Welcome to the College Mathematics tests. These tests are grouped into several sections to make your study easier. The sections include the following:
- Part one of the College Math test. Concepts include: Complex numbers, Logarithms and exponents, Applications from algebra and geometry, Perimeter and area of plane figures, Properties of triangles, circles, and rectangles, The Pythagorean theorem, Parallel and perpendicular lines, Algebraic equations and inequalities.
- Part two of the College Math test. Concepts include: Properties and graphs of functions, Domain and range, Composition of functions and inverse functions.
- Part three of the College Math test. Concepts include: Union and intersection, Subsets, Venn diagrams, Cartesian product.
- Part four of the College Math test. Concepts include: Truth tables, Conjunctions, disjunctions, implications, and negations, Conditional statements, Necessary and sufficient conditions, Converse, inverse, and contrapositive, Hypotheses, conclusions, and counterexamples.
- Part five of the College Math test. Concepts include: Prime and composite numbers, Odd and even numbers, Factors and divisibility, Rational and irrational numbers, Absolute value and order, Open and closed intervals.
- Part six of the College Math test. Concepts include: Counting problems, including permutations and combinations, Computation of probabilities of simple and compound events, Simple conditional probability, Mean, median, mode, and range. Concept of standard deviation.
CLEP College Mathematics Exam Description
Collapse Description
College Mathematics
Description of the Examination
The College Mathematics examination covers material generally taught in a college course for nonmathematics majors and majors in other fields not requiring knowledge of advanced mathematics. Approximately half of the test requires candidates to solve routine straightforward problems; the remainder involves solving nonroutine problems in which candidates must demonstrate their understanding of concepts. The test includes questions on the real number system, logic, sets, equations, functions and their graphs, probability, statistics, and data analyses. A few questions on other topics are included, such as complex numbers, logarithms and exponents, and applications from algebra and geometry. It is assumed that candidates are familiar with currently taught mathematics vocabulary, symbols, and notation. The examination places little emphasis on arithmetic calculations, and it does not contain any questions that require the use of a calculator. However, an online nongraphing scientific calculator is available to candidates during the examination as part of the testing software.
The examination contains 60 questions to be answered in 90 minutes. Some of them are pretest questions that will not be scored. Any time candidates spend on tutorials and providing personal information is in addition to the actual testing time.
Knowledge and Skills Required
Questions on the College Mathematics examination require candidates to demonstrate the following abilities in the approximate proportions indicated.
- Solving routine, straightforward problems (about 50 percent of the examination)
- Solving nonroutine problems requiring an understanding of concepts and the application of skills and concepts (about 50 percent of the examination)
The subject matter of the College Mathematics examination is drawn from the following topics. The percentages next to the main topics indicate the approximate percentages of exam questions on those topics.
Study Resources
Most textbooks used in college-level mathematics courses cover the topics in the outline given earlier, but the approaches to certain topics and the emphasis given to them may differ. To prepare for the College Mathematics exam, it is advisable to study one or more introductory college-level mathematics textbooks, which can be found in most college bookstores. Elementary algebra textbooks also cover many of the topics on the College Mathematics exam. When selecting a textbook, check the table of contents against the "Knowledge and Skills Required" for this test.
