<p>My son has terrible handwriting (and awful spelling and pretty bad grammar as well). I think the handwriting does affect his scores, but indirectly, because it takes so much effort for him to write legibly (or try to write legibly) that his spelling, grammar, and, probably even the content of the work are compromised. The fact that it has always been this way for him means that he learned to type his papers early, so he’s just come to rely on Word for guidance with the spelling and grammar, which means that writing longhand for the SAT is about the worst measure of his ability possible. In school, when he writes essays for exams, his teachers know him and probably give him the benefit of the doubt, plus he allows himself to be a bit sloppier because he knows they can ask for clarification. I know the writing score is going to bring down his overall scores because of this–it already did on the PSAT. I know it’s impossible to get an accommodation and I can’t imagine an explanation like mine would fly, even though it’s all true.</p>