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FREE SAT Writing Practice Tests

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Our free SAT Writing Practice Tests are each a selection of 10 to 12 questions, which will give you a cross-section of topics from the Writing section of the official SAT. You might think of them as little quizzes, which you can use to hone your skills. To get a more comprehensive idea of the concepts you need to review, try one of the Full-Length SAT Writing Practice Tests. These tests simulate the writing portion of the SAT, which gives you valuable text experience and can help you learn to pace yourself so you can be sure you’ll have enough time to finish the real test. The results pages for the longer-form tests offer tons of useful feedback, including detailed explanations of the answers and links to additional concept-specific practice opportunities. The results of the complete practice tests can also help you streamline your SAT study plan by revealing the topics on which you need to focus. Once you’ve had the chance to do some review, you can gauge your progress by taking another Full-Length SAT Writing Practice Test.  Whether you need top SAT Writing tutors in New York , SAT Writing tutors in Chicago , or top SAT Writing tutors in Los Angeles , working with a pro may take your studies to the next level. SAT Writing Section What is the Writing Section of the SAT exam? The SAT Writing Section tests your ability to understand and effectively respond to writing prompts and to demonstrate your knowledge of various grammatical and semantic rules, as well as conventions about how to construct the clearest sentences and paragraphs. On the exam, you will be expected both to identify present errors and suggest preferable alternative sentence and paragraph constructions to display your knowledge of the aforementioned rule types. Varsity Tutors offers resources like a  free SAT prep book  to help with your self-paced study, or you may want to consider an  SAT Writing tutor . What kinds of multiple-choice questions appear on the SAT Writing section? In addition to the separate Essay portion of the SAT Writing section, three different question types appear on the SAT Writing section: Identifying Sentence Errors, Improving Sentences, and Improving Paragraphs. These do not appear in equal ratios, however: of the 49 questions, 25 will be Identifying Sentence Errors, 18 will be Improving Sentences, and 6 will be Improving Paragraphs. Identifying Sentence Error questions consist of a sentence with four sections of its text underlined, as well as a “No Error” option. One of the four underlined portions of the sentence may contain a grammatical or usage error; it is your job to determine whether or not the sentence contains an error, and if it does, to select the answer choice that corresponds to the section of text that contains that error. There is never more than one error in a Identifying Sentence Error sentence, and you are not tested about how to fix the grammatical error that you identify—your job is to simply point out the part of the sentence that contains the error. Improving Sentence questions present you with a sentence which is either completely or partially underlined. This sentence may or may not contain a grammatical or usage error. Of the five possible answer choices, the first one reproduces the underlined portion of the sentence exactly, while the other options each make one change to that section. It is your job to select the option that makes the sentence clear and grammatically correct. If a sentence contains no errors, you should select the option that reproduces the underlined section of the sentence exactly. Some Improving Sentence questions may reference a passage, but will direct you to at most one or two sentences for you to consider. Improving Paragraph questions test your knowledge of how to best formulate paragraphs by providing you with a passage that has its sentences numbered and then asking you about proposed changes to that paragraph. Sentence order, sentence design, and proper sentence and paragraph transitions are all fair game in this portion of the Writing Section. Questions and their answers often refer to sentence numbers so that they do not have to quote entire sentences each time they refer to them. Certain Improving Paragraph questions may give you the option of leaving an indicated sentence or a certain part of the paragraph as it is written, but not all questions give you this option. Which specific grammar concepts are covered on the SAT Writing Section? Subject-verb agreement, proper tense usage, gerunds and infinitives, parallel sentence structure, subject-pronoun agreement, the use of appropriate prepositions, similar object comparisons, active vs. passive voice, and proper use of conjunctions are among the grammatical rules you should be familiar with in preparation for the exam. The Varsity Tutors Learning Tools free SAT Practice Tests contains questions that test each of these concepts. How much is the SAT Writing Section worth on the SAT? In total, the SAT Writing Section is worth 800 points, just like the other two sections: SAT Critical Reading and SAT Math. But this section is different in that it is not composed solely of multiple-choice questions, although these do constitute a majority of the section. Additionally, there is an essay, which is always the first section on any given SAT. The essay composes 30% of the overall total SAT Writing Section score, while the multiple-choice problems make up the remaining 70%. How is the SAT Writing Section graded? For the Essay Section, two separate graders each read the essay and submit a score on a scale from 1 to 6, where 6 is the highest score an essay can receive, and 1 the lowest. Generally, these graders are grading each essay on how well it asserts and defends a particular position in response to the question asked, while providing specific and detailed examples to illustrate and support its argument; however, other factors are also taken into consideration when determining an essay’s score; these include use of proper grammar and correct spelling, as well as effective construction of a variety of sentence types. The Writing Section’s multiple-choice questions are graded like the SAT’s other multiple-choice-based sections. Correct answers are tallied, and then incorrect answers are multiplied by ¼ and subtracted from the total. Answers left blank do not count against the overall score. These portion totals are then added together to make up the overall raw SAT Writing score, which is then combined with the Essay score and reported in terms of a 200-800 scale. How many questions are on the SAT Writing Section? How much time do I have for each part of the SAT Writing Section? In total, each SAT Writing section contains 49 multiple-choice questions and an essay prompt. You are given 35 minutes to complete the multiple-choice questions, which appear in two sections, one 25 minutes long, the other 10 minutes long. You are given 25 minutes to compose an essay in response to the essay prompt. So, in total, the entire SAT Writing section takes 60 minutes to complete. There is a caveat, however, that may lead to you having to complete two writing sections on your SAT. For testing purposes, the College Board includes an additional ungraded experimental section on each one of its officially administered tests to gather data about the quality of new problems. This additional section is 25 minutes long, and tests Critical Reading, Writing, or Math. While you will notice that you complete two versions of a certain section, there is no way to tell which section is the “real” one that determines your score in that area, and which is the experimental section that does not affect your score. So, the best course of action is to treat every section as if it is affecting your score. Do I get a break during the SAT Writing section? While students are given breaks between certain sections of the SAT, they are not given breaks during any sections, and it is not recommended that you stop to rest during a section. The SAT is designed to be completed in a certain amount of time, without much extra time, and you don’t want to run the risk of not completing the section (and hence losing points) just because you stopped to take a break. How much time should I spend on each multiple-choice question on the SAT Writing Section? Given that there are 49 multiple-choice question in two separate sections (one 25 mins, the other 10 mins) on the SAT Writing section, you could easily do the math to find that you have less than a minute per question. This should be your rough guide for how to spend your time. In some cases, you will spend less time on a question, and in others, more time, but in general, you should be mindful of this limit. Last, any one-size-fits-all time-allocation recommendations will not work in all situations, but they do provide a basic guideline for effectively using the limited time you have available. Should I guess on the SAT Writing Section? Guessing on the SAT Writing Section’s multiple-choice questions is advisable or inadvisable for the same reasons it would be for any other multiple-choice question on the exam. Incorrect multiple-choice answers receive a penalty of ¼ of a point which, in sum, can add up. In contrast, blank answers do not count towards your overall score, so they do not count against you at all whatsoever. A good rule of thumb is to use your knowledge of grammar, proper sentence and paragraph construction, and other semantic rules to eliminate three of the five answer responses. If you can confidently do this, then you might want to guess between the remaining answers. Studying for the SAT Writing Section: Essay Should I read the whole quotation and question before writing my the SAT Writing essay? Always read the entire essay prompt on the SAT before responding to it! Reading the entire question is always essential for formulating and asserting an effective position on some issue. Often, the questions are more complicated than they initially seem, and you want to make sure not to read your own questions into them (and then spend 25 minutes answering a question not asked). Rereading the question two or three times is a good idea that helps you be sure that you didn’t misread or misunderstand it. Often, however, students spend too much time reading and rereading the quotation to mine it for ideas about what to write. Know that this essay is not about explicating the quotation included; the authors of the test include the quotation, instead, to give you food for thought. You should be using your own experiences, knowledge and ideas to fashion your essay, not just the content of the quotation. How should I study for the SAT Writing section's essay writing portion? While it may seem difficult to study for an essay-based section, you can effectively prepare for the SAT Essay section by doing the following five things: 1.) Read up on the SAT Essay and learn about what makes it unique when compared to other standardized tests’ essay sections. 2.) Read over a few SAT Essay prompts and try out one or two by taking them in 25 minutes, just like the real exam section. Having a qualified, competent friend, teacher, or tutor read over this essay and provide you with feedback will help you figure out what you need to work on in particular. 3.) After you have a better sense of what you need to work on, you should then brainstorm examples you might draw on from your life. You might draw examples from books you have read, recent news stories you have seen, friends’ experiences that you have heard about, or other events you know about. Sometimes you can even draw examples from popular media like movies and music. Take a sample SAT Essay prompt and brainstorm ideas that you might use to respond to it or a similar question. 4.) Focus on honing your ability to write a strong, coherent, and relevant thesis statement. You can improve this skill by reading SAT Essay Prompts and quickly formulating a position that you could support in an essay, one that you could develop and pursue for at least two to three body paragraphs. Using too simplistic of a thesis statement and realizing that you have run out of material to discuss halfway through the SAT Essay on test day is a terrible position to be in. Reviewing the basic format of an SAT Essay might be helpful too, but if you have already been recently writing timed essays, this step may be superfluous. 5.) Complete at least two to three more full essays and focus on what kinds of examples you might need to develop an inventory of. Having a solid example tool box will be endlessly useful to you on test day, as you can use many different examples for different kinds of essays, and will not have to spend as much time trying to hurriedly come up with examples. How should I use my time when writing the essay on the SAT Writing section? You shouldn’t tackle any SAT question without thinking about how you are approaching it, and the same can be said for the SAT Essay. For this section, it’s crucial that you be aware of how you are using your time, and make efficient use of it. Like other timed writing assignments, the SAT Essay portion of the Writing Section requires you to quickly understand the question being asked of you, take a position, formulate your examples, outline, draft, and revise. You are given only twenty-five minutes in which to write your essay, so consider organizing your time like this: Reading Question and Formulating a Position: 2-3 minutes Brainstorming Reasons, Commentary and Paragraph Structure: 4 minutes Drafting the Essay - 15-17 minutes Revising and Editing - 2 minutes Keep in mind that eyeing your watch every two seconds to ensure that you’re on track will not be of help to you, and will, in fact, hurt your progress on the essay. But having a general sense of how you should be progressing will prevent you from leaving the essay section with little more than a well-developed outline. Can I use a prewritten essay on the SAT Writing section? No, you cannot use a prewritten essay on the SAT; however, arriving with a fresh example bank ready and waiting in your short-term memory is just as good. Also, if you’ve been practicing responding to SAT prompts, then it should be a piece of cake to tackle a new one, because you can tackle each prompt in the same way: by reading the prompt, taking a position, briefly outlining that position with examples, drafting your essay from your outline, and finally, revising and editing your essay. How is the SAT Writing section's essay section graded? The essay composes 30% of the overall total SAT Writing Section score, while the remaining multiple choice sections make up the remaining 70%. Each essay is given a score between 1 and 6 by two independent graders. Each SAT essay is graded on how effectively it asserts a position in a thesis statement in response to the question asked, and how well it supports that thesis statement with details and examples. Other aspects of the essay including spelling, grammar, and sentence variety are also taken into consideration when determining an essay’s grade. In addition to the SAT Writing practice tests and  SAT Writing tutoring , you may also want to consider taking some of our  SAT Writing flash cards . Studying for the SAT Writing Section: Multiple-Choice Questions How should I study for the Improving Sentences, Identifying Sentence Errors and Improving Paragraphs portions of the SAT Writing Section? Use the following tips to study effectively for the SAT Writing section’s multiple-choice questions: 1.) Refamiliarize yourself with English grammar, style, and usage conventions, as all of the SAT Writing section’s multiple-choice questions test your understanding of grammar, style, and usage rules in some way. Focusing on the rules and conventions that you don’t completely understand or that underlie problems you often miss is the most efficient way to raise your SAT Writing score. However, thinking about the grammar rules should only be part of the study process. 2.) Start practicing each type of question that appears on the SAT Writing section. Don’t rush through these, though! When you miss a question, figure out where you went wrong, or what point you misunderstood. If you don’t spend enough time analyzing the questions you miss, your studying will not be as effective. Varsity Tutors offers free SAT Writing Practice Tests for you to use in preparing for the SAT's Writing section. Our free SAT Writing Practice Tests are written by teachers, professors, content specialists, and tutors. Explanations are given for each question, so if you miss a question, you can find out where you went wrong. Varsity Tutors also offers free SAT Writing Diagnostic Tests, free SAT Writing Flashcards, and free SAT Writing Questions of the Day, as well as other free SAT Writing resources. 3.) Eventually, take a complete 25-minute SAT Writing Section and then check your overall score. Identify which kinds of questions you tend to get wrong and focus on improving your performance in those particular areas (i.e. those particular grammar rules or question types). This is the best way to improve your score. See if you can confidently explain not only why the correct answer is correct in any given problem, but also why incorrect answers are incorrect. 4.) Make sure to take at least two or three full practice tests before taking the actual exam. This way you can develop a tolerance for the somewhat exhausting task of completing the whole test in one sitting. e essay section with little more than a well-developed outline. Can I use a prewritten essay on the SAT Writing section? No, you cannot use a prewritten essay on the SAT; however, arriving with a fresh example bank ready and waiting in your short-term memory is just as good. Also, if you’ve been practicing responding to SAT prompts, then it should be a piece of cake to tackle a new one, because you can tackle each prompt in the same way: by reading the prompt, taking a position, briefly outlining that position with examples, drafting your essay from your outline, and finally, revising and editing your essay. How is the SAT Writing section's essay section graded? The essay composes 30% of the overall total SAT Writing Section score, while the remaining multiple choice sections make up the remaining 70%. Each essay is given a score between 1 and 6 by two independent graders. Each SAT essay is graded on how effectively it asserts a position in a thesis statement in response to the question asked, and how well it supports that thesis statement with details and examples. Other aspects of the essay including spelling, grammar, and sentence variety are also taken into consideration when determining an essay’s grade. Studying for the SAT Writing Section: Multiple-Choice Questions How should I study for the Improving Sentences, Identifying Sentence Errors and Improving Paragraphs portions of the SAT Writing Section? Use the following tips to study effectively for the SAT Writing section’s multiple-choice questions: 1.) Refamiliarize yourself with English grammar, style, and usage conventions, as all of the SAT Writing section’s multiple-choice questions test your understanding of grammar, style, and usage rules in some way. Focusing on the rules and conventions that you don’t completely understand or that underlie problems you often miss is the most efficient way to raise your SAT Writing score. However, thinking about the grammar rules should only be part of the study process. 2.) Start practicing each type of question that appears on the SAT Writing section. Don’t rush through these, though! When you miss a question, figure out where you went wrong, or what point you misunderstood. If you don’t spend enough time analyzing the questions you miss, your studying will not be as effective. Varsity Tutors offers free SAT Writing Practice Tests for you to use in preparing for the SAT's Writing section. Our free SAT Writing Practice Tests are written by teachers, professors, content specialists, and tutors. Explanations are given for each question, so if you miss a question, you can find out where you went wrong. Varsity Tutors also offers free SAT Writing Diagnostic Tests, free SAT Writing Flashcards, and free SAT Writing Questions of the Day, as well as other free SAT Writing resources. 3.) Eventually, take a complete 25-minute SAT Writing Section and then check your overall score. Identify which kinds of questions you tend to get wrong and focus on improving your performance in those particular areas (i.e. those particular grammar rules or question types). This is the best way to improve your score. See if you can confidently explain not only why the correct answer is correct in any given problem, but also why incorrect answers are incorrect. 4.) Make sure to take at least two or three full practice tests before taking the actual exam. This way you can develop a tolerance for the somewhat exhausting task of completing the whole test in one sitting.

Free SAT Writing Practice Tests

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other errors practice test, recognizing sentences that contain no errors practice test, correcting phrase, clause, and sentence errors practice test, correcting conjunction errors practice test, correcting correlative conjunction errors practice test, correcting other conjunction errors practice test, correcting subordinate conjunction errors practice test, correcting modifier placement errors practice test, correcting ambiguous modifier errors practice test, correcting dangling modifier errors practice test, correcting misplaced or interrupting modifier errors practice test, correcting other phrase, clause, and sentence errors practice test, correcting ambiguity and redundancy errors practice test, correcting parallel structure errors practice test, correcting sentence fragment and sentence combination errors practice test, correcting punctuation errors practice test, correcting punctuation errors: commas practice test, correcting punctuation errors: comma splices practice test, 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SAT Essay Prompts (10 Sample Questions)

What does it take to get a high SAT Essay score, if not perfect it? Practice, practice and more practice! Know the tricks and techniques of writing the perfect SAT Essay, so that you can score perfect as well. That’s not a far off idea, because there actually is a particular “formula” for perfecting the SAT Essay test. Consider that every prompt has a format, and what test-takers are required to do remain the same- even if the passage varies from test to test.

The SAT Essay test will ask you to read an argument that is intended to persuade a general audience. You’ll need to discuss how proficient the author is in arguing their point. Analyze the argument of the author and create an integrated and structured essay that explains your analysis.

On this page, we will feature 10 real SAT Essay prompts that have been recently released online by the College Board. You can utilize these Essay SAT prompts as 10 sample SAT Essay questions for easy practice. This set of SAT Essay prompts is the most comprehensive that you will find online today.

The predictability of the SAT Essay test necessitates students to perform an organized analytical method of writing instead of thinking up random ideas on their own. Consider that what you will see before and after the passage remains consistent. It is recommended that you initially read and apply the techniques suggested in writing the perfect SAT Essay (🡨link to SAT Essay —- SAT Essay Overview: How to Get a Perfect Score) before proceeding on using the following essay prompts for practice.

Check our SAT Reading Practice Tests

10 Official SAT Essay Prompts For Practice

Practice Test 1

“Write an essay in which you explain how Jimmy Carter builds an argument to persuade his audience that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should not be developed for industry.”

Practice Test 2

“Write an essay in which you explain how Martin Luther King Jr. builds an argument to persuade his audience that American involvement in the Vietnam War is unjust.”

Practice Test 3

“Write an essay in which you explain how Eliana Dockterman builds an argument to persuade her audience that there are benefits to early exposure to technology.”

Practice Test 4

“Write an essay in which you explain how Paul Bogard builds an argument to persuade his audience that natural darkness should be preserved.”

Practice Test 5

“Write an essay in which you explain how Eric Klinenberg builds an argument to persuade his audience that Americans need to greatly reduce their reliance on air-conditioning.”

Practice Test 6

“Write an essay in which you explain how Christopher Hitchens builds an argument to persuade his audience that the original Parthenon sculptures should be returned to Greece.”

Practice Test 7

“Write an essay in which you explain how Zadie Smith builds an argument to persuade her audience that public libraries are important and should remain open”

Practice Test 8

“Write an essay in which you explain how Bobby Braun builds an argument to persuade his audience that the US government must continue to invest in NASA.”

Practice Test 9

“Write an essay in which you explain how Richard Schiffman builds an argument to persuade his audience that Americans need to work fewer hours.”

Practice Test 10

“Write an essay in which you explain how Todd Davidson builds an argument to persuade his audience that the US government must continue to fund national parks.”

Visit our SAT Writing Practice Tests

What Is An Example Of A SAT Essay That Obtained A Perfect Score?

Here is an example of Practice Test 4 above and how a perfect SAT Essay in response to it looks like. This has been published in the College Board website.

Answer Essay with Perfect Score:

In response to our world’s growing reliance on artificial light, writer Paul Bogard argues that natural darkness should be preserved in his article “Let There be dark”. He effectively builds his argument by using a personal anecdote, allusions to art and history, and rhetorical questions.

Bogard starts his article off by recounting a personal story – a summer spent on a Minnesota lake where there was “woods so dark that [his] hands disappeared before [his] eyes.” In telling this brief anecdote, Bogard challenges the audience to remember a time where they could fully amass themselves in natural darkness void of artificial light. By drawing in his readers with a personal encounter about night darkness, the author means to establish the potential for beauty, glamour, and awe-inspiring mystery that genuine darkness can possess. He builds his argument for the preservation of natural darkness by reminiscing for his readers a first-hand encounter that proves the “irreplaceable value of darkness.” This anecdote provides a baseline of sorts for readers to find credence with the author’s claims.

Bogard’s argument is also furthered by his use of allusion to art – Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” – and modern history – Paris’ reputation as “The City of Light”. By first referencing “Starry Night”, a painting generally considered to be undoubtedly beautiful, Bogard establishes that the natural magnificence of stars in a dark sky is definite. A world absent of excess artificial light could potentially hold the key to a grand, glorious night sky like Van Gogh’s according to the writer. This urges the readers to weigh the disadvantages of our world consumed by unnatural, vapid lighting. Furthermore, Bogard’s alludes to Paris as “the famed ‘city of light’”. He then goes on to state how Paris has taken steps to exercise more sustainable lighting practices. By doing this, Bogard creates a dichotomy between Paris’ traditionally alluded-to name and the reality of what Paris is becoming – no longer “the city of light”, but moreso “the city of light…before 2 AM”. This furthers his line of argumentation because it shows how steps can be and are being taken to preserve natural darkness. It shows that even a city that is literally famous for being constantly lit can practically address light pollution in a manner that preserves the beauty of both the city itself and the universe as a whole

Finally, Bogard makes subtle yet efficient use of rhetorical questioning to persuade his audience that natural darkness preservation is essential. He asks the readers to consider “what the vision of the night sky might inspire in each of us, in our children or grandchildren?” in a way that brutally plays to each of our emotions. By asking this question, Bogard draws out heartfelt ponderance from his readers about the affecting power of an untainted night sky. This rhetorical question tugs at the readers’ heartstrings; while the reader may have seen an unobscured night skyline before, the possibility that their child or grandchild will never get the chance sways them to see as Bogard sees. This strategy is definitively an appeal to pathos, forcing the audience to directly face an emotionally-charged inquiry that will surely spur some kind of response. By doing this, Bogard develops his argument, adding gutthral power to the idea that the issue of maintaining natural darkness is relevant and multifaceted.

Writing as a reaction to his disappointment that artificial light has largely permeated the prescence of natural darkness, Paul Bogard argues that we must preserve true, unaffected darkness. He builds this claim by making use of a personal anecdote, allusions, and rhetorical questioning.

Related Topic:  SAT Requirements

This response scored a 4/4/4.

Reading—4: This response demonstrates thorough comprehension of the source text through skillful use of paraphrases and direct quotations. The writer briefly summarizes the central idea of Bogard’s piece ( natural darkness should be preserved ;  we must preserve true, unaffected darkness ), and presents many details from the text, such as referring to the personal anecdote that opens the passage and citing Bogard’s use of  Paris’ reputation as “The City of Light.” There are few long direct quotations from the source text; instead, the response succinctly and accurately captures the entirety of Bogard’s argument in the writer’s own words, and the writer is able to articulate how details in the source text interrelate with Bogard’s central claim. The response is also free of errors of fact or interpretation. Overall, the response demonstrates advanced reading comprehension.

Analysis—4:  This response offers an insightful analysis of the source text and demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of the analytical task. In analyzing Bogard’s use of personal anecdote, allusions to art and history, and rhetorical questions , the writer is able to explain carefully and thoroughly how Bogard builds his argument over the course of the passage. For example, the writer offers a possible reason for why Bogard chose to open his argument with a personal anecdote, and is also able to describe the overall effect of that choice on his audience ( In telling this brief anecdote, Bogard challenges the audience to remember a time where they could fully amass themselves in natural darkness void of artificial light. By drawing in his readers with a personal encounter…the author means to establish the potential for beauty, glamour, and awe-inspiring mystery that genuine darkness can possess…. This anecdote provides a baseline of sorts for readers to find credence with the author’s claims ). The cogent chain of reasoning indicates an understanding of the overall effect of Bogard’s personal narrative both in terms of its function in the passage and how it affects his audience. This type of insightful analysis is evident throughout the response and indicates advanced analytical skill.

Writing—4: The response is cohesive and demonstrates highly effective use and command of language. The response contains a precise central claim ( He effectively builds his argument by using personal anecdote, allusions to art and history, and rhetorical questions ), and the body paragraphs are tightly focused on those three elements of Bogard’s text. There is a clear, deliberate progression of ideas within paragraphs and throughout the response. The writer’s brief introduction and conclusion are skillfully written and encapsulate the main ideas of Bogard’s piece as well as the overall structure of the writer’s analysis. There is a consistent use of both precise word choice and well-chosen turns of phrase ( the natural magnificence of stars in a dark sky is definite ,  our world consumed by unnatural, vapid lighting ,  the affecting power of an untainted night sky ). Moreover, the response features a wide variety in sentence structure and many examples of sophisticated sentences ( By doing this, Bogard creates a dichotomy between Paris’ traditionally alluded-to name and the reality of what Paris is becoming – no longer “the city of light”, but moreso “the city of light…before 2AM” ). The response demonstrates a strong command of the conventions of written English. Overall, the response exemplifies advanced writing proficiency.

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, the complete prep guide for sat writing: grammar, strategies, and practice.

SAT Writing

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.

The first part of our guide covers high-level ideas about the test, such as general structure and important big-picture concepts. The second part outlines every grammar skill you’ll need to know and the best strategies for approaching SAT Writing questions. The final section rounds up all kinds of strategies and tips that you can use both on the test and as you study. It also includes detailed explanations of how to plan your prep time, and suggestions for where you can find further practice tests and study material, should you need them.

How you use this information will depend on what you’re hoping to get out of it. This guide is designed to work as a complete walkthrough of the SAT Writing section, the same as you would find in a test-prep book—simply read through each guide and practice the skills they explain. If, however, you’re only looking to brush up on specific topics or find some helpful tips for test day, just scroll through this page to find what you need!

High-Level Guidance for SAT Writing

One of the key ideas you must understand about the SAT is that it's completely different from the tests you take in school. SAT Writing might test some of the same grammar rules that you've learned in the past, but it does so in its own unique way. In order to do well on SAT Writing, you need to understand how it's structured. These guides will help you do so.

What Is SAT Writing and Language? 5 Tips to Excel

What’s tested on the sat writing section grammar and questions.

The first step to succeeding on SAT Writing is knowing what’s on it. These two guides outline all the basics, including how the SAT Writing section is formatted, what kinds of reading passages it has, and which grammar rules it tests.

What Is SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing?

On the SAT, Writing makes up half of your Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) score (the other half is the Reading section). This guide goes over how the two sections are scored together, and gives you a few tips on how to excel on both of them.

The New SAT Writing: What's Changing?

The SAT underwent a big redesign back in 2016, which included a makeover to the SAT Writing section. If you're curious about how the current Writing structure differs from the old one, check out this guide.

The Best Way to Read the SAT Writing Passages

Since all SAT Writing questions are based on passages, it's important to be able to read passages both fast and effectively. We explain the best ways to approach passages on SAT Writing so that you'll save time and give yourself a better shot at choosing the right answers.

The 12 SAT Grammar Rules You Must Know

The main point of the SAT Writing section is to test your understanding of English grammar. Read this guide to learn the 12 most important grammar rules likely to appear on test day.

Words in Context: Key SAT Reading and Writing Strategies

This question type (and subscore) on SAT Writing asks you to improve word choice and syntax in sentences selected from passages. Use this guide to learn how often you can expect to see these questions on the test and the best way to approach them.

Command of Evidence: 3 Key SAT Writing Strategies

Another subscore on SAT Writing is Command of Evidence. These questions deal with choosing evidence to support your answers and making sure the answers you select accurately reflect the information in the passage.

Organization Questions on SAT Writing: Tips and Tricks

These Writing questions ask you where to place a certain sentence or paragraph in a passage. But knowing where a certain sentence fits can be difficult. This guide covers how to recognize these questions and offers a step-by-step approach you can use on the test.

Add/Delete Questions on SAT Writing: 6 Steps to Answer

With these questions, you must figure out whether to add or delete a sentence from a passage. This article touches on what these questions look like on the SAT and gives clear guidance on how to solve them.

How Often Is "No Error" Correct on SAT Writing?

The "No Error" option is a source of stress for many students. Make sure you know how frequently you can expect it be the right answer on SAT Writing.

SAT Writing Grammar and Punctuation Skills

Don't fall into the trap of thinking you can just listen for the errors because you speak English, after all. SAT Writing tests specific grammar and punctuation topics in specific ways, and you need to know them to do well on the test. We've written guides for each topic on the test (listed roughly in order of their importance).

The Complete Guide to SAT Grammar Rules

Above, we gave you a link to our guide on the 12 most important grammar rules—but these aren't all the grammar rules you'll see on the test. This guide summarizes every possible grammatical structure you can get on SAT Writing.

SAT Punctuation: Tips for Commas, Colons, and Dashes

In addition to grammar, punctuation plays a major part on SAT Writing. Read this guide to learn all the most important comma, colon, and dashes rules you'll need to know, as well as how to spot them on the test.

Possessives and Apostrophes on SAT Writing: 4 Key Tips

Aside from commas, colons, and dashes, you'll need to know how to use apostrophes correctly if you wish to get a high score on SAT Writing. This guide expands on the punctuation one above by specifically going over how to identify apostrophe problems on the test.

Complete Parts of Speech for SAT Writing

SAT Writing doesn’t explicitly ask you to identify parts of speech, but you’ll need to know the grammatical basics in this article in order to understand the rest of our skill guides. Start here to begin building your foundation in grammar.

SAT Writing: Word Choice and Diction Errors

Diction questions, which deal with picking the right word for a given context, pop up often on SAT Writing. These questions are tricky because the exact words they test vary.

Transition Questions on SAT Writing: Tips and Examples

Remember how your teacher used to tell you to use transitions to connect different ideas? Well, the same basic principle applies to the SAT. These questions require you to choose the correct transitional word (such as "therefore," "however," etc.). Take a look at this guide to learn what kinds of transition-related words and questions will be on the test.

Sentence Fragments and Run-ons in SAT Writing: Tips and Questions

Fragments and run-on sentences appear a lot on the SAT Writing section. Learn the telltale signs of these types of errors with this guide.

Wordiness and Redundancy in SAT Writing Questions

One of the key rules is that given more than one grammatically correct answer, the right answer will likely be the most concise one. Make sure you know what this means in the context of SAT Writing.

Verb Tenses and Forms on SAT Writing

Verb issues in general, and verb forms specifically, are also tested on SAT Writing. It’s especially important to make sure you understand how to use gerunds (“ing” verbs such as “jumping” and “celebrating”).

Subject-Verb Agreement on SAT Writing: Strategies and Practice

The other type of verb error is subject-verb agreement issues, which occur when the subject is plural but the verb is singular, or vice versa (e.g., “he talk” or “they is yelling”). This guide walks you through the different ways this error can appear on the test, many of which you might not expect.

Pronoun Agreement on SAT Writing: Tips and Practice

Pronoun errors come in a few different forms, but, generally, they occur when you use a pronoun that doesn’t match the noun it’s referring to, such as in the sentence "The doctor couldn’t believe their cooking class was canceled" ("their" should be "his" or "her"). Pronoun errors can be among the hardest to spot because we routinely misuse pronouns in everyday English.

Pronoun Case on SAT Writing: Tips and Practice Questions

Pronoun-case questions, which deal with the difference between subject (“I”) and object (“me”) pronouns, appear less often on SAT Writing than pronoun-agreement ones do. Nonetheless, it’s important to know how to answer these questions, especially if you want a high score.

Parallelism for SAT Writing: Tips and Practice

Parallel structure questions require you to recognize that all the words or phrases in a list need to be in the same form. Though they aren’t the most common topic on SAT Writing, they’re still important to know.

Faulty Modifiers on SAT Writing: Grammar Rule Prep

Faulty modifiers, which include both dangling modifiers and the less common misplaced one, occur when a modifying word or phrase is placed in the wrong part of a sentence. They are one of the trickiest topics on SAT Writing because we often make these mistakes when we speak and write.

All the SAT Idioms You Need: Complete List

Idioms can be a couple of different types of phrases (including common sayings such as "one step forward, two step backs"). But on SAT Writing, the term refers to questions about consistent preposition, conjunction, and gerund use (e.g., "I’m excited to go to Disneyland” rather than “I’m excited going at Disneyland").

Illogical Comparisons: The Weirdest Topic on SAT Writing

Faulty comparisons are another weird error you might not be familiar with. They occur when you compare two things that aren’t of the same type, such as “Juan’s favorite band” and “Tim.”

Adjectives vs Adverbs in SAT Writing: Practice + Tips

Occasionally on SAT Writing, you’ll see an adverb (e.g., “sadly”) used where an adjective (e.g., “sad”) is needed, or vice versa. This guide explains how to spot these errors as well as those with superlatives and comparatives.

Relative Pronouns

Questions specifically about relative pronouns (who, which, where, etc.) aren't super common, but these words play important roles in other types of questions. Make sure you understand how to use them correctly.

Ready to go beyond just reading about the SAT? Then you'll love the free five-day trial for our SAT Complete Prep program . Designed and written by PrepScholar SAT experts , our SAT program customizes to your skill level in over 40 subskills so that you can focus your studying on what will get you the biggest score gains.

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Building an SAT Writing Study Plan

Now that you've got a basic understanding of the test, you probably want to start doing some SAT Writing practice. Great! The guides in this section will help you understand how to make your SAT Writing prep as efficient and effective as possible.

SAT Writing Prep: The Best Methods and Strategies

If you’re studying for the SAT independently, it can be hard to figure out how to best organize your SAT Writing prep. This guide lays out everything you must know to study effectively on your own.

Where to Find the Best SAT Writing Practice Tests

Complete official sat practice tests, free links.

All the prep time in the world won’t do you any good if you’re using bad materials. We’ve collected all the best SAT Writing practice tests, for free and for sale, and explained what qualities to look for and what to avoid in practice materials. You can also practice with any official SAT practice test.

The Best Prep Books for SAT Writing

Best sat prep books 2018.

If you’re looking for further reading on grammar rules or how to read passages, these two guides have got you covered. We’ve reviewed the best SAT prep books out there, for both the Writing section in particular and the test as a whole. Use these books to guide your study sessions.

SAT Writing Tips and Tricks

In this section, I've collected all our best test-day tips and general advice to help you ace SAT Writing. Read these to understand how best to approach questions on this section, and get advice on how to attack tricky questions and how to navigate the unique structure of the test.

The Top 9 SAT Writing Strategies You Must Use

This article rounds up key big-picture strategies for studying SAT Writing. For the best results, be sure to incorporate them into your practice.

How to Improve Your SAT Writing Score: 8 Key Strategies

If you’re struggling with a low score, this guide can help. Here, a perfect SAT scorer offers his top eight strategies for raising a low SAT Writing score closer to (or even beyond) the 600 (30) range.

How to Get 800 on SAT Writing: 9 Strategies From a Perfect Scorer

Aiming for a super high Writing score? This guide, written by a 1600 scorer, explains the top nine strategies you need for a perfect score on SAT Writing. You'll also learn helpful tips for keeping yourself motivated and focused.

The 8 Most Common SAT Writing Mistakes Students Make

There are a few mistakes that routinely bring down students’ SAT Writing scores. Make sure you know how to avoid them with this guide.

The Top 7 SAT Writing Tips to Boost Your Score

These suggestions can help raise your SAT Writing score even if you’re taking the test tomorrow, but they’ll be even more helpful if you use them every time you practice.

How to Analyze Data Graphics on SAT Reading and Writing

On SAT Writing, you're guaranteed to see at least one data chart; thus, it's extremely important to be able to read charts and other data graphics. This guide tells you how to do just that on both the Reading and Writing sections.

How to Ace SAT Writing for Math and Science People

If grammar and punctuation aren't your fortes, you'll need to come up with a different approach to SAT Writing. This guide, which specifically targets math and science whizzes, offers tons of helpful tips for attacking the Writing section head-on and getting the score you want.

The 12 Hardest SAT Writing Questions Ever

This article explains the answers to some of the hardest SAT Writing questions. If you’re shooting for a score below 700 on EBRW, you will likely want to skip these types of questions. But if you’re aiming for a high score, make sure you know how to attack even the most challenging questions.

What's Next?

You hopefully have a good idea what your next step should be: practice ! Reading about the SAT can only teach you so much. To really understand SAT Writing, you have try out these strategies and tips on a real test.

Before you go over your practice test, make sure you know how to review missed questions . The fastest way to improve is to learn from your mistakes.

This guide includes everything you need to build an effective SAT Writing program for yourself, but if you're feeling overwhelmed by the idea of doing it all on your own, consider giving our prep program a try. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers , our online SAT program learns all your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics and then customizes your program to your needs to give you the most effective prep possible.

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Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program . We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more.

Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses . If you liked this Writing and grammar lesson, you'll love our program. Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next.

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Alex is an experienced tutor and writer. Over the past five years, she has worked with almost a hundred students and written about pop culture for a wide range of publications. She graduated with honors from University of Chicago, receiving a BA in English and Anthropology, and then went on to earn an MA at NYU in Cultural Reporting and Criticism. In high school, she was a National Merit Scholar, took 12 AP tests and scored 99 percentile scores on the SAT and ACT.

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Digital SAT Reading and Writing

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SAT Writing and Language: Practice tests and explanations

The SAT writing and language test consists of 44 multiple-choice questions that you'll have 35 minutes to complete. The questions are designed to test your knowledge of grammatical and stylistic topics.

The SAT Writing and Language questions ask about a variety of grammatical and stylistic topics. If you like to read and/or write, the SAT may frustrate you a bit because it may seem to boil writing down to a couple of dull rules.

• 30 SAT Grammar Practice Tests

SAT Writing and Language Practice Tests

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• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test: A Sweet Discovery
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• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test: The Novel: Introspection to Escapism
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• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test: Unforeseen Consequences: The Dark Side of the Industrial Revolution
• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test: Remembering Freud
• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test: Success in Montreal
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• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test: The Secret Life of Photons
• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 32: The Romani People
• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 33: Into the Abyss
• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 34: The Doctor Is In
• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 35: Maslow's Hierarchy and Violence
• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 36: Folklore
• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 37: Age of the Drone
• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 38: Policing Our Planet
• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 39: The Bullroarer
• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 40: Astrochemistry
• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 41: Blood Ties
• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 42: Out with the Old and the New
• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 43: Extra, Extra
• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 44: Parthenon
• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 45: Where Have all the Cavemen Gone?
• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 46: Chiroptera
• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 47: The Tyrannical and the Taciturn
• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 48
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• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 50: The Giants of Theater
• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 51: Gravity, It's Everywhere
• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 52: Do the Numbers Lie?
• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 53: Draw Your Home
• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 54: The Online Job Hunt
• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 55: The Glass Menagerie
• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 56: For Richer or For Poorer
• SAT Writing and Language Practice Test 57: Hypocrisy of Hippocratic Humorism

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The SAT is now digital for the first time. One test expert says the new format makes the test easier.

• A new digital SAT is now being offered for the first time. 
• The test is shorter, adaptive, and tests real-world skills.
• One test expert says it's easier than past versions but clarifies it's still not an easy test. 

In March, the first US high school students took the SAT exam — digitally.

This switch to digital comes as many top-tier colleges, such as Dartmouth, Yale, and Brown, are reversing their decision to be exam-optional — a trend that started during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a recent study suggests that test scores actually do predict academic performance and college success — better than high school grades.

Shaan Patel — the founder and CEO of Prep Expert, with more than two decades of experience with the popular college entrance exam — told Business Insider the test will be significantly different than in the past. It may even be easier.

The digital SAT has some content changes

For starters, the digital test will be shorter and adaptive. That means the test will get harder as the student progresses through it, but the level of difficulty will depend on how they performed on earlier questions.

According to Patel, the digital SAT is also more "student-friendly" than previous years.

For example, in the past, there was a section where students couldn't use the calculator, but on the digital SAT, Patel said a calculator could be used on all the questions.

"There's even a digital calculator built into the testing application, in case you don't have a graphing calculator," Patel said.

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In addition, the reading passages are a lot shorter in the new exam. The essay section has also been dissolved, and the grammar questions have now been integrated with the reading section.

"So it really tests your reading and writing together, which I think will be a welcome change for most people," Patel said.

Plus, there are new question types where students read notes and decipher what is most relevant.

"I think that's a super useful skill in the real world where you get a long email, and you have to sift through the important data," Patel said.

He added students no longer have to memorize difficult, obscure vocabulary words that were once required.

The digital SAT is easier

"The new question types are actually testing students in a much more real-world manner than the previous versions of the SAT," Patel said. "Overall, this test will be more relevant to real-world skills . So, I'm optimistic the changes will be good."

He said, in that regard, the SAT will be easier.

"But, I want to be careful about saying it's easy," Patel said. "I don't think it's easy because what's going to happen is with the adaptive testing structure…you are going to see harder questions as you go along, even though you're going to see fewer questions."

Prep for the SAT shouldn't change all that much

Patel recommended that all students download the College Board's Bluebook app , where they can take practice tests and familiarize themselves with the new adaptive feature.

"They must get used to not letting their brain become overused at the end of the test since that is when most students will encounter the hardest questions," Patel said.

But the most important piece of advice remained the same: prep early.

"I usually recommend getting started in 10th grade so that by the time the fall of 11th grade rolls around, you'll be ready to knock the PSAT out of the park," Patel said, "because the PSAT, especially this new digital PSAT , is more similar to the digital SAT than ever."

Watch: The SAT is getting a massive overhaul — and they’re ditching one of the most annoying parts

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Guest Essay

How the SAT Changed My Life

By Emi Nietfeld

Ms. Nietfeld is the author of the memoir “Acceptance.”

This month, the University of Texas, Austin, joined the wave of selective schools reversing Covid-era test-optional admissions policies, once again requiring applicants to submit ACT or SAT scores.

Many colleges have embraced the test-optional rule under the assumption that it bolsters equity and diversity, since higher scores are correlated with privilege. But it turns out that these policies harmed the teenagers they were supposed to help. Many low-income and minority applicants withheld scores that could have gotten them in, wrongly assuming that their scores were too low, according to an analysis by Dartmouth. More top universities are sure to join the reversal. This is a good thing.

I was one of the disadvantaged youths who are often failed by test-optional policies, striving to get into college while in foster care and homeless. We hear a lot about the efforts of these elite schools to attract diverse student bodies and about debates around the best way to assemble a class. What these conversations overlook is the hope these tests offer students who are in difficult situations.

For many of us, standardized tests provided our one shot to prove our potential, despite the obstacles in our lives or the untidy pasts we had. We found solace in the objectivity of a hard number and a process that — unlike many things in our lives — we could control. I will always feel tenderness toward the Scantron sheets that unlocked higher education and a better life.

Growing up, I fantasized about escaping the chaos of my family for the peace of a grassy quad. Both my parents had mental health issues. My adolescence was its own mess. Over two years I took a dozen psychiatric drugs while attending four different high school programs. At 14, I was sent to a locked facility where my education consisted of work sheets and reading aloud in an on-site classroom. In a life skills class, we learned how to get our G.E.D.s. My college dreams began to seem like delusions.

Then one afternoon a staff member handed me a library copy of “Barron’s Guide to the ACT .” I leafed through the onionskin pages and felt a thunderclap of possibility. I couldn’t go to the bathroom without permission, let alone take Advanced Placement Latin or play water polo or do something else that would impress elite colleges. But I could teach myself the years of math I’d missed while switching schools and improve my life in this one specific way.

After nine months in the institution, I entered foster care. I started my sophomore year at yet another high school, only to have my foster parents shuffle my course load at midyear, when they decided Advanced Placement classes were bad for me. In part because of academic instability like this, only 3 percent to 4 percent of former foster youth get a four-year college degree.

Later I bounced between friends’ sofas and the back seat of my rusty Corolla, using my new-to-me SAT prep book as a pillow. I had no idea when I’d next shower, but I could crack open practice problems and dip into a meditative trance. For those moments, everything was still, the terror of my daily life softened by the fantasy that my efforts might land me in a dorm room of my own, with endless hot water and an extra-long twin bed.

Standardized tests allowed me to look forward, even as every other part of college applications focused on the past. The song and dance of personal statements required me to demonstrate all the obstacles I’d overcome while I was still in the middle of them. When shilling my trauma left me gutted and raw, researching answer elimination strategies was a balm. I could focus on equations and readings, like the scholar I wanted to be, rather than the desperate teenager that I was.

Test-optional policies would have confounded me, but in the 2009-10 admissions cycle, I had to submit my scores; my fellow hopefuls and I were all in this together, slogging through multiple-choice questions until our backs ached and our eyes crossed.

The hope these exams instilled in me wasn’t abstract: It manifested in hundreds of glossy brochures. After I took the PSAT in my junior year, universities that had received my score flooded me with letters urging me to apply. For once, I felt wanted. These marketing materials informed me that the top universities offered generous financial aid that would allow me to attend free. I set my sights higher, despite my guidance counselor’s lack of faith.

When I took the actual SAT, I was ashamed of my score. Had submitting it been optional, I most likely wouldn’t have done it, because I suspected my score was lower than the prep-school applicants I was up against (exactly what Dartmouth found in the analysis that led it to reinstate testing requirements). When you grow up the way I did, it’s difficult to believe that you are ever good enough.

When I got into Harvard, it felt like a miracle splitting my life into a before and after. My exam preparation paid off on campus — it was the only reason I knew geometry or grammar — and it motivated me to tackle new, difficult topics. I majored in computer science, having never written a line of code. Though a career as a software engineer seemed far-fetched, I used my SAT study strategies to prepare for technical interviews (in which you’re given one or more problems to solve) that landed me the stable, lucrative Google job that catapulted me out of financial insecurity.

I’m not the only one who feels affection for these tests. At Harvard, I met other students who saw these exams as the one door they could unlock that opened into a new future. I was lucky that the tests offered me hope all along, that I could cling to the promise that one day I could bubble in a test form and find myself transported into a better life — the one I lead today.

Emi Nietfeld is the author of the memoir “ Acceptance .” Previously, she was a software engineer at Google and Facebook.

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