Mass Communications English Diagnostic Test Requirements
The Test Spells Your Success
Yes, you do have to take the English diagnostic test before beginning your mass
communications classes. But most students pass without difficulty.
Designed to protect your interests, the test is not unique to USF. Most reputable
mass communications degree programs require a similar exam to ensure minimum competence.
There are several reasons why.
First, to give you a little history, after Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward
and Carl Bernstein became celebrities for breaking the Watergate scandal in 1972,
all over the country, college students, regardless of writing aptitude, flocked
to major in journalism and mass communications. At about the same time, public schools
began to focus less on grammar and more on creative writing, which meant mass communications
students weren't learning as much English usage as in the past.
This was an unfortunate trend for the mass media, which depend on precision writing
to educate citizens and consumers. It wasn't long before professionals began complaining
that new mass communications graduates weren't adequately trained. So by the late
1970s mass communications schools were implementing English tests to make sure their
academic and professional standards weren't compromised by admitting unqualified
students.
Believe it or not, as a mass communicator, you will use writing more than any other
skill. That's why your mass communications classes will emphasize it. Passing the
test tells us you are prepared to succeed.
When you think about it, advertising, journalism, public relations and telecommunications
all require strong language skills. Even if you don't plan to be a writer, you will
find yourself writing to earn your paycheck from time to time. The greater your
skill, the greater your marketability.
Finally, unlike trade or technical training, a mass communications baccalaureate
represents a liberal arts education, and one with exceptional standards at that.
Because mass media influence so many people, mass communications professionals hold
themselves responsible for exemplary communication. Mass communications graduates,
in general, rank among a highly literate elite. As a USF mass communications student,
you join a tradition of excellence built on the reputations of our faculty and our
alumni now working in the field.
Don't let the diagnostic test intimidate you. A quick grammar review should remind
you that you know more than you realize.
Good luck. We look forward to seeing you in class soon.
Be Sure You Qualify
To be accepted into the School of Mass Communications, USF undergraduate students
must:
- complete 30 semester hours of course work,
- earn at least a 2.75 GPA overall on all attempted courses,
- earn at least a C in freshman English courses ENC 1101 and 1102
- and pass the School of Mass Communications English diagnostic test with a minimum
score of 120 out of a possible 200 points.
Students who satisfy these requirements should meet with the mass communications
undergraduate program assistant in room 3082 of the Communication and Information
Sciences Building on the Tampa campus.
Upper-level Institution Transfer Students may transfer up to 15
semester hours in mass communications courses.
Community/Junior College Transfer Students may transfer no more
than nine semester hours in mass communications courses.
All Transfer Students must complete MMC 2100 ("Writing
for Mass Media") and MMC 3602 ("Mass Communications and Society")
(or their transfer equivalents) before taking any other USF mass communications
courses. Students who transfer MMC 2100 also must pass the school's English diagnostic
test with a score of at least 140 points, the same score required to pass MMC 2100
at USF.
Review Grammar and Spelling
Don't panic. If you speak English and attend USF, then you probably know more about
grammar and spelling than you think. To pass, you only have to answer 60 percent
of the test correctly.
With a little review, you can increase your confidence significantly. There are
dozens of good grammar study guides available in libraries and bookstores. W. Strunk
Jr. and E.B. White's classic book, "The Elements of Style," offers a brief
but comprehensive read.
You also might consider purchasing the texts for MMC 2100 from the USF bookstore.
The test covers: The parts of speech and a sentence; verbals; clauses;
phrases; capitalization; punctuation; spelling/homonyms; awkward constructions including
parallelism, faulty comparison and modifiers, misplaced and dangling modifiers,
subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, pronoun case; action, linking
and irregular verbs.
Test Your Skill Now
Below you will find samples of the kinds of questions you can expect on the English
diagnostic test. While not comprehensive, these items should give you an indication
of what you need to review.
Label the following sentences -- a) complete, b) incomplete:
1) A working knowledge of grammar will improve your writing immediately.
2) Being that professional communicators write a lot.
Identify the underlined words as parts of speech -- a) noun/pronoun, b) verb,
c) adjective/article d) adverb, e) preposition:
3) In a few days, 4) the 5) talented 6) students
7) quickly 8) improved 9) their 10) grammar.
Identify the underlined words as parts of a sentence -- a) subject, b) verb,
c) direct object, d) indirect object, e) object of the preposition:
11) They will 12) give 13) me my
14) score on 15) Friday.
Label the following conjunctions -- a) coordinate, b) subordinate, c) correlative,
d) conjunctive adverb:
16) however 17) because 18) but 19) either/or
20) and
Label the underlined clauses -- a) independent, b) noun, c) adjective, d) adverb:
Students 21) who review grammar can increase their confidence
22) because most haven't thought about grammar since high school. You can
find
23) what you need to know in any grammar book;
24) however, spelling may require a little more study.
Label the underlined phrases -- a) noun, b) preposition, c) verb:
25) The bright new students 26) have been studying 27) in
the library.
Label the underlined verbals -- a) infinitive, b) gerund, c) participle:
28) Studying grammar, the students wanted 29) to order pizza,
but 30) eating and drinking in the library was prohibited.
Label the problems in the following -- a) faulty parallelism, b) incorrect homonym,
c) pronoun error, d) punctuation error, e) irregular verb error, f) capitalization
error, g) subject-verb agreement, h) faulty, dangling or misplaced modifier:
31) You either pass or you don't.
32) Those students like music, film and to party.
33) Each student must bring their book.
34) The keys had laid there all day.
35) I shot an elephant in my pajamas.
36) Cruising through the parking lot, the spaces were full.
37) The media is responsible to the public.
38) He wants to really do well.
39) You must pass the english test.
40) Jane a cub reporter did the interview.
41) The rule doesn't effect me.
Identify the misspelled word:
42) a. develop, b. govenor, c. twelfth, d. rendezvous
Answers:
1) a, 2) b, 3) e, 4) c, 5) c, 6) a, 7) d, 8) b, 9) a, 10) a, 11) a, 12) b, 13) d,
14) c, 15) e, 16) d, 17) b, 18) a, 19) c, 20) a, 21) c, 22) d, 23) b, 24) a, 25)
a, 26) c, 27) b, 28) c, 29) a, 30) b, 31) a, 32) a, 33) c, 34) e, 35) h, 36) h,
37) g, 38) h, 39) f, 40) d, 41) b, 42) b
Watch for Test Dates
We offer students a number of opportunities to take the English diagnostic test
during each semester. Test information is available in the School of Mass Communications
advising center and from advisers on regional campuses. If you need to, you may
take the test again.