To Analyze or Not to Analyze, That is the Question!

[SuZQ2]

Hi All...

After reading the various comments regarding the Analyzing and Interpreting Literature CLEP, I'd really like some information/advice and HELP! I love to read, but feel like an absolute numskull when it comes to literary analysis. I began my CLEP journey with the REA A&I book, but became so discouraged by my lack of ability to analyze and interpret any of the passages successfully I switched to Psychology. After doing well on the 3 Psych CLEPS, I delved into American Lit in a big way and just passed this CLEP with a score of 80. There was a lot of analysis on this test, so I must have done something right.

I would LOVE to receive 6 more credits without the 3+ month study time I took to prepare for American Lit, but am terrified of the A&I test. Memorization is my strong suit - analysis definitely is not as I just don't seem to "see" the correct answer.

Should I try it? How does one begin to prepare? Are the Peterson's Tests helpful for this subject? Since I'm now very familiar with American Lit, I was thinking of getting some English Lit anthologies (I'm also toying with the idea of taking the English Lit CLEP at some point) and something on how to analyze Old/Middle English (this too scares me to death!).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[fromthisdesk]

Maybe you are over-thinking the analysis part -- I thought A&I was the easiest test I took and this was not due to being an English or Literature expert. You read an excerpt and they ask you questions on it. The excerpt stays open so you can reread it at your leisure. I believe the Peterson's tests are very similar (maybe even harder - to me anyway) than the A&I exam. The only issue most have with this exam is the time as you have to fully read most of the questions prior to answering. Take the Peterson's and if you are scoring in the upper 60's or above then you are probably more than ready to take on the real thing.

Good luck.

[dcan]

The REA book is great as a study guide, but the tests are horrible. Those tests have very little in common with the actual CLEP. I wanted to throw the book through a window multiple times when taking the tests, and my wife as well when she looked at them. The real test was a joke compared to those. The real test is very clear and unambiguous, with no "gotcha" questions or confusing answers.

Get the Official CLEP Study Guide at Amazon, less than $15. It is dead-on accurate in terms of what the real test is like.

[SuZQ2]

The REA book is great as a study guide, but the tests are horrible. Those tests have very little in common with the actual CLEP. I wanted to throw the book through a window multiple times when taking the tests, and my wife as well when she looked at them. The real test was a joke compared to those. The real test is very clear and unambiguous, with no "gotcha" questions or confusing answers.

Get the Official CLEP Study Guide at Amazon, less than $15. It is dead-on accurate in terms of what the real test is like.

I have the Official CLEP Study Guide and have used it for my past 4 CLEP tests. I actually began going through the Analyzing section today and haven't done too horribly so far - much better than my feeble attempts at the REA Guide. I see a tiny, tiny, tiny glimmer of hope...Any suggestions regarding a text for deciphering Old/Middle English?

[jt003806]

. I wanted to throw the book through a window multiple times when taking the tests, and my wife as well when she looked at them. .

You might want to rephrase this sentence before a domestic violence counselor shows up at your door

[dcan]

I have the Official CLEP Study Guide and have used it for my past 4 CLEP tests. I actually began going through the Analyzing section today and haven't done too horribly so far - much better than my feeble attempts at the REA Guide. I see a tiny, tiny, tiny glimmer of hope...Any suggestions regarding a text for deciphering Old/Middle English?

I didn't study for "deciphering" anything like that, I just tried to learn to understand what literature and poetry really are. I'm a tech guy, I snorted at literature all my life. But when I started to study for this it was a big uphill battle because I knew next to nothing beyond the typical elementary school "reading analysis" drills.

Honestly? This is what did it for me. I started listening to this during my commutes. I found it very interesting, not really dry at all, and it helped tremendously. I'm a believer in immersion learning, and I think this test benefits from that technique. I have a different take on it than the typical "study flashcards / take a test" approach around here. What helped me was by listening to this an hour or so a day for a couple weeks my brain was "tuned in" to think this way. It made it much easier to figure out what was being said on the test. I started using metaphor in everyday discussions as a result. Sounds weird, but it worked for me.

Whether I scored so high because of this, or because it was a ridiculously easy test to begin with and I was artificially stressed by REA, I really don't know. But it can't hurt.

[All-American]

It was easy to me & most people seem to agree. Check out what Free-Clep-Prep, has to say & use his sources. Then take a Peterson's test & study more. I studied lightly a couple weeks-- mainly reading poetry (I'm terrible at analyzing poetry) & memorizing the recommended terms. Not a difficult test but be prepared. I thought the Peterson's were much more difficult than the actual thing.

[Snickerdoodle]

The REA book is great as a study guide, but the tests are horrible. Those tests have very little in common with the actual CLEP. I wanted to throw the book through a window multiple times when taking the tests, and my wife as well when she looked at them. The real test was a joke compared to those. The real test is very clear and unambiguous, with no "gotcha" questions or confusing answers.

Get the Official CLEP Study Guide at Amazon, less than $15. It is dead-on accurate in terms of what the real test is like.

I couldn't agree more with what dcan said. I was barely passing on the REA practice tests (nearly in tears!!) and then I got a 78 on the real thing. The analyzing was mostly common sense. And you don't really need to read anything. I didn't for this test.

[sanantone]

A common misconception about the A&I CLEP is that it has a lot of Old/Middle English. Old English is almost completely unintelligible to the Modern English speaker; it would be like reading German or Swedish. A good example of Middle English is the Canterbury Tales written by Chaucer. Shakespeare wrote in Early Modern English.

This is Old English.

Cnut cyning gret his arcebiscopas and his leod-biscopas and Þurcyl eorl and ealle his eorlas and ealne his þeodscype, twelfhynde and twyhynde, gehadode and læwede, on Englalande freondlice.

This is Middle English.

Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote
And bathed every veyne in swich licour,
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;

I did not see anything like the above examples on the A&I CLEP.

[clep3705]

If you're not on a deadline and you are new to CLEP, start with the Analyzing and Interpreting Literature test. If your reading comprehension and verbal skills are good, don't prepare, just take it. There is a good chance you'll pass. If you don't, you can take it again in 6 months.