<p>I read on a non-Dartmouth website that the school considers the math and critical reading scores of the SAT I but not the writing score. Is this true? I pulled up the Dartmouth site and could not find any information substantiating this claim. I scored a 800 M, 780 CR, but only a 680 W (I only missed one multiple choice question, but my essay received a 7; I decided to be really creative on my essay, which the readers obviously didn't appreciate), so I am looking for a school that pays less attention to the writing score. Do any other Ivies give most attention to the math and CR scores?</p>
<p>I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure they look at the whole test score. Of course, tests are only the beginning. I could be wrong but colleges seem to use tests to see if students should be considered or not. Meaning, tests aren’t everything. You just want to have a solid score so you will be first considered by the school, but the meat of your acceptance, I’m speculating, is mainly from what kind of student a school is looking for.</p>
<p>That’s definitely a solid score, even with your lower writing section. I’ve heard that most colleges weigh the writing section a little less heavily than the other two sections, but I’m almost positive all 3 are considered. However, I know Georgetown doesn’t consider the writing score at all, if you’re interesting in looking into a more urban environment. Overall, I wouldn’t worry though; like MedSLV said, the entirety of your application is far more important than an iffy writing score (especially one whose only fault was an overly creative essay… what a joke, Collegeboard).</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone. I could definitely do better. I received a 5 on the AP test and have won several writing contests. Someone I trust told me that colleges look disfavorably on students with otherwise solid scores who retake to raise one score. He said adcoms see this people as “test wonks.” A 2260, he said, is high enough to get you by the initial cut. From there, EC’s, recommendations, and essays determine acceptance. I don’t know. To me, a 2350 sounds a lot better than a 2260.</p>
<p>I got a 2250 the first time I took it (720 writing with a 7 essay) and then retook and got an 800 writing with a 12 essay… I pretty much made the same mistake you made: I tried to be too creative. I’d say definitely retake… just throw together a 4- or 5-paragraph, absurdly formulaic essay that fills both pages and uses big words, and the scorers will love you. Good luck!</p>
<p>I totally agree with buffalo. Be as uncreative as you can – just write lots and make sure that your arguments make sense and you have at least two examples. SAT Writing does NOT encourage people to write with actual creativity – they just want to see if you can follow their guidelines. They don’t really measure your writing ability --proven by the fact that I wrote about Jean Valjean and Britney Spears as the main points in my SAT essay and still got a 12. yes. it did happen. and I still laugh about it. :D</p>
<p>I wonder why creativity is frowned upon by those who grade the writing section? I took the test during AP English and we had an amazing teacher. She demanded creativity, so I was used to being creative in my writing. In retrospect, I wish I would have been more robotic. Go figure.</p>
<p>My beef with the writing section is that the grade is subjective. That isn’t true with math and only modestly so for critical reading. My hunch is that my essay could have been considered a 10 to 12 by other readers more aligned with my way of writing. Of course, I scored 680, so I am biased. Had I scored a 780, I’d probably be fine with the section.</p>
<p>Points on the SAT score when you are already that high up in the range won’t help you that much, if at all. Neither will a perceived inconsistency in your scores (5 on AP Test and Literature competitions) make that much of a difference, if at all.</p>
<p>The adcoms at Dartmouth are much much more concerned with your personal qualities, hint hint ESSAY, than a few points on the SAT score. Once you’re above the 2200 level or so, it’s not going to do much.</p>
<p>I got a 670 on the writing section with a total score of 2240, and I got a 5 on the AP Language Test and also won a writing contest, and I’m going to Hanover in the fall. So no worries, the score won’t be the difference if you get in or not (especially since it’s already pretty high!).</p>