Analyzing and Interp Lit Essay ???

[brandon7899]

It's been several yrs since I took this test. Didn't have an essay, or I would've failed. Didn't study at all, and made a 52. Passing is passing, and to this day I care none about literature .

[MargaretSmith]

Hi guys. Thank you for your recommendations. I am currently preparing for a similar test and I am very worried about whether I will have to write an essay.

[Claudia P]

I just passed the Analyzing and Interpreting Literature CLEP on 1/4/23, and interpreting literature is not my strength.
As others have said, very few schools have you write the essay(s).  Most colleges are only interested in your multiple choice score.

Here is some info for anyone looking for study materials and info about the test.

The CLEP I took consisted of 78 questions with 90 minutes to take the test.  You are given a poem/prose/play to read and then are asked three to five multiple choice questions regarding that poem.  Then, it moves on to the next poem, prose, or play.  A few of the poems were quite long - 40 to 70+ lines long.
I highly recommend the Petersen's online Practice Tests if you can access those.  The Petersen's tests are an almost perfect example of what you will see on the CLEP.  I was able to access them for free through my local public library's website.  I didn't worry about scoring well on the practice tests.  I used them to study.
Problem with these tests if you're using them to study is by the time you finish answering all 80 practice questions, you won't remember what each question was about.  I needed to see the correct answer immediately after answering each question.  So, I submitted and saved the practice test as a .pdf document and used it as an answer key to study.   

The Modern States course is good.  It helped me learn the framework and terminology used in poetry and literature, but it didn't teach me how to interpret what is being said in poems.  
Appx 90% of the CLEP test was centered around interpreting what is being said in poetry and prose.  Most of the reading material in the CLEP was written from the 1500's to the 1800's, so I really had to read and re-read the poems to answer the questions.  I would still recommend the Modern States course, especially since you get the free voucher to take the CLEP.
I had to rush at the end because I had spent too much time re-reading some of the poems.  I used the entire 90-minutes on this test.
I know CLEP tests are randomly generated from a huge database of questions, so these terms may not show up on your test, but here are some of the terms that came up on my CLEP that I would highly recommend you learn — stanza, couplet, tercet, quatrain, simile, personification, alliteration, apostrophe, irony, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, paradox, oxymoron, literary allusion, free verse, and iambic pentameter.  Those are the terms I remember from the test.  Hope this info helps.  

[GameSlinger]

I wanted to throw my 2 cents in as I have taken this with the written component included. When I signed up for the CLEP, there is a section that asks if you need the written component included. I knew that Kirkwood, my local community college that I was also attending, required it so I made sure to include it. Be aware that they forward the hand written portion on to the school you select, so I do not think that can be submitted to multiple evaluators trying to find a lenient one. 

As previously mentioned, the format is they provide a "short" passage of text to read and then as a handful of questions regarding that passage. Using ModernStates for familiarizing yourself with the format and style of the exam can help. The multiple choice portion of the CLEP is the easy part of this as it primarily focuses on your ability to determine what is being talked about in the passage. There will be some technical questions included to make sure that they are covering the analyzing portion of the subject matter but most of those questions were pretty straight forward. 

As for the written component, this is where it gets tricky. There are almost no directions given to help guide you on what to write. They give you a poem or other piece of writing, then basically say write about it. I think this is where the fundamental flaw is with this exam. Because there are no clear guidelines on what you should be writing, there are also no clear guidelines on how it gets scored. As another member mentioned, this portion is sent to your school to be evaluated by one of the schools English Professors and because I am guessing they are also given no clear guidance on how to score it, this scoring can be brutal. For a typical writing course at school, you would be given a Rubric to base your writing on so that you can ensure to adhere to what the intention is and the instructor would then be forced to follow that same rubric to score you.

My score for the exam section was a 73, which clearly demonstrates that I had a solid understanding of the materials, but I failed the written portion of the exam. After receiving my failing status, I reached out to the school that evaluated it and asked for clarification. I got a response from the professor that scored it, through the school administrator, that I did not go in depth enough on the analyzing aspect of my responses and that I did not demonstrate understanding of the mechanics of literature. When I looked back on what I had submitted I was under the impression that I had submitted some of my best work and included not 1 but 2 well thought out interpretations, as well as having a full 1/3 of the writing be specifically about the mechanics of the poetry. 

Thankfully, Excelsior does not require the written portion and the exam score of 73 is still displayed on the transcript when college board sends it, so I did receive credit for the exam, just not at Kirkwood where I was really hoping I would get it. There is no record of the failed written portion listed anywhere other than at Kirkwood, so it shouldn't impact me at all going forward.

In conclusion, if your school does not require the written component, jump on the exam quick. If they do require it, see if you can reach out to the school prior to taking it to ask for guidance on what the evaluator will be looking for. This could help save you from a failure due to lack of meeting their requirements.