<p>I've taken the SAT twice and like the prompts on that writing sections; they're sort of vague, normally kind of philosophical, and I can always incorporate history or literature (which I'm well versed in) into the two body paragraphs arguing my point.</p>
<p>On the ACT, however, the prompts seem much more...childish (I'm not sure how to describe it). For example, on one of the practice tests I took, the prompt was to take a position on whether students should have community service reqs or not. </p>
<p>I'm used to backing something up through historical evidence, but when something like community service reqs comes up, I get stuck. My argument would be something like teens are inherently lazy, but would that be concrete enough?</p>
<p>Any tips for the ACT writing would be welcomed, thanks.</p>
<p>I agree with you. At first, before I took my first SAT, I was very nervous about the essay. But now, after having taken my 2nd SAT a week ago, I’ve realized that I actually like the SAT essay over the ACT one for the exact reasons you mentioned. I can string together a well written SAT essay using examples from literature/history, but I can’t do that with the ACT’s high school topics. Not to mention the 4 pages they give you vs the 2 for SAT. And only 5 more mins…</p>
<p>I’m taking the ACT for the first time Saturday. The essay is what’s making me the most nervous…</p>
<p>“On the ACT, however, the prompts seem much more…childish”</p>
<p>I have bad news for you. Every single prompt I’ve seen is (without fail) “Government/school board wants to do x. Is x a good idea?”</p>
<p>For one, the rubric examples (and I assume graders) look out for one big, easy thing… a hook paragraph. This isn’t a simple “What has this world come to?” sentence, this is a “Sarah couldn’t believe what had happened. Her life was slowly being destroyed. All of the years she’d invested in her studies - gone. She can’t graduate on time without community service hours”.</p>
<p>And then you go and actually insert what you’d imagine the essay to be, including the introductory paragraphs. Focus on transitions from paragraph to paragraph (the “transitional sentences” brought up in the English section. Obviously my example is a bit odd but it should help you get the idea.</p>