None of the schools I am applying to require the ACT/SAT Essay, although a couple recommend it. I received a 7/5/7 on the SAT essay and a 10 on the ACT writing. I would like to apply to some elite/Ivey league schools. I am planning on retaking both tests to improve my composite score, so is it worth it to retake it with the essay? If I submit every sitting of the test, will colleges consider the essay score if my second attempt without the essay is the higher composite score?
I’d say you should retake the SAT or ACT with the essay – so long as you don’t score terribly, it’s not going to negatively impact your application. In addition, schools like the University of California campuses don’t do superscoring or score choice, so it’s in your best interest to have an essay score.
The essay honestly is not very important, I don’t believe it holds nearly as much weight as your quantitative score in R&W + Math, and it won’t be a big deal unless it’s ridiculously low (and 7/5/7 is far from that). My guess is that it’s used just to check if your writing ability is up to par.
Source: I got 1550 on SAT and 5/5/6 on the SAT essay, and I was admitted to WashU. Don’t stress about it and focus on your composite score.