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English Placement Test (EPT)

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English Placement Test

The EPT is used to determine readiness for the general Education Area A1 (written communication) courses: English 134 (Writing: Exposition) or English 133 (Writing Exposition—ESL & Multi-lingual students).

All entering undergraduate students must take the English Placement Test (EPT) or show that they are exempt from it before they can enroll in classes. Students who do not meet the EPT requirement (by either taking the test or submitting an exemption) before registration begins will find a HOLD (Enrollment Block) on registration privileges for all classes.

Applicants who need to take the EPT or document an exemption from it are notified on the Admission Application Status screen viewable through My Cal Poly Portal.

Entering Freshmen

Students must take the EPT or document an exemption from it at the earliest opportunity. To understand what the EPT entails, read the CSU's information on the EPT (PDF).

Transfer Students

Transfer students usually satisfy this requirement by completing General Education in Area A1 (English/Written Communication) with a grade of C or better before being admitted to Cal Poly.

EPT Dates, Locations & Registration

The EPT is offered year-round at various CSU campuses and at ALL CSU campuses in May and June. The specific test dates and registration deadlines for each campus are listed in the EPT/ELM Essential Information Bulletin, along with the addresses of the Testing Offices at all the campuses.

Students may take the test at any CSU campus, but test scores should be directed to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Students may register online to take the EPT at Cal Poly or register to take the EPT at other CSU campuses.

EPT Exemptions

Students entering Cal Poly from high school are required to take the EPT or document an exemption by filling out the EPT Exemption Form (PDF). If your exemption is based on your AP test score, an exemption form and an official, sealed copy of your test results must be sent to:

Univeristy Writing and Rhetoric Center Office
California PolyPolytectnic State University
1 Grand Ave, 10/130
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407

If your exemption is based on other test scores, an exemption form and a copy of your test scores must be sent to the address above or faxed to the Univeristy Writing and Rhetoric Center Office at (805) 756-7497.

Possible Exemptions

  1. Placement in the “exempt” category on the Early Assessment Program (EAP) for college English readiness taken in conjunction with the 11th grade California Standards Test in English Language Arts.
  2. SAT I, SAT II, ACT or Advanced Placement Test scores as follows:
    Test Date Score
    SAT Critical Reading section March 2005 or later 500 or above
    ACT English Test   22
    AP Language and Composition   3, 4, or 5
    AP Composition and Literature   3, 4, or 5
  3. Equivalent college-level work. High school students who have earned a grade of C or better in a transferable, college-level composition course equivalent to English 134 or 133 should have a college transcript forwarded to the Evaluations Office at Cal Poly to document this exemption.

Cal Poly does not accept the IB test as a substitute for the EPT, nor does it qualify for English 134 or 133 credit; students may earn credit for elective courses depending on their IB scores.

EPT Contract

If you plan to take the EPT after the June CSU systemwide testing date, you must submit an EPT Contract (PDF) to the Cal Poly Writing Skills office explaining where and how you will meet the EPT requirement before classes begin. The signed contract must be on record at the Cal Poly Writing Skills office before your registration hold (enrollment block) can be prevented or cleared.

Please note the following conditions of the contract:

  • You must take the EPT prior to the start of fall quarter classes.

  • If you are unable to take the exam at a CSU near you, you must take the EPT at Cal Poly on Saturday, September 17, 2011.

  • Registration for the test is required. Students indicating they will test at Cal Poly will be automatically registered upon receipt of their EPT Contract. Students testing at other CSU locations must register at that location by the registration deadline. Please see the CSU guide containing Essential Information for the ELM and EPT to get information about test offerings at other campuses.

Students who fail to comply with this CSU Trustee Mandate before enrollment, may be disenrolled from the University.

EPT Score Interpretations

All students who score T147 or above on the EPT will be placed in English 134 (Writing and Rhetoric) or English 133 (Writing and Rhetoric for English as a Second Language Students). 

All students who score below T147 on the EPT are required to enroll in Cal Poly's Writing and Rhetoric Stretch Program during their first year of coursework.
Students who do not make adequate progress in completing the program during their first year of enrollment face disqualification from the University. 

In the Writing and Rhetoric Stretch Program, students complete two quarters of coursework as a cohort with the same instructor. Coursework is taken in the following sequence:  

  • First, students enroll in either ENGL 102: Basic Writing or ENGL 113: Basic Writing for English as a Second Language Students 
  • After earning credit for either ENGL 102 or ENGL 113, students enroll in ENGL 103: Writing Lab Tutorial concurrently with either ENGL 134: Writing and Rhetoric OR ENGL 133: Writing and Rhetoric for English as a Second Language Students.   

Note: Failure to complete successfully ENGL 102/ENGL 113 or ENGL 103 results in a grade of F in ENGL 134/ ENGL 133. 
Upon successful completion of the Writing and Rhetoric Stretch Program, students fulfill their remediation requirement and earn credit in GE Area A1.

Students who do not satisfy this requirement by completing the English Remediation Milestone within their first year are subject to disqualification from the University.