examples and concise sentences. you should also try to think of examples that you can make fit for almost any kind of question. you can say a lot if you know the subject well.