What Is the CLT Test? Sections, Scores, Colleges (2026)

What the Classic Learning Test is, who makes it, how the sections and scoring work, what it costs, when you can take it, and which colleges and state systems accept it in place of the SAT or ACT.

The CLT (Classic Learning Test) is a college entrance exam for 11th and 12th graders that works as an alternative to the SAT and ACT. It is made by Classic Learning Initiatives, it has 120 multiple-choice questions in three sections (Verbal Reasoning, Grammar/Writing and Quantitative Reasoning), it takes 2 hours, it does not allow calculators, and it is scored from 0 to 120. You can take it at home with remote proctoring for $112, or at school on an in-school date. The CLT says more than 350 colleges accept it, and several public university systems now do too, including Florida's, Indiana's and, from fall 2027, most of Georgia's.

That is the short version. Below is how the test is built, how it is scored, where and when you can take it, and who actually accepts it, with each policy checked on the college's or system's own page. If you are still choosing between the two big tests, our SAT vs ACT guide covers that decision.

What Is the CLT Test, and Who Makes It?

The CLT is published by Classic Learning Initiatives, LLC, the company named in Florida's admissions rule and in the copyright line on the CLT's own site. According to the CLT's 2023 concordance report, the test launched in December 2015 as an alternative to the SAT and ACT, and it has become popular among homeschooled students and students at private and classical schools.

The "classic" in the name is about the reading material. The CLT's overview for schools says it emphasizes foundational skills in language arts and math and uses classic literature and historical texts for most of its reading content. So instead of a passage about a recent study or a contemporary essay, you are more likely to read philosophy, history, literature or a founding document.

Classic Learning Initiatives now offers a family of tests:

• CLT: the college entrance exam, for grades 11 and 12. This is the one colleges accept.
• CLT10: the preparatory version for grades 9 and 10, which the CLT describes as an alternative to the PSAT and the PreACT. It costs $69 remotely proctored, and sophomores who take it are eligible for the CLT's National Award, a $2,500 scholarship to any CLT partner college.
• CLT3-8: academic assessments for grades 3 through 8 in language arts and math. Each grade has its own test, such as the CLT8 for 8th grade.

CLT Sections, Questions and Timing

The CLT and the CLT10 share the same three-section format. Every section has 40 questions, and the section times differ:

A few format details matter for planning. The CLT's FAQ says the whole sitting takes 2 hours and 20 minutes including instructions. Calculators are not allowed anywhere on the test. Wrong answers and guesses are not penalized, so you should answer every question. There is also an optional essay of about 30 minutes, which the CLT offers to in-school online testers but not on the remotely proctored exam.

The pacing is tighter than it looks. Grammar/Writing gives you 35 minutes for 40 questions, or about 52 seconds each, and Quantitative Reasoning gives you about 67 seconds a question with no calculator at all. Students who rely on a calculator for arithmetic on the SAT or ACT usually need practice doing it by hand.

How the CLT Is Scored

Each section is scored on a 0 to 40 scale, and the three section scores are added to make your total score on a 0 to 120 scale. That is how the CLT's 2026 technical report describes it (the FAQ prints the ranges as 1 to 120 and 1 to 40). Your score report also shows a concorded SAT and ACT score, a percentile rank, and your accuracy across more than 15 academic domains and subdomains.

Because colleges are used to SAT and ACT numbers, the CLT publishes a concordance table that maps every CLT total to an SAT total and an ACT composite. For example, a 100 on the CLT lines up with a 1390 on the SAT. The CLT publishes the full table on its own comparison pages, and the University System of Georgia will read CLT scores through the CLT-SAT concordance from fall 2027. For the SAT and ACT side of the same idea, see how ACT scores convert to the SAT.

How, Where and When You Take the CLT

There are two ways to sit for the CLT:

• Remotely proctored, at home. You test on your own laptop or desktop computer with a stable internet connection and the LockDown Browser (no phones, and the CLT's FAQ says tablets are not currently supported), any time between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Eastern on test day. The CLT's FAQ says remote tests are proctored through technology plus video and screen recording. This version costs $112.
• In school. Only schools can register students for in-school dates, online or on paper. The CLT says it is available in person only on these in-school days, so there is no national network of weekend test centers like the SAT and ACT have.

The $112 fee includes the Student Analytics report and unlimited free score sends to colleges. You can take only one exam per test date, and the CLT has an open retake policy. Extended time of 25%, 50% or 100% is among the accommodations it grants case by case.

Here are the next remotely proctored dates on the CLT's official test page, as of October 28, 2026:

The CLT's FAQ says remote scores come out on the third Wednesday after the test, because remote sittings go through extra review; the test page sets the exact day, and the December 8 release falls on a Tuesday, December 22. In-school online scores come back faster, usually within about a week, while paper tests take about 30 days. If you have a college deadline in early January, the November 14 date is the safer choice.

Which Colleges Accept the CLT?

The CLT's college list says more than 350 colleges and universities accept it, along with seven state university systems (Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, North Carolina and Texas). Its own FAQ is candid that the CLT is not accepted by all colleges, so treat that list as a starting point and confirm each school on its own admissions page. Here is what the public systems and schools we checked actually say:

Two details are easy to miss. Florida's rule is for admission to its public universities, which is separate from the Florida Bright Futures scholarship; the CLT says Bright Futures accepts CLT scores too, including superscored results, and our Florida Bright Futures guide covers the program as a whole. And UT Austin's rule is about official scores: our page on UT Austin's SAT requirements explains how the official-score deadline works.

CLT vs SAT and ACT: Who Should Consider It?

The CLT makes the most sense if every college on your list accepts it, if you read older, denser texts comfortably, and if testing at home, on the CLT's Saturday or weekday remote dates, fits your schedule better than a sitting at a test center. It is a natural fit for many homeschool and classical-school students, and for Florida students, since the CLT says the state funds every school district to offer it to 11th graders.

The SAT or ACT is the safer choice if your list includes colleges that do not name the CLT on their testing pages, because a CLT score is only useful where it is accepted. Many students take the SAT or ACT as their main test anyway. If that is you, Larry Learns has 30,000+ SAT and ACT practice questions on web, iPhone and Android, with 3 free quizzes a day and a score estimate that tracks your progress. Larry does not have CLT questions, so for the CLT itself, start with the free practice exams in your CLT student account.

Not sure what number to aim for on the SAT side? Our guide to what counts as a good SAT score gives the ranges.

Frequently Asked Questions About the CLT

What does CLT stand for?

CLT stands for Classic Learning Test. It is published by Classic Learning Initiatives, LLC, and the "classic" refers to its use of classic literature and historical texts for most of its reading content.

How long is the CLT?

The CLT has 120 minutes of testing: 40 minutes for Verbal Reasoning, 35 for Grammar/Writing and 45 for Quantitative Reasoning. With instructions, the whole sitting takes about 2 hours and 20 minutes. The optional essay, offered only to in-school online testers, adds about 30 minutes.

How much does the CLT cost?

The remotely proctored CLT costs $112, which includes Student Analytics and unlimited free score sends. The CLT10 costs $69. In-school sittings are arranged and registered by schools.

Can you take the CLT online at home?

Yes. The remotely proctored CLT is taken at home on your own laptop or desktop computer (not a phone, and the CLT's FAQ says tablets are not currently supported) with a stable internet connection and the LockDown Browser, between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Eastern on test day. Scores usually come out on the third Wednesday after the test.

Is the CLT easier than the SAT?

Not in any simple way. The CLT is shorter than the SAT, but it bans calculators and leans on older, denser reading. Whether it suits you better depends on your strengths, and on whether your colleges accept it at all.

Do all colleges accept the CLT?

No. The CLT itself says it is not accepted by all colleges. It lists more than 350 partner colleges and seven state systems, but you should confirm every school on its own admissions page before you rely on a CLT score.

Taking the SAT or ACT alongside the CLT, or instead of it? Try a free SAT or ACT practice quiz to see where you stand, or create a free account to track your score estimate as you practice.