Test Prep

New CLEP College Composition Exam
Changes in the CLEP Composition Program
The CLEP program has allowed many students to test out of lower division courses and earn college credit. Like most examinations, it is a work-in-progress, undergoing periodic revision to better meet the needs of students and educational institutions. Change is again on the horizon for CLEP test takers. In July of 2010, the College Board introduced several new exams, including the CLEP Composition and CLEP Composition Modular, which replaced English Composition and English Composition with E...

Verb Agreement For Test Prep
Verb Agreement Can Be Tricky
Are you taking a test with a multiple choice writing component? Verb agreement issues can be tricky -- even intimidating -- for test takers. The particular challenges you face will depend on your language background. If you speak English as a second language -- and particularly if your first language is Mandarin or some other language that doesn't differentiate verb forms -- you may need to spend quite a bit of time learning and practicing the basic rules. This is also the case with English ...

The SAT Essay: Myth vs Reality
Is There Just 1 Path to a Winning SAT Essay?
"Do I have to quote a great book on the SAT writing exam?" students ask. The good news to this and other questions: No you don't -- not if it's not your style. There are multiple paths to a high scoring SAT essay. The SAT instructions state that students can draw essay support from a variety of places: including personal experience as well as literature or history. The scoring rubric reminds students -- as well as scorers -- that one type of support is not valued above the others. Having be...

Washington Comprehensive Assessment Program
Replacing the WASL
Washington State has a new assessment program for students in grades 3-10. After years of tweaking the WASL -- and of pushing forward the date students must pass in order to graduate -- the WASL has been replaced. The new tests are called the Measurements of Student Progress (Grades 3-8) and the High School Proficiencey Exam. Many things about the Washington state assessment program remain the same. Students will still be required to demonstrate competence in the same subjects and at the sam...

ISEE or SSAT?
Which Entrance Exam Will Show Off Strengths?
If your child is entering an independent school, chances are good that s/he will need to take an entrance exam. The ISEE, which is often favored by private day schools, has three levels. Together, they accommodate students at a variety of levels, from those going into fifth grade to those already in senior high. The SSAT, which is more often used by boarding schools, has two levels; students should be entering at least the sixth grade. Your choice of school may dictate your choice of exam. S...

Prep for the CLEP
Why the CLEP?
When I see something advertised as "the best kept secret" I often close out the computer screen. Everyone knows that people in marketing don't keep secrets -- they shout things across cyberspace and tweet them from the telephone poles. Yet I think the CLEP is a well kept secret... not, of course, among those offering CLEP books or other services (who can't keep secrets either!) but out in 'the real world' and in academia.   CLEP stands for College Level Examination Program, an...