ACT

[Dawinner127]

Yeah, most schools around here look at SATs. I don't know whether I'll take the ACT yet or not.

Same here. If I do pretty well on the SAT, I doubt I'm going to take it a second time, or even attempt the ACT.

[FantasyMan13]

Yeah, most schools around here look at SATs. I don't know whether I'll take the ACT yet or not.

Same here. If I do pretty well on the SAT, I doubt I'm going to take it a second time, or even attempt the ACT.

Yeah, hopefully I won't have to take it more than once. They just had to add the writing section.

Did you guys take the PSAT?

[Twisted Sister]

Personally, I liked the ACT much more than the SAT. The ACT you don't really study for... at least that was my experience.

I scored in the top 97%. The SAT... did ok... was night after a party and never studied for it. I think I was somewhere in the top 90%.

One of my gf in high school scored PERFECT on the SAT. Brains, pretty, altheletic... probably making a ton of $$ now... dang, I'd better go look her up... where's that classmate.com ad???

[josebach]

Is the writing section of the SAT hand written?

How does the grading of the hand written portion work? Do multiple people grade it and the average is taken? It just seems that if there's only one grader and he/she is having a bad day, they could really screw up your score.

[nebgib5]

Is the writing section of the SAT hand written?

How does the grading of the hand written portion work? Do multiple people grade it and the average is taken? It just seems that if there's only one grader and he/she is having a bad day, they could really screw up your score.

Yep, it is hand-written. The essay part only makes up something like 30-40% of your writing score (I believe), and the writing part is 1/3 of the total test, so the essay itself is only about 10-15% of your overall score. It is graded by two people, and each give it a score from 1-6. If their scores differ by more than 1 point, a 3rd person is called in, and I believe test-takers also have the right to challenge their essay score if they believe it is unfair. That being said, it is the first thing, so a good or bad job can set the tone for the rest of the test, and it's easy to freak out since you don't know what to expect in regards to the question, and you've only got 25 minutes to write the thing.

For me, the essay was one of my stronger areas (got an 11), as I'm a pretty capable writer and can generally think on my feet well enough. I think the key is to have a handful of good historical examples that are applicable to a lot of the broad questions that they ask. The three that I used on mine (I think I've used all three before on practice tests, as they are relevant to many of the general questions that the test asks about society) were the advancement of modern medicine/technology, civil rights advances in the U.S. in the 20th century, and Galileo's belief that the universe was heliocentric, despite the avid disagreement of most of his peers. I think it's a good idea to think of a few broad examples from history and literature that are applicable to many different questions. Although if what I have heard is correct, the test administrators are not in the business of checking facts, so you can get away with writing things that are factually ridiculous, and do well, as long as the writing is smooth and persuasive and the rhetoric is clear. And if you're stuck, you can always throw in a personal experience, or make one up.

[Dawinner127]

Is the writing section of the SAT hand written?

How does the grading of the hand written portion work? Do multiple people grade it and the average is taken? It just seems that if there's only one grader and he/she is having a bad day, they could really screw up your score.

As for the writing section, most colleges won't count it. They will just add up your score from math + reading and that is your score.

[FantasyMan13]

Is the writing section of the SAT hand written?

How does the grading of the hand written portion work? Do multiple people grade it and the average is taken? It just seems that if there's only one grader and he/she is having a bad day, they could really screw up your score.

As for the writing section, most colleges won't count it. They will just add up your score from math + reading and that is your score.

Seriously? I never knew that...

[Dawinner127]

Is the writing section of the SAT hand written?

How does the grading of the hand written portion work? Do multiple people grade it and the average is taken? It just seems that if there's only one grader and he/she is having a bad day, they could really screw up your score.

As for the writing section, most colleges won't count it. They will just add up your score from math + reading and that is your score.

Seriously? I never knew that...

Yup Some colleges will use it, but others won't. The colleges that won't use it, use it for one thing, when you write your paper to apply to that college. They will compare the writing from your SAT and the writing from your application to see if its the same tense or same "style" of writing.

[nebgib5]

I don't think that most colleges discount it entirely (although perhaps some do). I think that many put less weight into it, and for good reason. It hasn't been around as long as the test, so they've yet to figure out statistically if it really measures anything meaningful in regards to how someone will fare in college. I don't think it's standard practice to use the essay as a supplement to the college essays written by applicants, although there was a very interesting article in the Boston Globe a couple days ago about colleges using the SAT essay to try to ascertain whether or not an applicant is really capable of writing the incredibly polished essay that they received from him or her. This is unfortunate, as the SAT essay is really a pretty poor measure of how good a writer someone is; it merely tests their ability to work well under pressure and churn out a relatively polished essay in a remarkably simplistic format (5 paragraphs, 1 main point in each of the 3 body paragraphs, outline your points in the intro and summarize them in the conclusion). This isn't good writing, but it will help you do well on the SAT.

[steelerfan513]

Many schools disregard it completely, but I'd guess that just as many consider it in admissions.

Although I do agree that it's a pretty poor indicator of one's writing ability. It measures your overall ability to construct sentences and a decent argument, but that's about it. Once you've practiced writing that type of essay enough times, you're guaranteed to get an 11 or 12 (out of 12).