How much could the more average score on the new essay portion of the SAT hurt chances at Cal or other top competitive universities? Need feedback ASAP as deadline for next SAT is tomorrow. He’s pulling an A in AP English Language and likely that result will be decent.
Similar situation so curious. I think D will just settle as only a few schools require the essay and feels good about the AP English test on Wednesday. From the image of her essay, she put very little effort into the essay because she does not like timed writing.
Would not retake. Go to the schools you are interested in and see if they even require the essay.
@suzyQ7 UC appears to require the essay. Their site says they consider 1600 a perfect score but they don’t go on to say how closely they look at the separately and differently scored essay piece.
http://universityofcalifornia.edu/news/five-things-you-should-know-about-new-sat
Do any schools requiring the essay really make use of the score? I can only see the value of wanting it as an identity-verified writing sample. But I’m not an AdComm, so who knows?
How many of us could write with a pencil, a coherent essay in an hour? Typing all the time has so badly corrupted my handwriting…
@patertrium
I wouldn’t have my kid retake. Congrats to your S for a great performance!
My understanding is that everyone knows that the essay scores are very inaccurate. Look at the threads on here about the ACT essay scores this year! I wouldn’t bother retaking. Your time would be better spent working on other aspects of your application.
DS is in very similar situation - 1570 but 6-5-6 on the essay. My son did a little better on the ACT writing with a similar percentile rank on the multiple choice parts. I do not think my son should retake, but it is his decision to make.
For my son, I think the time is better spend on applications, the special essays and trying to get his GPA to tick up a bit. Good luck to your son and I hope he gets into to Cal.
Same exact situation here. S2 will not retake.
I think the UCs are relying more heavily on grades than test scores these days as a means of helping kids in not-so-good schools have a better chance. My bet is that your son’s A in AP English will be considered the strongest evidence of ability, and will be what they focus on. S2 didn’t take AP English, so I am hoping they will chalk his essay result up to being a STEM kid.
On a side note, 3 or higher on the AP English exam currently satisfies the Entry Level Writing Requirement for UCs.
Would not retake at this time.
One of my friends graded the SAT essays and said a 6 is very good as CB would not allow an 8 grade on any essay without validation. Very very few got 8’s. So we are done with the SAT. Hopefully D did just as well on SAT II’s and she can be done with testing.
Getting a 8 is not about writing well but knowing the rubic and writing to that. My D got and 8 on the writing and she ended her conclusion paragraph mid sentence, once she covered all the points of the rubric she just stopped writing.
Universities know the essay portion is not the best way to evaluate writing skills.
@itsgettingreal17 DS got
Essay - Reading description 7
Essay - Analysis 8
Essay - Writing 8
Thanks for this thread. Dd’s scores are similar and she would not even let me look at her essay. Most of the schools is applying to don’t even require it, so she is regretting even taking it. She doesn’t want them to see it. It will make her fell better to hear others in a similar situation.
Thanks everyone for the feedback. We’ll leave well enough alone.