<p>I'm not baiting or anything, but it seems like everyone here has a 11 or 12 essay. I have a 9, so I was wondering whether I should retake or not. I have a 36, 35, 36, 35.</p>
<p>Well, I would say it definatly can't hurt. But I really don't see why you're worrying about your essay score with those grades. College admissions are not putting much weight into the essay, as it's just been through its second year. And with the near-perfect score of yours, it's clear that you can write.</p>
<p>Now if it's not too much to ask, can you tell us everything you did to study to get your score?</p>
<p>What was your combined English/Writing subscore? If it is drastically lower (like in the 20's), then retake, but I imagine it's around a 33 or 34. If you have a 36 composite, do not bother to retake. You most likely will go down in your other sections, and colleges do not mix and match ACT scores like they do with the SAT. A 34 with a 10 or 11 essay does not look better than a 36 with a 9 essay. The difference is negligible. Colleges will think you're obsessing over test scores.</p>
<p>I might add that the highest I've ever gotten is a 9 (on SAT, ACT, AP =), anything)</p>
<p>Um, I studied using the Princeton Review book. I began my studying a couple weeks before the test. Most people say don't read the sections, but I read as much as I could (I ran out of time). About a week or two from the test, start only doing practice tests, and read all the answers (even if you know you got it right, because it helps on other questions). I only got to take two practice tests, cuz that's all my books has. If you can find more or trade books with someone that's cool. Also, I never time myself during practice cuz it gets me nervous. Strange habit I have.</p>
<p>Ignore the essay score in my opinion. It's really a joke, and I think (or hope) that most colleges realize that. Your composite scores show what kind of achiever you are, despite being scored lower by a couple graders who only have a sheer minute to judge how good your essay is.</p>
<p>They need to forget about the essay crap. You don't even have to provide decent arguments, evidence, or structure to get a 12 as long as it's 3 pages.</p>