? for Orson re: ECE English / Essay

Orson, while searching for more info re: ECE English, I noticed that you said you were to take it last week. How did it go? Any thoughts or guidance is appreciated. Lastly, what did you do to prepare? thanks, John

 

Sure John, but...

it's a saga.

First the quick and dirty: Memorize a dozen pointed quotes (or at least a half) and their sources (as per MLA style guide). Especially those that fit into your patterms of opinion or thought and experience. Nostrums and proverbs are not out of order, unless you are of a more literary mind.) Next, be sure you can think or write in terms of outlines. Be sure you use thesis statements at the beginning of your essay, or at least by the end of the first paragraph. Use strong topic sentences in your paragraphs. Consider length: one page at least, and one-and-a-half. (Keep in mind the test books are half page size.) I found the "corrections" part almost half as hard as the one in the sample. Otherwise, fear not the test. Go for it.

And about the "Sample Exam?" I used the now obsolete one. I intended to test before the new one took effect October 1.

But to do so I scheduled online. Doing "World Population" was no problem online. Except that my local Prometrix test center was full for September. The WHOLE MONTH. Of course it's GRE testing time, and the "local" center is next to a university town. So both times I had travel 60 minutes instead of 20 (actually two-and-a-half hours--I'm between cars just now and had to take a bus--on the weekend! Which made it three times longer to get to than on a weekday.)

Now, when I scheduled my comp exam online, it was Mid-September. Within the span of 30 minutes, test times at my local tesing center disappeared (all of two). In the midst of getting a test date at the distant center (chosen from three or four), I backed up, wondering if the schedule had changed again, or if a better time had opened up. I hadn't. But my test date for the distant center was now unavailable! WHAT TO DO? Was I still registered? Had the system somehow deprived me? what happened?

To make matters worse, perhaps because of the turnover of old/new exams, the last week of September was frozen off, unavailable at both centers. In a panic I decided to call the center to see if my partial enrollment had "taken." Or not.

I learned that online scheduling was processed in daily batches from a central office; they did not have the information locally. I learned that I could schedule by phone with the distant center instead, and be ahead of the curve; that they had evening hours because of heavy demand, and even had Saturday testing. So I took a 2PM Saturday slot, and was told that if I showed up early they would likely be able to accomodate me even earlier because other testers usually finish early.

So I showed up at 1 PM. What then followed is best described as I wrote in the Excelsior feedback as "throughly f***ed up"--the most frustratingly messed up testing experience of my life. Back then I hoped Excelsior was more to blame. (One wants to think well of those one personally deals with.) But it's more likely the fault of the administrators, so used to administrating automated tests are they....

NOW, using Lawrie's advice, I thought there would be some way for this orthographically challenged man to t-y-p-e his response. (As per previous discussion, I though I'd barrow a portable printer to use with my laptop--but with better hopes previously in mind I did not. MY first mistake.)

Promisingly, I was told that I could either write by hand or on the computer. Thus set up with the latter, I proceeded to work. I looked at the instructions, then the questions. I tried to type. I couldn't. I went backward and tried again; I went forward and tried some more; I tried scrolling down, thinking I'd missed something (and surely my previous Excelsior testing gave me relevant experience? Right?) Wrong.

So I complained. The man who ha set me up was not around; only awoman was, who, unfortunately for me, was English-language challenged! I had to explain the problem four or five times! Since she didn't know what to do, she said to wait in the waiting room.

The man came back in 10 minustes or so. I explained to him. After trying the computer again, and failing again, he re-read the instructions: ONLY in test booklet.
SO--I'm set up again to test. I write my first paragraph and check the time: in three minutes, the "official" computer time read that 18 minutes had elapsed!!!

THIS in a time pressured exam! I complain again. Again I am not helped in a timely fashion. Again I'm in the waiting area, leaving the testing materials in the test room. To make a long story short, we (or they) try restarting the computer, re-booting, and even a different machine to help me regain the lost time....
It can't be done--it won't be done. I'm very very agitated. (And at this point, it's easier to be pissed-off at Excelsior than these set-upon administrators who fumble through it all with me. So I do.)

My time winds down. There's barely 10 or 12 minutes left to proof-read my work. The center is quiet, and I'm the last tester left. I'm standing in front of the observation window straining to proof my analysis and response essay. They are obviously cutting me slack on the "official" time (since it had "expired") given my travails. But I'm too self-conscious to take full advantage of the opportunity....

THUS ENDETH THE ABUSIVE LESSON.

I'll be happy with a "B," although if proofing and legibility hurt me as much as I fear it could be worse. I'll certainly be gratefully surprised if I earn an "A"--a grade I earned the hardest way! By trial....

--Orson

 

Wow, I am inclined now to just go with TESC and get the BA rather than the BS that I wanted. Let us know when you get you score, if you don't mind.

 

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For other readers interested in the vagueries of the written English requirement at the Big Three assessment instititons, and to provide context for some of Orson's remarks, here's an extract from a submission I posted 18 months back . . .



. . . I'll give the bottom line first. Because of the rigor of marking, rather than anything else I think, the CLEP English with Essay exam is much easier than the RCE English Exam. If you have a choice, i.e., if you are not an Excelsior student, I'd strongly advise taking the CLEP exam rather than the RCE exam.

MORE DETAIL
First COSC and TESC will accept the CLEP English with essay exam in fulfillment of their written English requirement. Excelsior as previously stated, will not.

COSC requires 500 standard score for a pass. TESC requires 500 score for a pass. Note that COSC requires only 470 for a pass in the rest of the CLEP general exams.(1)

The CLEP English with essay exam is 90 minutes in length. It is split into two separate and 45 minute parts. Part one is a multiple choice "English Interpretation" test of the sort I'm sure we're all familiar.

Part two of the CLEP English with Essay exam is . . . an essay. You have 45 minutes to write and essay on a subject you are given. My subject was "Discuss the invention or idea that had the greatest impact on the Twentieth Century." I chose to discuss the rise fall and rise again of Democratic Capitalism, with reference to the Russian revolution, the rise then ultimate defeat of Fascism, the prevalence of Democratic Socialism in Europe, and the decline of communism in China with it's gradual replacement by market capitalism. (2)

The Regents College exam (RCE AKA ECE) English Composition is three hours in length. It consists of three written essays with no multiple choice component. Although most other RCE exams are computer based, the rules as written say that the essays should be done using paper and pencil. These rules can be scrutinized at the Sylvan/Prometric center where the exam is taken. I wrote this exam at a Sylvan center using paper and pencil. (1)

However, my writing is near illegible to most people. I think I suffered in marking as a result. When it came time to write another RCE essay exam (Business policy and Strategy) I looked at the rules again and this exam too, it seemed, required paper and pencil format. I ignored that and wrote the exam in the basic word processor s/ware and submitted the material. The electronic transfer went fine (they accepted the document in that form) and it was duly marked.

So, I don't know what is going on there. The rule specifically said paper and pencil. Anyway, if your handwriting in poor, you may want to choose to use the computer, but do check the rules.

The details of the type of essays required can be found in the relevant PDF file on the Excelsior web site. As I remember it, there was a "contrast and compare" question of two articles, a critique of another piece of writing, and an "advocacy" report/letter trying to convince some committee of your point of view. That's how I remember it, but do check the PDF file.

You have a total of three hours to write the three essays. There was no time limit on any one essay. That is, you could spend disproportionate amounts of time on each.


(1) "Regents" = Excelsior; RCE = ECE; a CLEP general exam score of 500 (old), now = a score of 50 (new)

(2) CLEP essay subject - you don't have to be this pompous, write about whatever interests and animates you, within the context of the question.



Lawrie Miller
BA in 4 Weeks
http://geocities.com/ba_in_4_weeks

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