<p>Scored a 36 composite (36 English, Math, Science, 35 Reading) but freaking out over a 6 ON MY ESSAY. Should I retake? I'm aiming for Ivies, thanks!</p>
<p>Personally I wouldn’t. Your score would likely go down, and a few schools require ALL scores so retaking a 36 would be extremely fishy looking. I don’t think the Ivies consider the essay very much, I do occasionally hear that it’s important for the UCs though. Your application essays are where it really matters! I was in a somewhat similar situation with a 35 and 7 essay, but after some asking around I will not be retaking it. The grading is so subjective anyways, and they realize we only have 30 minutes (and often weird prompts).</p>
<p>Thanks hville, that makes me feel much better. </p>
<p>I thought I did alright, but the entire score report comment was: “YOUR ESSAY USED SOME SPECIFIC DETAILS, REASONS, AND EXAMPLES, BUT IT NEEDED MORE OF THEM”.</p>
<p>Still, a 6 is a national percentile of 37%, which is very disheartening considering my main problem was with length; I thought I had written nearly 2 pages worth of good argument.</p>
<p>But anyways, thank you!</p>