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100+ Free CLEP College Composition Practice Questions

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Which sentence corrects the faulty parallelism in "The coach told the players to run laps, to stretch, and that they should hydrate"?

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Key Facts: CLEP College Composition Exam

50

multiple-choice questions in 55 minutes

College Board

2

mandatory essays graded by college faculty in 70 minutes

College Board

125 minutes

total testing time across both sections

College Board

20-80

score scale, with 50 the ACE credit-granting score

College Board

6

semester hours of credit the exam can earn

ACE / College Board

$97

exam fee plus a test-center administration fee

College Board

CLEP College Composition has 50 multiple-choice questions (55 minutes) and 2 essays (70 minutes), for 125 minutes of testing. The multiple-choice section breaks down as Revision Skills (~40%), Ability to Use Source Materials (~25%), Rhetorical Analysis (~25%), and Conventions of Standard Written English (~10%). The multiple-choice and essay scores are weighted equally; essays are graded by college faculty. Scores range 20-80, and the ACE-recommended credit-granting score is 50, worth up to 6 semester hours. The exam fee is $97 plus a test-center administration fee (source: College Board, clep.collegeboard.org).

Sample CLEP College Composition Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your CLEP College Composition exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Which version of the sentence is the clearest and most concise? "Due to the fact that it was raining, the game was cancelled by the officials."
A.Because it was raining, the officials cancelled the game.
B.Due to the fact that it was raining, the game was cancelled by the officials.
C.It was raining, due to this the game was cancelled by the officials.
D.The game, because of the rain that was occurring, was cancelled by officials.
Explanation: The best revision replaces the wordy phrase "due to the fact that" with "because" and uses the active voice ("the officials cancelled the game") instead of the passive ("was cancelled by the officials"). This is shorter and more direct while keeping the meaning.
2In the sentence "Walking to class, the heavy backpack strained her shoulders," what is the grammatical error?
A.A comma splice
B.A dangling modifier
C.Faulty parallelism
D.A pronoun-antecedent disagreement
Explanation: The introductory phrase "Walking to class" should modify the person doing the walking, but it is attached to "the heavy backpack," which cannot walk. This is a dangling (misplaced) modifier; a correct revision would read "Walking to class, she strained her shoulders under the heavy backpack."
3Which revision best corrects the comma splice "The experiment failed, the researchers tried again"?
A.The experiment failed the researchers tried again.
B.The experiment failed, the researchers, tried again.
C.The experiment failed, so the researchers tried again.
D.The experiment failed, however the researchers tried again.
Explanation: A comma splice joins two independent clauses with only a comma. Adding the coordinating conjunction "so" after the comma correctly links the clauses and shows the cause-and-effect relationship.
4Which sentence corrects the faulty parallelism in "The coach told the players to run laps, to stretch, and that they should hydrate"?
A.The coach told the players to run laps, to stretch, and that they should hydrate.
B.The coach told the players to run laps, stretching, and to hydrate.
C.The coach told the players running laps, to stretch, and hydrate.
D.The coach told the players to run laps, to stretch, and to hydrate.
Explanation: Items in a series should share the same grammatical form. Using three parallel infinitives — "to run," "to stretch," and "to hydrate" — creates balanced, parallel structure.
5A draft paragraph jumps abruptly from describing a problem to proposing a solution. Which transition word best signals this shift at the start of the next sentence?
A.To address this,
B.For example,
C.Similarly,
D.Meanwhile,
Explanation: "To address this" signals a move from identifying a problem to offering a remedy, smoothing the logical shift between the two ideas. Effective transitions show the relationship between sentences in a draft.
6Which sentence best combines these two choppy sentences? "The novel was published in 1925. It became a defining work of the Jazz Age."
A.The novel was published in 1925, it became a defining work of the Jazz Age.
B.Published in 1925, the novel became a defining work of the Jazz Age.
C.The novel was published in 1925 and the novel became a defining work of the Jazz Age.
D.The novel, published in 1925, and it became a defining work of the Jazz Age.
Explanation: Reducing the first sentence to the participial phrase "Published in 1925" subordinates the less important detail and produces a smooth, varied sentence. This eliminates the choppy repetition of "the novel."
7In revising a draft, a writer wants to move a sentence that states the paragraph's main idea to the most effective position. Where does a topic sentence most often belong?
A.At the very end of the essay's conclusion
B.Hidden in the middle of the longest sentence
C.At or near the beginning of the paragraph
D.Only in the introduction, never in body paragraphs
Explanation: A topic sentence usually appears at or near the beginning of a body paragraph so readers immediately understand the paragraph's controlling idea. The supporting sentences then develop that idea.
8Which revision removes the redundancy in "In my personal opinion, I think the plan is a good idea that has merit"?
A.In my personal opinion, I think the plan has merit.
B.The plan is a good idea that, in my opinion, has merit.
C.In my opinion, I personally think the plan is a good idea.
D.I think the plan has merit.
Explanation: "In my personal opinion" and "I think" both express the same idea, and "a good idea that has merit" is redundant. "I think the plan has merit" conveys the point without repetition.
9A student's draft uses the vague word "things" repeatedly. In the sentence "The report covered many things about the budget," which revision is most precise?
A.The report analyzed projected revenue, expenses, and cost overruns in the budget.
B.The report covered numerous budgetary things.
C.The report covered many things regarding the budget.
D.The report covered a lot of stuff about the budget.
Explanation: Replacing the vague "many things" with the specific items the report covered — revenue, expenses, and cost overruns — makes the sentence concrete and informative. Precise diction strengthens a draft.
10Which sentence corrects the shift in verb tense in "The committee reviewed the proposal and then approves it"?
A.The committee reviewed the proposal and then approves it.
B.The committee reviewed the proposal and then approved it.
C.The committee reviews the proposal and then approved it.
D.The committee reviewing the proposal and then approves it.
Explanation: The two actions occurred in the past, so both verbs should be in the past tense: "reviewed" and "approved." Consistent verb tense keeps the timeline clear in revision.

About the CLEP College Composition Exam

CLEP College Composition is a computer-based exam from the College Board that can earn up to 6 semester hours of first-year college writing credit. It has two parts: 50 multiple-choice questions (55 minutes) covering revision skills, use of source materials, rhetorical analysis, and conventions of standard written English, plus two essays (70 minutes), one of which requires synthesizing and citing two provided sources. Scores range from 20 to 80, and the ACE-recommended credit-granting score is 50.

Questions

50 scored questions

Time Limit

2 hours 5 minutes (125 minutes)

Passing Score

50 (on a 20-80 scale)

Exam Fee

$97 plus a test-center administration fee (College Board)

CLEP College Composition Exam Content Outline

~40%

Revision Skills

Revising sentences and draft passages for clarity, coherence, sentence variety, organization, transitions, and logical development.

~25%

Ability to Use Source Materials

Evaluating and integrating sources and documenting them in MLA, APA, and Chicago styles.

~25%

Rhetorical Analysis

Analyzing purpose, audience, tone, appeals, evidence, and rhetorical strategy in prose passages.

~10%

Conventions of Standard Written English

Recognizing acceptable grammar, usage, punctuation, and sentence structure.

How to Pass the CLEP College Composition Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: 50 (on a 20-80 scale)
  • Exam length: 50 questions
  • Time limit: 2 hours 5 minutes (125 minutes)
  • Exam fee: $97 plus a test-center administration fee

Keys to Passing

  • Complete 500+ practice questions
  • Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
  • Focus on highest-weighted sections
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

CLEP College Composition Study Tips from Top Performers

1Drill revision questions hardest — they are ~40% of the multiple-choice section. Read each draft sentence for the clearest, most concise, grammatically correct version.
2Memorize the basic differences between MLA, APA, and Chicago citation formats, especially in-text citation and reference/works-cited entry order.
3For rhetorical analysis, identify the author's purpose, intended audience, and tone first, then evaluate the evidence and reasoning.
4Practice the synthesis essay by outlining a thesis and pulling specific, cited support from two provided sources in 5 minutes before writing.
5Review high-frequency grammar errors: subject-verb agreement, pronoun reference, parallelism, dangling modifiers, and comma splices.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many questions are on the CLEP College Composition exam?

There are 50 multiple-choice questions (55 minutes) plus 2 essays (70 minutes), for about 125 minutes of total testing time. The multiple-choice and essay scores are weighted equally.

What score do I need to pass CLEP College Composition?

CLEP exams are scored from 20 to 80, and the ACE-recommended credit-granting score is 50. The exam can earn up to 6 semester hours of credit, though each institution sets its own policy.

What topics does the multiple-choice section cover?

Revision Skills make up about 40% of the multiple-choice questions, Ability to Use Source Materials about 25%, Rhetorical Analysis about 25%, and Conventions of Standard Written English about 10%.

Are the essays required on CLEP College Composition?

Yes. CLEP College Composition includes two mandatory essays graded by college faculty. One essay requires you to develop an argument by synthesizing and citing two provided sources.

What citation styles are tested?

The Ability to Use Source Materials section covers documenting sources in multiple styles, including but not limited to MLA, APA, and Chicago, along with evaluating and integrating source material.

How much does the CLEP College Composition exam cost?

The CLEP exam fee is $97, plus a separate administration fee charged by the test center. Some military members and eligible students may have the fee covered.