<p>I used a practice prompt because I wanted to improve on my SAT essay. If someone could look at it and give me some feedback, I would really appreciate it.</p>
<p>The prompt said something like this: Some think that it is better to be underrated than overrated. Do you agree or disagree?</p>
<p>My essay:
Since human judgement is never completely accurate, miscalculations often happen. These miscalculations can lead to overestimation or underestimation. Though both are products of faulty reasoning by the observer, it is more beneficial to be overestimated.</p>
<p>A clear example of this comes from a Biblical hero named Gideon. Gideon was not a traditional military man, but he was told a good strategy. According to this, he should take a few men to the edge of the enemy’s area. Cloaked by night’s darkness, he and these men would make thunderous noise by breaking pots, playing loud instruments, and yelling. Based on all of this noise, the enemy would overestimate the size of Gideon’s army. It was a risky venture, but Gideon arried out the plan, and it worked. The enemies heard the noise and thought that Gideon had many more men than he actually had. In their frightened minds, that handful of noisy men seemed to be a massive army of thousands. The enemies retreated because they did not want to face this army. In this case, an army’s overestimation led to a quick military victory.</p>
<p>Overestimation can also be helpful to job applicants. When applying for a job, one wants to appear as qualified and desirable for the job as possible. As a result, a job applicant’s chances would be too low if prospective employers always underestimated the applicant. It would be better for both the applicant and the boss if the applicant is slightly overestimated, giving the applicant a chance to work for the company.</p>
<p>Francisco, a character in the novel Atlas Shrugged, serves as another example of the benefits of being overrated by other people. Francisco was traditionally a good businessman, so others followed him blindly in hopes of making a quick buck from Francisco’s hard work. Francisco grew tired of this, and he decided to get back at them. He planned a business venture that he knew would fail. Since people overestimated his prowess as a businessman, they eagerly bought shares in the venture. When the business venture eventually failed, Francisco had his revenge. If the people had not overestimated him like that, his revenge would not have been possible, so their inflated view of him was good for him.</p>
<p>In summation, it is often a good thing when someone is overestimated by someone else. Specifically, it helped Gideon and his small army to defeat a mighty army by frightening them into thinking that they were stronger and bigger. In addition, overestimation also helps job applicants to get positions that they are applying for. Francisco also benefited from others’ overestimation because it allowed him to get his revenge. In general, overestimation can be a good thing if one knows how to deal with it.</p>