<p>for some reason, i can't do timed writings. i freeze up and nothing ever sounds good enough. so i keep erasing and starting over and before i know it the time is up. some tips would be nice. </p>
<p>p.s.- i'm not retarded or anything, i got a 32 on the english section.<br>
but i get like a 6 on the english writing. </p>
<p>help?</p>
<p>I have yet to read a "perfect" essay. Maybe, just maybe, there is one - but I didn't write it...
If you scored a very respectable 32 on the English section <em>perhaps</em> you are spending too much time on grammar and nuances and trying to create a work of flawless beauty that is a joy forever? Just a guess...
My advice would be to spend the first 5 of the 30 min. on the test doing an outline (personally, I prefer the 5 paragraph essay w/3 examples and intro and conc.) and the next 25 min. writing away magna cum celeritate - I believe that is Latin for "with great speed" but it has been years. Just pick a direction and go, go, go. I think there is a definite correlation between length of essay and score so put down plenty of words.
This ACT/SAT essay thing is different than anything I've done in college, in the sense that in school you have much more time to complete an assignment and are expected to produce something of depth that is relatively free of errors. Here you get a randomly posed question and have to write something that has basic structure and logic in half an hour. It measures a slightly different skill set than most writing assignments, but it is simply another ability that can be developed with practice.
So relax and start writing.</p>
<p>thanks for the advice. i'll try it out. i need to relax and not try to make it perfect.</p>