Entry Level Competency Exams (ELCEs)
All incoming accepted and confirmed pastoral candidates are required to show a basic understanding of the Old Testament, New Testament, and Christian doctrine. Those who have studied biblical Greek or biblical Hebrew may also show competency in these areas. Each proctored exam consists of 100 multiple-choice questions and has a time limit of 75 minutes. Three attempts are allowed per exam.
Review your program using the chart to see which exams you must take.
Information regarding registration and exam instructions is provided once your admission is confirmed.
In order to pass each of the ELCEs, incoming students must receive a grade of 70% or higher. Students have three attempts to pass each ELCE.
Once all three attempts have been used without passing with a 70% or higher, you will do the following:
- Old Testament and New Testament: Take and pass CTSFW online courses in Old Testament and/or New Testament to fulfill the ELCE requirement. The courses may be taken during two different quarters.
- Biblical Greek: Take and pass CTSFW biblical Greek either residentially or online before beginning classes (MDiv or AR).
- Biblical Hebrew: Biblical Hebrew is not a prerequisite and is part of the required curriculum. If you show competency in Hebrew, you will substitute two general elective courses, plus two Old Testament Hebrew Readings courses, for the required Hebrew I and Hebrew II courses. Note: Hebrew is not required for the AR program.
- Christian Doctrine: No other coursework is required.
ELCE waivers are offered for incoming students who took approved courses at a Concordia University System (CUS) institution. Waivers may be requested from the Registrar’s Office. Incoming students must have received a “B” (3.0 on a 4.0 scale or equivalent) for each course to receive a waiver for entry-level competency requirements:
- Old Testament, New Testament, and Christian Doctrine: Successfully completed a three semester hour overview of each of these three required content areas.
- Biblical Greek: Successfully completed at least six semester hours of biblical Greek with at least one semester hour taken during your senior/final year to ensure maintained language proficiency.
- Biblical Hebrew: Successfully completed at least six semester hours of biblical Hebrew with at least one semester hour taken during your senior/final year to ensure maintained language proficiency.
Consult the Registrar or your admission counselor regarding whether your courses fulfill the requirements for Old Testament, New Testament, Christian doctrine, Hebrew, and Greek.
Incoming students who plan to receive a waiver for any of the five ELCEs must matriculate within the academic year following the completion of their undergraduate studies.
Deadlines and Resources
The Registrar’s Office must receive your ELCE request form four weeks before the exam deadline.
Competency Exam Deadlines
Winter Incoming-Accepted Students—October 15 (request deadline: Sept. 15)
Spring Incoming-Accepted Students—January 15 (request deadline: Dec. 15)
Summer/Fall Incoming-Accepted Students—July 31 (request deadline: July 1)
The primary study resources for passing the ELCEs are the Bible and Luther’s Small Catechism. You will also need to read a series of books that is essential to your preparation for the exams. Each book contains the information you need to know for the exam, and each chapter includes review material to help you check your comprehension. Find the required books on our bookstore page.
Please note that not every book is required for every program. Contact your admission counselor with questions about which books will be most beneficial to you.