Skills Assessed in the CLEP College Composition Exam

Conventions of Standard Written English (10%)
This section of the CLEP College Composition Exam measures test takers' awareness of a variety of logical, structural, and grammatical relationships within sentences.

The questions test recognition of acceptable usage relating to the items below:

Syntax (parallelism, coordination, subordination)
Sentence boundaries (comma splices, run-ons, sentence fragments)
Recognition of correct sentences
Concord/agreement (pronoun reference, case shift, and number; subject-verb; verb tense)
Diction
Modifiers
Idiom
Active/passive voice
Lack of subject in modifying word group
Logical comparison
Logical agreement
Punctuation

Revision Skills (40%)
This section measures test takers' revision skills in the context of works in progress (early drafts of essays):

Organization
Evaluation of evidence
Awareness of audience, tone, and purpose
Level of detail
Coherence between sentences and paragraphs
Sentence variety and structure
Main idea, thesis statements, and topic sentences
Rhetorical effects and emphasis
Use of language
Evaluation of author's authority and appeal
Evaluation of reasoning
Consistency of point of view
Transitions
Sentence-level errors primarily relating to the conventions of Standard Written English

Ability to Use Source Materials (25%)
This section measures test takers' familiarity with elements of the following basic reference and research skills, which are tested primarily in sets but may also be tested through stand-alone questions. In the passage-based sets, the elements listed under Revision Skills and Rhetorical Analysis may also be tested.

This section will also cover the following skills:

Use of reference materials
Evaluation of sources
Integration of resource material
Documentation of sources (including, but not limited to, MLA, APA, and Chicago manuals of style)

Rhetorical Analysis (25%)
This section measures test takers' ability to analyze writing. This skill is tested primarily in passage-based questions pertaining to critical thinking, style, purpose, audience, and situation:

Appeals
Tone
Organization/structure
Rhetorical effects
Use of language
Evaluation of evidence

The Essays
In addition to the multiple-choice section, the College Composition exam includes a mandatory essay section that tests skills of argumentation, analysis, and synthesis.

This section of the CLEP College Composition Exam consists of two essays, both of which measure a test taker's ability to write clearly and effectively. The first essay is based on the test taker's reading, observation, or experience, while the second requires test takers to synthesize and cite two sources that are provided. Test takers have 30 minutes to write the first essay and 40 minutes to read the two sources and write the second essay. The essays must be typed on the computer.