Not quite understanding the SAT scores

<p>I am the mom of a son who just got his SAT scores. Since this is our first time dealing with the SAT since I took them 20+ years ago, I'm trying to figure out how these numbers work. The 3 scores seem straightforward enough. He got 700 Crit. Reading, 640 Writing, and 550 Math (he's terrible in Math -- this is higher than we'd even hoped for). But then there was a separate note of a "6" for the Essay. Obviously a 6 isn't a good score if the highest is a 12. But what I'm trying to understand is whether that score is actually sent to colleges? Or is it incorporated already into the Writing score? Can someone clear this up for me? Thanks.</p>

<p>it gets sent as well
depending on the college, they might request to look at it and use it for placement/admission/college essay validity
i think harvard, yale, and princeton do this
but some colleges dont put weight on it</p>

<p>The essay score is weighted along with the Writting section. If you go online to Collegeboard.com their SAT section explains their scoring. Also, SAT Sparknotes Test Center does a great job of explaining it too. And if you purchased the Official SAT study guide, there is an explanation in that as well.</p>

<p>not all colleges put weight on the writing section right now</p>

<p>Thanks for the info. He certainly isn’t looking at schools like Harvard or Yale! More like Hampshire and Emerson. Thanks…</p>