<p>I got a 720 on my writing section and a 10 on the essay
I’m a very poor test taker but in ap composition I usually got 7-8’s on my practice essays
about what would a score of 10 equate to on a ap essay?
I feel as if I could have done a lot better.
I didn’t know my spelling and grammar were major factors when I took the test though even if I had known, I’m a really awful speller so I doubt foresight would have made any difference. Will colleges take this into account if that’s one of the main reasons I didn’t score higher on my essay? Will they even read the essay for that matter?</p>
<p>I’m talking about colleges like Smith and Mount Holyoke</p>
<p>Colleges will not read your essay, nor will they know why your essay was scored the way it was. All they see are the scores you received. A 720 and a 10 are competitive scores for Smith and Mount Holyoke; you’ve got nothing to worry about.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that a lot of colleges de-emphasize the essay section of the SAT because it’s new, and because there’s been controversy about the way it’s administered. Mount Holyoke in particular is SAT-optional, so they will definitely try to look beyond test scores to get a picture of you as a real human being.</p>
<p>I haven’t seen any actual data comparing SAT essay scores to AP essay scores. For me, a 10 on the SAT essay translated to 5s on both of the AP English exams. You’ve got lots of time to improve between the SATs and the APs. If you’ve been doing practice essays and focusing on how to do timed essays under pressure, you should do fine. (Plus, the AP English exams give you almost twice as long to write, which really makes a difference.)</p>
<p>Good luck! (BTW, I just got back from visiting a friend at Mount Holyoke - it’s a wonderful place :))</p>
<p>Thank you:]
I’ve taken the AP test already actually. I got a 4, which was crazy because I felt that I freaked and bombed the essays.
The Collegeboard says they report the essays to the colleges. Is that not true or do they just disregard it? </p>
<p>*I can’t actually find where they said that now but I know they made a comment that the essay visible to myself and to the college is of lower resolution than the one testers score. ACT also said they send a copy of the essays.</p>
<p>When you go to the Sent Scores section of My SAT, the score reports listed for each college show tests, dates, scores, and subscores for the writing section. The FAQ says that they also send percentiles and score ranges to give schools a point of comparison. I haven’t found anything on the website that indicates that they send a copy of the essay. I do know that some schools want to see AP essays before they’ll grant credit. As far as I’ve heard, that’s the only situation where the CB would send copies of your essays. Anyone else know for sure?</p>
<p>To the OP, I think you have nothing to worry about regarding your SAT Writing score. A 720 is in the upper quartile of enrolled students at Mount Holyoke, and just barely outside of the top 25% at Smith. Good job :)</p>
<p>Actually, they do send a copy of your essay. It’s included whenever you send a score report. </p>
<p>Search a school, then go to SAT/ACT. It will then say how the college uses your SAT/ACT essay (It should say something to the degree of “SAT/ACT Writing Component Used:”)</p>
<p>atrophicwhisper, I think that refers to how they treat the score (e.g., some colleges don’t consider it for admissions, some colleges will let you place out of a writing requirement, etc.) - without seeing your actual essay. Does it say anywhere that they actually send your essay?</p>