All new undergraduate transfer students with 45 or more credits must take the CUNY Proficiency Examination (CPE) in their first semester at the college. For specific information about the CPE, see the CPE information booklet available at the Hunter College Testing Center, Room 150 North, or the Hunter College Reading/Writing Center, Room 416 Thomas Hunter. Be advised that failure to register and take the CPE during a required administration will result in a forfeiture, which will count as one of the three opportunities you have to pass the exam.

Overview: The CPE requires students to demonstrate competence in academic writing, reading, and critical thinking. Specifically, the exam tests some of the skills that you have developed through the course work you have taken: reading and interpreting textbooks and material of general interest; organizing and presenting your ideas about what you have read and connecting those ideas to other information or concepts; writing clearly and effectively for an audience; and interpreting and evaluating material presented in charts and graphs.

Format of the CPE: The exam consists of two tasks for which a total of three hours is allotted. Task 1: Analytical Reading and Writing (2 hrs). You will be given two reading selections: an 8 to 9-page selection to be studied in advance and a 1 to 1½-page selection at the test. You will be asked to write a focused essay, drawing a relationship between specified elements of the two reading selections and extending it, as directed, to your own experience, understanding, or ideas. Task 2: Analyzing and Integrating Material from Graphs and Text (1 hr). At the exam, you will be given a set of materials (two charts or graphs and a brief reading passage) on the same or similar topics. These materials are not released prior to the testing session. You will be asked to identify and state accurately the claims in the reading selection and to explain the relationship between these claims and the relevant data in the figures with accuracy, clarity, and completeness.

Preparation and Advising: Supplemental assistance in preparing for the CPE as well as CPE advisement is offered at the Hunter College Reading/Writing Center, Room 416 Thomas Hunter.

Exemptions: Students who have earned a bachelor's degree or a higher degree from an accredited program are exempted from CPE requirements. In order to be exempted, you must be registered as an Undergraduate Second Degree student. For confirmation of your student status, see a counselor/advisor in Student Services, Room 1103 East Building.

International Students: All new international students with 45 or more credits must see a CPE advisor at the Reading/Writing Center, Room 416 Thomas Hunter, in their first semester at the college prior to CPE registration.

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