As I mentioned in this post about the Classic Learning Test, the CLT is a college entrance exam. In this post, I want to tell you a bit about the CLT8.
Who is it for?
The CLT8 is an assessment designed for seventh and eighth graders. The test is focused on eighth-grade coursework but can be manageable for seventh-graders. It is not a college entrance exam, but it is meant to prepare middle school students for standardized tests in later years. It can also simply serve as an exam to help parents and their students understand how well the student is doing in school, or as a high school readiness exam.
What is the format?
The CLT8 is an entirely online test. It can be remotely proctored or taken at participating schools. The exam is 2 hours and 15 minutes long and consists of three sections: Verbal Reasoning, Grammar & Writing, and Quantitative Reasoning.
Verbal Reasoning
Verbal reasoning tests the student’s reading comprehension and ability to analyze a passage of high-quality literature. I love the passages that are on the CLT because they always come from great authors like Jane Austen, Aristotle, and Boethius (except for the science passages, but those are always interesting as well). All the exams in the CLT suite of assessments have the same basic layout (10 questions per passage, two being analogy questions). However, the CLT8 is very relevant to an eighth grader’s course work, and, while challenging, is manageable.
Grammar and Writing
The Grammar and Writing section tests the student’s knowledge of grammar and use of the English language. The passage choices are very similar to the passages from verbal reasoning, but some of the sentences are changed and numbered. The numbers match up to questions, which ask the student for the best word choice or punctuation convention.
Quantitative Reasoning
The quantitative reasoning section tests the student on geometrical reasoning, mathematical reasoning, and pre-algebra and algebra skills. This is heavily logic-based. The questions do not always require math skills, but instead make the student reason through a question using basic math skills. It’s different than other standardized tests that usually just test a student’s knowledge of how to use formulas. Again, while challenging, it is definitely manageable for an eighth grader who is willing to think through the questions.
Student Analytics
About 4 business days after the test, the scores are released. The scores include student analytics, which show the student’s results on a bell curve and use subsections to show where the student may need more work. It also gives a projected PSAT score, which is the anticipated score in two years, provided the student has average academic progress during that time.
The CLT8 is a great option for end-of-year (or even mid-year) testing for middle schoolers. In some states, a CLT score can fulfill the homeschool requirements. It’s a wonderful test, especially for classically educated students.
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