The form the rec should be in?

Hi AceIt,

It's most important that the questions are answered and that your recommender cites very specific examples to support his comments about you. Rather than "AceIt is fantastic and in the top 1% of his peer group." he should support such assertions with examples: "AceIt had responsibilities to perform the due diligence during our acquisition of widget industries, which was far beyond the typical analyst duties. AceIt did an excellent job of leading the group to perform the required analysis and we were able to successfully ascertain our risk in the project. Therefore, I would rank AceIt in the top 1% of his peer group."

I think anywhere in the recommended range is fine for length. The format is not especially important here, most people submit in the format you say your letter is in, and I think it is generally preferable to a letter style format because you are ensured that all questions are answered. Content is the single most important factor.

Good luck!

Amy

That was a great answer! Thanks!