GPE Bulletin

CSULB undergraduate students who have not met the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) of the CSU must first take the GWAR Placement Examination (GPE) . Graduate students are exempt if they have earned a minimum of a bachelor's degree from a U.S. college or university. If graduate students have earned a bachelor's degree outside of the U.S., they can call the Testing Department at (562) 985-4007 to see if they are exempt.

Undergraduates

Undergraduate students must take the GPE when they have achieved between 30-50 cumulative units, and transfer students must take it in 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.

Note: 

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 GPE. Students should submit their scores directly to Enrollment Services in Brotman Hall, room 123.

Students who have GPE 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.  Students should check their MYCSULB for the status of their appeal. A request for a semester's postponement of the GPE for compelling reasons (e.g., studying abroad, family illness) can be submitted to the Testing Department.

Students can take the GPE only once.  Please do not register for the test again if you have already taken the GPE, we do not issue refunds.

GWAR for Undergraduate Students Pathways

A student's score on the GPE shall determine which of the following course sequences that a student must complete to fulfill the GWAR.  The GPE is scaled from 0-18 points.

  • Students who score 11 or higher shall successfully complete (with a C or better) a General Education capstone course certified as writing intensive by the GEGC. 
  • Students who score an 8, 9 or 10 are required to take a GWAR portfolio course, submit a portfolio that earns a passing score; and subsequently, successfully complete (with a C or better) a General Education capstone course certified as writing intensive by the GEGC. 
  • Students who score 7 or below are required to take ENGL 301A or equivalent and successfully complete (with a C or better); and subsequently, take a GWAR portfolio course, submit a portfolio that earns a passing soc re; and subsequently, successfully complete (with a C or better) a General Education capstone course certified as writing intensive by the GEGC.

Graduate Students

UPDATE:

Per order of the Chancellor’s Office, as of June 2022, GWAR is no longer required for Graduate students.

 

Registration

The GWAR Placement Examination (GPE) is available in both In-Person and On-line testing. Students that choose In-Person testing must comply with all Health Precautions. An On-line testing is being offered for students who choose not to come to campus. This option requires student’s acceptance of online procedures to be detailed in student’s confirmation letter. 

Students must register for the GPE online. To do so, they must select "In-Person Registration" or “On-Line Registration” in the upper right corner of the GPE web page. On this site, students can pay for the GPE using a major credit card or electronic check. Students are not considered to be registered for the GPE until they have completed the online registration, including payment. Students must register by the published deadline for a given test.

An email confirmation will be sent to you one week before a given test date. The email confirmation specifies the test date, time, and test details. The email confirmation is not an Admission Ticket and cannot be used for admission to the In-Person test. Students Admission Tickets will be provided to you in the test room, on the In-Person test date. If you do not receive your email confirmation by Wednesday before the test date, you must call the Testing Department between the office hours of 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. at (562) 985-4007 for your room assignment and further instructions.

Please note: Standby registration is not available. We do not issue refunds or transfers. If students are unable to attend on their given test date, they will need to completely re-register for the next available test and pay the test fee again. 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.

Results

Test results are e-mailed four to six 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 with fulfilling the Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR).

The GPE is offered twice each semester and once during the summer. The GPE In-Person test consists of a 75-minutes written essay and the GPE On-Line test consists of a 75-minutes typed essay on an assigned topic.

Friday GPE On-Line test times are 9:00 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. Saturday GPE In-Person test times are 8:00 a.m., 10:45 a.m., or 1:45 p.m. sessions. Test dates and registration deadlines are listed in our main GPE 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 GPE 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 your admission to the GPE test. The CSULB student identification card must be presented with at least one other form of positive photo-signature I.D. A temporary driver's license may be acceptable in some cases if that license has both a physical description and your signature. If you are uncertain about whether your forms of I.D. will be accepted (e.g., out-of-state licenses or non-U.S.A. passports), you must contact the Testing Department no later than Wednesday before the exam at 562-985-4007 or Testing@csulb.edu. The Testing Department will then consider whether alternate forms of IDs are acceptable.

In-Person Testing

  • Arrive 30 minutes prior to your test time to allow for parking.
  • Facial coverings are "strongly recommended". Wear a mask correctly. Put it over your nose and mouth and secure it under your chin.
  • Stay 6 feet apart.
  • Bring your identification, pencils, and a pen.
  • Do not bring any aids to the test, such as a dictionary, scratch paper, white-out, paperback, or any other reading material.
  • Comply with all written and oral testing regulations.
  • Understand that you will be assigned a seat upon admission to the testing room.
  • Students should expect to be in the testing room for up to three hours. No one may leave early.
  • You will not be admitted to the test if you do not comply with Health Precautions.
  • You will not be admitted to the test if you are late.
  • You will not be permitted to leave early from the test.

Note: If students need assistance on Saturday In-Person test date, they should go directly to the Assistance Station. The location of the Assistance Station is indicated in the students' email confirmation to the test, and by signs posted on campus on the day of the test.

On-Line Testing

Before Exam Day

  • In order to allow time to troubleshoot any issues, it is required to install LockDown Browser & Monitor before the test date.
  • To install and use Respondus Lockdown Browser with Monitor, you must have a PC or Mac. Chromebooks, iPads, smartphones, and Virtual Machines are not compatible.
  • Make sure to download and install the latest version of LockDown Browser & Monitor on the same device in which you will take the GPE On-line test.
  • It is very important that you install the LockDown Browser before the test date so you will have time in advance to correct any potential technical problems before the actual test date.
  • The email confirmation specifies all test details including the steps you need to follow to download LockDown Browser.

Exam Day

  • You must have the same device in which you downloaded and installed the latest version of LockDown Browser & Monitor to take the GPE On-line test.
  • You must have a PC or Mac. Chromebooks, iPads, smarthphones, and Virtual Machines are not compatible.
  • Log into your BeachBoard with a regular browser.
  • Select the appropriate Course
  • Click the “Launch LockDown Browser” button to take the Quiz.
  • The Webcam must be turned on for the entire exam period.
  • To be admitted to the testing site, you will be required to show a Valid, Government-Issued I.D. with a photo and signature.
  • You will be allowed to use a full blank sheet of paper (8x11) and pen or pencil. You may write on both sides of it to make notes or form an outline. Please destroy the paper upon completion.
  • Students should expect to be in the testing site up to two hours.

Note: During the On-Line test date, you will not be able to speak or chat with the proctor. If you need help with the testing system, please contact Technology Help Desk at (562)985-4959. Questions about the actual test can only be asked before or after the testing period. The Testing Department can be contacted either before or after the test session at testing@csulb.edu or (562)985-4007.

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 date and time on your Admission Ticket, you must completely reregister for the next test cycle and pay the full fee.

If you are seeking disability accommodations for the GPE exam, you must be a registered Bob Murphy Access Center (BMAC) student. If you are not a BMAC-registered student, you must first register with BMAC as a student with a verified disability/diagnosis before you can register for the GPE. Please note that supporting disability documentation is required to register with BMAC, and BMAC registration can take up to two (2) weeks. After you have registered with BMAC, return to this page to complete your GPE registration. Please notify BMAC at BMAC-Exams@csulb.edu or (562) 985-4635 at least three (3) business days before the GPE registration deadline if you are requesting accommodations for the GPE, to ensure your accommodation(s) request is fulfilled.

PLEASE DO NOT USE THE ONLINE REGISTRATION FORM.

Non-Saturday testing is available for religious reasons only. Students must provide documentation by the registration 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 GPE preparation workshops are available one to two weeks before each GPE administration. Pre-registration is not required. Workshops last about 2 hours. Both workshops are open to all students. Materials are supplied to students at the workshop.

Exact date, time, and room information are determined one month prior to each test date. Call the Testing Department at 562.985.4007 or the website for more information.

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 Department with all required documents:

Waiver Form - PDF

Below is a sample of a GPE topic. The topic format is identical to the one below. Topics have been carefully pretested for bias and equal levels of difficulty:

 THE CSULB GWAR Placement Examination (GPE)

You will have a total of 75 minutes to respond to the topic below. A time warning will be announced 10 minutes before the end of the test. 

You will not be allowed to leave early.

DIRECTIONS: Write a clear and well-organized essay in response to the topic below. Be sure to respond to all parts of the topic. Provide examples and evidence to support your ideas.

DO NOT WRITE ON A TOPIC OTHER THAN THE ONE ASSIGNED BELOW

QUESTION

Using information from at least one of the sources below (texts, charts, and/or pictures), as well as your own personal experience, explain what you think can be done to improve foreign language learning outcomes for people who begin learning a foreign language in their teenage years or in adulthood.

Text

Learning to speak a foreign language is very difficult for people who begin learning the language as teenagers or adults. It is estimated that only 5-10% of late language learners (people who begin learning a foreign language in their teenage years or adulthood) achieve true mastery of that language. In addition, many people give up. One website estimated that between 50 to 90% of all foreign language learners eventually quit trying to improve their foreign language skills.

Picture

 

Sample Essay Image