<p>1) What are “experimental” sections? People keep mentioning them and implying that they are scored differently?</p>
<p>2) How is the essay graded, typically? I don’t feel particularly confident about my essay (it wasn’t very deep), but it was organized and grammatically correct.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Experimental sections are sections College Board puts on the SAT test as a sort of trial or test to see if students perform well or not on those sections, to see if they might add it permanently to the test. Experimental sections DO NOT affect your score; you could even leave it all blank and still get a good score. The tricky part is telling which section is experimental. On each SAT test, there are 3 math sections, 3 critical reading sections, and 2 writing sections (plus the essay). These sections all count and are definitely scored. Then there is an additional section, which can be placed anywhere in the middle of the test, which could be for math, reading, or writing, although it is most often experimental writing. You can usually tell the experimental section by adding up the number of questions. For example, there are always 67 reading questions, 54 math questions, and 49 writing sections. Typically for reading, there are two 23-25 question sections, and one shorter 19-question section towards the end of the test. The 19-question section is definitely counted. So, let’s say during the middle of the test, you have a 23-question section, a 24-question section, and a 25-question section. Pick the two that add up to 48 (67-19=48). In this case, they would be the 23 and 25-question sections. So, the 24-question section is almost guaranteed to be experimental. However, you might not want to waste time calculating this when you could be working/checking answers. Only do this if you have extra time. Also, be careful looking ahead in the booklet to see how many questions there are. If you are caught in the wrong section you are supposed to be in, you can get in trouble. (you could calculate after the test is over) But if you can’t tell the experimental section, try your best on each section, in case it is scored.</p></li>
<li><p>The essay is scored by two graders who each award the essay a score out of 6. (A 4 demonstrates “adequate mastery”, a 5 demonstrates “reasonably consistent mastery”, and a 6 demonstrates “clear and consistent mastery”. Anything below a 4 isn’t considered good) The two scores are added together for a total out of 12. If the two separate scores differ by more than one point (eg: 3 and 5), a third grader comes in to score the essay.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Being grammatically correct is important, but you are allowed to make a few minor mistakes without being heavily penalized. Only huge logical/grammatical errors will truly hurt you. Essays are graded on quality, not quantity, although in general, the longer the essay, the higher the score. A long essay shows that you have many important things to say.</p>
<p>Style can be important in the grading process, but don’t try anything too bizarre or unconservative, because you might actually be docked points if your style makes the essay incomprehensible. Try to vary sentence lengths and have transitions between paragraphs. There is no paragraph requirment/limit, but you should have an intro paragraph, at least one body paragraph, and a conclusion.</p>
<p>It is a good tip to include some sophisticated vocabulary words (particularly familiar SAT words) in your essay to demonstrate your wide range of vocabulary/knowledge of words. Do not overdo it, though. Try to include 3-5 nice words. These words are not required, but they can only help your score.</p>
<p>Make sure you directly answer the question. If you go too far off topic, you will lose points. A completely off-topic essay will receive a score of 0. (yikes…)</p>
<p>Overall, just make sure you answer the question, have few mistakes, try to have good writing style, and don’t go off topic. The average essay score across the country is about 7.2, so you should be fine. You can even get a 9 or 10 on your essay and still get 800 in writing, as long as you answer all the multiple choice questions correctly. </p>
<p>The essay is only about 30% of the writing score, so don’t be too worried. I hope I could help.</p>
<p>Wow, thanks for the help.</p>
<p>I had NEVER heard about this experimental business. I hope one of the CR sections today was experimental because it was HARD. :P</p>
<p>If you had 4 reading sections then one is experimental</p>