What are some examples of College Board essay topics for SAT or AP exams?

The College Board has definitely been known for giving a wide variety of essay topics, but most follow certain patterns you can prepare for.

For the SAT essay (which has been discontinued as of 2021, but the advice still helps for similar AP essays), prompts usually present a passage and ask you to analyze how the author builds an argument. You don’t argue your own opinion—instead, you identify techniques the writer uses (like appeals to logic, emotional stories, word choice, or structure).

Example SAT essay topics from past years include: “Write an essay in which you explain how [the author] builds an argument to persuade [the] audience that the United States government must continue to fund space exploration,” or “Explain how [the author] uses evidence and reasoning to support his claim that creativity is essential in every discipline.” These are pretty broad, but they always center on analyzing techniques, not agreeing or disagreeing.

AP English Language and Composition exams mix it up. There’s the synthesis essay (you use outside sources), the rhetorical analysis (similar to the SAT essay), and the argument essay. Past synthesis topics have included issues like the impact of technology on society, the ethics of public monuments, or whether college is worth the cost. Argument essays might ask: “Should schools require students to wear uniforms?” or “Is the value of public service worth the sacrifice?”

AP English Literature essays are more about analyzing literary works or themes. One year you might analyze how a character’s relationship with a minor character contributes to the whole work; another year might ask you to explore how setting influences tone.

For choosing examples, try to use what you know well so you can be detailed. For AP Lang argument essays, personal experiences, history events, literature, or current events all work. For example, if the prompt is about the ethics of technology in the classroom, you could reference your experience learning remotely, a book like '1984', or even a real-life event like the rise of AI in education.

Keeping a mental list of a few books, historical figures, and news stories you feel comfortable referencing is smart. That way, when a topic surprises you, you can quickly connect it to something familiar. Practicing with prompts from past exams (available on the College Board site) really helps you get comfortable with the variety and prepares you to improvise examples in a pinch.