What Skills Are Admissions Officers Looking for in a Proctored Writing Sample?

 Bay Area private schools use the Proctored Writing Sample to assess an applicant’s writing skills. Since regular application essays can be polished with help from parents or admissions consultants, the online essay assessment offers a real-time snapshot of a student’s skills. Here’s what they typically look for: 

• Clarity and Focus: Is the writing easy to understand? Does the student address the prompt correctly? 
• Organization and Structure: Does the content flow logically? Are there clear topic sentences and supporting details? 
• Grammar and Mechanics: Are sentences free of grammatical errors? Are the punctuation marks used correctly? Are there errors in spelling and capitalization? 
• Vocabulary: Did the student use appropriate language? Is the choice of words effective and precise? 
• Critical Thinking: This is not explicitly seen on the response, but the overall writing can give a glimpse into how the student thinks and develops their ideas. 
• Comprehension: Did the student understand and directly answer the question? 
• Time Management: Was the student able to produce a relevant response within the given time? 

Generally, Bay Area private schools are looking for a writing sample that demonstrates a student’s fundamental writing skills, clarity of thought, and ability to respond effectively to a prompt under timed conditions. They want to see the student’s natural writing voice and their ability to organize their thoughts coherently.