• 60 questions

CLEP College Composition Practice Test

Unofficial multiple-choice practice in the four skills of the College Board's College Composition outline.

"The trail is less than a mile long. ____, it climbs nine hundred feet." Which transition fits the blank?

Pick an answer, then press Check answer. Then you see Correct or Not quite, with the reason. Keys: A to D pick, Enter checks.

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Exam mode: 50 questions, 55 minutes.

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the College Board. Bank checked October 9, 2026.

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Revision skills 24

  • A draft argues that double shifts are unsafe for firefighters. Which opening sentence would best establish the writer's authority on the subject? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Revision Skills (40% of the questions), evaluation of author's authority and appeal. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Rhetorical Strategies.
  • A draft argues that the town should build a second bridge. Which added sentence best answers a likely objection? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Revision Skills (40% of the questions), evaluation of reasoning. Rule: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Argument.
  • A writer claims that a new bike lane has made Hill Street safer. Which evidence supports the claim best? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Revision Skills (40% of the questions), evaluation of evidence. Rule: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Evidence.
  • A writer wants the final sentence of a paragraph about a failed levee to land hard. Which version does that best? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Revision Skills (40% of the questions), rhetorical effects and emphasis. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Variation.
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Revision skills, continued

  • "The bridge closed. Commuters took the ferry." Which combined sentence shows most clearly why the commuters changed their route? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Revision Skills (40% of the questions), sentence variety and structure. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Independent and Dependent Clauses.
  • Draft of a concluding paragraph: "(1) Composting toilets are another idea worth a look. (2) The pilot recycling program cut the school's trash by a third. (3) It cost less than the old hauling contract. (4) For both reasons, the board should make the program permanent." Which sentence should be cut? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Revision Skills (40% of the questions), organization. Rule: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Conclusions.
  • Draft, from a grant request to a city board: "(1) The gymnasium floor has not been replaced since 1984. (2) Two panels near the east door have cracked. (3) A new floor would cost $48,000. (4) Honestly, the whole place is kind of a wreck." Which sentence does not suit the audience? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Revision Skills (40% of the questions), awareness of audience, tone, and purpose. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Levels of Formality.
  • Draft: "(1) Students who plan ahead finish sooner. (2) They list each task on Sunday night. (3) You should then set a date for each one. (4) They check the list every morning." Which sentence breaks the paragraph's point of view? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Revision Skills (40% of the questions), consistency of point of view. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Using Pronouns Clearly.
  • Draft: "(1) The branch library now opens at seven. (2) The library's roof was replaced in 1998. (3) Commuters can return books before work. (4) Morning visits have doubled since the change." Which sentence should be removed? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Revision Skills (40% of the questions), coherence between sentences and paragraphs. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, On Paragraphs.
  • Draft: "(1) The city planted two hundred street trees last spring. (2) Crews watered them weekly through the summer. (3) As a result, nearly all of them survived. (4) Each sapling was first staked against the wind." Where does sentence 4 belong? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Revision Skills (40% of the questions), organization. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, On Paragraphs.
  • Draft: "(1) The community garden opened in May. (2) Because the soil had been tested twice. (3) Neighbors planted beans first." Which is the best way to revise sentence 2? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Revision Skills (40% of the questions), sentence-level errors. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Sentence Fragments.
  • Draft: "(1) The food bank needs more cold storage. (2) Its one refrigerator is too small." Which sentence, added next, develops the point with the most useful detail? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Revision Skills (40% of the questions), level of detail. Rule: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Paragraphs.
  • Draft: "____ Tutors meet each student twice a week. Every session starts with the student's own questions. By midterm, most students in the program had raised their grades." Which sentence best fills the blank? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Revision Skills (40% of the questions), main idea, thesis statements, and topic sentences. Rule: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Paragraphs.
  • Draft: "After the town installed new streetlights, the bakery's sales rose. The lights clearly caused the increase." What is the weakness in this reasoning? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Revision Skills (40% of the questions), evaluation of reasoning. Rule: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Fallacies.
  • Draft: "The storm came at noon. The power went out. The shop stayed open. The owner lit candles." Which revision best varies the rhythm? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Revision Skills (40% of the questions), sentence variety and structure. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Variation.
  • Draft: "To renew a library card, bring a photo ID to any branch. Staff will confirm your address and print a new card while you wait." What kind of writing is this? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Revision Skills (40% of the questions), awareness of audience, tone, and purpose. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Creating a Thesis Statement, Thesis Statement Tips.
  • Draft: "Two of my friends disliked the film, so audiences everywhere must hate it." What is the weakness in this reasoning? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Revision Skills (40% of the questions), evaluation of reasoning. Rule: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Fallacies.
  • "Due to the fact that the museum was closed, we made the decision to take a walk in the park." Which revision is the most concise without changing the meaning? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Revision Skills (40% of the questions), use of language. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Concision.
  • "The ferry's engine failed at the dock. ____, the nine o'clock crossing was canceled." Which transition fits the blank? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Revision Skills (40% of the questions), transitions. Rule: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Transitions.
  • "Mistakes were made in the report by the committee." Which revision puts the sentence in the active voice? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Revision Skills (40% of the questions), use of language. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Active Versus Passive Voice.
  • "Small changes cut the school's energy bill. ____, switching the gym lights to timers saved four hundred dollars a month." Which transition fits the blank? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Revision Skills (40% of the questions), transitions. Rule: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Transitions.
  • "Three labs repeated the test and got the same numbers, so the results were ____." Which word best completes the sentence? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Revision Skills (40% of the questions), use of language. Rule: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Word Choice.
  • "The trail is less than a mile long. ____, it climbs nine hundred feet." Which transition fits the blank? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Revision Skills (40% of the questions), transitions. Rule: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Transitions.
  • Which sentence would make the strongest thesis for an argumentative essay about school start times? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Revision Skills (40% of the questions), main idea, thesis statements, and topic sentences. Rule: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Thesis Statements.

Ability to use source materials 15

  • A history paper marks each source with a raised number that leads to a note. Which documentation system is the writer using? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Ability to Use Source Materials (25% of the questions), documentation of sources. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Chicago Manual of Style 17th Edition.
  • A quotation in a paper reads: "Nobody understood [her]." What do the brackets show? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Ability to Use Source Materials (25% of the questions), integration of resource material. Rule: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Quotations.
  • A quotation in a paper reads: "The harbor . . . froze for the first time in forty years." What do the three spaced periods show? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Ability to Use Source Materials (25% of the questions), integration of resource material. Rule: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Quotations.
  • A student finds an unsigned web page about bridge safety. In evaluating it as a source, what is one of the first things to find out? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Ability to Use Source Materials (25% of the questions), evaluation of sources. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, General Guidelines.
  • A student quotes page 42 of a book by Elena Ruiz. Which in-text citation follows MLA style? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Ability to Use Source Materials (25% of the questions), documentation of sources. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, MLA In-Text Citations: The Basics.
  • A writer puts one paragraph of an article into her own words, at slightly less than its length, and names the author. What has she written? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Ability to Use Source Materials (25% of the questions), integration of resource material. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing.
  • Draft: "The town has changed. 'We lost the mill in 1987.' The school is smaller now." What does the quotation most need? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Ability to Use Source Materials (25% of the questions), integration of resource material. Rule: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Quotations.
  • How does a summary differ from a paraphrase? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Ability to Use Source Materials (25% of the questions), integration of resource material. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing.
  • How does an annotated bibliography differ from a plain list of sources? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Ability to Use Source Materials (25% of the questions), use of reference materials. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Annotated Bibliographies.
  • In the sentence "According to Chen, the river has shifted a mile east", what is "According to Chen"? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Ability to Use Source Materials (25% of the questions), integration of resource material. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Signal and Lead-in Phrases.
  • In what order are the entries on an MLA Works Cited page arranged? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Ability to Use Source Materials (25% of the questions), documentation of sources. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, MLA Works Cited Page: Basic Format.
  • What is the list of sources at the end of an APA paper titled? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Ability to Use Source Materials (25% of the questions), documentation of sources. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Reference List: Basic Rules.
  • What is the list of sources at the end of an MLA paper titled? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Ability to Use Source Materials (25% of the questions), documentation of sources. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, MLA Works Cited Page: Basic Format.
  • Which in-text citation follows APA style for an idea from a 2019 article by Elena Ruiz? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Ability to Use Source Materials (25% of the questions), documentation of sources. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, In-Text Citations: The Basics.
  • Which of these is primary research? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Ability to Use Source Materials (25% of the questions), use of reference materials. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, What is Primary Research?.

Rhetorical analysis 15

  • Passage: "Do not listen to Mr. Hale's plan for the park. He cannot even keep his own lawn mowed." What is wrong with this argument? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Rhetorical Analysis (25% of the questions), evaluation of evidence. Rule: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Fallacies.
  • Passage: "Either we close the library on Sundays or the town goes bankrupt." What is wrong with this argument? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Rhetorical Analysis (25% of the questions), rhetorical effects. Rule: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Fallacies.
  • Passage: "Every spring the creek floods Mill Road, and the school buses must detour for weeks. A culvert under the road would carry the water away. The county has priced one at $90,000." How is the passage organized? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Rhetorical Analysis (25% of the questions), organization/structure. The passage printed in the question is the evidence.
  • Passage: "Granted, the new schedule costs more at first. But it cuts overtime by half within a year." What is the job of the first sentence? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Rhetorical Analysis (25% of the questions), organization/structure. Rule: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Argument.
  • Passage: "I have inspected bridges in this county since 1998, and I signed the last three reports on this one." What is the writer doing? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Rhetorical Analysis (25% of the questions), appeals. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Aristotle's Rhetorical Situation.
  • Passage: "If the library waives one late fee, soon no one will return a book on time, and within a year the shelves will be empty." What is the weakness of this argument? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Rhetorical Analysis (25% of the questions), evaluation of evidence. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Fallacies.
  • Passage: "If the pool closes, where will two hundred children learn to swim?" Why does the writer put this as a question? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Rhetorical Analysis (25% of the questions), rhetorical effects. The passage printed in the question is the evidence.
  • Passage: "Oh, wonderful: another committee to study why the last committee failed." Which word best describes the tone? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Rhetorical Analysis (25% of the questions), tone. The passage printed in the question is the evidence.
  • Passage: "Picture a seven-year-old waiting alone at a bus stop with no light, in January, at six in the morning. That is what our vote decides." Which appeal does the passage rely on most? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Rhetorical Analysis (25% of the questions), appeals. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Rhetorical Strategies.
  • Passage: "The bridge is perfectly safe. A famous television chef said so last week." What is the weakness of the evidence? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Rhetorical Analysis (25% of the questions), evaluation of evidence. Rule: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Fallacies.
  • Passage: "The city's budget is a bucket with a hole in it: pour in what you like, and the level never rises." What does the comparison suggest? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Rhetorical Analysis (25% of the questions), use of language. The passage printed in the question is the evidence.
  • Passage: "The pilot ran in six schools. In all six, absences fell, by an average of 11 percent. If the same holds district-wide, that is 40,000 more days of class." Which appeal does the passage rely on most? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Rhetorical Analysis (25% of the questions), appeals. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Rhetorical Strategies.
  • Passage: "The survey reached 412 households. Of these, 58 percent favored the plan, 31 percent opposed it and 11 percent gave no opinion." Which word best describes the tone? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Rhetorical Analysis (25% of the questions), tone. The passage printed in the question is the evidence.
  • Passage: "We wrote to the board. We called the board. We stood before the board. Nothing changed." What is the effect of the repeated sentence pattern? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Rhetorical Analysis (25% of the questions), rhetorical effects. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Parallel Structure.
  • Two reports describe the same budget. One says the council "reduced" library hours; the other says it "slashed" them. What does the second word add? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Rhetorical Analysis (25% of the questions), use of language. Rule: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Word Choice.

Conventions of standard written English 6

  • "The committee reviewed the budget on Monday and approves it the same afternoon." Which change corrects the sentence? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Conventions of Standard Written English (10% of the questions), concord/agreement (verb tense). Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Verb Tense Consistency.
  • "The council met for three hours, no vote was taken." Which revision corrects the error? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Conventions of Standard Written English (10% of the questions), sentence boundaries. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Independent and Dependent Clauses.
  • "Neither the editor nor the author ____ the error." Which choice completes the sentence correctly? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Conventions of Standard Written English (10% of the questions), concord/agreement (subject-verb). Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Subject/Verb Agreement.
  • "The new manager promised to cut costs, hiring more staff, and that morale would improve." Which revision makes the series parallel? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Conventions of Standard Written English (10% of the questions), syntax (parallelism). Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Parallel Structure.
  • "Walking to the station, the rain soaked my coat." Which revision fixes the modifier? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Conventions of Standard Written English (10% of the questions), lack of subject in modifying word group. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Dangling Modifiers and How To Correct Them.
  • "When Dana called Maria, she was at the airport." What is wrong with this sentence? College Board, CLEP College Composition outline: Conventions of Standard Written English (10% of the questions), concord/agreement (pronoun reference). Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Using Pronouns Clearly.

How this list was compiled: Our own sentences, drafts, passages and questions, written to the College Board's published outline of the CLEP College Composition exam (https://clep.collegeboard.org/clep-exams/college-composition, read 2026-10-09): conventions of standard written English 10%; revision skills 40%; ability to use source materials 25%; rhetorical analysis 25%. The bank holds 6, 24, 15 and 15 questions, the same shares. Each rule of grammar, style, citation and argument was read on 2026-10-09 in the page named under its question, at the Purdue Online Writing Lab (owl.purdue.edu) or the Writing Center of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (writingcenter.unc.edu). Where a question turns only on the passage printed in it, the passage is the evidence and the outline line is named. Licence: Sentences, drafts, passages, questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.

How it works

This CLEP College Composition practice test has 60 questions of our own on revising drafts, using sources and analyzing rhetoric, each with its rule. It is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the College Board.

Read the full guide

The four skills

The College Board's outline, read October 9, 2026, weighs the multiple-choice questions this way: revision skills 40%, ability to use source materials 25%, rhetorical analysis 25%, conventions of standard written English 10%. This bank holds 24, 15, 15 and 6 questions. For a CLEP composition practice test on one skill, choose its topic.

Timing and the essays

The real exam gives 50 multiple-choice questions in 55 minutes, then two essays in 70 minutes. Exam mode uses the same 50 and 55. The essays are not practiced on this page.

Drafts inside the question

The real exam sets several questions on one draft. Here each question carries its own short draft, with its sentences numbered (1), (2), (3).

  • Points are not deducted for wrong or skipped answers on a CLEP exam, the College Board says, so answer every question.
  • The multiple-choice score and the essay grade are combined into one scaled score, so write timed essays as well.

Questions and answers

Is this College Composition CLEP practice test the real exam?

No. Every sentence, draft and question was written for this site from the College Board's published outline. None repeats or rewords a real exam question or an official sample, and a result here is not a forecast of your score.

Is this the CLEP English composition practice test?

Yes. College Composition covers first-year college writing, and most colleges grant credit for a first-year course in composition or English, so this doubles as a CLEP English practice test. Literature has separate exams: American Literature, English Literature, and Analyzing and Interpreting Literature.

What score do you need on CLEP College Composition?

No single score passes everywhere. The scale runs from 20 to 80, the American Council on Education recommends 6 semester hours of credit for a 50, and each college sets its own policy.

When do CLEP College Composition scores come out?

Later than for other CLEP exams. College English faculty score the essays, and the College Board says scores are ready one to two weeks after the test.

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