Invest the money to purchase the CLEP Official Study Guide. This guide will provide sample questions. While these questions will not be on the test, they will give you the opportunity to see how the essay questions are structured. The guide may be purchased as a hard copy book or exam guides for just the subjects that you are testing over.
If you have not been in the habit of writing essays, practice. Use the exam guides and other free resources such as the Learning Express Library. Sign up is required, but it is a free service. Go to the "College Prep" section of the site. Choose either "ACT" or "SAT" and "Writing Test." The College Board created both the ACT and CLEP so the questions will be similar. Write essays until you are comfortable writing about various topics. At first, do not worry about timing. Focus on complete and thorough essays. Once you are ready, begin timing your essay writing so you are able to complete an in-depth, well-written essay in 45 minutes.
Write the essay in a five paragraph format. The essay must have an introduction, three supporting paragraphs and a conclusion. The essay should flow naturally from one paragraph to the next. For example, the last sentence in your introduction must include what three supporting arguments will be in the following paragraphs. The conclusion summarizes the three supporting paragraphs. Grammar and flow of the essay are as important as the information in the paragraphs.
Before you dive in to the introduction, concisely jot down what the three supporting paragraphs are going to be in an outline list. Knowing your argument or point makes writing the introduction and conclusion easier. Scratch paper and pencils are supplied during the test, so outline the entire essay then begin writing. Do not spend too much time outlining as you only have 45 minutes to complete the entire essay.