In the crime of attempt, which description is correct?

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The key idea here is that an attempt requires both a specific intent to commit the crime and an action that moves beyond mere planning into conduct that strongly shows the criminal purpose is being pursued. Having the intent shows the mental element, while an overt act that goes past preparation demonstrates the offender is actually moving toward completion, not just thinking about it. The act must be more than mere preparation and must be strongly corroborative of the criminal objective, so it’s clear the crime is in progress rather than just contemplated. That’s why the description that combines specific intent with an overt act beyond mere preparation and that is strongly corroborative of the criminal purpose is correct. Merely preparing is not enough, a completed crime is not an attempt, and without the corroborating overt act the threshold for an attempt isn’t met. Some jurisdictions use a “substantial step” standard, which aligns with this idea of moving beyond preparation toward the crime.