Alexis Avila Founder/President of Prepped & Polished talks about the recent controversial SAT essay topic about reality television.
He thinks that while the topic may appear at first glance biased only to those who habitually watch reality television, it is still a broad enough topic where virtually any high school student can properly answer the question.
Students who recently took the March SAT got a curveball when they opened up their test booklet and saw Section 1, the essay, was a topic about reality television and whether or not it damages society. After that test, parents and students were calling me and saying, “How could the SAT pick such a trifling topic such as reality television?”
While it may have been disadvantageous for students who don’t habitually watch reality television to have received that topic, the truth is, the topic itself is really about society and your reflections about what you think about society. That is a very common SAT question all of a sudden.
How to approach your SAT topic
Basically, you have to approach your SAT topic, in this case a reality television show and how it damages society topic, the same way you do any SAT essay. You’re going to write an introduction and state whether you agree or disagree with the topic, set forth your examples, and then have a conclusion.
The SAT essay graders are going to grade you on your writing style, whether you were able to successfully adapt to the essay, and write
in a cohesive fashion. Business as usual; you don’t know what to expect on the SAT essay, but have a game plan, and you should be fine.
I’ll talk to you soon.
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