How to Nail the ISEE’s essay
We get a lot of questions about the essay section of the ISEE. In truth, the essay is a bit of an enigma. First off, it is not graded, but instead is sent to the schools to which your student is applying. For that reason, the criteria for a good essay can vary widely. Some schools see the ISEE’s essay is a crucial part of the overall application, while others don’t put very much emphasis on it at all.
Even with this caveat in mind, prepping for the essay can be just as important as practicing the ISEE’s multiple-choice sections. But what makes a good essay?
Length
This is probably the most common question we get regarding the essay: how long does it need to be? And here’s our best non-answer: really, there’s no length requirement. The most important thing is to use all of the allotted time. There’s no set word count that schools look for. There’s not a minimum number of sentences. What’s critical, though, is the format and structure of your essay.
Structure & Layout
Structure should be your guiding principle on the ISEE’s essay. No matter the prompt, your essay needs to include an introduction, a supporting middle, and a conclusion.
In the introduction, tell the reader about your main idea–what is a one-sentence answer to the question posed in the prompt? Once you’ve answered that in your first paragraph, lay out a couple of paragraphs that support your main idea. If someone asked you why you answered the prompt with the main idea you chose, what would you answer? Use supporting evidence like a story from your life or something you’ve learned. In your final paragraph, briefly sum everything up. Restate your main idea in a different way and remind the reader why you came up with that main idea in the first place.
And if you’ve finished your section with a whole lot of time to spare, you haven’t finished! So that leads us to…
Time Management
The most critical aspect of good time management on the essay is to use every single minute you’re given. If you’ve finished way early, then your essay is not as strong as it could be.
The best way to nail the timing on your essay is by practicing. If you’re consistently finishing with several minutes to spare, try putting one or two more supporting sentences into each of your body paragraphs. Remember, the essay isn’t a race! The schools who read your sample are not going to know that you’re a very fast writer–but they will be able to tell how much effort you put into your sample.
And finally, spend a few minutes ensuring that you’ve nailed the…
Writing Fundamentals
Admissions departments will also care about how sound the fundamentals of your essay are. We’re talking about grammar, usage, spelling, and punctuation. These are not areas that the multiple-choice sections test you on, so the essay is where you can show your stuff. To do this, try to budget at least three minutes at the end of your time to read over and edit your essay. Be sure that all of your sentences make sense, that all of your words are spelled correctly, and that all of your punctuation marks (commas, apostrophes, etc.) are all in the right place. Once you’ve proofread and are confident that your essay is the best it can be, then you’re done!
Test Innovators now offers Personalized Essay Feedback on the essay portions of our practice tests! To learn more, click here for Lower, Middle, and Upper levels.
