36 ❯ STEP 3. Develop Strategies for Success
risk of being repetitive, we’ll say it again because it is so important: no matter how great
your essay may be, the grader can only give you the maximum possible number of points
for each subsection.- The free-response section is graded using a “positive scoring” system. This means that
wrong information in an essay is ignored. You do not lose points for saying things that
are incorrect. (Unfortunately you do not getpoints for saying things that are incorrect
either... if only!) The importance of this fact is basically that if you are unsure about
something and think you may be right, give it a shot and include it in your essay. It’s
worth the risk.