Language Notes
Text: English, Spanish
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
About Research & Education
Association
Research & Education Association (REA) is an organization of
educators, scientists, and engineers specializing in various
academic fields. Founded in 1959 with the purpose of disseminating
the most recently developed scientific information to groups in
industry, government, high schools, and universities, REA has since
become a successful and highly respected publisher of study aids,
test preps, handbooks, and reference works.
REA's Test Preparation series includes study guides for all academic
levels in almost all disciplines. Research & Education
Association publishes test preps for students who have not yet
completed high school, as well as high school students preparing to
enter college. Students from countries around the world seeking to
attend college in the United States will find the assistance they
need in REA's publications. For college students seeking advanced
degrees, REA publishes test preps for many major graduate school
admission examinations in a wide variety of disciplines, including
engineering, law, and medicine. Students at every level, in every
field, with every ambition can find what they are looking for among
REA's publications.
While most test preparation books present practice tests that bear
little resemblance to the actual exams, REA's series presents tests
that accurately depict the official exams in both degree of
difficulty and types of questions. REA's practice tests are always
based upon the most recently administered exams, and include every
type of question that can be expected on the actual exams.
REA's publications and educational materials are highly regarded and
continually receive an unprecedented amount of praise from
professionals, instructors, librarians, parents, and students. Our
authors are as diverse as the fields represented in the books we
publish. They are well-known in their respective disciplines and
serve on the faculties of prestigious high schools, colleges, and
universities throughout the United States and Canada.
Chapter 1: PASSING THE CLEP SPANISH CBT
ABOUT THIS BOOK
This book provides you with comprehensive preparation for the CLEP
Spanish Language Computer-Based Test, or CBT. Inside you will find a
concise review of introductory human development, as well as tips
and strategies for test-taking. We give you three full-length REA
practice tests, all based on the official CLEP subject exam. Our
practice tests contain every type of question that you can expect to
encounter on the CLEP CBT. Following each practice test you will
find an answer key with detailed explanations designed to help you
more completely absorb the test material.
All 34 CLEP exams are computer-based. As you can see, the practice
tests in our book are presented as paper-and-pencil exams. The
content and format of the actual CLEP subject exams are faithfully
mirrored. We detail the format of the CLEP Spanish Language CBT on
pages 5-6.
ABOUT THE EXAM
Who takes the CLEP Spanish Language CBT and what is it used for?
CLEP (College-Level Examination Program) examinations are usually
taken by adults who have acquired knowledge outside the classroom
and wish to bypass certain college courses and earn college credit.
The CLEP Program is designed to reward students for learning - no
matter where or how that knowledge was acquired. With more than
2,900 colleges and universities that grant credit and/or advanced
standing for CLEP exams, CLEP is the most widely accepted
credit-by-examination program in the country.
Although most CLEP candidates are adults returning to college, many
graduating high school seniors, enrolled college students, and
international students also take the exams to earn college credit or
to demonstrate their ability to perform at the college level. There
are no prerequisites, such as age or educational status, for taking
CLEP examinations. However, because policies on granting credits
vary among colleges, you should contact the particular institution
from which you wish to receive CLEP credit.
There are 34 CLEP examinations. Of these, five - English Composition
(with or without essay), Humanities, College Mathematics, Natural
Sciences, and Social Sciences and History - cover material usually
taken as requirements during the first two years of college.
Who develops and administers the exams?
The CLEP CBTs are developed by the College Entrance Examination
Board, administered by Educational Testing Service, and involves the
assistance of educators from across the United States. The test
development process is designed and carried out to ensure that the
content and difficulty of the test are appropriate to the college
level.
When and where is this exam given?
The CLEP Spanish Language exam is administered each month throughout
the year at approximately 1,400 test centers in the U.S. and can be
arranged for candidates abroad on request. To find the test center
nearest you and to register for the exam, you should obtain a copy
of the free booklets CLEP Colleges and CLEP Information for
Candidates and Registration Form. They are available at most
colleges where CLEP credit is granted, or by contacting:
CLEP Services
P.O. Box 6601
Princeton, NJ 08541-6601
Phone: 800-257-9558 (8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET)
Website: http://www.collegeboard.com/clep
How to Use this Book
What do I study first?
Read over the course review and the suggestions for test-taking.
Then use the first practice test as a diagnostic to determine your
area(s) of weakness. Once you find out where you need to spend more
time, focus your efforts on those specific problem areas. To
reinforce your facility with the subject matter, we advise keeping
at your side a college-level textbook that covers the appropriate
material.
To best utilize your study time, follow our Independent Study
Schedule, which you'll find in the front of this book. The schedule
is based on a six-week program, but can be condensed to three weeks
if necessary by collapsing each two-week study session into a
one-week period.
When should I start studying?
It's never too early to start studying for the CLEP Spanish exam.
The earlier you begin, the more time you will have to sharpen your
skills. Do not procrastinate! Cramming is not an effective way to
study, since it does not allow you the time needed to learn the test
material. The sooner you learn the format of the exam, the more time
you will have to familiarize yourself with it.
Format and Content of the CLEP CBT
The CLEP Spanish Language CBT assumes you'll have a level of mastery
that would equate to skills normally achieved during two to four
semesters of college-level work. The exam test basic vocabulary and
word usage, as well as the ability to understand oral and written
English.
There are approximately 120 multiple-choice questions on the test,
each with four possible answer choices, to be answered in three
separately timed sections. You will be allotted a total of
approximately 30 minutes for the Listening portion of the test
(which comprises Sections I and II) and 60 minutes for the Reading
portion of the test (which comprises Section III). The approximate
breakdown of topics is as follows:
Section I - Listening: Rejoinders (15%)
Section II - Listening: Dialogues and Narratives (25%)
Section III - Reading
Part A (16%): Discrete sentences (vocabulary and structure)
Part B (20%): Sort cloze passages (vocabulary and structure)
Part C (24%): Reading passages and authentic stimulus materials
(reading comprehension)
When will I receive my score report?
The test-center administrator will print out a full Candidate Score
Report for you immediately upon your completion of the CBT. Your
scores are reported only to you, unless you ask to have them sent
elsewhere. If you wish to have your scores reported to a college or
other institution, you must say so when you take the examination.
Since your scores are kept on file for 20 years, you can also
request transcripts from Educational Testing Service at a later
date.
STUDYING FOR THE CLEP SPANISH LANGUAGE CBT
It is crucial for you to choose the time and place for studying that
works best for you. Some students set aside a certain number of
hours every morning, while others choose to study at night before
going to sleep. Only you can determine when and where your study
time will be most effective. But be consistent and use your time
wisely. Work out a study routine and stick to it!
When you take our practice tests, try to make your testing
conditions as much like the actual test as possible. Turn off the
television or radio, and sit down at a quiet table or desk free from
distraction. Use a timer to ensure that each section is accurately
clocked.
As you complete each practice test, score it and thoroughly review
the explanations for the questions you answered incorrectly; but
don't review too much at one sitting. Concentrate on one problem
area at a time by reviewing the question and explanation, and by
studying our review until you are confident that you completely
understand the material.
Keep track of your scores and mark them on the scoring worksheet. By
doing so, you will be able to gauge your progress and discover
general weaknesses in particular sections. You should carefully
study the review sections that cover your areas of difficulty, as
this will build your skills in those areas.
Test-Taking Tips
Although you may not be familiar with computer-based standardized
tests like the CLEP Spanish Language exam, there are many ways to
acquaint yourself with this type of examination and thus help
alleviate your test-taking anxieties. Listed below are ways to help
you become accustomed to the CLEP CBT, some of which may be applied
to other computer-based standardized tests as well.
Know the format of the CBT. CLEP CBTs are not adaptive but rather
fixed-length tests. In a sense, this makes them kin to the familiar
paper-and-pencil exam in that you have the same flexibility to go
back and review your work in each section. Moreover, the format
hasn't changed a great deal from the paper-and-pencil CLEP.
Read all of the possible answers. Just because you think you have
found the correct response, do not automatically assume that it is
the best answer. Read through each choice to be sure that you are
not making a mistake by jumping to conclusions.
Use the process of elimination. Go through each possible response to
a question and eliminate as many of the answer choices as possible.
By eliminating just two answer choices, you give yourself a better
chance of getting the item correct, since there will be only three
choices left from which to make your guess. Remember, your score is
based only on the number of questions you answer correctly.
Work quickly and steadily. You will have a total of about 30 minutes
for the two Listening sections and 60 minutes for the reading
section. Taking our practice tests-which, again, have a few more
questions than the actual test-will help you learn to budget your
time wisely. Count on 40% of your total exam time being spent
listening to the material in Section I and Section II.
Learn the directions and format for each section of the test. This
will put extra time on your side that you can use to review your
work on test day.
Acquaint yourself with the CBT screen. Familiarize yourself with the
CLEP CBT screen beforehand by logging on to the official College
Board Website. Waiting until test day to see what the CBT screen
looks like in the pretest tutorial risks injecting needless anxiety
into your testing experience.
Be sure that your answer registers before you go to the next item.
Check the screen to see that your mouse-click causes the pointer to
darken the proper oval. This takes less effort than darkening an
oval on paper, but don't lull yourself into taking less care!
THE DAY OF THE EXAM
Preparing for the CLEP CBT
On the day of the test, you should wake up early (after a decent
night's rest, one would hope) and have a good breakfast. Dress
comfortably so that you are not distracted by being too hot or too
cold while taking the test. Plan to arrive at the test center early.
This will allow you to collect your thoughts and relax before the
test, and will also spare you the anxiety that comes with being
late. No one will be allowed into the test session after the test
has begun.
Before you set out for the test center, make sure that you have your
admission form, Social Security number, and a photo ID with your
signature (e.g., driver's license, student identification card, or
current alien registration card). You need proper ID to get into the
test center.
You may wear a watch to the test center, but it cannot make any
noise, which could disturb your fellow test-takers. No calculators,
computers, dictionaries, textbooks, notebooks, scrap paper,
briefcases, or packages will be permitted; drinking, smoking, and
eating are prohibited.
Good luck on the CLEP Spanish Language CBT!
