Essay Preparation: the way to go

[theimpatientone]

<p>After I took the January SAT I’ve been moping around in self-pity about my apparently poor writing skills (scored an 8). I wanted to avoid the “memorize examples” approach (notably, AcademicHacker’s post <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/645763-how-write-12-essay-just-10-days.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/645763-how-write-12-essay-just-10-days.html&lt;/a&gt;) but after failing the essay for the second time, I decided to just suck it up and do it.</p>

<p>But I’m looking at the March SAT prompt and it looks like this may not be the most fruitful way to do it. Should I just practice answering prompts and not worry about pre-made examples?</p>

[RedSeven]

<p>No. Quit preparing for the writing. It’s entirely pointless.</p>

<ol>
<li>Your writing score is not a valid indicator of your writing abilities.</li>
<li>Your writing score says nothing about how prepared you are for college writing, as SAT writing is more akin to 5th grade writing than academic writing.</li>
<li>The writing score is the least important part of your SAT score at most colleges. In fact, the majority of colleges don’t even consider it in admissions, as they’re still collecting data to determine whether it’s a useful measure of writing abilities.</li>
<li>The quality of writing in your application essays is immensely more useful to colleges in determining your writing abilities.</li>
<li>An 8 isn’t bad at all, especially in light of the above 4 points.</li>
<li>It’s quite likely that you won’t ever improve beyond an 8. I’ve taken the SAT once and scored an 8 on the essay. I’ve taken the ACT three times (once as a free practice test) and scored an 8 on the essay <em>each and every time.</em><br></li>
</ol>

<p>Bottom line: Don’t waste your time trying to improve your writing score. It’s probably not going to happen, and it will provide you with little to no advantage in the admissions process.</p>

<p>It’s also worth pointing out that many excellent writers score an 8, whereas some relatively poor writers score higher.</p>

[theimpatientone]

<p>

1. Your writing score is not a valid indicator of your writing abilities.
2. Your writing score says nothing about how prepared you are for college writing, as SAT writing is more akin to 5th grade writing than academic writing.

I agree. In fact, the entire SAT I is not an indication of college aptitude at all. However, it doesn’t nullify the fact that the test is still a college entrance exam, and I need to do well on it, regardless of whether or not it actually tests my abilities.</p>

<p>

3. The writing score is the least important part of your SAT score at most colleges. In fact, the majority of colleges don’t even consider it in admissions, as they’re still collecting data to determine whether it’s a useful measure of writing abilities.

I think I saw the exact percentage as 56%. Still a significant percentage, especially when I’m aiming for higher-tiered schools.</p>

<p>

5. An 8 isn’t bad at all, especially in light of the above 4 points.

It’s pretty bad in that it shows a lack of preparation (as opposed to my friends with worse English grades with 11’s and 12’s)</p>

<p>I appreciate your input, and your points are very valid, but unfortunately even though the system is not perfect, we still have to live with it.</p>