Preparation material for CLEP College Composition

[sonofLope]

Hi,

I was wondering, aside from the REA College Composition book (which I skimmed through quickly at BN) what book/s or online material would be worth reviewing or purchasing to get my grammar and writing skills up to par for this CLEP? I'm rusty on the grammar and essay writing. Currently, I have the "McGraw-Hill Handbook of English Grammar and Usage, 2nd Edition" in my amazon wish list.

I don't want to rely on the REA guide alone after purchasing the REA Spanish CLEP guide; banghead which was a waste of time and money! I’ve since purchased another book to help me prepare para la prueba de español.

Any tips or recommendations would be great.

[unmorceau]

It's been a few years since I took that test (I believe it was back in 2011), but the test seems the same. My preparation basically entailed writing practice essays in 30 minutes every day for two or three weeks. You can find practice prompts for it online (also try the SAT essay writing prompts...very similar).

I can't help much with the grammar portion--I did very poorly on it...probably because I didn't study it as much as I practiced writing the essays. I scored much higher on the essay portion, which is what pulled me through for a decently good score overall.

[scarlethh]

hello,

I'm currently preparing myself for the college composition with out modular, I bought the REA BOOK and Im usinf the Educational Portal.com so far im doing great. wondering what tips i could get from ppl who have taken this test, ive been out of school for almost 6 years.

Thanks,

scah

[Getiton1]

My "go to" for the rules is a book my high school teacher recommended years ago and it still works for quick answers:

William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White's "The Elements of Style"

You may recognize the name E.B White…He wrote, "Charlotte's Web"

Another book that actually "reads" more than explains the rules (it does that too, but it's put together more like a story than the above) is:

Painless Grammar by Rebecca Elliott, Ph.D.

Of course if you just need a refresher on nouns, verbs, interjections, etc. I still love the old "School House Rock videos".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfnXUWJz0sE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOiI7mlUZV0

Schoolhouse Rock: Grammar - Unpack Your Adjectives Music Video - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4dzuuPlHJg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPoBE-E8VOc

And I am a fan of the following websites:

College Composition CLEP Study Guide - Free-Clep-Prep.com

English 104: College Composition Course - Online Video Lessons | Education Portal

And of course this site, the flashcards and the exam specific feedback.

That should totally help…I always use an outline to set up my paper BEFORE I even start writing, it keeps things on task and organized.

Intro
I. a
b.
c

II. a
b.
c.

III a.
b.
c.

Conclusion


Pace yourself if you have the written version of the test. Budget your time so you don't have to scramble at the end.

Best of Luck!
Tara

Hi,

I was wondering, aside from the REA College Composition book (which I skimmed through quickly at BN) what book/s or online material would be worth reviewing or purchasing to get my grammar and writing skills up to par for this CLEP? I'm rusty on the grammar and essay writing. Currently, I have the "McGraw-Hill Handbook of English Grammar and Usage, 2nd Edition" in my amazon wish list.

I don't want to rely on the REA guide alone after purchasing the REA Spanish CLEP guide; banghead which was a waste of time and money! I’ve since purchased another book to help me prepare para la prueba de español.

Any tips or recommendations would be great.

[jean4]

I noticed your response regarding the English composition with essay. You stated that you did well on the test because of your strong essay writing. I just came back from taking the college composition with essay, and I also feel that strong on the essays, however the 50 questions I am not sure. I felt like I didn't have enough time to really read and analyze these questions, so I feel very uncomfortable, because I actually had to guess about 15 of the questions because I was running out of time, but feeling good on the essay portion do you know if that would be enough to pull me through in the event that I didn't score well on the other, Any helpful hints will be very much appreciated. Thank you and have a blessed day.

[BGSU_Alum_86]

Jean4, seeing your post on the other thread regarding the college composition exam, you are in the fortunate position that you have a back-up option in case you did not receive a passing score. Being familiar with it, I am assuming that you are following the requirements of the California Bar. If you do not pass College Composition, you can take College Composition Modular right away -- no 6-month waiting period because it is a completely different test title. I do hope you won't need to use this option though!