English CLEPs..questions about the exam

CollegeMounting · 10-28-2011, 12:13 PM

I have a few questions about CLEP exams..i couldn't find much information about them online

so, first of all how are the tests scored?

What is the English Composition modular exam like? Is it hard to get a 68? Do the essays come from collegeboard or from the college-how exactly does the "modular" exam work? Do you get to see the multiple choice score right away? or do you have to wait for the essay to be graded first? is the essay and MC weighted equally? Oh, and do you think the barrons clep book is a good reflection of the actual test? how would my scores on barrons (percentage wise) correspond to the actual test? I had a 3 on ap english lang exam but i needed a 4 to get credit, so im really gonna try hard to clep out of it. im pretty good with english I guess but i have some work to do..

What about Analyzing & interpreting literature..how is that like? i would need a 65 to get credit...

I'd appreciate if you could share your experiences on what you did to do well on these exams..also what are the best books to use to study for these, and what score on the practice tests would i need to get the scores i need (stated above)

Thanks in advanced!

SGP · 10-28-2011, 05:03 PM

You do not receive a score right away on the English Comp Modular exam. It takes 3-4 weeks to receive your score by snail-mail. My son took this CLEP accidentally - by surprise - cold -(long story) and scored a 64. A couple of years ago, he scored over 700 on the reading and writing portions of the SAT, but he hadn't had much timed-writing practice since then. He said this test reminded him of the SAT. There are two essays. According to the College Board, "The College Board arranges for college English professors to grade the essays written for the College Composition exam." It would be worth buying the REA CLEP prep books and doing some practice essays beforehand, especially since you need a 68. See this link for info about scoring: http://professionals.collegeboard.co...Guidelines.pdf

A&I Lit is doesn't require much prep if you're a strong reader. Review literary terms before taking this, and you'll do fine. When you submit your test, you'll see your score immediately. If you are not a strong reader, time might be an issue. It might be reassuring to buy the REA CLEP prep book and take some practice tests first. Since you need a 65, I'd recommend getting 70+ on the REA practice tests before taking the exam.

CollegeMounting · 10-31-2011, 04:53 PM

Ok, thank you. I appreciate your help. If anyone else could share their experiences with these exams with me, it would really help. Thanks!

BuckeyeatHeart · 11-02-2011, 04:21 PM

First of all, I want to make sure that you understand the official title of the exam is College Composition Modular. English Composition is an old exam title and no longer offered. The "Modular" exam has the usual multiple-choice section and an optional essay (either provided and scored by your institution or provided by CLEP and scored by your institution).

I'm not sure why there seems to be some confusion over the scoring procedure of the Composition & Literature exams. The only exam that has a delayed score report is the College Composition one. This is the one that has the mandatory essay section which is sent out for scoring twice each month (causing the delay). ALL of the other Composition & Literature exams (College Composition Modular, Analyzing & Interpreting Literature, American Literature and English Literature) print out a score report at the conclusion of your multiple-choice section! This score reflects what you earned on the required portion of the exam. If your institution requires the optional essay that is offered with that exam, they will "score" it. This score has no bearing on the score that you earned by CLEP on the multiple-choice section.

Maybe you mispoke in regards to which exam you planned to take. Two totally different exams have the word "composition" in them -- College Composition (multiple-choice section plus 2 mandatory essays) and College Composition Modular (multiple-choice section plus an optional essay).

CollegeMounting · 11-03-2011, 12:17 AM

Thanks..that actually helps. I was a little confused by the scoring and how the essay works, so that clears it up.

YonderMountain · 11-16-2011, 03:48 PM

I took College Composition Modular recently (in my case, without an essay), and got a 72. I didn't study for it, besides reviewing some sample questions online. I think it is similar in difficulty to the SAT Writing section, maybe even a little easier, but it covers a somewhat broader range of subjects (citations, literary devices, and the like). It's also a bit harder to "game" than the SAT is, as the questions aren't structured quite so rigidly.