The CUNY Proficiency Examination (CPE) is a required exam for all undergraduate students at the college pursuing a bachelor's degree. The CUNY Proficiency Exam (CPE) requires students to demonstrate their competence in aspects of academic literacy that the CUNY faculty considers important for later success.
The CUNY Proficiency Examination (CPE) developed in response to a 1997 Board of Trustees' resolution. The CPE tests students' ability to understand and think critically about ideas and information and to write clearly, logically, and correctly at a level associated with success in upper-division courses.
The CPE reflects the types of skills which students need to succeed in college and the workplace. Because the CPE involves the type of reading, writing, and thinking that you do in your regular classes, most CUNY students pass the test.
The CPE consists of two tasks:
Task 1: Analytical Reading and Writing You are required to write a focused essay, drawing a relationship between specified elements of the two readings and extending it, as directed, to your own perspective or experience. Task 2: Analyzing and Integrating Material from Graphs and Text At the test you will be given a set of materials two charts and a brief readingpassage on the same or similar topics. In a short written response, you muststate the major claim(s) of the reading selection and discuss the extent towhich the data support or challenge the major claim(s).
The CUNY Proficiency Examination (CPE) requires students to demonstrate their competence in aspects of academic literacy that the CUNY faculty considers important for success in upper-division studies. The CPE has been designed to resemble typical college assignments in which writing is produced in response to reading material, data or observations. It is read and scored by members of the CUNY faculty from a range of disciplines and departments.
