If I got a good score on the new SAT (1520), but bombed the essay (6-5-5 on a 2-8 scale), should I retake the SAT in the fall if I want to be competitive for top colleges? I have been on the honors/AP track since sophomore year, and just took the AP English Language and Composition exam, and for the past 6 years, my English teacher has had a 4.8 average score on the test, so I’m fairly confident I can get a 5. I know I could probably get a higher score on the non-essay section of the SAT if I take it again, since my PSAT score was considerably higher relative to my SAT score, but I’m not so confident about the essay.
If you’re happy with the score otherwise, I’d do something better with your time.
If it matters (makes you feel better?), my daughter got a 1470, with a 6-5-4 on the essay.
She wants to do STEM, and AFAICT none of the schools she’s interested in require the essay. So she’s going to take the SAT again, but without the essay.
Same situation at our house, satisfied with the overall score but not with the essay score. My D is going to prep and try the ACT essay. So, if you are confident you can improve and feel it won’t take you away from other activities, it won’t hurt to retake it or try the ACT.
My D won’t retake due to lowish essay. I don’t think it’s worth the time for her at this point. She got a good SAT score and is ready to be done with testing for this year.
Scores on tests are snapshots of what you know and can produce at a particular place and time. Generally, the quality of our production is similar from time to time and, in terms of photographs, your face is recognizable even with clown makeup or a hat. You can spend lots of time, and money, trying to get a better picture from a different photographer or you could improve your writing.
You can expect lots of writing in college from class notes to research papers. It is a skill that you need to learn because your writing is a tangible reflection of you. For examples, some students find class notes are incomplete, don’t make sense, far too long or short…I have had students who question a response on a test item saying “that’s not what I have in my notes” . That’s not the teacher’s problem. Take notes that help you study and learn.
Read reviews of the essay you bombed to find out what was lacking in your essay. Particular problems such as choppy sentences, pronouns that don’t clearly refer to something specific in the text, wandering off the main topic, run-on and/or incomplete sentences, poor grammar and spelling, etc. Read what you write aloud in you head and listen to how it sounds. How well does your essay communicate and what would make it better?
Are pronouns clearly referencing a particular person, place or thing?. For example, if you writing involves two men, make sure your pronoun refers to one person without the reader guessing which one or rereading your essay.
You may have good information, but the organization or ordering of individual sentences may not be ideal. Sketch out your main point(s) and secondary points and how those secondary points support or refute your argument in your main point. Organize and connect points in a meaningful order and connect sentences with although, yet, moreover, in addition, therefore, and other words that transition from one idea to the next. This is a good method to improve flow and reduce choppiness.
I am sure there are good books about writing that you could review. You might consider looking a study questions at the end of textbooks and practice writing the answers. Compare your writing to the passage to the paragraphs in the book to see what makes the textbook more informative.
Writing, like the other language skills, requires practice. Do edit your essay to make it more interesting or restructure sentences to avoid spelling difficult words. I find a quick way to improve essays is deleting sentences that do not add to or even complicate what I want to say.
Shakespeare had talent. The rest of us just need to learn how to draft and then edit our essays. Finally, writing essays on tests does not involve creativity for the most part. Clearly and correctly communicate the answer to the essay prompt or question and then move on to something else.
Good luck. You have learned many things in school, Writing is the highest language skill which makes writing essays difficult. But it is also only a skill you need to and can acquire.
Anyone else think a 6-5-5 isn’t “bombing” the essay? I got 6-6-6 and I was pretty happy with my score especially considering new essays are pretty inconsistent when you look at the ACT. People I know got straight 2s and j don’t think they are bad writers. Plus most colleges don’t even want the new essay so look at the colleges you are thinking of and see if they want it at all.