A competency test for writing that tests writing competency as an interdisciplinary skill called "academic writing" has been developed at The American University. The test focuses heavily on the subject and lightly on the writer or on the writer's sensibility. It avoids asking the student to write introspective "meditations," to take and defend a moral position on a controversial issue, or to give a snap judgment on a sociological, historical, economic, or anthropological issue. On the first part of the test, students are required to write a precis of from 250 to 300 words describing a passage they have just read. In the second section, students read three or four brief selections related to a common theme and then synthesize the material in their own words and write a brief research paper. Evaluation is performed in three categories: reading comprehension, correctness, and writing quality. A passing score on each section must be achieved for a student to pass the test. (TJ)