Posted on Dec 14, 2019
What advice do you have on preparing for CLEP exams? What/how did you study?Should I take several at once, or one at a time?
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I’ve contacted the school I will be transferring credit to and made sure they accept will accept CLEP exams. Could anyone give me some advice on preparing for these exams? What/how did you study? And how long did you prepare before actually taking the test. Also, should I take several at once, or would it be better for me to take one at a time?
These are the classes I will be testing out of:
Introductory Psychology
Human Growth and Development
College Composition (with the essay)
College Algebra
Introductory Sociology
Biology
Humanities
Social Sciences and History
* I also need to choose a History and something for a general elective.*
These are the classes I will be testing out of:
Introductory Psychology
Human Growth and Development
College Composition (with the essay)
College Algebra
Introductory Sociology
Biology
Humanities
Social Sciences and History
* I also need to choose a History and something for a general elective.*
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College
College
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 4
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I took 3 in one day. It just depends on how comfortable you are with the material. I got the CLEP-specific study guides for College Board for each course. They are pricey, but they are produced by the same company that puts on the exam.
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Literally, the CLEP tests are more an evaluation of what you have already accumulated in a given subject. I do know that there are some "study guide" materials for the tests but, I would say from personal experience that you either know this subject or you don't. I would not suggest taking more than one say in a week. I took the general tests once a week for a single subject and it was much easier and my scores reflected that I did not pressure myself or create unintended pressure to take too many. Besides, if you do pass any of these tests your credit does not come any faster by burdening yourself by taking a lot of them all at once.
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If you're going to study, why not just take the course? You'll get graded on your course work and not just one test.
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SPC (Join to see)
SFC, I was told by one of my officers that testing out of prerequisites was a good idea to save money and time. I have always been a good test taker and did many of these classes in High School. I’m wanting to get several classes out of the way that I know I can pass. I’m hoping to start nursing school by next year if I can.
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LTC Jason Mackay
SPC (Join to see) - but you take it on the chin on GPA. You earn transfer credit, or they waive the requirement on your degree plan. The easier classes pad your GPA for when you get into degree classes/upper division courses. Also you may be able to fake the funk on a CLEP, but when you have to apply that pre-req skill in the upper division class (example you CLEP Calculus 1, but then have to apply it in an Engineering or Science course later), you bolo because you are not proficient at it.
"Well Sir, GPA isnt everything." True, but it does dictate whether or not you meet degree requirements (many programs have a GPA or in-program GPA higher than 2.0 to earn the degree) AND your ability to attend graduate school. If you are Nursing, then you have a high probability of needing a Masters later on to climb. It is the one thing that once you get it low, it is near impossible to improve. You can work very hard and get some A's but it will rise hundreths of a point as it gets mature. trust me, been down that road. Once you have a GPA, thats it, until you do another degree. How do you do that? You have to apply somewhere WITH THAT SUCKY GPA and hope to get in, whether it is another bachelors or a graduate degree. I was lucky to get into an MBA program with a 2.55 (exactly what I had to have to graduate) in Civil Engineering, a decent GRE and GMAT score. I crushed it though, so now I have a 4.0 GPA to apply for PhD programs (sometime before I die).
When do I think it is good to CLEP? If you have one pre-req that you can easily learn from reading a book that if you do not have it it will set you back an entire semester in a program timeline; I'd endorse that move. Colleges soemtimes only offer courses on a program cycle and if you miss the cycle you have to wait a year in some cases. Every program I've been in has been like that. BS In Civil Engineering, MBA, MA, and an undergrad ceritifcate. ALL THE SAME. If you miss it, it sets you back a semester or a year, or it has a domino effect that will set you back.
"Well Sir, GPA isnt everything." True, but it does dictate whether or not you meet degree requirements (many programs have a GPA or in-program GPA higher than 2.0 to earn the degree) AND your ability to attend graduate school. If you are Nursing, then you have a high probability of needing a Masters later on to climb. It is the one thing that once you get it low, it is near impossible to improve. You can work very hard and get some A's but it will rise hundreths of a point as it gets mature. trust me, been down that road. Once you have a GPA, thats it, until you do another degree. How do you do that? You have to apply somewhere WITH THAT SUCKY GPA and hope to get in, whether it is another bachelors or a graduate degree. I was lucky to get into an MBA program with a 2.55 (exactly what I had to have to graduate) in Civil Engineering, a decent GRE and GMAT score. I crushed it though, so now I have a 4.0 GPA to apply for PhD programs (sometime before I die).
When do I think it is good to CLEP? If you have one pre-req that you can easily learn from reading a book that if you do not have it it will set you back an entire semester in a program timeline; I'd endorse that move. Colleges soemtimes only offer courses on a program cycle and if you miss the cycle you have to wait a year in some cases. Every program I've been in has been like that. BS In Civil Engineering, MBA, MA, and an undergrad ceritifcate. ALL THE SAME. If you miss it, it sets you back a semester or a year, or it has a domino effect that will set you back.
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SPC (Join to see)
Thank you for the advice sir. I will most likely CLEP out of some of the easier classes I did in high school and take the rest in the classroom.
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SFC (Join to see)
LTC Jason Mackay that's exactly what I was going to say. CLEP is great for material you already know, but if you don't know it you're going to take a beating on the GPA
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