What Does the CLT Actually Test?
By Faith Walessa
We talk about college entry exams all the time, but what is the quality that qualifies someone to enter college?
When you submit your test scores to the college of your dreams, what do you want them to see? Ideally, you want your standardized test results to strengthen your profile as a student, emphasizing your best qualities and proving your academic strength. However, you cannot demonstrate your ability to think critically if the math you were tested on requires a formulaic response. You cannot show strong textual analysis if your test does not provide you with questions that require it. Therefore, knowing the content of the test you choose–knowing what you are really being tested on–is an incredibly important part of the college application process if you want to stand out to your top schools. At CLT, we’ve created the test that allows you to do just that.
The CLT intentionally highlights your key skills by testing a combination of achievement and aptitude. This means that your CLT scores will show a solid baseline of knowledge, but also your aptitude to make connections and interpretations based on your ability to think logically. Questions on the CLT will test your ability to apply what you have learned, not just reiterate it.
But what does this look like on the test itself?
CLT exams are broken into 3 sections: Verbal Reasoning, Grammar & Writing, and Quantitative Reasoning. Each section will test your knowledge base with question about grammar rules, reading comprehension skills, the properties of shapes, and the laws of algebra. However, you will also be given questions that go deeper. In the Verbal Reasoning Section, these are questions of not just reading comprehension, but passage interpretation. The Grammar & Writing section will allow you to show skill in style and tone, not just punctuation. The Quantitative Reasoning Section will measure not just a knowledge of rules and laws, but the ability to use logic and reasoning to critically solve problems.
I wish that you would, if possible, show me a little more clearly that virtue can be taught. Will you be so good?
On our website, we offer concordance tables between the CLT and other standardized tests. However, these equivalencies are by no means equal. While the numbers may be similar, the score you include on your application is a deeper characterization of the kind of student you are. Proficiency on a standardized test indicates you are capable of success on those terms. It is the content of the test that speaks for you as a student. In the case of other standardized tests, a high score presents an ability to recall facts, memorize typical trick questions and formulaic question types, and to read and respond to bland, modern pieces on cultural trends or mundane reports. By contrast, your efforts on the CLT will indicate an ability to engage with rich texts of the past that have maintained deep cultural and historical relevance; strong capabilities in mathematical problem solving and critical thinking; and general skills that go beyond mere recall, but into active analysis.
While these are key qualities for a liberal arts education, they are not only relevant in this area. The CLT gives you the chance to demonstrate that you are capable of academic success in every field, because it tests not only achievement, but aptitude. When you take the CLT, you are drawing out your most widely applicable skills that come as a result of your entire education.
This is the CLT difference. Choosing the CLT is choosing a test that you have been studying for your entire life. There are no trick questions to memorize or no last-minute trivia to cram in, when the test measures your ability to reason with content, not just absorb it. With CLT, you are taking an assessment of ability and potential, guided by ideas that are profound and beautiful. This is the kind of student that top colleges are searching for, and this is the kind of student you prove yourself to be when you submit your CLT scores. And the numbers show that CLT students are in high demand. The CLT is accepted at over 300 colleges around the nation, with over $100 million dollars in annual scholarships tied directly to CLT scores.
To experience the CLT difference for yourself, register here for one of our upcoming test dates! If you’re looking for ways to improve your score and see the best possible results, consider ordering our CLT student guide, packed with practice materials and helpful advice. You can also read our top 5 testing tips and tricks here.
Take advantage of the test that will set you apart as a student, and we wish you the best of luck on your future exams and applications!
Faith Walessa hails from Ontario, Canada, and is currently a sophomore at Hillsdale College. She loves fanciful poetry, theater, reading by flashlight, and mint chocolate chip ice cream.
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Published on 16th July, 2025. Page image of a fold-out illustration or diagram from the Voynich Manuscript, depicting nine apparently interconnected circles or spheres (perhaps inspired by the “nine worlds” of Norse mythology?).
We won’t test you on the Voynich Manuscript. Probably.