What does an unbalanced SAT show (+Tips for Writing)?

shayonsaleh
Thu, 17 Apr 2008 01:44:23 +0000

My latest SAT score was a 2170. I had a 800 in Math, 730 in Critical Reading, and a 640 in Writing.

I love my math score, and I am quite happy with the critical reading. But, the writing section, especially the essay (8…yuck), is below what I wanted (680+). I can’t seem to get the essay over an 8 for some reason, and I know that’s what is bringing me down since I got a 73 on the PSAT in writing.

So how can I improve my writing? My worst problem is time and concrete details. I always take too much time at the beginning trying to think of good examples for body paragraphs and end up not even getting to my conclusion. :-(

And, how would high end schools (HYPS and the sorts) interpret this kind of score? Should I take it again and try to increase my writing score, or should I just hope for the best with what I have?