Central Campus

College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST)

General CLAST Information

The State of Florida has developed a test of college-level communication and computation skills. The test is called the College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST).

A passing score on the test is required by Florida statutes and rules of the State Board of Education in order for a student to receive an Associate of Arts degree and be admitted to upper-division status in the state university system. You may be eligible for an alternative to the testing requirement for one or more of the subtest(s) of the CLAST. However, if your major is Education, you may not be eligible for the CLAST alternative. For information about possible alternatives to the CLAST testing requirement, please consult with an academic advisor or the College Registrar's Office.

The CLAST is administered to community college students who are completing Associate of Arts programs and to any other students seeking admission to upper-division programs in Florida state universities, including university students who are completing their sophomore year. The CLAST requirements also apply to students transferring to state universities in Florida from private colleges in Florida and from out-of-state colleges.

The total testing time for CLAST is approximately five hours, which includes the time required for arrival, instructions, and a break. The time allotted for each subtest is as follows:

•  Essay Subtest: 60 minutes

•  English Language Skills Subtests: 80 minutes

•  Reading Subtests: 80 minutes

•  Mathematics Subtest: 90 minutes

Students retaking the exam are allowed double time for each subtest.

The skills measured by the CLAST subtests in English (Essay and English Language), Reading, and Mathematics have been agreed upon by community college and state university faculty members.

English CLAST Subtest Information

The CLAST Skills listed below are covered in ENC1101 (Composition I):

English Language Skills

Word Choice skills

•  Use words which convey the meaning required by context.

•  Avoid wordiness.

Sentence Structure Skills

•  Place modifiers correctly.

•  Coordinate and subordinate sentence elements.

•  Use parallel expressions for parallel ideas.

•  Avoid fragments, comma splices, and fused sentences.

Grammar, Spelling, Capitalization, and Punctuation Skills

•  Use standard verb forms.

•  Maintain agreement between subject and verb, pronoun and antecedent.

•  Use proper case forms.

•  Use adjectives and adverbs correctly.

•  Use Standard spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.

All of the skills tested on the English Language Skills subtest are also tested on the Essay Subtest.

Essay Skills

•  Select a subject which lends itself to development.

•  Determine the purpose and audience for writing.

•  Limit a subject to requirements of time, purpose, and audience.

•  Formulate a thesis or main idea statement.

•  Provide adequate supporting details.

•  Arrange ideas and details in an organizational pattern appropriate to the purpose and focus affecting their meaning.

•  Provide relevant supporting material.

•  Write coherent prose with effective transitions between parts.

•  Avoid slang, jargon, clichés, and pretentious expressions.

•  Use a variety of sentence patterns.

•  Avoid unnecessary use of passive construction.

•  Maintain consistent point of view.

•  Revise, edit, and proofread for clarity, consistency, and conformity.

These skills are reinforced in the course content of ENC1102 (Composition II), ENC2210 (Professional and Technical Writing), and literature courses. ENC0010 (College Preparatory Writing Skills I) and ENC0021 (College Preparatory Writing Skills II) cover some of the CLAST skills.

CLAST Review Courses

The following courses are designed to reinforce the skills needed to pass the CLAST.

English Language Skills Review (ENC0991)

Credit Hours: 0

Catalogue Course Description:

Prerequisite: None

Co-requisite: None

An English review course to assist students in preparation for the CLAST English Language Skills subtest. Special fee charged. See student fees.

The following English language skills are reviewed in ENC0991

Word Choice skills

•  Use words which convey the meaning required by context.

•  Avoid wordiness.

Sentence Structure Skills

•  Place modifiers correctly

•  Coordinate and subordinate sentence elements.

•  Use parallel expressions for parallel ideas.

•  Avoid fragments, comma splices, and fused sentences.

Grammar, Spelling, Capitalization, and Punctuation Skills

•  Use standard verb forms.

•  Maintain agreement between subject and verb, pronoun and antecedent.

•  Use proper case forms.

•  Use adjectives and adverbs correctly.

•  Use standard spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.

English Essay Review (ENC0992)

Credit Hours: 0

Catalogue Course Description:

Prerequisite: None

Co-requisite: None

An English review course to assist students in preparation for the CLAST Essay subtest. Special fee charged. See student fees.

The following English essay skills are reviewed in ENC0992

•  Select a subject which lends itself to development.

•  Determine the purpose and audience for writing.

•  Limit a subject to requirements of time, purpose, and audience.

•  Formulate a thesis or main idea statement.

•  Provide adequate supporting details.

•  Arrange ideas and details in an organizational pattern appropriate to the purpose and focus affecting their meaning.

•  Provide relevant supporting material.

•  Write coherent prose with effective transitions between parts.

•  Avoid slang, jargon, cliches, and pretentious expressions.

•  Use a variety of sentence patterns.

•  Avoid unnecessary use of passive construction.

•  Maintain consistent point of view.

•  Revise, edit, and proofread for clarity, consistency, and conformity.

These skills are reinforced in the course content of ENC1102 (Composition), ENC2210 (Professional and Technical Writing), and literature courses. ENC0010 (College Preparatory Writing Skills I) and ENC0021 (College Preparatory Writing Skills II) cover some of the CLAST skills.

English Language Skill Independent CLAST Retake Review (ENC0993)

Credit Hours: 0

Catalogue Course Description:

Prerequisite: None

Co-requisite: None

This course consists of an independent review of CLAST-related English language skills materials in the Campus Learning Laboratories. The number of lab hours required is 32. Special fee charged. See student fees.

Essay Independent CLAST Retake Review (ENC0994)

Credit Hours: 0

Catalogue Course Description:

Prerequisite: None

Co-requisite: None

This course consists of an independent review of CLAST-related English essay skills materials in the Campus Learning Laboratories. The number of lab hours required is 32. Special fee charged. See student fees.