English Lit Clep HELP

[cbaranick]

Hello all, I am new to the specific exam feedback membership section of this site! I registered for it specifically because I am studying right now for the English literature CLEP exam that I am scheduled to take Monday morning at 9am. I am considering rescheduling because I am completely overwhelmed with all of the information there is to cover. I worked a lot today on literary devices such as alliteration, personification, etc. but am scared to death about trying to memorize all of the authors, there major works and lines from there works. With so much literature, how are you supposed to be prepared to read 4 lines of a poem or story and know who wrote it???

I see a lot of people recommending the the Barrons EZ 101 book, which I have right here in front of me. And i also see a lot of people saying to rely on all of the feedback posted here...but my question is - what are the best ways to actually memorize/retain this information? Should I just attempt to read the Barrons book as many times as possible between now and Monday morning? Is there a posting on here that groups a lot of the feedback all together into a condensed list that I can just start studying from top to bottom? I feel like I am just all over the place with so much info!

PLEASE HELP! Thanks so much to anyone who can provide advice to a very stressed out student.

MOVED FROM SPECIFIC FEEDBACK SECTION RATHER THAN BE DELETED.

[cbaranick]

I guess I should add that I have already taken and passed A&I Lit without studying at all, but I feel like A&I english literature (specifically old english) is much harder because it is almost a foreign language.

Please let me know anyones advice!

[Westerner]

Hello all, I am new to the specific exam feedback membership section of this site! I registered for it specifically because I am studying right now for the English literature CLEP exam that I am scheduled to take Monday morning at 9am. I am considering rescheduling because I am completely overwhelmed with all of the information there is to cover. I worked a lot today on literary devices such as alliteration, personification, etc. but am scared to death about trying to memorize all of the authors, there major works and lines from there works. With so much literature, how are you supposed to be prepared to read 4 lines of a poem or story and know who wrote it???

I see a lot of people recommending the the Barrons EZ 101 book, which I have right here in front of me. And i also see a lot of people saying to rely on all of the feedback posted here...but my question is - what are the best ways to actually memorize/retain this information? Should I just attempt to read the Barrons book as many times as possible between now and Monday morning? Is there a posting on here that groups a lot of the feedback all together into a condensed list that I can just start studying from top to bottom? I feel like I am just all over the place with so much info!

Reading the Barron's book repeatedly is a good idea. You can also copy-paste the info in the SEF into a document to study from on the go.

Read a lot of English lit and excerpts to get familiar with authors and styles. Sparknotes and Wikipedia are great for plot summaries and quotes.

[DSH2007]

My comment from the Specific Feedback Section:

Just got back... scored a 66. My primary resource was the Barron's Study Keys with the companion audio from Audible.com. I also used the study guide attachments others have included in this thread (thanks guys 'n gals!) and practice Peterson's and Official CLEP tests. My final review included double checking the feedback from this thread and looking up on Wikipedia.

Yes, there is a lot of reading in the Barron's book; you can save some time by cross-referencing the feedback section and reading only those authors and works mentioned. Also, Education-portal.com has a free video series for English Lit that may be helpful. Just pick out the videos with authors and works mentioned in the feedback thread.

Put in the time needed on this one; it's six credits after all. No shame in postponing a test date if you need to get a better handle on the material. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

[cbaranick]

Hello everyone and thank you so much for your suggestions. It seems like the specific exam feedback section is very important to use for studying the right things and cutting down studying time when you are on a time crunch. Which leads to my next question...

The English Literature CLEP has 39 pages of threads about specific exam feedback? Is volume they key here? Meaning should I try to go through all 39 pages and look up everything everybody has listed? Or are there certain pages I should pay more attention to? I am very new to this section and I am not quite sure the most efficient way to use it?

Thanks so much!!

[DSH2007]

I usually will review only the last twelve months of feedback for any exam, perhaps going back further if there is a study guide referenced by someone. In my opinion the most recent feedback is most likely the most reliable, especially if there have been updates to any of the exams.

[Westerner]

I usually will review only the last twelve months of feedback for any exam, perhaps going back further if there is a study guide referenced by someone. In my opinion the most recent feedback is most likely the most reliable, especially if there have been updates to any of the exams.

Yeah, and if things keep being mentioned by many people, it's a good idea to study them. My test feedback is here.

[lprstn]

There are quite a few Quizlet flashcards available. I'd say you really have to know how you personally learn. Either Flashcards through IC (see the Humanities Section). My daughter is studying for this using Switched On Schoolhouse English Lit curriculum (can get it off amazon) since she needs to 'interactively' learn. She created a literature outline of sorts to jog her memory on the 'types' of writing that occurred when so she can mentally group them. Also, she's watching the Education-Portal.com videos and as many of the plays, samples I can find via Netflix, youtube, etc. We plan on doing the REA test, Peterson Test until she's scored at least a 51%.

So if you took the American Lit cold and passed, I think you could basically go through the flashcards, watch some of the Education-Portal videos, take sample test and review what you've missed, you should do fine.

[cbaranick]

I just took the 2nd of 3 Peterson practice tests for the English Literature CLEP and scored a 47%. I took the first practice test earlier today and got a 46%, studied what I missed, then came back and did the 2nd one tonight and only improved my score by 1%. I am scheduled to take this exam tomorrow morning (in 8 hours), but I am considering rescheduling based on my practice test scores. What do you guys think?

I feel like I have significantly improved on recognizing poetry forms, iambic pentameter, etc. and got just about all of those right on the 2nd test. I also feel that overall, I am able to A&I the passages and answer MOST of those questions correctly. Most of the ones I missed are "what period did this author write in?" or "who wrote this passage" - I find it very very difficulty to read 4-20 lines and recognize who wrote the piece. Nearly impossible actually. Am I able to pass the CLEP solely on being strong with literary terms, poetry forms, and A&I the literature? I actually FELT LIKE I did much better on the 2nd one after getting to the last question to find that I still only scored a 47%. That score really makes me hesitant to take this test in the morning. I was considering even rescheduling to the afternoon so I can sleep and get some more study in tomorrow morning...I am on a time crunch because this is my last test to complete my AA degree and this deadline is work related. I am stressing.

Any advice would help. I just feel like knowing the major authors and there main works with the main characters and the overall plot is not good enough for the questions that show 5 lines and ask who wrote it? To me, in order to be able to consistently answer those correctly you REALLY need to know English literature well! I just need a 50 or higher - so please give me your opinion! Thanks so much!

[DSH2007]

There are some amazing people on this forum who can skim study material a few days or hours before an exam, and successfully pass.

I'm not one of them.

Also, (oddly enough) I've never taken any of the practice tests to measure my performance, although I believe that is a good practice (I only study the questions, paired with the correct answers). Given your time crunch, what is your alternative plan if you do not pass this exam? More time - even just a day or two - covering the areas you are having difficulty in, can ensure your success.

Best of luck to you!