How to Pass American Literature CLEP Exam in High School

Is your high school student planning on taking the American Literature CLEP exam? If your answer is yes, please keep reading. We will be pleased to share with you our experiences with this exam.

My son took this exam in 11^th grade right after passing Principles of Marketing, Principles of Management, and Introductory Business Law CLEPs. He didn’t find American Literature as difficult as these other exams, but I believe it was because we spent most of the year studying American Literature by BJU Press as a high school subject. He dove into specific CLEP preparation materials only after covering the high school curriculum. The detailed BJU Press materials helped him solidify his knowledge of American literary works; hence, he could pass this CLEP without any difficulty.

Is American Literature CLEP Exam Hard?

This exam is officially given point four difficulty on a scale of 1-5 (one being the easiest and five being the hardest), which makes it one of the more difficult exams to pass.

What Is the Passing Rate for American Literature CLEP Exam?

The exam answers are transferred to a scaled score. To pass the exam, a score of 50 must be achieved, which is equivalent to receiving C in a similar college course. (The maximum score is 80.)

In 2017 (the latest possible statistics available at the time of writing this article) 51% of civilian students taking this CLEP test achieved a passing score.

However, to better understand the actual difficulty of the exam, we have to examine the military passing rate. As military personnel get an opportunity to take CLEP exams for free, not all of them prepare for the tests properly thus altering the overall military passing rates. Therefore, looking at the military passing rate of 16% in 2019 gives us a clearer idea of the difficulty of the exam.

However, based on our experience, this CLEP is not as difficult as it seems if the student takes proper preparation.

RELATED: How to Pass Western Civilization II CLEP Exam

What Does This Exam Include?

Following are a few particulars:

This exam covers the material one would find in a two-semester college-level course.
You can choose to take this test with or without the essay (My son chose the no-essay option as he planned on taking the Composition CLEP in the future).
It includes the following periods:

1. The Colonial and Early National Period (Beginnings-1830)
2. The Romantic Period (1830-1870)
3. The Period of Realism and Naturalism (1870-1910)
4. The Modernist Period (1910-1945)
5. The Contemporary Period (1945-Present)

How Long Is American Literature CLEP Exam?

This exam consists of 100 multiple-choice questions which have to be answered within 90 minutes. You will receive 3 college credits for this exam and 1.0 credits for a high school course.

How to Prepare for American Literature CLEP Exam?

There are many ways to study for this exam and the best option for you will depend on both your student’s learning style and your budget. However, let me share with you how my son studied for this CLEP at the age of 16. Following are the steps he took:

He took an online course at ModernStates.org and received the following:
- FREE video and test preparation materials.
- FREE online test questions similar to those in the actual test.
- FREE CLEP exam voucher.
- REIMBURSEMENT for the college test center fee.

Please note that Modern States have very specific conditions under which you can receive their FREE voucher:

You must watch their training videos and read their study materials.
You must pass all their practice tests.

The Modern States course gave him a general overview of the areas required for passing this exam. However, we highly recommend adding other study materials to these.

We purchased an InstantCert.com membership to get more preparation practice, which proved to be worth the investment.
We purchased REA’s official CLEP American Literature study book. It is easily available online for as little as $4. We found it invaluable as it includes 2 full-length practice exams accompanied by a detailed explanation of why the particular answer is correct while the others are not. The practice exams give the student an excellent pre-official test experience of how it “feels” to take the actual test. They also provide specific information about the areas the student still needs to focus on.

Which Materials Should I Use to Prepare for American Literature CLEP Exam?

The actual preparation for the exam and the resources used primarily depend on three basic factors:

How much practice does your child need for this particular exam?
Will you pay for the exam yourself or will you opt for a free Modern States voucher?
How many CLEP exams has your student already taken and how confident are they in their preparation?

After considering these points, you will be able to determine which study materials to use in preparation for American Literature CLEP Exam. There are many textbooks and online courses available for this exam.

How Much Does It Cost to Take American Literature CLEP Exam?

Depending on how you decide to sign up for the exam, your expenses may look similar to the following two scenarios:

Option 1: You choose to pay for the exam yourself:

CLEP exam registration fee: $90
College testing center fee: $25 to $40 (Depending on which college you choose to take the exam at.)

Option 2: You choose to enroll in Modern States: $0 (Modern States reimburses you even for the testing center fee.)

In Closing

My son enjoys reading but struggled with Analyzing and Interpreting Literature. Yet, he didn’t seem to have any issues with American Literature even though his preparation was similar to the previous exam. I believe it was partly because he took the Analyzing and Interpreting Literature in 9^th grade, while the American Literature in 11^th grade. The two-year difference in his analytical thinking seemed to be quite significant. If your student is similar to mine, you may consider taking these literature exams in the 11^th or 12^th grades.

Have you found this article helpful? Please let us know how your student has prepared for their exam. Also, if you would like more information about other CLEP exams, please leave a comment below.