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About the ALP Essay Exam
The ALP Essay Exam is taken by students who are enrolled in or planning to enroll in a degree program at Columbia University, and whose native language is not English. The purpose of the test is to certify students' English language ability for the purpose of admission to a degree program, or for satisfaction of graduation requirements, as determined by individual schools and departments of Columbia University.
Students should consult with their Columbia University school or department for the specific requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
ARE THERE ANY OLD OR PRACTICE EXAMS THAT I CAN REFERENCE?
No. The ALP Essay Exam is designed to gauge a test-taker’s current English ability.
WHAT IS THE FORMAT OF THE ALP ESSAY EXAM?
The ALP Essay Exam is designed to measure a test-taker’s ability in writing. There is no speaking portion.
Students must write an essay in response to one of two essay prompts. These prompts are in the form of brief quotations. Every effort is made to offer quotations that are easily understood and can be answered by any person from any field of study. There are new prompts for each administration of the ALP Essay Exam.
Test-takers are given 90 minutes to complete it.
WHO READS THE ALP ESSAY EXAM AND WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR?
The ALP Essay Exams are read by a committee of senior faculty members in the American Language Program. They look for evidence that a student understands English essay structure and demonstrates an ability to sustain a convincing in-depth analysis of a complicated issue. They also look for students’ ability to use complex grammatical structures, and varied, sophisticated vocabulary.
WHEN WILL THE EXAM RESULTS BE READY?
The results of the ALP Essay Exam will be emailed to you and the department/school you’ve indicated in about ten (10) business days after your test session.
CAN I TAKE THE TEST AGAIN, OR DO I HAVE TO TAKE A CLASS?
The ALP Essay Exam may be taken no more often than once in any six month period. Taking the test again without enrolling in English language courses is strongly discouraged. The reason for this is that at the high-intermediate and advanced levels of English proficiency, learners of English may have the skills to get along relatively well in an English-speaking environment; however, precisely because of this general level of comfort in the language, there is little incentive in normal daily life to push on to higher levels of control in English - on to true excellence in the use of English as one’s second language. The academic and linguistic demands placed on degree candidates at Columbia far exceed those which are encountered in normal daily life. What is demanded of the university student at Columbia is excellence. What is needed for international students to reach that level of excellence in the usage of English is usually explicit instruction in the language.WHEN WILL THE EXAM RESULTS BE READY?
The results of the ALP Essay Exam will be emailed to you and the department/school you’ve indicated in about ten (10) business days after your test session.
WHEN IS THE ALP ESSAY EXAM OFFERED?
The ALP Essay Exam is administered four times a year: January, April, July and October.
Registration for specific dates are available through this link.
