CLEP French
Language
AT A GLANCE
Description of the Examination Study Resources
The French Language examination is designed to measure Most textbooks used in college-level French language
knowledge and ability equivalent to that of students courses cover the topics in the outline above, but the
who have completed one to two years of college French approaches to certain topics and the emphases given
language study. The examination contains approximately to them may differ. To prepare for the French Language
121 questions to be answered in 90 minutes. Some of these exam, it is advisable to study one or more college textbooks,
are pretest questions that will not be scored. There are three which can be found in most college bookstores.
separately timed sections. The three sections are weighted
Besides studying basic vocabulary, you should understand
so that each question contributes equally to the total
and be able to apply the grammatical principles that make
score. Any time candidates spend on tutorials or providing
up the language. To improve your reading comprehension,
personal information is in addition to the actual testing time.
read passages from textbooks, short magazine or
Colleges may award different amounts of credit depending newspaper articles, or other printed material of your
on the candidate’s test scores. choice. To improve your listening comprehension, seek
opportunities to hear the language spoken by native
Knowledge and Skills Required speakers and to converse with native speakers. French
CDs and tapes are available in many libraries. Take
Candidates must demonstrate their ability to understand
advantage of opportunities to join organizations with
spoken and written French. The CLEP® French Language
French-speaking members, to attend French movies,
examination tests their listening and reading skills
or to hear French-language radio broadcasts.
through the various types of questions listed below.
The percentages indicate the approximate percentage A survey conducted by CLEP found that the following
of exam questions devoted to each type of question. textbooks are among those used by college faculty who
teach the equivalent course. Most of these have companion
15% SECTION I: LISTENING: REJOINDERS websites with practice test questions and other study
resources. HINT: When selecting a textbook, check the
§ Listening comprehension: choosing the best responses
table of contents against the knowledge and skills required
to short spoken prompts
for this test.
25% SECTION II: LISTENING: DIALOGUES AND Bragger and Rice, Allons-y! Le français par étapes (Heinle)
NARRATIVES Heilenman et al., Voilà! An Introduction to French (Heinle)
Jansma and Kassen, Motifs! An Introduction to French
§ Listening comprehension: choosing the answers
(Thompson and Heinle)
to questions based on longer spoken selections
Maley, Dans le Vent (Heinle)
Muyskens et al., Bravo! (Heinle)
60% SECTION III: READING
Oates and BuBois, Personnages: An Intermediate Course in French
10% Part A: Discrete sentences (vocabulary Language and Francophone Culture (Wiley/Cengage)
and structure) Pons et al., Points de départ (Prentice Hall)
20% Part B: Short cloze passages (vocabulary Siskin et al., Débuts (McGraw-Hill)
and structure) St. Onge and St. Onge, Interaction: Langue et culture (Heinle)
30% Part C: Reading passages and authentic Thompson and Phillips, Mais Oui! (Heinle)
stimulus materials (reading comprehension) Tufts and Jarausch, Sur le Vif (Heinle)
Valdman et al., Chez nous: Branché sur le monde francophone
(Prentice Hall)
Valette and Valette, Contacts: Langue et culture (Heinle)
Weidmann-Koop, Bien sûr! Culture et communication (Prentice Hall)
2
Grammar Resources Sample Test Questions
Baker et al., Collage: Révision de grammaire (McGraw-Hill) The following sample questions do not appear on an
Crocker, Schaum's Outline of French Grammar (McGraw-Hill) actual CLEP examination. They are intended to give
Rochat and Bloom, Contrastes: Grammaire du français courant potential test takers an indication of the format and
(Prentice Hall) difficulty level of the examination and to provide content
Stillman and Gordon, Reprise: A French Grammar Review for practice and review. For more sample questions and
Worktext (McGraw-Hill) info about the test, see the CLEP Of'cial Study Guide.
Sections I and II: Listening
In addition, the following resources, compiled by the CLEP
All italicized material in Section I and Section II represents
test development committee and staff members, may help
what you would hear on an actual test recording. This
you study for your exam. However, none of these sources
material does not appear on the screen. During the actual
are designed specifically to provide preparation for a CLEP
test, you can change the volume by using the Volume
exam. The College Board has no control over their content
testing tool. On exam day, the audio portions of the
and cannot vouch for accuracy.
Listening sections of the test will be presented only
http://dictionnaire.tv5.org (French dictionary, free) one time.
http://maisondequartier.com (free) Section I Directions: You will hear short conversations or
parts of conversations. You will then hear four responses,
http://www.lepointdufle.net
designated (A), (B), (C), and (D). After you hear the four
Le Point du FLE (Français Langue Etrangère)
responses, click on the lettered response oval that most
www.bonjourdefrance.com/index/indexapp.htm logically continues or completes the conversation. On
exam day, you’ll have 10 seconds to choose your response
http://oli.cmu.edu/courses/all-oli-courses/french-i
before the next conversation begins. When you’re ready to
-course-details (free online Carnegie Mellon course)
continue, click on the Dismiss Directions icons.
www.laits.utexas.edu/tex/ and
www.laits.utexas.edu/fi/ (U. of Texas French website)
0-
https://modernstates.org/course/french-language
Free Online French Language course by Modern States
Education Alliance
Visit clep.collegeboard.org/test-preparation for
additional French language resources. You can also find
suggestions for exam preparation in Chapter IV of the
CLEP Official Study Guide. In addition, many college
faculty post their course materials on their schools’
websites.
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questions, each with four answer choices. You will have
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4
Directions for Section III Part A: Each incomplete Directions for Section III Part C: Read the following
statement is followed by four suggested completions. selections. Each selection is followed by one or more
Select the one that is best in each case by clicking on questions or incomplete statements. For each question,
the corresponding oval. When you have decided on select the answer or completion that is best according to
your answer, click NEXT to go on. When you are ready the selection. Click on the corresponding oval. Click on
to continue, click on the Dismiss Directions icon. NEXT to go on. When you are ready to continue, click on
the Dismiss Directions icon.
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questions, the computer will highlight each blank,
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one at a time. When a blank is shaded, four completions
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Then, for each blank, choose the completion that is most
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appropriate, given the context of the entire paragraph.
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Click on the corresponding oval. Click NEXT to go on.
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When you are ready to continue, click on the Dismiss
Directions icon.
Credit Recommendations
Id m!]h 6 bnmsqd jdr adssdq]udr) l]hr id oqàeéqd jdr The American Council on Education has recommended
]rodqfdr nt jdr 7 cd sdqqd- that colleges grant six credits for a score of 50, which is
equivalent to a course grade of C, on the CLEP French
6- ?- o]r Language exam, and nine credits for a score of 59. Each
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college, however, is responsible for setting its own policy.
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For candidates with satisfactory scores on the French
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Language examination, colleges may grant credit toward
7- ?- sqntr fulfillment of a distribution requirement, or for a particular
A- r]br course that matches the exam in content. Check with your
B- b]qnssdr school to find out the score it requires for granting credit,
C- onlldr the number of credit hours granted, and the course that
can be bypassed with a passing score.
Answers to Sample Questions:
1-A; 2-C; 3-A; 4-B; 5-C; 6-D; 7-C; 8-D; 9-A; 10-B
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