What are some appropriate uses of readability tests?

Question

Do you use readability metrics (such as Gunning fog or Flesch-Kincaid) as you're working on a piece?

If so, how do you use them, and what benefit do you get from using them?

Answer 1

I don't tend to use them while working on a piece -- among other things, one of my biggest rules is to not think about such things in first draft. Afterwards, though, especially as I was first learning to write well, the scores helped because I tend to over-write. Getting a FK score of 16th "grade" or so is a hulluva good reminder to ease off.