<p>S received a 12 on the essay by giving up on writing a compelling sophisticated argument and dumbing down to the less advanced essay structure the SAT rewards. He used 5 paragraph form and filled two solid pages. Complex sentence structure and elevated vocabulary may also have helped, but maybe not. He also learned the kind of examples they like and those they don’t. For instance, they do not care about the accuracy of your examples (you can say Scarlett O’hara appeared in “Steetcar Named Desire” and they cannot ding you for that mistake. But do use good solid examples (even those which are made up) that support your claim, and make the claim sufficiently flexible to allow your essay to appear less black & white.</p>
<p>Like anything related to standardized tests, it is possible to learn the style that gains the highest marks. But not everyone can perform this calculated backflip under timed conditions every time. Practice essays can help.</p>