Test Information
Guide:
College-Level
Examination
Program®
2006-07
Introductory Sociology
© 2007 The College Board. All rights reserved. College Board, College-Level Examination
Program, CLEP, and the acorn logo are registered trademarks of the College Board.
2005-06 National CLEP Candidates by Age*
CLEP TEST INFORMATION GUIDE
FOR INTRODUCTORY SOCIOLOGY Under 19
10%
History of CLEP 30 years and older 19-22 years
Since 1967, the College-Level Examination Program 34% 25%
(CLEP) has provided over six million people with
the opportunity to reach their educational goals.
CLEP participants have received college credit for Not reported 23-29 years
10% 21%
knowledge and expertise they have gained through
prior course work, independent study, or work and
* These data are based on 90% of CLEP test-takers who responded to this
life experience. survey question during their examinations.
Over the years, the CLEP examinations have
evolved to keep pace with changing curricula 2005-06 National CLEP Candidates by Gender
and pedagogy. Currently the examinations
represent courses typical of the first two years
of college study, stressing the areas of liberal arts
and business. Students may choose from 34
different subject areas to demonstrate their
mastery of college-level material.
Today, over 2,900 colleges and universities
recognize CLEP.
Philosophy of CLEP
Promoting access to higher education is CLEP’s
foundation. CLEP offers students an opportunity
Computer-Based CLEP Testing
to demonstrate and receive validation of their In 2001, CLEP transitioned from paper-based test
college-level knowledge. Students who receive administrations to computer-delivered examinations.
an appropriate score on a CLEP exam can enrich As part of the move to computer-based testing (CBT),
their college experience with higher-level courses CLEP committed to a number of changes that have
in their major field of study, expand their horizons improved the program for both colleges and students.
by taking a wider array of electives, and avoid These new features are:
repetition of material that they already know.
• increased faculty participation through:
CLEP Participants • the appointment of ongoing development
committees for each subject-area examination
Since its inception, over six million people have
taken CLEP exams. CLEP’s test-taking population • the periodic appointment of standard-setting
includes people of all ages and walks of life. panels made up of faculty who determine the
Traditional 18- to 22-year-old students, adults just recommended level of student competency
entering or returning to school, and international for credit-granting scores
students who need to quantify their knowledge • new question formats that increase the
have all been assisted by CLEP in earning their effectiveness of the assessments
college degrees. • real-time score reporting that allows students
Currently, 60 percent of CLEP’s test-takers are women and colleges the opportunity to make immedi-
and 34 percent are 30 years of age or older. The ate credit-granting decisions (except for English
number of 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds is increasing, Composition with Essay, which requires faculty
however, as the advantages of participating in CLEP essay reading twice each month)
become more widely known. • a uniform credit-granting score of 50 for all exams
page 2
• “rights-only” scoring which awards one point the course. The panel consists of 15–20 faculty
per correct answer; replaces “formula scoring” members from colleges and universities across the
which subtracts a fraction of a point for each country that are currently teaching the course. The
incorrect answer panel reviews the test and test specifications and
• pretest questions that are not scored but provide has an online discussion to define typical A, B, C,
current candidate population data and allow for and D student performance on the exam. Individ-
rapid expansion of question pools ual student performance is rated on each question.
The combined average of the ratings is used to
Recommendation of the American determine a recommended number of examination
questions that must be answered correctly to mir-
Council on Education (ACE) ror classroom performance of a typical C student in
The American Council on Education, founded the related course. The panel’s findings are given to
in 1918, is the major voice in American higher members of the test development committee (also
education and serves as the focus for discussion faculty), who make a final determination, with the
and decision-making on higher education issues help of ETS content and psychometric specialists,
of national importance. As such, it strives to ensure about what raw score is equivalent to a “50.”
quality education on the nation’s campuses. Within
ACE, the Center for Adult Learning and Educational CLEP Exam Development
Credentials is the pioneer in evaluating extra-
institutional learning, assisting postsecondary Currently, most subjects have a standing development
education institutions in establishing policies committee. As new exams are developed, additional
and procedures for awarding credit based on standing committees will be appointed for all subjects.
ACE evaluations. The committee is comprised of faculty from a wide
variety of institutions that are currently teaching
ACE has reviewed the College-Level Examination the relevant college undergraduate courses. The
Program, as well as the processes and procedures committee members establish the test specifications,
being utilized in the conversion to computer-based based on feedback from a national curriculum
testing. Effective July 1, 2001, the American survey, develop and select test questions, review
Council on Education recommended a uniform statistical data, and prepare descriptive material
credit-granting score of 50 across all subjects, for use by faculty (Test Information Guides) and
representing the performance of students who earn students planning to take the tests (Official Study
a grade of C in the corresponding college courses. Guide for the CLEP examinations).
CLEP Credit Granting The Curriculum Survey
Over the years it has been recommended by The first step in the construction of a CLEP
colleges and universities, as well as the American examination is a curriculum survey. Its main
Council on Education (ACE), that CLEP move to a purpose is to obtain information needed to develop
single credit-granting score across all examinations. test content specifications that reflect the current
With the introduction of computer-based testing, college curricula and recognize anticipated changes
CLEP began using a common credit-granting score in the field. These surveys are conducted every
of 50 for all CLEP exams. This score represents the three to five years, depending on the discipline.
performance of students who earn a grade of C in Specifically, the survey gathers information on:
the corresponding introductory college courses.
• the major content and skill areas covered in the
The change to a common credit-granting score course, and the proportion of the course devoted
does not mean, however, that the standards for all to each area
CLEP exams are the same. When a new or revised • specific topics taught and the emphasis given
version of a test is introduced, the program conducts to each topic
a Web-based standard setting to determine the
recommended credit-granting score (“cut score”). • specific skills students are expected to acquire
A standard-setting panel is appointed to give its and the relative emphasis given to them
expert judgment on the student performance that
would be necessary to receive college credit in
page 3
• anticipated changes in course content, skills, forms of the examination are reviewed to ensure
and topics a comparable level of difficulty and content
• the primary textbooks and supplementary specifications on the various test forms.
learning resources used The committee is also responsible for writing and
• titles and length of college courses that developing pretest questions. These questions are
correspond to the CLEP examination administered to candidates who take the examination
and provide valuable statistical feedback on student
Test Specifications performance under operational conditions.
Content specifications are primarily based on the Once the questions are developed and pretested,
curriculum survey, the expertise of the committee tests are assembled in one of two ways. In some
and test development specialists, textbook reviews, cases, test forms are assembled in their entirety.
and other appropriate sources of information. These forms are of comparable difficulty and
Content specifications include: are therefore interchangeable. More commonly,
• the test’s purpose questions are assembled into smaller, content-
specific units, which can then be combined in
• the intended test population different ways to create multiple test forms. This
• the titles and descriptions of courses the test is method allows a maximum number of different
to reflect forms to be assembled from a pool of questions.
• the specific subject matter and abilities to
be tested The Committee
• the length of the test, types of questions, and The College Board appoints standing committees
instructions to be used of college faculty for each test title in the CLEP
• the steps planned to ensure cultural sensitivity battery. Committee members usually serve a three-
and avoidance of group stereotypes and recognition year term. Each committee works with content
of contributions of women, minorities, and specialists at Educational Testing Service (ETS) to
other groups establish test specifications and develop the tests.
Listed below are the current committee members
and their institutional affiliation.
The Committee Meeting
The exam is developed from a pool of questions Robert J. Graham, Lee University, TN
written by committee members and outside question Chair
writers. These questions are compiled by test Tricia Davis University of Wisconsin
development specialists according to the test Joane Nagel University of Kansas
specifications, reviewed and edited, and mailed
back to all the committee members for a final The primary objective of the committees is to
review. Before convening at a two- or three-day provide tests with good content validity. While
committee meeting, the members have a chance the consensus of the committee members is that
to become familiar with the test specifications this test has high content validity for a typical
and the pool of questions available for possible sociology course, the validity of the content for a
inclusion in the exam. specific course is best determined locally through
At the meeting, the committee reviews the test careful review and comparison of test content with
specifications and the pool of questions for the instructional content covered in a particular course.
exam. The committee determines whether the
questions are appropriate for the test, and if so,
whether they need to be reworked to ensure that
they are accurate and unambiguous. Finally, draft
page 4
INTRODUCTORY SOCIOLOGY 20% Institutions
Economic
Description of the Examination
Educational
The Introductory Sociology examination is designed Family
to assess an individual’s knowledge of the material Medical
typically presented in a one-semester introductory
Political
sociology course at most colleges and universities.
The examination emphasizes basic facts and concepts Religious
as well as general theoretical approaches used by
sociologists. Highly specialized knowledge of the 15% Social patterns
subject and the methodology of the discipline is Community
not required or measured by the test content. Demography
The examination contains 100 questions to be Human ecology
answered in 90 minutes. Some of these are pretest Rural/urban patterns
questions that will not be scored. Any time candidates
spend on tutorials and providing personal information
is in addition to the actual testing time. 20% Social processes
Collective behavior and social movements
Knowledge and Skills Required Culture
Questions on the test require candidates to Deviance and social control
demonstrate the following abilities; some questions Groups and organizations
may require more than one of these abilities. Social change
• Identification of specific names, facts, and Social interaction
concepts from sociological literature Socialization
• Understanding of relationships between concepts,
empirical generalizations, and theoretical 30% Social stratification (process and structure)
propositions of sociology
Aging
• Understanding of the methods by which
sociological relationships are established Power and social inequality
Professions and occupations
• Application of concepts, propositions, and
methods to hypothetical situations Race and ethnic relations
Sex and gender roles
• Interpretation of tables and charts
Social class
The subject matter of the Introductory Sociology Social mobility
examination is drawn from the following topics.
The percentages next to the main topics indicate
the approximate percentages of exam questions 15% The sociological perspective
on those topics. History of sociology
Methods
Sociological theory
page 5
Sample Test Questions x
The following questions are provided to give an
indication of the types of questions that appear
on the Introductory Sociology examination. CLEP
examinations are designed so that average students
completing a course in the subject can usually
answer about half the questions correctly.
Directions: Each of the questions or incomplete
statements below is followed by five suggested
answers or completions. Select the one that is y
best in each case.
4. Which of the following best describes
1. All of the following are examples of voluntary the relationship between x and y on the
associations EXCEPT the scattergram above?
(A) Republican Party (A) A perfect positive correlation
(B) League of Women Voters (B) A perfect negative correlation
(C) Federal Bureau of Investigation (C) A perfect curvilinear correlation
(D) First Baptist Church of Atlanta (D) A low negative correlation
(E) Little League Baseball Association (E) A correlation of zero
2. A sex ratio of 120 means that in a population 5. The process by which an individual learns
there are how to live in his or her social surroundings
is known as
(A) 120 more males than females
(A) amalgamation
(B) 120 more females than males
(B) association
(C) 120 males for every 100 females
(C) collective behavior
(D) 120 females for every 100 males
(D) socialization
(E) 12% more men than women
(E) innovation
3. Industrialization is most likely to reduce the
importance of which of the following functions 6. Which of the following can properly be
of the family? considered norms?
(A) Economic production I. Laws
(B) Care of young children II. Folkways
(C) Regulation of sexual behavior III. Mores
(D) Socialization of the individual
(E) Social control (A) I only
(B) III only
(C) I and II only
(D) II and III only
(E) I, II, and III
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7. Which of the following theorists argued that 11. All of the following are properties of primary
class conflict was inevitable in a capitalistic groups EXCEPT:
society and would result in revolution?
(A) They are important sources of
(A) C. Wright Mills social support.
(B) Karl Marx (B) They tend to be ethnocentric.
(C) Emile Durkheim (C) They significantly influence
(D) Max Weber personality development.
(E) Karl Mannheim (D) They tend to be large in number.
(E) They are frequently characterized by
face-to-face relationships.
8. Which of the following relies most heavily on
sampling methods?
12. According to Emile Durkheim, a society that
(A) Small-group experiment lacks clear-cut norms to govern aspirations and
(B) Laboratory experiment moral conduct is characterized by
(C) Participant observation (A) rationalism
(D) Survey (B) altruism
(E) Case study (C) egoism
(D) secularism
9. Which of the following is NOT characteristic of (E) anomie
the Chicago School of Sociology?
(A) They studied urban neighborhoods in the 13. The process by which an immigrant or an ethnic
city of Chicago. minority member is absorbed socially into a
(B) They were influenced by Herbert Spencer receiving society is called
and Émile Durkheim.
(A) assimilation
(C) They used ethnography and field methods in
their research. (B) accommodation
(D) Talcott Parsons was a proponent of the school. (C) cooperation
(E) They were most influential during the (D) interaction
twentieth century. (E) equilibrium
10. Which of the following allows human beings to 14. The term “sociology” was coined by its founder,
adapt to diverse physical environments? the nineteenth-century positivist
(A) Instinct (A) Emile Durkheim
(B) Heredity (B) Auguste Comte
(C) Culture (C) Max Weber
(D) Stratification (D) Harriet Martineau
(E) Ethnocentrism (E) George Herbert Mead
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15. According to Emile Durkheim, the more 19. In order for an occupation to be considered
homogeneous a group the greater its a profession by a sociologist, it must be an
occupation that
(A) organic solidarity
(B) mechanical solidarity (A) is based on abstract knowledge and a body
of specialized information
(C) functional differentiation
(B) has high public visibility in the community
(D) co-optation
(C) requires training from a specialized school
(E) stratification rather than from a university
(D) serves government and industry as well
16. Demographic patterns have clearly demonstrated as individuals
that more males than females are born in (E) is a full-time position with a regular salary
(A) technologically developing countries only
(B) technologically developed countries only 20. In the study of social class, a sociologist would
be LEAST likely to focus on
(C) virtually every known human society
(D) highly urbanized countries only (A) power
(E) countries with high nutritional (B) social mobility
standards only (C) style of life
(D) motivation
17. Max Weber’s three dimensions of social (E) occupational status
stratification are which of the following?
(A) Class, politics, education 21. An example of a folkway in American society is
(B) Prestige, politics, occupation
(A) joining a religious cult
(C) Residence, occupation, religion
(B) eating a sandwich for lunch
(D) Status, class, power
(C) not paying income taxes on time
(E) Status, religion, prestige
(D) stopping for a red light
(E) being fined for jaywalking
18. The abbreviation “SMSA” used in the United
States census refers to a
22. Socialization takes place
(A) summary of many small areas
(B) statistical mean of sampling error (A) primarily in childhood
(C) summary of metropolitan shopping areas (B) mainly in adolescence
(D) standard measure of suburban areas (C) mainly in early adulthood
(E) standard metropolitan statistical area (D) mainly through the reproductive years
(E) throughout the life cycle
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23. According to the United States Census Bureau, 27. Which statement about political participation in
the fastest-growing household type since the the United States is true?
1980s has been the
(A) Almost everyone of voting age in the United
(A) traditional nuclear family States is registered to vote.
(B) extended family (B) Voter turnout in the United States is lower
(C) single person than in most European nations.
(D) couple without children (C) Voter turnout has increased substantially in
the last twenty years.
(E) family with three or more children
(D) People of higher social class tend to
participate less in voting than lower social
24. A school system that teaches children of classes do.
different ethnic groups in their own language (E) Younger adults are more likely to vote than
and about their own particular ethnic heritage those older than 65 years of age.
illustrates a policy of
(A) structural assimilation 28. Which of the following is defined as an organized
(B) cultural assimilation sphere of social life, or societal subsystem,
designed to support important values and to
(C) accommodation meet human needs?
(D) rationalization
(E) ethnocentrism (A) Social structure
(B) Social organization
25. Max Weber linked the emergence of capitalism (C) Social institution
to the (D) Social culture
(E) Economic corporation
(A) Calvinist doctrine of predestination
(B) Catholic monks’ belief in asceticism
29. Most of the funding for public schools in the
(C) Protestants’ desire for material luxuries United States comes from
(D) increasing power of the nobility in
medieval Europe (A) lottery revenues
(E) Hindu belief in reincarnation (B) state income taxes
(C) local sales taxes
26. The economy of postindustrial United States (D) local income taxes
is characterized by all of the following EXCEPT (E) local property taxes
(A) computer-facilitated automation
(B) relocation of manufacturing plants to less- 30. According to Max Weber, authority derived
developed countries from the understanding that individuals have
clearly defined rights and duties to uphold and
(C) international competition in the manufacturing that they implement rules and procedures
sector of the economy impersonally is
(D) increasing numbers of service jobs
compared with manufacturing jobs (A) traditional authority
(E) increased job security due to globalization (B) charismatic authority
(C) legal-rational authority
(D) coercion
(E) persuasion
page 9
31. Raw materials are processed and converted into 35. Which of the following made up the largest
finished goods in which sector of the economy? number of immigrants to the United States
in the 1990s?
(A) Agricultural
(B) Industrial (A) Mexicans
(C) Public (B) Chinese
(D) Service (C) Italians
(E) Information (D) Canadians
(E) Russians
32. In the United States the economic growth of the
1980s and 1990s resulted in 36. Compared with the United States population
in general, Asian Americans have
(A) a growth in the gap between the rich
and poor (A) larger proportions of their populations
(B) a narrowing of the gap between the rich in poverty
and poor (B) lower median family incomes
(C) no change in the gap between the rich (C) a higher level of formal educational
and poor achievement
(D) a growth in the economic gap between (D) fewer ties to their family’s country of origin
men and women (E) a lower proportion of first-generation
(E) no change in the economic gap between immigrants
men and women
37. In the world’s economic system, which of
33. In the United States, approximately what the following is true about the relationship
percentage of the population lives below between high-income countries and low-
the poverty line? income countries?
(A) 3% (A) High-income countries depend on low-
(B) 7% income countries’ purchase of natural
resources from them.
(C) 13%
(B) High-income countries build manufacturing
(D) 19% plants in low-income countries to obtain
(E) 23% cheap labor.
(C) High-income countries encourage the
34. Which of the following statements is true development of state-owned enterprises in
about those living below the poverty line low-income countries.
in the United States? (D) High-income countries are more likely
than low-income countries to have an
(A) Approximately 40 percent are young agriculturally-based economy.
adult householders. (E) High-income countries have less diversified
(B) The majority are African American. sources of income.
(C) Most have an illness that prevents them
from working.
(D) The families are more likely to live in the
Northeast than in other regions of the country.
(E) The majority of the householders are single
mothers with children.
page 10
38. Sociological studies of gender socialization 42. Demographic transition theory explains
show that population changes by
(A) girls’ games are more likely than boys’ (A) connecting them exclusively to changes in
games to encourage assertive behaviors the food supply
(B) girls’ games are more likely than boys’ games (B) linking them to technological development
to emphasize strict observance of rules (C) focusing on the migration of people into
(C) girls are more likely than boys to learn to and out of specified territories
suppress emotions of sadness (D) tying population growth to changes in the
(D) girls are more likely to engage in competitive sex ratio
play and boys in cooperative play (E) referring to a culture’s religious attitudes
(E) girls are less likely than boys to receive
attention from teachers
43. Which theory assumes that deviance occurs
among individuals who are blocked from
39. The increase in prejudice that sometimes achieving socially approved goals by
resulted from court-ordered desegregation legitimate means?
in public schools is a
(A) Hirschi’s social control theory
(A) manifest function of desegregation (B) Labeling theory
(B) latent dysfunction of desegregation (C) Merton’s anomie theory
(C) functional alternative to desegregation (D) Differential association theory
(D) secondary function of desegregation (E) Cultural transmission theory
(E) rational exchange for desegregation
44. Sandra is female, she is African American, and
40. The practice of judging another culture by she is sixteen years of age. You have just been
the standards of one’s own culture is called told about three of Sandra’s
(A) ethnocentrism (A) role sets
(B) cultural relativism (B) cultural roles
(C) cultural integration (C) achieved statuses
(D) transference (D) ascribed statuses
(E) multiculturalism (E) mobility aspirations
41. In gesellschaft, people are more likely than in 45. Cooley called a person’s self-conception based
gemeinschaft to on the responses of others
(A) have frequent face-to-face contact with (A) the divided self
those they know (B) self-esteem
(B) see others as a means of advancing their (C) the concrete operational stage
own individual goals
(D) the looking-glass self
(C) be united by primary group bonds
(E) the “I” and “me”
(D) have altruistic concerns for others
(E) be tradition directed
page 11
46. Philosopher Thomas Hobbes believed that 49. Which of the following is true of social norms
social order developed out of the for the structure of marriage?
(A) recognition of the transcendent power of God (A) They have consistently required monogamy
(B) biological need for humans to reproduce across all periods of history and cross-
culturally around the globe.
(C) desire to escape a state of continuous
social conflict (B) They have favored polyandry in those
societies wanting to increase their birth rate.
(D) discovery of agriculture
(C) They have frequently held polygyny as the
(E) need to distribute scarce resources fairly societal ideal, although this pattern was
functionally available to and practiced
47. Max Weber’s principle of verstehen was meant to primarily by the most wealthy and powerful.
(D) They have no impact in democratic
(A) explain the subjective beliefs that motivate societies, since democracies allow
people to act individuals to choose their own form
(B) determine how society is dysfunctionally of marriage.
organized (E) They are based on the ideals of gender
(C) focus on the inequality in society equality.
(D) search for the social structures that fulfill
people’s needs 50. In the past 30 years, the infant mortality rate in
(E) identify the patterns of exchange among the United States has
individuals or groups
(A) remained about the same as in other
industrialized countries
48. According to sociological terminology, an
(B) declined for Black people but not for
analysis of the amount of violence in mass
White people
media, such as television shows, would be
which of the following? (C) declined among White people while
increasing among Black people
(A) Content analysis (D) declined among White people while
(B) Secondary analysis remaining stable among Black people
(C) Quasi-experiment (E) declined among both Black people and
White people while remaining twice as
(D) Participant observation
high among Black people
(E) Ethnographic interview
51. In the United States, semiskilled positions held
primarily by women, such as waitperson, cashier,
and receptionist, are known as
(A) blue-collar occupations
(B) pink-collar occupations
(C) white-collar occupations
(D) nonpatriarchal occupations
(E) matriarchal occupations
page 12
52. Tamara worked as a waitress for five years after 55. Which of the following distinguishes a crime
high school before she went to college. After from a deviant act?
college Tamara got a job as a sales representative
for a pharmaceutical company. Tamara has (A) The degree of harm caused by the act
experienced which of the following types (B) The number of people who disapprove of
of mobility? the act
(A) Intergenerational (C) The definition of the act as criminal by a
political entity
(B) Intragenerational
(D) The social status of the person who commits
(C) Unilateral the act
(D) Horizontal (E) The social status of the person who is
(E) Structural harmed by the act
53. The concept of the “glass ceiling” affecting 56. A collection of people who happen to be
women in the workforce is best illustrated by walking down the street at the same time who
which of the following? have nothing else in common is known as
(A) The instability of female-dominated jobs (A) a social movement
(B) The pay inequity between men and women (B) a social category
for comparable jobs (C) an aggregate
(C) The breakdown of gender stereotypes in the (D) a primary group
job market
(E) a secondary group
(D) The instability of marriages for women who
are successful in the workforce
(E) The barriers that limit career advancement 57. “This may sound really strange but ...”
for women
The statement above is an example of
54. Which of the following statements is most (A) a disclaimer
accurate regarding patriarchy? (B) an account
(A) It is a form of political organization whereby (C) an excuse
the state assumes paternal responsibility (D) a justification
for citizens. (E) a concession
(B) It is a form of social organization in which
one’s kinship lineage is traced through the
58. Nathan wants to study the behavior of New York
family of the mother.
residents as they travel on the subway to work
(C) It is a form of social organization in which every day. What type of research would be
males control most of the formal and most appropriate for Nathan’s research project?
informal power.
(D) It is found only in those societies that (A) Experimental research
practice polyandry. (B) Field research
(E) It is not found in those societies that (C) Content analysis
practice polygyny.
(D) Secondary analysis
(E) Survey method
page 13
59. Which of the following is true of a dependent 60. Which of the following is an example of an
variable? informal positive sanction?
(A) It is spurious. (A) Marguerite receives a bronze medal for
(B) It is influenced by another variable. gymnastics at the Olympics.
(C) It is manipulated. (B) Hank is awarded a high school diploma by
the school board.
(D) It causes other variables to increase.
(C) Halle receives a million dollars for her
(E) It is used for drawing a sample from performance in a movie.
a population.
(D) Danisha receives a new car from her
parents when she scores a 2300 on the SAT.
(E) John is sentenced to one year of community
service and a $5,000 fine for shoplifting.
page 14
Study Resources
Most textbooks used in college-level introductory Answer Key
sociology courses cover the topics in the outline
given earlier, but the approaches to certain topics 1. C 31. B
and the emphasis given to them may differ. To 2. C 32. A
prepare for the Introductory Sociology exam, it is 3. A 33. C
advisable to study one or more college textbooks, 4. B 34. E
which can be found in most college bookstores. 5. D 35. A
When selecting a textbook, check the table 6. E 36. C
of contents against the “Knowledge and Skills 7. B 37. B
Required” for this test. 8. D 38. E
9. D 39. B
As you read, take notes that address the following
10. C 40. A
issues, which are fundamental to most questions
11. D 41. B
that appear on the test:
12. E 42. B
• What is society? What is culture? What 13. A 43. C
is common to all societies, and what is 14. B 44. D
characteristic of American society? 15. B 45. D
• What are other basic concepts in sociology 16. C 46. C
that help to describe human nature, human 17. D 47. A
interaction, and the collective behavior 18. E 48. A
of groups, organizations, institutions, and 19. A 49. C
societies? 20. D 50. E
• What methods do sociologists use to study, 21. B 51. B
describe, analyze, and observe human behavior? 22. E 52. B
23. C 53. E
Additional suggestions for preparing for CLEP exams 24. C 54. C
are given in “Preparing to Take CLEP Examinations.” 25. A 55. C
26. E 56. C
27. B 57. A
28. C 58. B
29. E 59. B
30. C 60. D
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Test Measurement Overview These experts evaluated each question in order to
determine the raw score that would correspond to
With the change from a paper-and-pencil to a
C-level performance. Their judgments were then
computer-based CLEP examination in sociology,
reviewed by a test development committee who,
there have been some changes in the format of
in consultation with test content and psychometric
the test and in the scoring.
specialists, made a final determination. This
standard-setting study is described more fully in
Format the earlier section entitled CLEP Credit Granting.
There are multiple forms of the computer-based
Panel members participating in this study were:
test, each containing a predetermined set of
scored questions. There may be some overlap
between different forms: any two forms may Sandra Albrecht University of Kansas
have a few questions, many questions, or no William Beaver Robert Morris College
questions in common. Ieda Chapoval St. John’s University
In the computer-based test, not all questions Mary Kay Cordill Cape Cod Community College
contribute to the examinee’s score. Some of the Tim Crone Northern New Mexico
questions presented to the examinee are being Community College
pretested for use in future editions of the test and George Dolph La Salle University
will not count toward his or her score. In the paper- Silvio Dobry City University of New York—
and-pencil test, all questions counted toward the Hostos Community College
examinee’s score. Robert Graham Lee University
Giselle Hendrie New York University
Scoring Information Brian Jones Villanova University
The computer-based test is scored without a penalty Matthew Lawson The College of New Jersey
for incorrect guessing. The examinee’s raw score is William Lustfield Delaware State University
simply the number of questions answered correctly. Lionel Maldonado California State University—
However, this raw score is not reported. Instead, Los Angeles
it is translated into a scaled score by a process Sherry McKibben Texas A&M University
that adjusts for differences in the difficulty of the Lisa Jean Moore City University of New York—
questions on the various forms of the test. College of Staten Island
The scaled scores are reported on a scale of 20–80. George Stine Millersville University
Because the different forms of the test are not always
exactly equal in difficulty, raw-to-scale conversions
In the past, some colleges set their credit-granting
may in some cases differ from form to form. The
scores at a higher level than the ACE recommended
easier a form is judged to be, the higher the raw
scores because they felt the norming group did not
score required to attain a given scaled score. Table 1
reflect the ability of their students. Note that the
indicates the relationship between number correct
new ACE recommended scores are determined by
(raw score) and scaled score across all forms.
faculty currently teaching the comparable course
and are higher than those produced by a norming
The Recommended study. Therefore, these faculty judgments should
Credit-Granting Score be considered when local credit-granting decisions
Table 1 also indicates a recommended credit- are made.
granting score, representing the performance of To establish the exact correspondences between
students earning a grade of C in the corresponding raw and scaled scores, a scaled score of 50 was
course, as well as a score corresponding to the assigned to the raw score that corresponded to
B-level performance in equivalent course work. the recommended credit-granting score for C-level
These scores were established in a standard-setting performance. Then a high (but less than perfect)
study conducted in 2000, and were based upon raw score was selected and assigned a scaled score
the judgments of a panel of experts currently of 80. These two points—50 and 80—determined
teaching equivalent courses at various colleges a linear raw-to-scale conversion for the test.
and universities.
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Table 1: Introductory Sociology
Interpretive Score Data
Course Grade Scaled Score Number Correct
80 88-90
79 86-87
78 85-86
77 84
76 83
75 81-82
74 80-81
73 79-80
72 78
71 77
70 75-76
69 74-75
68 73-74
67 72
66 70-71
65 69-70
64 68-69
63 67-68
62 66
61 64-65
60 63-64
B 59 62-63
58 61-62
57 59-60
56 58-59
55 57-58
54 56-57
53 55-56
52 53-54
51 52-53
C 50* 51-52
49 50-51
48 48-50
47 47-48
46 46-47
45 45-46
44 44-45
43 43-44
42 41-43
41 40-41
40 39-40
39 37-39
38 36-38
37 35-36
36 34-35
35 33-34
34 31-33
33 30-32
32 29-30
31 28-29
30 26-28
29 25-27
28 24-26
27 23-24
26 22-23
25 20-22
24 19-21
23 18-20
22 17-18
21 15-17
20 0-16
* ACE recommended credit-granting score.
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Reliability Validity
The reliability of the test scores of a group of Validity is a characteristic of a particular use of the
examinees is commonly described by two statistics: test scores of a group of examinees. If the scores
the reliability coefficient and the standard error are used to make inferences about the examinees’
of measurement. The reliability coefficient is the knowledge of a particular subject, the validity of the
correlation between the scores those examinees get scores for that purpose is the extent to which those
(or would get) on two independent replications of inferences can be trusted to be accurate.
the measurement process. The reliability coefficient
One type of evidence for the validity of test scores
is intended to indicate the stability/consistency of
is called content-related evidence of validity. It is
the candidates’ test scores, and is often expressed as
usually based upon the judgments of a set of experts
a number ranging from .00 to 1.00. A value of .00
who evaluate the extent to which the content of
indicates total lack of stability while a value of 1.00
the test is appropriate for the inferences to be made
indicates perfect stability. The reliability coefficient
about the examinees’ knowledge. The committee
can be interpreted as the correlation between the
that developed the CLEP examination in sociology
scores examinees would earn on two forms of the
selected the content of the test to reflect the content
test that had no questions in common.
of sociology courses at most colleges, as determined
Statisticians use an internal-consistency measure to by a curriculum survey. Since colleges differ
calculate the reliability coefficients for the CLEP exam. somewhat in the content of the courses they offer,
This involves looking at the statistical relationships faculty members should, and are urged to, review
among responses to individual multiple-choice the content outline and the sample questions to
questions to estimate the reliability of the total ensure that the test covers core content appropriate
test score. The formula used is known as “Kuder- to the courses at their college.
Richardson 20,” or “KR-20,” which is equivalent to
Another type of evidence for test score validity
a more general formula called “co-efficient alpha.”
is called criterion-related evidence of validity.
The standard error of measurement is the standard It consists of statistical evidence that examinees
deviation of the distribution of differences between who score high on the test also do well on other
examinees’ scores on a single replication of the measures of the knowledge or skills the test is
measurement process and the scores they would being used to measure. In the past, criterion-related
get if the measurement process were repeated many evidence for the validity of CLEP scores has been
times and the results averaged over all replications. provided by studies comparing students’ CLEP
In other words, the standard error of measurement scores to the grades they received in corresponding
shows how much the examinee’s score might vary classes. Although the CLEP program no longer
over repeated tests. Note that the standard error of conducts these studies, individual colleges
measurement is inversely related to the reliability using the test can undertake such studies in
coefficient. If the reliability of the test were 1.00 their own courses.
(if it perfectly measured the candidate’s knowledge),
the standard error of measurement would be zero.
Scores on the computer-based CLEP examination in
Introductory Sociology have a reliability coefficient
of .87. The standard error of measurement is 3.38
scaled-score points.
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