Proctored Writing Sample, Timed Writing Sample, and Online Essay Prep for Bay Area Private Schools

Two to three months before your application deadline is the right preparation window for most students. That gives enough time to move past the initial anxiety of timed writing tests and build genuine skill rather than surface familiarity. If your child is applying to schools across both the Test Innovators and Kira platforms in the same cycle, starting early also means you can prepare without the rest of the application competing for time and focus.

They are two distinct timed writing tests administered on two different platforms. The Proctored Writing Sample, also called the Online Essay in Ravenna, is administered by Test Innovators. It includes a 30-minute essay response and a 15-minute analytical thinking exercise, proctored live via Zoom. Schools using this platform include Sacred Heart Prep, Pinewood School, The Harker School, Woodside Priory, and The Girls’ Middle School. The Timed Writing Sample is administered by Kira Talent and is used by The Nueva School, Castilleja, Crystal Springs Uplands (middle school), and Lick-Wilmerding, among others. The core writing skill assessed is the same for both, but the registration process, platform experience, and school lists differ. Always confirm which writing sample your target school requires before registering.

Yes. The Online Essay is the name you will see in your Ravenna admissions account for the same assessment. When a school says it requires the Proctored Writing Sample and directs you to register through Ravenna, the task listed in the portal is called the Online Essay. Same platform, same 30-minute timed writing format, same live Zoom proctor. The difference in naming causes genuine confusion for families navigating the application process. If you see either term associated with Test Innovators, you are looking at the same timed writing test.

Timed writing tests are proctored, real-time writing assessments in which students respond to an unseen prompt within a set time limit, typically 30 minutes, without outside help or editing tools. Bay Area private schools introduced these assessments as an alternative to standardized tests like the SSAT and ISEE. They give admissions committees an authentic writing sample produced by the student alone, under pressure. Unlike application essays that are revised over weeks, the timed writing test is unfiltered. That is the point. Schools want to see how your child actually writes and thinks, not what they can produce with unlimited time and assistance.

Yes. Our Proctored Writing Sample and Timed Writing Sample preparation is available fully online. We work with families across the United States and internationally. The assessments themselves are conducted remotely through Test Innovators or Kira, so location is not a barrier to either sitting the writing test or preparing for it with Cardinal Education.

Most students benefit from six to eight sessions. The first session establishes a baseline, subsequent sessions build targeted skills, and the final sessions run complete timed writing test simulations. Students with limited writing experience or lower baseline confidence may need additional sessions. After completing the admissions writing sample, many families continue with our Program in Writing and Reading to build the longer-term writing skills that serve students through high school and into college applications.