Analyzing and Interpreting Literature CLEP

[Tguns]

I'm scheduled for this test 8/22. I just joined IC last week and have taken 3 REA practice tests... 2 pass 1 fail. Took 2 of the timed petterson test passed (barely) both 51 & 52 guessed on last ten (ran out of time). It's been 30 years since my last lit. class. . Any suggestions would be helpful..I have read all related posts and have seen mixed responses. Are REA or Pettersons practice tests more indicative of the real thing? I have been studying the terms and would appreciate any/all input for an old guy. I have read and re-read the CLEP test practice manual? I'm a slow reader ; and will confirm time is truly the enemy. Last weekend for my prep. Help!

I'm scheduled for this test 8/22. I just joined IC last week and have taken 3 REA practice tests... 2 pass 1 fail. Took 2 of the timed petterson test passed (barely) both 51 & 52 guessed on last ten (ran out of time). It's been 30 years since my last lit. class. . Any suggestions would be helpful..I have read all related posts and have seen mixed responses. Are REA or Pettersons practice tests more indicative of the real thing? I have been studying the terms and would appreciate any/all input for an old guy. I have read and re-read the CLEP test practice manual? I'm a slow reader ; and will confirm time is truly the enemy. Last weekend for my prep. Help!

I had a tough time with this test as well for much of the same reason. I took 2 weeks to prep for the test since I was not confident in my lit skills, but it paid off for me since my first practice test was a fail as well.

FROM MERLIN:
I posted my study plan and test taking strategy above, but my best advice is to...

1. Make sure you get the literary terms down (since those are the easiest to study for.) I only ended up with maybe a dozen questions that required those, but my understanding of the terms and their usage helped me better understand the material as well.
2. Study any resources you can find online. Google for things like "interpreting poetry" or "interpreting literature" for some good advice on ways to approach them -- they also direct you to some great examples that may also end up on your test.
3. Try to take all of the REA and Peterson's tests if you can (there are 6, so I'd suggest one a day or every other day) as those helped me quite a bit. When you take the tests, be sure to go back and read through the details and answers, particularly for the ones you miss, as you may find that 1 or more of those examples are on the real test. I know I had one of the poems from the REA test appear in the real test.

Personally, I found that the REA tests were much harder than the real deal and the Peterson's practice tests were about on target. If you can reliably get > 50 on the Peterson's tests, you should pass... in fact my score on the Peterson's pretty much was identical to what I scored on the real test.

[ShotoJuku]

Merged and Moved from Feedback Only Section...

[Bibby]

I took that test - my first CLEP exam - today and got a good score (72). There's only so much you can study for on this one, but knowing the literary terms will help you on a few questions. I also spent some time over the past few days looking carefully at random essays and poetry in an old English literature book.

Also, my first post, for what that's worth.

[HorseManiac]

@Bibby - Congrats on passing! What an awesome score and for your first one too.

@Tguns - when I took this test all I really did was review literary terms mentioned in the Specific Exam Feedback. I took the 3 Petersons tests and not the REA so I can't say how they compared. I scored 78, 68, and 66 on the Petersons and got a 66 on the real thing. Just to give you an idea. I love reading though, so if you aren't a voracious reader you might need more practice before taking the test. Be sure to watch the clock and don't run out of time. Pace yourself. Good luck!

[Tguns]

I took this exam this morning and was happy to pass with a 60. Like many have previously stated Time is the enemy. Thanks for everyone's input. IC helped a great deal.

[STG]

Great job! :hurray:

[weeksg24]

I took this exam this morning and was happy to pass with a 60. Like many have previously stated Time is the enemy. Thanks for everyone's input. IC helped a great deal.

Congrats on passing. Did you have any of the same poems from Clep guide or petersons? I'm taking it Friday and nervous.

[LaterBloomer]

Tguns and Bibby, congratulations on passing. Isn't it wonderful to get 6 credits like that? Weeksg24, don't worry. You'll do fine as long as you pay attention to the time. If you're smart enough to have located this forum, you're smart enough to pass.

[OE800_85]

I think, plain and simple, this test is for people who are well read. Did you enjoy the literature classes in highschool, the shakespeare? Did you understand what they were really talking about? Then you'll pass this test cold.

If you don't, and have a lot of trouble with literature, then maybe you should try other tests, focus on your strengths (if you're not sure where you lie, take the practice exams from petersons, they give a very good indication in my opinion)