<p>how is it graded...like is it part of 800 writing section?</p>
<p>Yes it's part of the writing section. I'm not sure what percentage it counts, though I gather it's given about 1/3 weight in the total 800 score. My son got an 800 on the PSAT writing section and a 690 on the SAT writing section. He had three wrong on the multiple choice, which I think was the equivalent of the number wrong he'd had on the PSAT. The essay did him in - it's scored 1 to 6 by two different graders. Maximum score is 12 and my kid got a 7/12 on the essay.</p>