ILTS English Language Arts (207)

It is a computer-based test made up of 100 multiple-choice questions. There is no constructed-response or essay section, and no reference materials are provided, so everything you need must come from memory. The appointment includes a short tutorial and nondisclosure agreement before the timed section begins.

You have 3 hours and 15 minutes of testing time. Your total appointment is 3 hours and 30 minutes, and 15 minutes of that is the CBT tutorial and nondisclosure agreement. That works out to under two minutes per question on average, so pacing matters more than on essay-based exams.

The passing score is 240. Preliminary results are given to you at the test center at the end of your session, and official score reports are released according to the published score report dates. If your preliminary result is close to the cut score, wait for the official report before making decisions.

The test fee is $110. A program announcement posted 1/28/2025 states that examinees with two unsuccessful attempts may be eligible to retake the same test at no cost, and that registration fees were reduced for all ILTS titles. The announcement does not detail eligibility conditions, so check current policy pages before assuming you qualify.

Testing began May 14, 2018, and is administered by appointment year-round, Monday through Saturday, excluding some holidays. Test sites are located in Illinois and nationwide, so you can search seat availability and pick a center that fits your schedule rather than waiting for a fixed window.

Difficulty is subjective, but the breadth is the usual problem: literary analysis, rhetoric, grammar and usage, and composition pedagogy all appear, and with no reference materials you cannot look anything up. Candidates who only reread novels and skip grammar, vocabulary, and rhetorical terminology often find the multiple-choice wording harder than expected.

Start with the official preparation materials linked from the test page, including sample questions and the practice test, to see how content is framed. Then diagnose weak areas with a timed practice set, and spend most of your remaining time on the subareas where your accuracy is lowest rather than reviewing what you already know.

Not necessarily. The program states that tests may include questions being evaluated for future administrations and that these do not affect a candidate's score. You cannot tell which items are pilot questions, so treat every question as if it counts and do not skip anything.

Follow the testing rules and policies you agreed to at registration, and review the day-of-test page for identification and security requirements. Since no reference materials are provided, do not expect to bring notes, dictionaries, or style guides into the room; confirm any permitted items with the test center in advance.