Max of 12 for levels 1-9 looks right according to this chart:
https://wiki.project1999.com/Game_Me...bat_and_Damage
As far as exp, what level mobs are you killing? "Blue" has a decent range at low levels, and killing a lvl 5 mob vs a lvl 8 one makes a big difference:
https://wiki.project1999.com/Consider
Leveling a low-level caster is indeed dreadful. Welcome to EverQuest!
-Mcoy