The test does not measure the rote recall of facts, isolated vocabulary, or rules of formal logic. The test consists of several prose passages that are representative of the kinds of writing commonly encountered in the post secondary curricula. Each passage is accompanied by a set of multiple-choice test items. The test does not measure the rote recall of rules of grammar, but stresses the analysis of the kinds of prose writing that students are required to read and write in secondary and post secondary curricula. The test consists of several prose passages with portions of their text underlined and numbered, accompanied by several types of items.
All items are multiple choice with five alternatives.
Items that measure the understanding of the conventions of standard written English offer five alternative responses to underlined portions of the text. The student must decide which alternative employs the conventional practice in usage and mechanics that is most appropriate in the context of the passage. Items that measure the understanding of rhetorical skills may refer to an underlined portion of the text or may ask a question about the passage as a whole. The student must decide which alternative is most appropriate in a given rhetorical situation. It includes a sampling of mathematics techniques covered in high school courses.