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CSULB undergraduate students who have not met the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) of the CSU must attempt the WPE once. Graduate students are exempt if they have earned a minimum of a bachelor's degree from a U.S. college or univeristy. If graduate students have earned a bachelor's degree outside of the U.S., they can call the Testing Office at (562) 985-4007 to see if they are exempt.
Undergraduates must attempt the WPE by the end of the semester in which they attain 65 units, or a hold will be placed on their records and they will not be allowed to register for classes until the test is attempted. Transfer students must attempt the WPE during their first semester of attendance or a hold will be placed on their records and they will not be allowed to register for classes until the test is attempted.
Students who have earned a minimum of a bachelor's degree from a U.S. college or university are exempt from taking the WPE. Students who earned their bachelor's degree outside of the U.S. can call the Testing Office to see if they are exempt.
The GRE or GMAT analytical essay writing score of 4 or higher can be used to meet the GWAR; students who have earned these scores are exempt from taking the WPE. Students should submit their scores directly to Enrollment Services in Brotman Hall, room 123.
Students who have WPE registration holds on their accounts can file an appeal to have a hold temporarily removed. Appeal forms are located on our website under "Forms" in the left menu. After appeals have been submitted, consideration of the request is usually made the same day. A request for a semester's postponement of the WPE for compelling reasons (e.g., studying abroad, family illness) can be submitted to the Testing Office.
The score students earn on the WPE determines whether they will be required to take further coursework in writing. The WPE is scaled from 0-18 points. Students who score an 8, 9 or 10 are required to take a GWAR portfolio course. Students who score below an 8 are required to take ENGL 301A followed by a GWAR portfolio course. Please visit the GWAR website for complete details: http://www.csulb.edu/divisions/aa/gwar/students/index.html
Students can take the WPE only once.
Students must register for the WPE on-line. Students must complete the on-line WPE Registration Form as directed, and print and submit the on-line form with a check or money order for $25 payable to CSULB to Testing, Evaluation & Assessment, 1250 Bellflower Blvd, Brotman Hall #216, Long Beach, CA 90840. The $25 check or money order and on-line form must be received in the Testing Office by the registration deadline. First class postage is required. Students can also place their payment and on-line registration form in the drop box (postage unnecessary) outside of the Testing Office in Brotman Hall Room # 216. The Testing Office must receive payment and the on-line registration form by 5:00pm on the deadline date. We do not accept late registration. Students are not officially registered for the WPE until the Testing Office has received these registration materials, including payment. Once all materials have been received, students will be sent an email confirmation that they are fully registered for the WPE.
Admission Tickets are mailed prior to the test date to the address students indicate on their registration forms. The admission ticket specifies the test date, time, and room assignment. If students do not receive their tickets by the Wednesday before the test date, they must call the Testing Office at (562) 985-4007 for their room assignment and further instructions.
Standby registration is not available. If students need assistance on the Saturday test date, they should go directly to the Assistance Station. The location of the Assistance Station is indicated in the students' admission tickets to the test, and by signs posted on campus on the day of the test.
The test fee of $25.00 must be in the form of a check or money order payable to CSULB. Students must include their student ID number on the check or money order (top, center). The canceled check is a receipt. Students' checks will be processed upon receipt, regardless of when the test date is. Please note: we do not issue refunds. If students are unable to attend on their given test date, they will need to completely re-register for the next available test.This policy reflects the fact that test materials, processing, and staffing costs are incurred for each examinee registered, whether the examinee actually takes the test or not.
Test results are e-mailed six to eight weeks after the test date. Students should make sure that CSULB has their preferred e-mail addresses. Students will be e-mailed a detailed result letter containing instructions about what their score means and how they should proceed if they do not pass the WPE.
The WPE is offered twice each semester and once during the summer. The test consists of a 75-minute written essay on an assigned topic. Students should expect to be in the testing room for up to two hours. No one may leave early. Saturday test takers are randomly assigned to 8:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., or 1:30 p.m. sessions. Test dates and registration deadlines are listed in our main WPE page.
Students must test under the name for which they have a government-issued I.D. with a current, valid photo and signature . NO ONE WILL BE ADMITTED TO THE WPE WITHOUT ACCEPTABLE IDENTIFICATION, REGARDLESS OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES. The following forms of identification are currently acceptable for admission to the test: California Driver's License, California Identification Card, U.S.A. Passport, U.S.A. Military I.D. or U.S.A. Naturalization Paper. A second form of I.D. may be requested of any examinee.
Please Note: A CSULB student identification card is not acceptable as the only form of identification for admission to the test. The CSULB student identification card must be presented with at least one other form of positive photo-signature I.D.; in some cases it may be acceptable with a temporary driver's license, if that license has both a physical description and a signature. If students are uncertain about whether their forms of I.D. will be accepted (e.g., out-of-state licenses or non-U.S.A. passports), they should bring their I.D. and Admission Ticket to the Testing Office before the test date. If students' forms of ID are accepted, a notation will be made on their admission ticket. If students cannot come to the Testing Office prior to the test date, they should bring their ticket and all available forms of I.D. to the assistance station on the day of the test at least thirty minutes before their reporting time indicated on their admission ticket. For questions, students should call the Testing Office (562-985-4007) no later than the Wednesday before the test date.
There are no refunds and no transfers of test dates. This policy reflects the fact that test materials, processing, and staffing costs are incurred for each examinee registered, whether the examinee actually takes the test or not. If you do not attend the appointment time on your Admission Ticket, you must completely reregister for the next test and pay the full fee.
If students require special accommodations such as extended time or other support due to physical or learning disability, they must obtain a preliminary referral form from the office of Disabled Student Services in Brotman Hall 270 (562-985-5401). Students must take their referral forms to the High Tech Center in LA 5-173 (562-985-8712). A counselor will discuss their accommodation needs and will issue a final referral form with the appropriate authorizations. STUDENTS NEEDING ACCOMMODATIONS PLEASE DO NOT USE THE ONLINE REGISTRATION FORM. Instead, they should take their final referral form, and test fee directly to the High Tech Center. At the High Tech Center, students test dates/times will be finalized, and students will be given an Admission Ticket to the test. Testing is generally done on the same weekend of the following published Saturday test date.
Non-Saturday testing is available for religious reasons only. Students must provide documentation with all registration materials by the deadline. If students do not provide required documentation, they will be automatically assigned to a Saturday test time. Testing is generally done one day during the next two weeks following the published Saturday test date.
Free workshops are offered in the two-week period prior to each test date. Pre-registration is not required. Workshops last about 3 hours. One workshop is especially helpful for students for whom English is a second language; however, both workshops are open to all students. The WPE Workbook is needed for the workshop. Students can buy the WPE Workbook from the Copy Center of the University Bookstore, located on the first floor in the far right corner. The number of the Copy Center is (562) 985-5050. The workbook contains helpful information, a scoring guide, sample essay topics with student responses, and an analysis of the scoring of the sample student essays. The price of the workbook is $7.00. Students can also download the workbook by going to the main WPE page
Exact date, time, and room information are determined one month prior to each test date. Call the Testing Office at 562-985-4007 for more information.
Students may petition to take the WPE with extended time. Students who are approved will be given two hours (an additional 45 minutes) to complete the test. To apply for extended time, please complete this form and submit it to the Testing Office by the extended time deadline:
Extended Time Application 
40KB
In rare circumstances, students can apply for a GWAR Waiver. These are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. To apply for a waiver, please complete this form and submit it to the Testing Office with all required documents:
Waiver Form 44KB
Below is a sample of a WPE topic. The topic format is identical to the one below. Topics have been carefully pretested for bias and equal levels of difficulty:
DIRECTIONS: You will have a total of 75 minutes to respond to the topic below. A time warning will be announced 10 minutes prior to the end of the test.
DO NOT WRITE ON A TOPIC OTHER THAN THE ONE ASSIGNED BELOW
Several years ago, futurists predicted that, as a result of developing technology and automation, people in the U.S. would have much more leisure time in the future. However, a recent survey indicates that since the early 1980s the median number of hours worked by Americans has increased by 20 percent while the amount of leisure time available to the average person has dropped by 32 percent. According to the survey, this trend toward less and less leisure time has been steady and unwavering.
* Discuss some possible causes and consequences of this trend.
* Support your response with evidence from your own reading, observation, and experience.
