CLEP College Composition study guide
CLEP College Composition · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The CLEP College Composition exam is a credit-by-examination route for students who already write at the level taught in a one-semester first-year college composition course. It is aimed at incoming or current undergraduates who want to demonstrate writing competence rather than repeat introductory coursework, and it is also used by military and adult learners returning to study. The exam is delivered in two parts: a multiple-choice section covering Standard Written English conventions, revision of drafts, source and research skills, and rhetorical analysis, plus a mandatory typed essay section. The first essay asks you to argue a position from your own reading, observation, or experience; the second asks you to synthesize two supplied sources into a supported argument and cite them. The CLEP College Composition study guide has 4 sections and about 1,741 words.
01Conventions of Standard Written English
The Conventions of Standard Written English domain tests your ability to edit prose for grammar, usage, punctuation, and sentence structure. Multiple-choice items usually present a sentence with an underlined portion and ask for the best revision, so the correct choice must be grammatically sound and clear in context.
455 words, about 2 min02Revision Skills
Revision Skills tests your ability to improve sentences and paragraphs for clarity, coherence, organization, development, tone, and concision. Items may ask which revision best improves an underlined sentence, where a sentence should be placed, which sentence should be deleted, or how to combine sentences without losing meaning.
427 words, about 2 min03Ability to Use Source Materials
Ability to Use Source Materials tests how well you evaluate, integrate, cite, and synthesize sources. Multiple-choice items may ask which source is most credible, which paraphrase is acceptable, how a quotation should be introduced, or what citation is required.
440 words, about 2 min04Rhetorical Analysis
Rhetorical Analysis tests how well you explain a writer's choices: purpose, audience, tone, appeals, diction, syntax, structure, and argumentative weaknesses. Questions may ask why the author uses a particular example, what tone a phrase creates, or whether an argument's evidence supports its claim.
419 words, about 2 min