Purpose of the EPT

The EPT is designed to assess the level of reading and writing skills of entering undergraduate students so that they can be placed in appropriate courses. Those undergraduate students who do not demonstrate college-level skills will be directed to courses or programs designed to help them attain these skills. The test is not a condition for admission to the CSU, but it is a condition of enrollment. Students may take the EPT only once. It may not be repeated.

Who Must Take the EPT
The test is required of all students who have not already taken English 100, 110, or the equivalent. However, students are exempt from the EPT if they have earned any one of the following:

• a score of 550 or above on the verbal section of the College Board SAT I: Reasoning Test taken between April 1995 and January 2005
• a score of 550 or above on the Critical Reading section of the College Board SAT Reasoning Test taken March 2005 or later
• a score of 680 or above on the College Board SAT II: Writing Test taken between May 1998 and January 2005
• a score of 680 or more on the WRITING section of the SAT Reasoning test taken March 2005 or later
• a score of 24 or above on the enhanced ACT English Test taken October 1989 or later
• a score of 3, 4, or 5 on either the Language and Composition or Literature and Composition examination of the College Board Advanced Placement Program
• Completion and transfer to the CSU of a college course that satisfies the CSU General Education requirement in English Composition, provided such a course was completed with a grade of C or better.
• placement in the “exempt” category on the Early Assessment Program (EAP) English taken in conjunction with the 11th grade California Standards Test in English Language Arts
• a score of 22 or above on the American College Testing (ACT) English Usage Test taken prior to October 1989
• a score of 470 or above on the Verbal section of the College Board Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) taken prior to March 1994
• a score of 510 or above on the Verbal section of the College Board SAT I: Reasoning Test taken between March 1994 and March 1995
• a score of 600 or above on the College Board SAT II Writing Test taken between January 1994 and March 1995
• a score of 660 or above on the College Board SAT II Writing Test taken between March 1995 and March 1998
• a score of 5 or 6 on the KHSD Golden State Exam
• a score of 50 or better on the ACT ASSET English Test

NOTE: The College Board SAT I and SAT II were renamed SAT Reasoning and SAT Subject Tests, respectively, beginning March 2005.

PENALTIES: Students who have not taken the EPT and are not exempt from the requirement will not be allowed to register for any classes. The college requires students to take this test their first quarter at CSUB; Students who do not complete this requirement will not be allowed to register for any courses in the University for their second quarter.

REGISTRATION and EPT/ELM TEST DATES: For test dates and to register to take the EPT and/or the ELM at CSUB see our On-Line Registration page.

To register to take the tests at another CSU campus see the EPT/ELM Information Bulletin.

OUT-OF-STATE: Students can arrange to take the EPT and ELM tests outside of California. Contact Educational Testing Service (ETS) at (925) 808-2142 and ask about “Out-of-State testing for the EPT/ELM program”. ETS is the company that publishes and scores the tests. They can arrange for them to be given at a high school or college in your area. You will be asked to pay the administrative costs of the exam to pay the proctors.

FEES: The cost of each exam (ELM or EPT) is $18, paid at the time of the exam. If both tests are taken, the cost is $36. You must present a check or money order on the day of the test, payable to “ETS”. Cash will not be accepted.

PHOTO ID: you will NOT be admitted without a photo ID

How are the EPT scores interpreted?
Each student who takes the EPT will receive their official test results in the mail from the Educational Testing Services (ETS). Students may contact the English Department or their advisor for placement in the appropriate course. On the local level, we occasionally use only the scores on the objective portion of the test for placement, but students must be prepared for their total scores (and their placement) to change when we receive the essay scores from ETS.

WHAT THE TEST WILL COVER:

To find out more about what’s on the test, see Focus on English, a publication of the California State University System. (Requires Adobe Acrobat)

See the CSU English Success Website for test review questions.

Additional details may be found at the official CSU EPT/ELM Website.