what exactly is the difference?

I just realized that I didn't ask these questions also. I noticed on the EC website that some of the gen ed classes I need are not listed, really just the 3 sciences. Will they be offered at a later date? And also for the gen ed classes that I need can I get financial aid for those or are they categorized in the nursing program? Same with scholarships would they cover gen ed classes?

Again thanks in advance.

They'll assign you to the AS or AAS degree plan based on where the majority of your past credits lie. It has to do with where your general electives fit. I had an EMS background but four years of liberal arts eduction prior to entry at EC, so AS was a better fit for me. AAS will often work well for people who have more credits in allied health (fields like respiratory therapy, etc). To make a long story short, don't sweat that.

I always hesitate to tell people to start knocking out courses or exams before enrollment, especially if you're having a hard time deciphering exactly what you need. Some LPN/LVN's can actually skip one of the nursing exams, but I'm not clear on what the criteria are for doing that.

CLEP is its own testing program administered by the College Board. Google CLEP and it will get you right to the site you need for info on registration and preparation for exams.

Consider taking Excelsior College Examinations to fulfill as many requirements as you can when CLEP exams aren't offered. The EC Exams are quite a bit cheaper than the online courses and the courses really require you to do a lot of the work independently anyway.

So about the EC exams for courses not available through CLEP are you saying that I can take the EC exams and not have to take the EC course? Or maybe I totally mesed that up?

Yes,you would just take the EXAM for that course, not the actually course. I may not be of much help because I haven't started EC yet. I will as soon as I graduate from LPN voc. school in August. I will clep human development and sociology. I will take EC's exams for A&P and Micro because they can't be Clepped.

Without taking the course how hard are the exams? What do you all recommend to study prior to taking the exam?

What many people do is pony up the $60 and take an EC practice exam that is available after you pay for the exam itself. (You have 9 months to take the test after you pay.) The practice test comes in two tests, actually. The first test will guide you towards what you need to study at the beginning. You can take the second one towards the end, or, if you're impatient like me, take it soon after the first test. Don't pay a whole lot of attention to the scores--70% on those things are pretty good and do not reflect what the actual test score would be. The gold is in the rationales behind each answer. You will find questions similar to some of the practice ones on your real test.

As far as what to study? I'm a traditional girl and study textbooks or the overview type of books if I was really solid in my knowledge (like in OB/GYN stuff) or I would break out the Saunders NCLEX-RN review book--it's wonderful. Other people go with notes they find on the internet, such as Minnay or Lisa Arends. I have all of Lisa's notes--I found they didn't help me at all, as I was hung up on deciphering her shorthand and absent punctuation (I'm a medical transcriptionist right now--it's in my blood to get distracted by little things and miss the big picture, I guess). I do think the CPNE notes of hers look quite good. ANYWAY! I had no problems with the exams except the first time I took tests and was really cocky. I took two on the same day. Never, ever, ever do that. I took my last four in a span of 6 weeks. I received all A's on those, but I never took two on the same day again. I didn't find them really that hard. It depends on your background. Incidentally, I don't think I would have done as well on my tests if I didn't have my MT job right now.

Without taking the course how hard are the exams? What do you all recommend to study prior to taking the exam?

:yeahthat: