The ACT Writing section requires you to plan, write, and review in just 40 minutes. A solid approach is to spend 2-3 minutes reading and understanding the prompt and perspectives, 1-2 minutes outlining your response, 30-32 minutes drafting your essay, and 3-4 minutes reviewing for errors. Many Brooklyn students struggle with pacing because they over-plan or spend too much time perfecting individual sentences. A tutor can help you practice this timing repeatedly so it becomes automatic, allowing you to focus on argument quality rather than racing the clock.

ACT Writing and ACT English are separate skills. English tests grammar, punctuation, and language mechanics across short passages in 45 minutes. Writing requires you to construct a full essay analyzing a complex issue and responding to opposing viewpoints—it's about argumentation and organization, not grammar rules. The Writing section is optional on the ACT, but many colleges want to see it because it demonstrates critical thinking and communication skills. If you're targeting competitive schools or majoring in humanities or business, it's worth taking. Tutors can help you decide based on your goals and then focus instruction on whichever area needs the most work.

The most frequent mistakes are: (1) weak thesis statements that don't clearly take a position, (2) failing to engage with all three perspectives before forming your own, (3) providing examples that are too vague or generic, and (4) running out of time and leaving the essay incomplete or rushed. Many students also struggle with balancing organization—they focus so much on their main argument that they forget to acknowledge counterarguments effectively. Varsity Tutors connects you with tutors who can show you exactly what scorers are looking for and help you build a process that avoids these pitfalls through targeted practice essays.

If you're starting from scratch, plan 6-8 weeks of preparation, aiming for 3-4 practice essays per week. This gives you enough repetitions to internalize the structure and timing without burning out. If you're refining an already solid writing foundation, 4-6 weeks with 2-3 essays weekly is often sufficient. The key is consistent, spaced practice—cramming the night before doesn't work for writing skills. With personalized tutoring, a tutor can create a realistic timeline based on your current level and test date, adjust your practice schedule as you improve, and provide feedback on every essay so your practice time is truly productive.

The ACT Inc. official website offers full practice tests with Writing sections, and the Red Book (The Official ACT Prep Guide) contains real retired ACT essays with rubrics. These are your most reliable sources because they reflect exactly how the real test works. Many prep websites offer additional practice prompts, though quality varies. The challenge is knowing what feedback to trust—generic rubrics and scoring guides can be misleading. A tutor can supplement official materials with targeted drills on specific skills like thesis statements or evidence integration, review every practice essay you write with the actual ACT scoring standards, and help you distinguish between productive feedback and noise.

Look for someone who has scored highly on the ACT Writing section themselves and has recent, direct experience helping students prepare. They should understand the official scoring rubric deeply and be able to explain what scorers are actually looking for—not just general writing principles. It helps if they're familiar with the specific challenges Brooklyn students face, whether that's time management under pressure or confidence with analytical writing. When you connect with a tutor through Varsity Tutors, you get matched based on your specific needs and learning style, with the flexibility to request a different tutor if the fit isn't right. The best tutor is one who can make the process feel less stressful and more like solving a puzzle together.