<p>I am grading the blue book’s tests on CB’s program where you can enter in all your answers from their book tests and get your results. I came across a question though as I was going through it today. If you do not fill out the essay portion (section 1), how does that affect your overall score? Does it just not add any points to your score (ie. giving your essay a 0)?</p>
<p>Thanks for the help.</p>
<p>anyone? </p>
<p>char lim</p>
<p>Can not answer your question directly but son’s recent experience with scoring of practice SAT administered by large exam prep co may be of interest. fyi, 1) practice SAT was taken at the end of summer between soph and junior years, and 2) both tests were taken without any andvance preparation.</p>
<p>Assumption: practice SAT essay would be scored, converted, and the result included in the overall results for writing section of exam. scored practice SAT was returned: 1) math was down 40 pts v soph PSAT (this was expected because of higher level math in SAT), 2) practice SAT cr score was identical to that of soph PSAT cr score, however, 3) SAT writing was down 150 pts v soph PSAT!!!</p>
<p>difference in writing scores was expected due to inclusion of essay in SAT (v no essay in PSAT)……but 150 pts ??? 2 days of phone calls ultimately revealed that essay, although written, was not scored because of cost (practice exam was free, essays must be scored by hand).</p>
<p>large exam prep co graciously offered to score son’s essay gratis. When result was appropriately included in practice SAT, diff in writing scores significantly reduced. However, magnitude of remaining gap falls outside of original expectations (likely due to very low essay score). Further study required re conversion methodology applied to raw essay scores and subsequent aggregation with non-essay portion of writing section.</p>
<p>Note: the scientific process developed to estimate expected gaps between soph PSAT and practice SAT math and writing scores failed to include factor for benefit one would expect to see from the additional eight months of school/classes between date of soph PSAT sitting v that of practice SAT.</p>
<p>Conclusion: detailed study of actual results (after adjusting expected gaps for the above-mentioned oversight) reaches counter-intuitive conclusion….there is no benefit to be derived from one’s sophomore year of high school.</p>
<p>Disclaimers: 1) Sample size of ONE may have skewed observed results of this study such that the conclusion reached may not be applicable in all cases. 2) the above written is not in any way, shape or form intended as commentary on the original question posed at the start of this thread. Simply,…it is late…I am tired…. and I needed a place within which I could amuse myself.</p>