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mmaah
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| Joined: | Mon Mar 27th, 2006 |
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| Posts: | 57 |
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Posted: Fri Apr 18th, 2008 12:05 am |
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I am confused about the ACT writing test. My junior daughter will take the test for the first time in June. Some schools she may be interested in require the writing, so I expect she will take it..But does the Writing effect your "Composite" score.??...She did well enough on the PLAN that the ACT is the test for her I think. But she may struggle with the writing part (which was not on the PLAN). Would I be wiser to have her test without it in June, in case she does well and then applies to schools that do not require it--and then have her prep more before doing it again if needed?
I am new to this test so would love thoughts of those with more experience.
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DesperateDad
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| Joined: | Tue Mar 14th, 2006 |
| Location: | California USA |
| Posts: | 829 |
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Posted: Fri Apr 18th, 2008 12:20 am |
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If your D takes the Writing portion (essay, really), then she will recieve two ACT scores: the composite (average of reading, english, math, & science) score; and, a second Writing score. The extra essay is graded on a rubric, with 12 being the highest score possible. The makers of the ACT then combine the essay rubric total + English raw score and develop the second, scaled score, for the Writing composite. Both scores have a max. of 36.
If your D is 100% sure that her colleges won't require the Writing portion, then it can be skipped. But, if there is a chance that she might change her mind and include colleges that require the essay, its probably best to complete it; most colleges that don't require it won't even look at the W score. [I read on another board where a student aced the ACT w/o writing, and now had to repeat it just to complete the essay portion.]
btw: I recommend reading the essay tips provided by ACT, and one of the big publishers (Barrons, Kaplan, and/or Princeton Review), since the essay is a little different than what one might write in english or creative writing class and a little pre-planning can be worth a couple of rubric points.
Good luck.
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Chedva
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| Joined: | Sun Mar 5th, 2006 |
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| Posts: | 553 |
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Posted: Fri Apr 18th, 2008 11:56 am |
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The other thing to remember is that ACT has "score choice" - she can decide which test score to send to colleges. Therefore, if she takes ACT with writing and does well, she's done. If she doesn't do "well enough" in the writing portion, she can take it again without writing and send only that to schools that don't require writing. Or she can take the whole thing again, and send only the better score to schools.
I would also advise that she take the ACT with writing initially; it may save her from the necessity of retesting.
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