The CLAST is required by Florida Statutes and Rules of the State Board of Education for the receipt of the Associate in Arts degree and for the admission of students to upper division status in the state universities of Florida. Students are encouraged to take the CLAST as early as their second semester of enrollment, and are normally expected to have successfully completed CLAST by the time they have completed 60 hours. Transfer students admitted directly to baccalaureate degree programs who have not completed CLAST must register for and take the test prior to or during their first term of enrollment.
The CLAST requires passing scores on four subtests of college-level verbal and quantitative skills including Reading, Writing, Computation and Essay. A listing of the objectives covered in each subtest is available in the General Bulletin. Faculty teaching Liberal Studies courses in Area I (Communication), Area II (History) and Area IV (Humanities) should be aware that at Florida State University those courses assist students to develop the skills necessary for successful completion of the CLAST. The University has an institutional plan to assure that students experiencing difficulty with CLAST are provided guidance and academic support. The Director of Retention Studies coordinates these efforts.