Month: June 2014

How to Transition Between Paragraphs — Template Part V

This entry is part 5 of 5 in the series SAT Essay Template

We’re onto Paragraph 3 now. It’s exactly the same as Paragraph 2 with one exception. You still start with a topic sentence, but because this is your second example paragraph, you need to seamlessly transition between the end of Paragraph 2 and the beginning of Paragraph 3. Something as simple as “Another situation where…” or “(Your example) is another event that (supports your thesis)” are okay. They are better than no transition at all. But we’re not happy with “okay” […]

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How to Analyze Like Fitzgerald — Template Part IV

This entry is part 4 of 5 in the series SAT Essay Template

So far we’ve learned that deep analysis avoids claim and summary as much as possible. If you make a claim, then you have to tell us WHY you believe that. Back it up with examples and reasoning. Furthermore, you have to tell us so what if it’s true? In other words, why should we care? If you make a summary, you have to tell us the purpose or role of that summary in your overall argument. Again, tell us what your point is. One of

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Your Mortal Enemies: Claim and Summary — Template Part III

This entry is part 3 of 5 in the series SAT Essay Template

I had this convo the other day: Me: Ah, so nice to see you again, my dear good ol’ friend Mr. Analysis. Mr. Analysis: I’m going to pwn you, straight up. You can’t even handle me right now. I’m so tricky. Me: Hey, that’s not nice. Plus, if I remember correctly, I’m the one who pwned you last we met. Remember all those As I got on English papers in high school? Mr. Analysis: Pfft. That doesn’t count. As I recall, you only got

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The Thing 90% of You Are Missing in Your Topic Sentence — Template Part II

This entry is part 2 of 5 in the series SAT Essay Template

This is Part 2 of a multi-post series on writing the 25-minute SAT essay, a paragraph-by-paragraph, sentence-by-sentence breakdown. Basically, these posts will construct a full-fledged essay template. Paragraph 2 — Example 1/Analysis (approx. 7-10 sentences): Paragraph 2 is your first body paragraph. This is where you analyze your first example, but for now, let’s just focus on the first sentence of the paragraph, your topic sentence. Sentence 1: topic sentence that states you’re going to use specific example #1 to support

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Intros Are Virtually Useless — Template Part I

This entry is part 1 of 5 in the series SAT Essay Template

You know the 5-paragraph essay format you learned way back when? Use it. Or at least use a 4-paragraph essay where you cut out one of the body paragraphs. Of course there are other formats that can get you a nice score on this essay, but if you don’t already know them, now is not the time to learn or practice unfamiliar writing models…not with this much riding on the line. If you’re already familiar with other formats, then I’m

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Down to 50/50? Don’t Justify Your Answers, Identify Wrong Ones

Reading comprehension, compared to math and grammar, is much more resistant to strategy attacks. Reading comp questions are like the cockroaches of the SAT world—nearly immune to pesticide (our tactics and strategies). The only way to truly and effectively conquer these pesky questions is the old fashion way: stomping them dead. By that I mean actually understanding what you’re reading—the fundamentals! There is one glimmer of hope though, one saving grace, one strategy that I find pretty effective. It’s called

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