English Comp With Essay - Topics

[thatbrian]

I am preparing for English Comp, so I want to practice writing a few essays. Are the topics strictly argument (agree/disagree) or are there other things I need to prepare for? Anyone want to share the topic they were asked to write on?

Thanks!

[jthornhill]

Took the CLEP English Comp w/ essay this past Tuesday. The subject for the essay was roughly the media and people's values. Agree or disagree and why. Make sure to write down at least 3 points of support for your view on scratch paper and pay attention to the time. I was typing the last word and was cut off. I don't think I even got the period in. The two timed sections on this exam are stressful, so keep it moving.

Good Luck!

[lina]

I am also worried about topics that would be on the exams. I am going to take freshman english. But I just don't have the mood studying it.

[lwmcc]

The actual topic is totally random, but you can be pretty well assured that it will be fairly common, trite quote and will ask you to agree or disagree, with examples/proof of your argument. The 45 minute limit is a killer - practice writing on anything and everything with a timer, because it's the time that's going to be the biggest hurdle, not what the actual topic is about.

The other advice I can offer is to make sure you absolutely ace the MC section. Based on my own experience w/ the test, if you ace the MC section, even if your essay is just as pithy as the subject, you'll still pass the test. For example, 10 minutes into the essay I realized I was trying to produce a research-type paper that I'd never finish in time, so I had to quickly delete what I had and toss together what is undoubtedly the worst essay I've written since the 3rd grade....I was sure I'd failed the thing! But, since I'd aced the MC section, I actually passed - surprised me!

So, practice writing w/ a time limit (I hadn't, and it really is hard to try to put together a decent essay in 45 minutes if you're used to doing the 'first draft, revise, revise, revise' method) and then do your best to ace the MC section - you'll do fine!

[soupbone]

Edited for specific reasons

[Ruddigore]

The 45 minute limit is a killer - practice writing on anything and everything with a timer, because it's the time that's going to be the biggest hurdle, not what the actual topic is about.

If it is anything like the ACT, in which you have to write an essay in 30 minutes, it should be mostly a matter of putting a somewhat coherent outline together in 5 minutes and writing at top speed for the remaining minutes. But of course, you get to type your essay on a computer for the CLEP, right? If so, that makes things a lot easier. My biggest problem during the ACT was trying to get everything hand-written before time ran out.

I am probably going to be taking this CLEP next, so any helpful input y'all have would be greatly welcome.

[Levi]

When I took the English Comp w/ Essay test, the software made me agree not to tell anyone about the content of the exam, including the essay question.

But I will say that the topic was pretty random, and, in my opinion, absurd. However, I just did the best I could, acted like I knew exactly what I was writing about, and scored pretty high on it.

My advice would be to get the Princeton Review's Cracking the CLEP and some other study materials and practice on their essay topics just as if you were taking the actual test. Since you have no control over the content you will be asked to write about, the key is to practice writing about nearly anything.

Really, though, no good writer can write an excellent essay in 90 minutes with no preparation and/or source materials. It is a very unnatural way to write, but, at least, you get credit for it.

[paladinw94]

The topics are SO generic, I wouldn't worry too much about that. I wrote 5 normal paragraphs and got a decent score. And I'm not even that great of a logical writer. I would also recommend practicing writing essays in 45 minutes on topics given to you right at the start time. I did this a couple times so I knew about how long I could spend on each paragraph.

I think preparing for specific topics could do more harm than good as it could throw you off if you got a new one. They key is to be able to write a little on a random topic.

[thatbrian]

Thanks everyone. I'm not actually trying to prep for exact topics, but for the types of topics that will come up on the exam. I am trying to get a feel for the type of topics and the way they will be worded.

[studyhard]

Thanks everyone. I'm not actually trying to prep for exact topics, but for the types of topics that will come up on the exam. I am trying to get a feel for the type of topics and the way they will be worded.

If it's any consolation, don't stress much about it. I know, I know, everyone told me that and I was stressed anyway. But really, the topic will be something very, very generic. Don't worry about things like, "Should President so-and-so have issued such-and-such executive order back in 1833?"

I guess what I'm saying is that you don't need to be stressed about background knowledge of the topic. Imagine something along the lines of, "Should bad people be punished or should they get ice cream?" and you'll get the idea. hilarious