<p>I despise the notion of students purchasing prepared essays, and I know many receive far too much help from parents or others, but I don’t think comparing the college essay to a writing test essay is a valid method of identifying cheaters, or even raising a red flag. Writing and rewriting (at a computer) an essay on a topic of your choice will naturally produce a very different result vs spending 25 minutes in a pressurized situation writing with a #2 pencil on an unfamiliar topic. Both exercises are “writing” but they are different. I don’t think it’s fair to make students worry (as 2 in this thread have already expressed concerns) that their essay is “too good.”</p>