<p>The College Board says that, of the 3 sections, it's the most predictive of college success. I have the impression (maybe Dean J said so on CC?) that UVA has historically given it much less weight than the other two. Is that still the case in 2011?</p>
<p>As a parent who has spent lots of time with two kids prepping for the SAT, I would say that if a kid can't get 650 on that section, they've got real issues, and will have trouble writing a readable college paper. On the other hand, I think Reading is a vocab and speed of reading test, and Math is a math aptitude test. </p>
<p>Just my opinion, but good writing involves a lot of editing; something that is somewhat more difficult on the writing SAT due to time constraints.</p>
<p>Nope, you didn’t get that impression from me. </p>
<p>The writing section moved from the SAT IIs to the SAT I in 2005. We required it before it joined the SAT I (there was a time when the SAT IIs were required for UVa, not just recommended). </p>
<p>No school should be confused by or not sure what to do with that section. I took it myself when I was in high school, though the SAT IIs were called “Achievement Tests” back then.</p>
<p>A good college will teach you to be a great writer. A bad college will just teach you to answer multiple choice tests. Most high school students are not very good writers. Unfortunately, too many college grads are also not very good at writing.</p>
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