<p>Now, let me preface this by saying that I may be biased because I got a 780 (12 essay) in Writing and a 640 in Critical Reading, but, whatever. To me, I feel like the writing is probably the most important section. A lot of competitive schools (e.g. ivies) use the essay as a tool for admission. And, being that you can either cheat or guess your way to victory on the other sections of the test (although unlikely) I feel like Writing is not only the only true section but also the only valid one. The essay is one of the most crucial parts of an application to any college and can make or break a candidate with otherwise stellar credentials. I'm just looking for opinions and a discussion on this one. What do you think?</p>
<p>I personally think that CR/M are more important than Writing in general, considering the fact that some schools mainly look at those two scores when considering a candidate. However, that’s not to say that Writing isn’t an important section: I just think that since the school already has an example of your writing (from your essay(s) that you write for college) the writing section is not necessarily the most important part of the SAT.</p>
<p>effectively and insightfully develops a point of view on the issue and demonstrates </p>
<p>outstanding critical thinking, using clearly appropriate examples, reasons, and other </p>
<p>evidence to support its position</p>
<p>is well organized and clearly focused, demonstrating clear coherence and smooth progression of ideas</p>
<p>exhibits skillful use of language, using a varied, accurate, and apt vocabulary</p>
<p>demonstrates meaningful variety in sentence structure</p>
<p>is free of most errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics</p>
<p>That’s the criteria for score a 6 on the essay part of the SAT. Personally, I think it is the best way to represent some kind of intelligence or… well, ability to think critically, as it says.</p>
<p>And that would be wonderful. IF you got more than 25 minutes to write the essay, and IF the reader took more than 3 minutes to grade it.</p>
<p>The fact is, if you got a 12 on the essay, it’s not because you are a wonderful writer with deep insight and thinking skills. It’s because you memorized the formulaic essay layout expected, and filled it really quickly with a writing style that looks good when skimming. Granted, that isn’t trivial to do, but neither does it demonstrate any sort of “critical thinking ability”. And colleges know this.</p>