ACT Writing: Four-Paragraph Essay?

Test Preparation
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<p>I've noticed that most people tend to write an ACT essay with five paragraphs, but it seems to be very difficult for me to do that (time constraints). I'm starting to lean towards the following method for writing an ACT essay:
6 minutes planning (5 minutes for outline, 1 for choosing a topic)
20 minutes writing (5 minutes for each paragraph)
4 minutes proof-reading</p>

<p>Would writing a four-paragraph essay instead of a five-paragraph one hurt my chances of getting a high score? Or is there no correlation between paragraph count and scoring? And also, for veteran test-takers, what types of examples would you recommend to back up an ACT essay?</p>

<p>I'm taking the ACT next Saturday and I'm a rising junior. This probably won't be the last ACT test I will take, but I would like to score the best I can regardless. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.</p>

2

<p>Now that I think of it, I probably should have put this thread in the “ACT Preparation” category, huh. This is what I get for being a newbie on here…</p>

3

<p>I’ve taken the ACT twice and have gotten 12’s each time.</p>

<p>Personally, I strive for 5 paragraph essays. I don’t spend 6 mintues planning since that a lot of time lost. I plan for like a minute or two coming up with general body points and usually, i can expand my ideas as I write them. Proofreading isn’t that big of a deal if you know your grammar so I just write until time’s up.</p>