The Writing Section of the SAT is Taken More Seriously as It Grows Up
In 2007, Richie Frohlichstein wrote another article about the new writing section in the SATs. He admitted the jury was still out as to the importance of these scores as shown by colleges like MIT that are testing their freshmen in writing in order to compare their results with SAT scores. But, he also noted that half of the 1,000 4-year colleges now use writing scores as a factor for admission. Even those that do not use the scores as an admission factor often look at the SAT essay to check it against the college application essay to evaluate consistency between the two, or they will use the SAT writing score for placement of accepted students in their freshman courses. It is interesting to note, as well, that only .6% of SAT test takers score a 12 or a perfect score in the writing section, meaning only 8,000 from the nation-wide applicant pool do as well, another indicator that could separate out the best applicants for the more highly selective colleges.
So, perhaps, it is a good idea to take a look at scoring better on the writing section of the SAT. Collegebasics has several articles you may want to read that range from what to expect on the writing section to how to understand the difference between an average and an above average score to basic strategies for writing a good essay for the SAT.
Other interesting comparisons are that those who write in cursive score .2 better than those who print, those who use second or third person voice score .3 better than those using first person, and those who write more than a page score 2.1 better than those writing only a page. The average overall score is 7.2.
It is true the SAT writing section will still not be counted for initial eligibly for the NCAA, but, clearly, based on the change from 2006 to 2007, the credibility of the SAT writing section scores is growing and will make a difference in 2008.