About two weeks before you take the CPE, you will receive an information booklet and copy of the Long Reading for Task One. This reading is very important, and you should spend considerable time getting familiar with it before your exam date.
        Below are some guidelines for working with the long reading as you prepare for the CPE. Follow the steps below to be sure you fully understand and are prepared to write about this reading.         If you need more help, check the schedule of CPE workshops offered by the Reading/Writing Center each semester.

1. Read the long reading through from start to finish, without stopping. Read at your normal reading speed and try to get the general meaning , without worrying too much about understanding every detail.

2. Go through the reading using a dictionary to determine the meaning of words you do not know; write the definitions in the margins of your copy of the reading.

3. Jot down what the reading is about – its subject and main idea – in a sentence or two.

4. Read the long reading again, going more slowly this time. With the help of the definitions you have written in the margins, try to understand every point that the author is making. Stop and consider what is being said as you read. Use a highlighter to mark the author's thesis and the main point of each paragraph.

5. Write a brief summary of the reading. Include the author's thesis (stated in a sentence or two) and each of the main points he or she makes in support of the thesis. This summary should be no more than a paragraph long.

6. Compare the highlighted elements with your summary to make sure that it is complete. Revise the summary as necessary.

7. Read the piece again and consider the shape of the argument. Is the writer presenting a straightforward opinion or are there twists in the reasoning? What kinds of evidence are used to support the argument? How solid is this evidence? What personal biases of the author does the reading reveal?

8. Choose one of the main points or areas the author discusses and write a summary of just that section. You may do this for several individual points, if you wish.

9. Put the reading aside for a day or two.

10. Take it out and read it through again. Its thesis, main points, structure and meaning should be clear to you. Make any further marginal notes that you think will be helpful at the time of the exam – paraphrasing difficult points, for example. Remember to bring this copy of the long reading with you when you take the exam.