CLEP American Literature score 69
by Wendy Klebe
(Wisconsin)
This is not a test to take lightly, I studied for approximately 2 1/2 months to prepare. Definitely better and easier than 2 semesters and all the work that would entail.
I followed the suggestion of the Idiots Guide to American Literature. I also used the Annenberg sites "American Passages" to read bios on many authors. I watched some of the videos, but they just seemed to hilight and drag out the written bios. I used cliff/sparks notes to get the summaries of many novels. I also used the free link to the Peterson tests to determine when I was ready. I felt that I knew enough to answer most questions whether by knowing the answer or by knowing enough to eliminate most options and make an educated guess. I was not required to do the essay portion so I cannot respond on that. I am an English Major so I may have a lot more knowledge already from other courses I have taken...
I would recommend that you are definitely familiar with authors, the periods they wrote in, subjects and themes along with character names in major American works. I would also recommend that you are familiar with publication dates as there were a few questions of placing works in order of publication. There was a good amount of analysis and comprehension also.
