Test of Critical Reading and Writing Skills

To register for several Extension courses, you must receive a passing score on our online test of critical reading and writing skills (CRWS). This test helps ensure your success in courses that have high writing demands.

On this page we cover:

• How to Take the Test
• When to Take the Test
• How to Prepare for the Test
• Courses that Require the Test and Alternatives to the Test
• Registering for Courses That Require This Test
• Test Policies
• Academic Integrity
• Students with Disabilities

If you don’t pass, you can take the alternative course instead of CRWS. If you are a degree program applicant, the alternative course counts toward the degree for most, but not all, fields.

Learn more about the test in the test FAQs.

How to Take the Test

Go to MyDCE to create a student account or log in to your current account. Select “My Enrollment Requirements” from the navigational menu in the top right corner, then “The Test of Critical Reading and Writing Skills.”

If you are a student in need of accommodations, please see Students with Disabilities for more information.

Non-native English Speakers

• If English is not your native language, you must first meet the English Proficiency Requirement for Registration before you can take the test.

When to Take the Test

It is best to take the test before registration begins*, as most courses that require CRWS have limited enrollment and fill quickly. You may take the test as far in advance as you wish. If English is not your native language, you must first meet the English Proficiency Requirement for Registration before you can take the test. 

See the test dates for summer courses.

How to Prepare for the Test

First off, you don’t need to prepare for the test. It is a simple tool to assess your current writing skills. Most students don’t prepare. But if it has been some time since you engaged in academic writing and you’d like to brush up, consider the following resources.

In this webinar recording from CARC, the director of the Harvard College Writing Center will give you essential tips that you can apply to your writing to make it concise and more effective.

In this brief video, a Preceptor in Expository Writing talks about best practices around sentence structure. These tips can help you focus your writing and prepare you for many different types of writing assignments.

The Harvard College Writing Program also provides a number of writing resources. Sources include the HarvardWrites site, which features Harvard faculty talking about academic writing and handouts on various aspects of the essay writing process (developing a thesis, tips on grammar, conclusions).

Courses that Require the Test and Alternatives to the Test

• BIOS 200 Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Studies and Scholarly Writing in the Biological Sciences
  • Alternative: EXPO 42c Writing in the Sciences
• BIOT 200 Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Studies and Scholarly Writing in Biotechnology
  • Alternative: EXPO 42c Writing in the Sciences
• ECON 1010 Microeconomic Theory and ECON 1615 Managerial Economics
  • Alternative: EXPO 34 Business Rhetoric
• EXPO 25 Academic Writing and Critical Thinking
  • Alternative: EXPO 15 Fundamentals of Academic Writing
• ENVR 101 Proseminar: Intro to Graduate Studies in Sustainability and Global Development
  • Alternative: EXPO 42c Writing in the Sciences or EXPO 42b Writing in the Social Sciences
• HUMA 100 Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Studies and Scholarly Writing in the Humanities
  • Alternative: EXPO 42a Writing in the Humanities
• HUMA 101 Proseminar: Elements of the Writer’s Craft
  • Alternative: EXPO 42a Writing in the Humanities
• JOUR 100 Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Studies in Journalism
  • Alternative: EXPO 42b Writing in the Social Sciences
• MGMT 4000 Organizational Behavior, MGMT 4100 Managing Yourself and Others
  • Alternative: EXPO 34 Business Rhetoric
• MUSE 102 Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Studies and Scholarly Writing in Museum Studies
  • Alternative: EXPO 42a Writing in the Humanities
• SSCI 100A Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Studies and Scholarly Writing in the Social Sciences — Anthropology and Psychology
  • Alternative: EXPO 42b Writing in the Social Sciences
• SSCI 100B Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Studies and Scholarly Writing in the Social Sciences — Government and History
  • Alternative: EXPO 42b Writing in the Social Sciences

Please note, if you don’t pass the CRWS test, the graders may recommend a lower-level course that does not serve as an alternative to the CRWS and, as such, also may not count toward degree completion for some fields. If you receive such a recommendation, we urge you to follow it because it means the graders believe you’re not ready to complete the alternative course successfully. The graders are experienced Extension School Writing Program faculty members, and their recommendations represent their best advice for you.

Counting Alternative Courses Toward a Degree

Degree program applicants may use the alternative course as a degree requirement with the exception of Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) applicants in the fields of management, sustainability, and global development practice who follow the MITx MicroMasters pathway to admission. These program applicants may complete the alternative course with a grade of B or higher at the undergraduate or graduate level as an alternative to passing the CRWS test, but the course itself does not fulfill any degree requirement.

EXPO 25 Academic Writing and Critical Reading

EXPO 25 earned with a grade of B or higher may also be used as an alternative course for registration for all the above ALM proseminars and other courses that require CRWS. This is particularly helpful to current and former ALB candidates who wish to continue their graduate studies here at Harvard Extension School and enroll in these courses to apply for ALM admission.

Registering for Courses That Require This Test

You can register for a course that requires this test if:

• You have a passing score on the test of critical reading and writing skills.
• Or, you have earned a grade of B or higher in the designated alternative course.
• Or, you are currently enrolled in the designated alternative course and grades for that course will be posted before the course with the CRWS test prerequisite begins. If you do not earn a grade of B or higher in the designated alternative course, you will be dropped for a full tuition refund from the course with the CRWS test prerequisite.

Test Policies

• Any use of outside resources is strictly forbidden.
• All test scores are final.
• If you pass, you do not have to take the test again to register for any course that requires it. If you do not pass, you will be advised to enroll in a writing course to help improve your critical reading and writing skills before attempting the test again.
• If you do not pass the test, you are advised to take the course recommended to you before attempting the test again. 
• If you do not pass the test after two attempts, you will not be allowed to attempt the test again.

Academic Integrity

You may not use outside resources of any kind when taking this test. The answers and writing you submit must be your own. Breaches of academic integrity, including cases where AI use is suspected, are referred to the Administrative Board, which may impose sanctions that include indefinite suspension from the Extension School. In other words, if you are caught cheating on the test, you may lose forever the opportunity to register for courses and earn a degree at Harvard Extension in perpetuity.

Students With Disabilities

Harvard Extension School welcomes students with disabling conditions to participate in all aspects of our academic programming. Students who plan to take this test who have a need for accommodations should contact the Accessibility Services Office, by calling (617) 998-9640 or emailing Accessibility@Extension.Harvard.edu, to discuss accommodation needs. Please see Accessibility Services for further information.