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100+ Free CLEP Human Growth and Development Practice Questions

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James Marcia expanded on Erikson's work by describing identity statuses. An adolescent who has explored options and made firm commitments is in which status?

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Key Facts: CLEP Human Growth and Development Exam

90

multiple-choice questions, some unscored pretest items

College Board

90 minutes

time limit for the exam

College Board

20-80

score scale, with 50 the ACE credit-granting score

College Board / ACE

3

semester hours of credit recommended at a score of 50

American Council on Education

12%

weight of each of the three largest areas: biological, cognitive, and social development

College Board

$97

exam fee, plus a test-center administration fee

College Board

The CLEP Human Growth and Development exam has about 90 multiple-choice questions and a 90-minute time limit, surveying life-span developmental psychology from infancy through aging. The largest content areas are biological development, cognitive development, and social development (about 12% each). It covers major theorists including Piaget, Erikson, Vygotsky, Kohlberg, Bowlby and Ainsworth, and Bronfenbrenner. Scores range from 20 to 80, and 50 is the ACE-recommended credit-granting score worth 3 semester hours. Registration costs $97 plus a test-center administration fee (source: College Board, clep.collegeboard.org).

Sample CLEP Human Growth and Development Practice Questions

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

1Erik Erikson proposed a stage of psychosocial development in which middle-aged adults seek to guide the next generation through work, parenting, or mentoring. What is this stage called?
A.Generativity versus stagnation
B.Industry versus inferiority
C.Intimacy versus isolation
D.Integrity versus despair
Explanation: Erikson's seventh stage, generativity versus stagnation, occurs in middle adulthood. Adults achieve generativity by contributing to society and guiding younger generations; failure leads to stagnation and self-absorption. This stage reflects Erikson's psychosocial emphasis on lifelong development.
2Sigmund Freud's psychosexual theory states that during one stage the child's pleasure centers on toilet training and control. Which stage is this?
A.Oral stage
B.Anal stage
C.Phallic stage
D.Latency stage
Explanation: In Freud's anal stage, occurring roughly from ages one to three, the child's libido centers on bowel and bladder control. Freud believed conflicts over toilet training could shape later personality traits such as orderliness or messiness. This stage follows the oral stage in his sequence.
3Urie Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory describes the layer of the environment that includes the relationships between two settings, such as a child's home and school. What is this layer called?
A.Microsystem
B.Exosystem
C.Mesosystem
D.Macrosystem
Explanation: In Bronfenbrenner's model, the mesosystem consists of the connections between the child's immediate settings, such as how home life and school interact. The microsystem is each individual setting, while the mesosystem links them. These nested systems shape development.
4Which theorist emphasized the role of the social and cultural environment in cognitive development, introducing the concept of the zone of proximal development?
A.Jean Piaget
B.John Bowlby
C.B. F. Skinner
D.Lev Vygotsky
Explanation: Lev Vygotsky's sociocultural theory stresses that cognition develops through social interaction and cultural tools, especially language. The zone of proximal development is the gap between what a child can do alone and what they can do with guidance. Scaffolding by a more skilled partner supports this learning.
5A psychologist explains that a child learned aggression by watching an adult model behave aggressively toward a doll. This explanation best reflects which theoretical perspective?
A.Social learning theory
B.Psychoanalytic theory
C.Maturational theory
D.Information processing theory
Explanation: Albert Bandura's social learning theory holds that behaviors such as aggression can be acquired through observation and imitation of models. His famous Bobo doll experiments demonstrated that children imitated adults' aggressive actions. Observational learning does not require direct reinforcement.
6The nature versus nurture debate in developmental psychology concerns which fundamental question?
A.Whether development occurs in stages or continuously
B.The relative influence of heredity and environment on development
C.Whether early or later experiences matter more
D.Whether children are active or passive in their own development
Explanation: The nature versus nurture debate addresses how much development is shaped by genetic inheritance (nature) versus environmental experience (nurture). Most contemporary psychologists agree both interact continuously. This is one of the central theoretical issues in the field.
7According to Erikson, the central psychosocial conflict of infancy, during the first year of life, is best described as which of the following?
A.Autonomy versus shame and doubt
B.Initiative versus guilt
C.Trust versus mistrust
D.Identity versus role confusion
Explanation: Erikson's first stage, trust versus mistrust, occurs during the first year. Responsive, consistent caregiving leads the infant to develop a sense of basic trust, while neglect fosters mistrust. The resolution shapes the infant's view of the world as safe or threatening.
8Which theoretical approach views development as a series of qualitatively distinct stages rather than a smooth, gradual process?
A.Continuous theories
B.Psychometric theories
C.Behaviorist theories
D.Stage theories
Explanation: Stage theories, such as those of Piaget, Erikson, and Freud, propose that development proceeds through distinct, qualitatively different periods. This is a discontinuous view. Continuous theories, by contrast, see development as gradual and quantitative change.
9John Bowlby's theory of attachment is rooted in which broader scientific perspective that emphasizes the adaptive, evolutionary value of behavior?
A.Ethological theory
B.Operant conditioning
C.Psychometric theory
D.Cognitive developmental theory
Explanation: Bowlby drew on ethology, the study of animal behavior in natural settings, to argue that attachment is an evolved, adaptive system promoting infant survival. Infants are biologically predisposed to form bonds with caregivers who provide protection. This evolutionary framing distinguishes attachment theory.
10A humanistic psychologist would most likely emphasize which of the following as central to human development?
A.Unconscious sexual conflicts from childhood
B.The drive toward self-actualization and personal growth
C.Reinforcement schedules that shape behavior
D.Genetically timed maturation of the body
Explanation: Humanistic theorists such as Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers emphasize free will, personal growth, and the drive toward self-actualization, the fulfillment of one's potential. They view people as inherently good and motivated to grow. This contrasts with deterministic psychoanalytic and behaviorist views.

About the CLEP Human Growth and Development Exam

The CLEP Human Growth and Development exam covers a one-semester introductory course in life-span developmental psychology. It tests theories and research on physical, cognitive, and social development from conception through aging and death. The computer-based test has about 90 multiple-choice questions to be answered in 90 minutes and is scored on a 20-80 scale, with 50 the ACE-recommended credit-granting score worth 3 semester hours.

Questions

90 scored questions

Time Limit

90 minutes

Passing Score

50 (on a 20-80 scale)

Exam Fee

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

CLEP Human Growth and Development Exam Content Outline

~10%

Theoretical Perspectives

Psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, ethological, and contextual theories from Freud, Erikson, Piaget, Vygotsky, Skinner, Bandura, Bowlby, and Bronfenbrenner.

~6%

Research Strategies and Methodology

Cross-sectional, longitudinal, and sequential designs, correlation versus experiment, observation, and research ethics.

~12%

Biological Development

Genetics, prenatal development and teratogens, brain and motor development, puberty, and physical aging.

~6%

Perceptual Development

Sensation and perception across the life span, including depth perception and the visual cliff.

~12%

Cognitive Development

Piaget's stages, information processing, memory, Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, and cognition in aging.

~8%

Language Development

Phonology, semantics, syntax, pragmatics, and nativist, learning, and interactionist accounts of acquisition.

~6%

Intelligence

Theories of intelligence, IQ testing, fluid and crystallized intelligence, and change across the life span.

~12%

Social Development

Attachment, peer relationships, gender roles, moral development, and adult social relationships.

~8%

Family, Home, and Society

Parenting styles, family structures, divorce, child care, culture, and media influences.

~8%

Personality and Emotion

Temperament, emotional development, self and identity, the Big Five, and personality theories.

~6%

Schooling, Work, and Interventions

Educational influences, achievement motivation, career development, retirement, and interventions.

~6%

Developmental Psychopathology

Atypical development including autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, depression, and dementia.

How to Pass the CLEP Human Growth and Development Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: 50 (on a 20-80 scale)
  • Exam length: 90 questions
  • Time limit: 90 minutes
  • Exam fee: $97 plus 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 Human Growth and Development Study Tips from Top Performers

1Build a one-page chart of the major theorists (Freud, Erikson, Piaget, Vygotsky, Kohlberg, Bowlby) and their stages or key ideas — most questions test these.
2Memorize Piaget's four stages and Erikson's eight stages in order, with the age range and central conflict or achievement of each.
3Distinguish the research designs: cross-sectional compares ages at one time, longitudinal follows one group over time, and sequential combines both.
4Know Baumrind's four parenting styles and Ainsworth's Strange Situation attachment categories cold — they appear frequently.
5Focus extra study on biological, cognitive, and social development, which are the three largest content areas at roughly 12% each.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many questions are on the CLEP Human Growth and Development exam and how long is it?

The exam has approximately 90 multiple-choice questions and a 90-minute time limit. Some questions are unscored pretest items that do not count toward your score.

What score do I need to pass the CLEP Human Growth and Development exam?

CLEP exams are scored on a 20-80 scale. The American Council on Education recommends a credit-granting score of 50, worth 3 semester hours, but each college sets its own policy.

What content does the CLEP Human Growth and Development exam cover?

It surveys life-span developmental psychology: theoretical perspectives, research methods, and biological, perceptual, cognitive, language, intelligence, social, personality, and emotional development from infancy through aging.

Which theorists should I know for the exam?

Key theorists include Piaget, Erikson, Vygotsky, Kohlberg, Freud, Bowlby and Ainsworth (attachment), Bandura, Skinner, Baumrind (parenting styles), and Bronfenbrenner (ecological systems).

How much does the CLEP Human Growth and Development exam cost?

The CLEP exam fee is $97, plus a separate administration fee charged by the test center. Some students qualify for fee assistance through their school or military programs.

Is the CLEP Human Growth and Development exam all multiple choice?

Yes. The exam is entirely multiple choice, delivered by computer. There is no required essay, unlike CLEP College Composition.