Yesterday I did the English with Essay. You don't get your score right away, which is hard when you're used to instant gratification, but it wasn't that difficult.

I think that which one you take depends on how comfortable you are at writing essays. If that's no problem for you go for the essay exam.

I prepared by checking the Kaplan CLEP book out of the local library. It has practice tests, common mistakes and details on the types of questions that will be on the exam.

Good luck.