This complete guide includes everything you need to know about SAT Writing. As experienced tutors, we’re all too familiar with the shortcomings of most test-prep materials, so we've created our own free guide to SAT Writing, which we believe is the best available (even compared to expensive books from big-name companies!).

To create this guide, we carefully analyzed real SATs, read the best SAT books we could find, and thought carefully about what you actually need to know to succeed on SAT Writing. Rather than trying to condense all the info we came up with into one page (which would be insanely overwhelming!), we’ve created this article to serve as a table of contents and take you through the different parts of the SAT Writing section.

If you're in high school, you may be wondering whether you should take the SAT or the ACT. In general, the two tests have gotten much more similar since the SAT was revamped in 2016, but there are still a few differences that may sway you towards one or the other.

In this guide, I've outlined some of the key factors you should keep in mind when deciding which test to focus on and created a quiz that can help you determine which test will be better for you.

For the past decade or so, the SAT has come under increasing scrutiny for its confusing structure, trick questions, and obscure vocabulary. Meanwhile, the ACT is often seen as the fairer test, more closely based in what students learn in school.

As you might have heard, the College Board undertook a radical overhaul of the SAT that went into effect in March 2016 and, in many ways, made it much more similar to the ACT. Adding to the confusion is the fact that ACT, Inc., also made some minor changes to the ACT.

What are the main differences between the current versions of the two tests? The short answer is that the SAT and ACT are now quite similar. The changes have eliminated many of the two tests' major differences in both style and content. Nonetheless, there remain important variations—some long-standing and some newly introduced.

Between college applications and standardized testing, you’ve probably heard CEEB codes mentioned at some point during your high school career. You may have even wondered what they were other than mysterious four digit numbers.

This guide will explain everything you need to know about CEEB codes.

As stressful as the ACT can be, you shouldn’t take it too seriously. It’s an important test, sure, but just a test all the same.

Here are five weird facts about the ACT to help you feel less overwhelmed by studying.

Unfortunately, studying for the SAT isn’t much fun. There’s really no way to make reading passages or dissecting math problems super entertaining — and believe me, I’ve tried.

But if you’re looking for a quick break from studying, check out these 8 random SAT test facts. You may even learn something helpful!

So you’re thinking about majoring in creative writing! Completing an undergraduate creative writing program can be a great way to explore your love of fiction or poetry and hone your craft.

As edifying as a creative writing major can be, it may not be what you expect. Dedicated creative writing majors are also quite uncommon, so if you're committed to getting your degree in that subject, you'll have a narrower pool of possible colleges. This post will help you decide whether a creative writing major is right for you.

Do you have questions about applying to community college? I have answers!

For starters, most community colleges do not require ACT scores. In fact, the vast majority are open enrollment: as long as you meet a few basic requirements (the main one is generally having a high school diploma or GED), you’re in.

The exception to this rule is if you're interested in more selective programs in science or law enforcement or if you're planning to transfer to a four-year university. In these cases, you may need to take the SAT or ACT.

In this post, I’ll explain the application process for community colleges in more depth and what steps you’ll need to take to apply.

If you’ve signed up for the SAT, you’ve probably heard that you need an SAT admission ticket to get in on test day. The College Board makes a big deal about these tickets, and it can be stressful to figure out how to input all your information, get the right picture, and find a way to print the ticket.

Don’t worry! This guide will walk you through exactly what the admission ticket is, how to print it out, and what to do if you lose it.

If you’re thinking of applying to community college, you might be wondering what the application requirements are. Do you need a certain GPA? Will you have to take the SAT?

I have good news! The vast majority of community colleges are open enrollment, which means that they accept anyone who applies, as long as she has a high school diploma or GED. They generally don't require standardized test scores.

However, if you're interested in certain more selective programs like nursing or planning to transfer to a four-year university, you may end up needing SAT or ACT scores.

As you study for SAT Writing, you’ll need some sample tests to practice your new skills on. Resist the temptation to just start trying random questions, however. It’s vital that you only use practice tests that will actually help you improve, and those can be a bit tricky to find.

In this post, I'll explain why you should stick to accurate practice tests, what makes for a good practice test, how to use them in your SAT writing prep, and where to find the best practice SATs.

I’ve worked with dozens of students as they studied for the SAT, and the writing section is often the most confusing for them. It tests a lot of grammar concepts you may not have learned in school or else haven’t studied in many years—even if you're an A student in English class, there are probably some rules tested on the SAT that you aren't familiar with.

Happily, the test asks about the same few concepts over and over again, so there aren't that many topics you really need to know. Avoiding just a few of the most common mistakes students often make can really help your score.

Let’s go through these common mistakes one at a time:

The SAT and the ACT are both recently underwent updates: the ACT got a new writing test and some minor content tweaks, while the SAT was fully redesigned.

With all this change, it can be difficult to keep track of everything. I've created some simple charts that outline the basic differences in structure and content for the new SAT vs the ACT.

This post is more of an overview than a detailed side-by-side comparison, however, so for a more in-depth discussion of the differences between the updated versions of the two tests, you should take a look at our full breakdown of the SAT vs ACT here.

You’re studying ACT English and learning all about important topics like verbs, pronouns, and transitions. Now you just need some practice tests to implement your new skills on!

But before you rush out to take the nearest practice test, make sure it's the right one. Many students use sub-par practice materials—tests that are formatted strangely or full of the wrong types of questions or even just too hard—and it really hurts their progress.

In this post, I'm going to go over everything you need to know about picking out effective practice material and list the very best sources for practice tests.

Note: The current version of the SAT no longer includes this type of question. For up-to-date SAT writing tips, check out our top guide here.

Identifying Sentence Errors (ISE) questions, which ask you to pick the error in a sentence out of four underlined sections, seem like they should be the easiest part of the SAT Writing section. After all, you only have to find the error, you don't have to fix it. The test writers, however, are extremely adept at camouflaging the mistake in each sentence—if you don't know what to look for, you can easily find yourself assuming there's no error in as many as half of the sentences.

As such, it's vital that you take a systematic approach to the Identifying Sentence Errors questions. If you count on spotting the error by simply glancing over the sentence or by looking for sections that "sound" weird, you'll miss a lot of questions.

In this post, I'm going to detail the most effective approach to these questions and the common errors you need to look for: