<p>I took the ACT and received a composite score of 36 with a 36 on every section. Oddly enough, I got an 8 on the essay although I've been consistently getting As in all my English classes and I've been told I'm a pretty good writer.</p>
<p>I'm obviously not going to retake the ACT. My question though, is how significant is the essay for either the ACT or SAT relative to the MC sections? Does it hold enough weight that it could swing the decision of an application for a school like Harvard or Princeton?</p>
<p>As a side note, for some reason I get really low scores on the standardized essay portions (I got a 9 when I took the SAT despite a 2290 score). How accurate are standardized essay portions in terms of writing ability? </p>
<p>They’re not. I mean, bad writers are likely to get bad scores on the ACT essay, but good writers won’t necessarily get good scores. It’s a canned essay you write under time pressure after your mind has been numbed by hours of multiple-choice questions. Good writing usually requires editing and revising. </p>
<p>There are three main ways to demonstrate your writing ability:</p>
<ul>
<li>Good grades in difficult English classes (check)</li>
<li>Standardized test scores (kind of a wash, and this is the least important of the three anyway)</li>
<li>Strong essays on your actual application (you’re the master of your own fate here)</li>
</ul>
<p>A 36 English subscore but only an 8 on the essay basically reveals that you didn’t handle that particular format on that particular day too well. If you write well and do well in class then even a HYP adcom isn’t going to knock you for your essay subscores. If you write sloppy essays then they may worry that you’re good at multiple-choice questions and your school has bad grade inflation but you aren’t the strongest writer.</p>
<p>I have kind of the same situation. I didn’t receive quite as high of a score on the multiple choice section of the ACT (a 34 or 35, I can’t remember at the moment) and a I got a 750 on the Writing section of the SAT, but I got 8s on both essays. I was also very confused about this because I’ve always been told that I am a very strong writer and got a 5 on the AP Language test. The comments on my ACT essay actually didn’t say that anything was really “wrong” with my essay, only that it seemed too structured. I was very confused about why that merited an 8 if being too structured was the only flaw. I did not retake the ACT as I received a composite score of 35, but I was also slightly concerned that the “bad” writing score would affect my admissions decisions. However, my English teacher told me that my entrance essays were some of the best he’s seen, so I am hopeful that they play a greater role than my writing scores. I think that the main problem I have is that my writing tends to have a very academic tone, which I suppose could be off-putting to some. I hope it all works out for you!</p>
<p>I think of myself as a good writer (consistently won awards regionally and once nationally in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and have always done well in English), and yet I got a score of 9 on the essay both times I took the SAT. I basically gave up; I have no idea what they’re looking for.</p>
<p>Colleges have started to care less and less about the scores, but your overall ACT should distract them from your low essays (it’s not even too bad). Furthermore, your grades are most important and essays sum it all up!</p>
<p>I’m in the same boat as bodangles. Solid writer in terms of both grades and awards. 9 on the essay. Then again, I wrote my essay on SpongeBob SquarePants and walked out with a 790 on writing (79 MC subscore). I wrote my essay knowing that application essays would matter far more, so I figured I might as well have some fun.</p>
<p>Eassy score of 8 or above shows the proficiency of a high school student. So you should not worry about it. If you get it below 8, then the schools may think you do not quite reach the expectation. The essay in SAT would affect your writing and therefore composite score. In ACT, the essay score is separated. So there is more a need to improve the score in SAT than in ACT.</p>
<p>The essay matters for the combined writing/ English score on the ACT and the overall writing score on the SAT. I consider myself an okay writer, but I consistently got 10’s on the ACT essays and one 11 on the SAT essay. The 11 boosted my writing score from a 700 MC subscore to a 750. The ACT essays lowered my combined English/ writing score from a 34 to a 33. Your overall score is obviously the most important. As long as you received a good overall English/ writing score, good grades in English class, and 4’s or 5’s on the AP English test, then your essay scores won’t sway your admissions decisions at all. </p>
<p>TL ; DR The essay matters because it influences your overall writing score on both the ACT and the SAT.</p>
<p>@agreatperhaps13, the essay does not change your writing score on the ACT, nor your composite. It is just reported separately. The report shows the combined English/Writing score - along with the essay grade - in addition to the other scores (English, Math, Reading,Science) but it doesn’t change the Writing score itself.</p>