• 60 questions

Principles of Marketing CLEP Practice Test

Unofficial practice on the four areas of the Principles of Marketing outline, with nearly half on the marketing mix.

A manufacturer sells its televisions in another country for less than it charges at home. What is this practice called?

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the College Board. Bank checked October 11, 2026.

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All 60 questions

Marketing in society 6

  • A fast-food chain changes its menu in each country to fit the local culture. What is this approach to an international product called? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 7.2 "Managing New Products: The Product Life Cycle". College Board outline: Role of Marketing in Society (8%–13%), international marketing
  • A manufacturer sells its televisions in another country for less than it charges at home. What is this practice called? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 8.5 "Channel Dynamics". College Board outline: Role of Marketing in Society (8%–13%), international marketing
  • A shoe company pays for clean-water projects in its factory towns, saying a business should advance society's well-being and not only earn profits. Which idea is it following? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 1.4 "Themes and Organization of This Book". College Board outline: Role of Marketing in Society (8%–13%), ethics
  • A state health department runs commercials meant to get people to stop smoking. What is marketing that aims at social change called? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 1.2 "Who Does Marketing?". College Board outline: Role of Marketing in Society (8%–13%), nonprofit marketing
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Marketing in society, continued

  • A U.S. restaurant chain lets an independent operator in Japan use its trademarks, methods and business model in return for a fee. Which way of entering a foreign market is this? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 2.3 "Developing Organizational Objectives and Formulating Strategies". College Board outline: Role of Marketing in Society (8%–13%), international marketing
  • An American salesperson abroad is asked for a payment that local law and custom accept but that would be illegal in the United States. Why may she still not make it? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 13.4 "Ethics in Sales and Sales Management". College Board outline: Role of Marketing in Society (8%–13%), ethics

Marketing in an organization 12

  • A coffee chain begins selling its existing drinks in a country where it has never done business. Which product-market strategy is this? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 2.3 "Developing Organizational Objectives and Formulating Strategies". College Board outline: Role of Marketing in an Organization (17%–24%), marketing strategy
  • A company changes only the shelf position of a snack in a few real stores to see what happens to sales. Which research design is this? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 10.2 "Steps in the Marketing Research Process". College Board outline: Role of Marketing in an Organization (17%–24%), marketing research
  • A firm begins every decision by asking what its customers want and need. Which philosophy is it following? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 1.1 "Defining Marketing". College Board outline: Role of Marketing in an Organization (17%–24%), marketing concept
  • A firm's staff keep collecting information, routinely, so as to follow what is happening in the marketplace. What is this activity called? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 10.1 "Marketing Information Systems". College Board outline: Role of Marketing in an Organization (17%–24%), marketing decision system
  • A researcher uses figures that a government agency collected earlier for its own purposes. What kind of data is this? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 10.2 "Steps in the Marketing Research Process". College Board outline: Role of Marketing in an Organization (17%–24%), marketing research
  • A retailer keeps its sales records, customer data and outside market reports in one system so that managers can draw on them for decisions. What is this system called? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 10.1 "Marketing Information Systems". College Board outline: Role of Marketing in an Organization (17%–24%), marketing information system
  • In a SWOT analysis, where does a strong new competitor entering the market belong? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 2.2 "Components of the Strategic Planning Process". College Board outline: Role of Marketing in an Organization (17%–24%), marketing environment
  • In the Boston Consulting Group matrix, what is a business holding a small share of a fast-growing market called? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 2.5 "Strategic Portfolio Planning Approaches". College Board outline: Role of Marketing in an Organization (17%–24%), marketing strategy
  • Inflation, unemployment and interest rates belong to which part of a firm's external environment? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 2.2 "Components of the Strategic Planning Process". College Board outline: Role of Marketing in an Organization (17%–24%), marketing environment
  • Researchers draw a sample so that each possible participant is equally likely, at known odds, to be chosen. What kind of sample is this? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 10.2 "Steps in the Marketing Research Process". College Board outline: Role of Marketing in an Organization (17%–24%), marketing research
  • Which belief defines the selling orientation? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 1.1 "Defining Marketing". College Board outline: Role of Marketing in an Organization (17%–24%), marketing concept
  • Within a large corporation, the appliance business has separate customers, competitors and profit center and writes its own plan. What is such a unit called? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 2.4 "Where Strategic Planning Occurs within Firms". College Board outline: Role of Marketing in an Organization (17%–24%), marketing strategy

Target marketing 15

  • A coffee shop gives a free drink after every ten purchases, and customers keep coming back for the reward. Which kind of learning is at work? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 3.1 "Factors That Influence Consumers’ Buying Behavior". College Board outline: Target Marketing (22%–27%), consumer behavior
  • A drink long seen as something for older people is given a campaign meant to make young adults see it as their own. What is the firm doing? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 5.4 "Positioning and Repositioning Offerings". College Board outline: Target Marketing (22%–27%), positioning
  • A family gathers a great deal of information over several weeks before choosing a new car. Which kind of decision making is this? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 3.2 "Low-Involvement Versus High-Involvement Buying Decisions and the Consumer’s Decision-Making Process". College Board outline: Target Marketing (22%–27%), consumer behavior
  • A hospital orders the same gloves in the same quantity from the same vendor as before. Which buying situation is this? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 4.4 "Stages in the B2B Buying Process and B2B Buying Situations". College Board outline: Target Marketing (22%–27%), business-to-business markets
  • A loyal customer hears a critical news report about her favorite brand and takes it to mean that rivals are spreading lies. What is misinterpreting a message in this way called? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 3.1 "Factors That Influence Consumers’ Buying Behavior". College Board outline: Target Marketing (22%–27%), consumer behavior
  • A marketer plots rival soft drinks on a two-dimensional graph, by price and by sweetness, to see where her brand stands against them. What is the graph called? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 5.4 "Positioning and Repositioning Offerings". College Board outline: Target Marketing (22%–27%), positioning
  • A purchasing assistant decides which salespeople get to meet the engineers and managers who take part in a purchase. Which buying-center role is this? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 4.3 "Buying Centers". College Board outline: Target Marketing (22%–27%), business-to-business markets
  • A segment is large and growing, but the firm has no way to reach the people in it. Which test of a market worth targeting does the segment fail? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 5.3 "Selecting Target Markets and Target-Market Strategies". College Board outline: Target Marketing (22%–27%), segmentation
  • A teenager buys the sneakers worn by a group of athletes he identifies with and wants to join. What are those athletes to him? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 3.1 "Factors That Influence Consumers’ Buying Behavior". College Board outline: Target Marketing (22%–27%), consumer behavior
  • A travel company groups its customers by their activities, interests, opinions and lifestyles. Which kind of segmentation is this? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 5.2 "How Markets Are Segmented". College Board outline: Target Marketing (22%–27%), segmentation
  • After buying an expensive laptop, a shopper keeps wondering whether another model would have been the better choice. What is this called? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 3.2 "Low-Involvement Versus High-Involvement Buying Decisions and the Consumer’s Decision-Making Process". College Board outline: Target Marketing (22%–27%), consumer behavior
  • An airline sorts its customers by how often they fly with it and how they use its service. Which kind of segmentation is this? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 5.2 "How Markets Are Segmented". College Board outline: Target Marketing (22%–27%), segmentation
  • An automaker builds economy cars for students, minivans for families and luxury sedans for executives, and markets each to its own group. Which strategy is this? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 5.3 "Selecting Target Markets and Target-Market Strategies". College Board outline: Target Marketing (22%–27%), segmentation
  • Orders for aircraft engines go up only when travelers buy more tickets and airlines add planes. What kind of demand do the engine makers face? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 4.1 "The Characteristics of Business-to-Business (B2B) Markets". College Board outline: Target Marketing (22%–27%), business-to-business markets
  • Wholesalers and retailers sell other firms' goods, materially unchanged. Which type of business buyer are they? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 4.2 "Types of B2B Buyers". College Board outline: Target Marketing (22%–27%), business-to-business markets

Marketing mix 27

  • A candle maker has total fixed costs of $45,000. Each candle sells for $25 and has a variable cost of $10. How many candles must it sell to break even? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 15.2 "Factors That Affect Pricing Decisions". College Board outline: Marketing Mix (40%–50%), pricing policies
  • A carmaker holds almost no parts at its plant. Suppliers deliver seats and tires only as the assembly line calls for them. What is this approach to inventory called? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 9.2 "Demand Planning and Inventory Control". College Board outline: Marketing Mix (40%–50%), distribution channels and logistics
  • A cereal maker gives retailers trade allowances and cash incentives so that they will stock and promote its brand to shoppers. Which promotion strategy is this? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 11.7 "Sales Promotions". College Board outline: Marketing Mix (40%–50%), integrated marketing communications/promotion
  • A company makes sure that its advertising, sales calls, packaging and web site all deliver one consistent message to buyers. What is this approach called? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 11.1 "Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC)". College Board outline: Marketing Mix (40%–50%), integrated marketing communications/promotion
  • A company prices its printers low and earns its profit on the ink cartridges that owners must buy for them. Which pricing strategy is this? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 15.3 "Pricing Strategies". College Board outline: Marketing Mix (40%–50%), pricing policies
  • A company sells soaps, snacks, razors and batteries. What is the entire assortment of products it offers called? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 6.1 "What Composes an Offering?". College Board outline: Marketing Mix (40%–50%), product and service management
  • A firm launches a new game console at a high initial price, aimed at buyers who will pay to have it early. Which pricing strategy is this? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 15.3 "Pricing Strategies". College Board outline: Marketing Mix (40%–50%), pricing policies
  • A firm sets its promotion budget by deciding what it wants promotion to accomplish and adding up the costs of the tasks that requires. Which budgeting method is this? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 11.6 "The Promotion Budget". College Board outline: Marketing Mix (40%–50%), integrated marketing communications/promotion
  • A maker of luxury watches sells through a single authorized dealer in each city. Which distribution strategy is this? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 8.4 "Marketing Channel Strategies". College Board outline: Marketing Mix (40%–50%), distribution channels and logistics
  • A manufacturer opens its own online store, and the retailers that carry its goods object that it is competing with them. Which kind of channel conflict is this? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 8.5 "Channel Dynamics". College Board outline: Marketing Mix (40%–50%), distribution channels and logistics
  • A product is in decline. The firm reduces its investment in it and keeps selling what it can. What is this choice called? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 7.2 "Managing New Products: The Product Life Cycle". College Board outline: Marketing Mix (40%–50%), product and service management
  • A publisher starts selling e-books straight to readers from its own site, cutting bookstores and wholesalers out of the channel. What is this called? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 8.2 "Typical Marketing Channels". College Board outline: Marketing Mix (40%–50%), distribution channels and logistics
  • A soft-drink maker's new diet cola takes most of its sales away from the company's own regular cola. What is this called? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 6.4 "Branding, Labeling, and Packaging". College Board outline: Marketing Mix (40%–50%), branding
  • A store prices a bag of charcoal at $5.99 and not $6.00. Which pricing strategy is this? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 15.3 "Pricing Strategies". College Board outline: Marketing Mix (40%–50%), pricing policies
  • A supermarket chain sells cereal under its own name, made for it by an outside manufacturer. What is this kind of brand called? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 8.5 "Channel Dynamics". College Board outline: Marketing Mix (40%–50%), branding
  • A toothpaste maker puts its well-known brand name on a new category of product, mouthwash. What is this called? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 6.4 "Branding, Labeling, and Packaging". College Board outline: Marketing Mix (40%–50%), branding
  • A washing machine is sold with free installation and a help line. To which part of the offering do these services belong? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 6.1 "What Composes an Offering?". College Board outline: Marketing Mix (40%–50%), product and service management
  • An electronics firm collects customers' broken phones and runs them back through its supply chain to recover value from the parts. What is this called? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 9.4 "Track and Trace Systems and Reverse Logistics". College Board outline: Marketing Mix (40%–50%), distribution channels and logistics
  • An online store records which pages each visitor clicks on and in what order. What is this data called? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 10.1 "Marketing Information Systems". College Board outline: Marketing Mix (40%–50%), marketing application in e-commerce
  • Before launch, a software firm has real customers try a new program at their own offices. What is this stage of testing called? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 7.1 "The New Offering Development Process". College Board outline: Marketing Mix (40%–50%), product and service management
  • Funeral and towing services are offerings that consumers do not shop for until they are needed. Which type of consumer offering are they? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 6.2 "Types of Consumer Offerings". College Board outline: Marketing Mix (40%–50%), product and service management
  • In the AIDA model of promotion objectives, what do the four letters stand for? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 11.5 "Message Strategies". College Board outline: Marketing Mix (40%–50%), integrated marketing communications/promotion
  • Light bulbs, cleaning supplies and spare parts keep a factory and its equipment running. Which type of business offering are they? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 6.3 "Types of Business-to-Business (B2B) Offerings". College Board outline: Marketing Mix (40%–50%), product and service management
  • Sales of a two-year-old product are increasing, and more competitors are entering its market. Which product life cycle stage is this? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 7.2 "Managing New Products: The Product Life Cycle". College Board outline: Marketing Mix (40%–50%), product and service management
  • Two airlines meet and agree that both will charge identical fares on a route. What is this illegal practice called? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 15.2 "Factors That Affect Pricing Decisions". College Board outline: Marketing Mix (40%–50%), pricing policies
  • When a small rise in price leads buyers to cut their purchases sharply, how is demand for the product described? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 15.2 "Factors That Affect Pricing Decisions". College Board outline: Marketing Mix (40%–50%), pricing policies
  • Which part of the promotion mix is a message that is paid for, names the organization or brand behind it and goes to large groups at one time? Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, Saylor Academy open textbook, section 11.2 "The Promotion (Communication) Mix". College Board outline: Marketing Mix (40%–50%), integrated marketing communications/promotion

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the College Board's published outline of the CLEP Principles of Marketing exam (https://clep.collegeboard.org/clep-exams/principles-marketing, read 2026-10-11): Role of Marketing in Society 8%–13%, Role of Marketing in an Organization 17%–24%, Target Marketing 22%–27%, Marketing Mix 40%–50%. The bank holds 6, 12, 15 and 27 questions on them: 10%, 20%, 25% and 45%. Every fact was read on 2026-10-11 in the section each question names of Principles of Marketing, v. 2.0, an open textbook published by Saylor Academy under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 license (https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_principles-of-marketing-v2.0/); 37 of its sections are cited. The one calculation was worked out a second time. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.

How it works

This CLEP Principles of Marketing practice test has 60 questions of our own, weighted like the College Board's outline. It is unofficial and not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the College Board.

Read the full guide

Four areas and their weights

The College Board's exam page, read October 11, 2026, gives a range for each area: role of marketing in society (8% to 13%), role of marketing in an organization (17% to 24%), target marketing (22% to 27%) and the marketing mix (40% to 50%). The bank holds 6, 12, 15 and 27 questions, which is 10%, 20%, 25% and 45%.

Timing

Exam mode asks 60 questions in 54 minutes, the same time per question as the real exam.

Where the answers come from

Each explanation names a section of Principles of Marketing, an open textbook published by Saylor Academy, so you can open the section and read the term in context.

  • The marketing mix, the largest area, takes in managing products and services, branding, pricing, channels of distribution and logistics, promotion and e-commerce.
  • The exam also expects basic knowledge of the economic, demographic, social, political, legal and technological trends that matter to marketing, the College Board says.

Questions and answers

Is this Principles of Marketing CLEP practice test free?

Yes. The 60 questions, the reason for each answer, the timed round and the paper test cost nothing and ask for no sign-up. What you answer stays in this browser.

What does the Principles of Marketing CLEP cover?

The material of a one-semester introductory marketing course: what marketing does in society and inside a company, the markets of consumers and of organizations, the planning of marketing strategy, the marketing mix, and further topics: marketing research, ethics, international marketing, services and not-for-profit marketing.

How many questions are on the CLEP Principles of Marketing exam?

About 100, to be answered in 90 minutes, according to the College Board's exam page. Some of them are pretest questions that are not scored.

Are these real CLEP marketing questions?

No. Each one is our own, written from the published outline and an open textbook. None is copied or reworded from a real exam or an official sample question, and a score here does not predict a score there.

What score do you need on the CLEP Principles of Marketing exam?

There is no single pass mark. The American Council on Education recommends credit, 3 semester hours, at a scaled score of 50 on the 20 to 80 scale, and every college sets the score it will accept.

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