Well, I can tell you that of the two tests, having the writing at the START of the test might give you a clearer picture than on the ACT, where it is at the END of it.
DD took her SAT at 13yo (just before her birthday, in fact)-- her writing scores were not awesome but then again, we also suspect a CTD that impacts longhand writing, and she kind of fluffed it on the day, KWIM? But it was certainly 90th percentile plus. Caveat, though-- she had already had 3 full years of high school English, and a year of AP Literature.
She took the ACT at 14yo, six months later (after the summer, basically) and her writing score was only about 80th percentile there. She admitted that she was in SERIOUS pain by that time, and that she thought it was far from her best writing. I'll also say that I thought she was significantly off her game after a summer off. If she took it now, the physical limitations aside, I think she's capable of 99-ing that section. She was when she took the SAT, too, on the right day, anyway.
Okay-- my summary of that info:
1. College writing as measured by SAT/ACT ain't what it used to be. Think formulaic "five paragraph essay."
2. College bound STUDENTS also, apparently, ain't what they used to be either-- because while I don't know just how bad her ACT essay was, I believe that I'd have given that essay a "D" if she says that it "sucked." And yet it was still better than 80% of her peers who took it with her. That certainly tells ME something.
3. Don't necessarily believe all the hype you hear about AP coursework, because part of the PURPOSE of those classes is to develop college-level writing, analysis, etc. Yes, they are a LOT of work relative to the honors/regular offerings, but generally HG+ kids without a 2e issue getting in the way can keep up with them quite handily through sheer speed and efficiency. How long does it take your son to, say, read 100 pages? For his classmates, the answer is "hours and hours-- days, probably..." For my DD, more like "about an hour."
Last edited by HowlerKarma; 01/29/14 10:19 AM.
