Needing information about CLEP

NurseyBaby'05, BSN, RN · May 20, 2005

I just took CLEP's for Intro to Psych and English Composition. The recommended passing score from CLEP is 50. You will want to check with your school about required scores. Some schools' mimimum standards deviate from the College Board's recommendations. I found the tests really straightforward. I could have kicked myself for not studying though. The English was good, but I was a little concerned about the Psych. Wound up passing with a 58 though. **Whew!**

One thing I would advise you to do though is take them well ahead of when you need them. If you don't pass, you can't retest for at least six months. I, on the other hand , was a complete dipsh** and took them two and a half weeks before graduation. I was definitely sweating putty balls while I was taking the Psych test and missing question after question. :rolleyes: I could have very easily not graduated. (:angryfire at myself for being foolish.)

I would contact your school and check with them and also the CLEP testing center. The are usually a regular fountain of information. I think you are wise to try and test out of some classes. I didn't want to be spending valuable Nursing study time writing papers or doing research. Just my :twocents: .

NewStu · May 20, 2005

I have been looking into the CLEP tests too, and can give you some info that might be useful. Try http://www.collegeboard.com to find general information about CLEP. You can also find information there about which CLEPs are accepted by your particular school along with the minimum test scores required for credit. Also, you can locate testing sites in your area.

One important thing to keep in mind, is that most colleges accept some CLEPs for credit, but not all of them.

A couple more sites I found useful were http://www.degreeinfo.com and http://www.123collegedegree.com. Both of those websites have good general info on CLEP and Dante exams; degree info also has a message board worth reading for test taking tips and strategies.

Hope this gets you started on your CLEP journey. I just started mine too and plan to use it in a way to (hopefully LOL) save time and money. :balloons:

MiaLyse, APRN · May 20, 2005

I have been looking into the CLEP tests too, and can give you some info that might be useful. Try http://www.collegeboard.com to find general information about CLEP. You can also find information there about which CLEPs are accepted by your particular school along with the minimum test scores required for credit. Also, you can locate testing sites in your area.
One important thing to keep in mind, is that most colleges accept some CLEPs for credit, but not all of them.
A couple more sites I found useful were http://www.degreeinfo.com and http://www.123collegedegree.com. Both of those websites have good general info on CLEP and Dante exams; degree info also has a message board worth reading for test taking tips and strategies.
Hope this gets you started on your CLEP journey. I just started mine too and plan to use it in a way to (hopefully LOL) save time and money. :balloons:

English Composition >>

Do you know if the English Composition with essay CLEP covers both English Composition I and II? tia for any info

Kelly

NewStu · May 20, 2005

English Composition >>
Do you know if the English Composition with essay CLEP covers both English Composition I and II? tia for any info
Kelly

KM37:

While it looks like the official word from CLEP is that they recommend the test be awarded 6 credits (2 semesters I assume), most schools (at least the ones I'm interested in) either will not allow you to CLEP-out of their English Lit requirement or they will only award you 3 credits for the CLEP English Lit.

My suggestion would be to call the school(s) you have in mind and pose the question to them directly. That way no surprises later.

I'm thinking of going the distance learning route on English Lit, so you might consider that as an alternative. Something to think about anyhow.

Hope this helped! :)

fiskurwoman · May 23, 2005

Hi. I've been reading alot about the CLEP and DANTES and I was wondering if anyone could tell me how to find out about this. Can you use these for some of your required classes such as psychology and sociology and possibly more? Just wondering, I have a baby and its hard to be able to actually go to campus. I just don't feel comfortable yet leaving her with someone and my husband is gone 6 days a week. Anyone who could give me any info I would appreciate it.. Thanks.. :)

Hi. Just go to the collegeboard website, clep site, or dsst for dantes. You can get just about any subject test you need which includes psych annd sociology...It is a great way to obtain credit when regular college classes do not fit into your lifestyle..and another great advantage is that they are not expensive....60 dollars is not a lot to spend for 3-6 hour credits..Good luck

new_mom26 · May 24, 2005

Hi. I was wondering do you order a book or do they send you a work book to study. Sorry, I'm new to this and not exactly sure how it works..

NewStu · May 24, 2005

You will have to purchase the study guides on your own. I ordered the CLEP Official Study Guide and Cracking the CLEP from http://www.amazon.com, both are good resourses for teaching the test format, test taking strategies, etc., but neither includes study material per se. Both these books will, however, give you a feel for the test and actually break down the subject matter tested - that way you'll have a good idea on how to plan and organize your studies.

To review/learn/study subject material, you would need to refer to a text book on the subject (i.e. for psychology a Psychology 101 text), or some type of review material such as Cliff's Quick Review for example. I've read posts from students that swear by InstantCert or istudysmart to learn and review subject matter, but I'm not that far along in my CLEP-ing to offer an opinion one way or the other on those companies.

Don't want to hijack your post, but I would welcome anyone who has successfully CLEP-ed a particular subject to let us know what reference material they used to help them pass. Any info from the 'old hands' at CLEP would be welcomed from us 'newbies'.

Good luck to you on your testing out! Hope this bit of information helps you to get started.

fiskurwoman · May 24, 2005

Hi. I was wondering do you order a book or do they send you a work book to study. Sorry, I'm new to this and not exactly sure how it works..

My suggestion is what school of nursing or program are you planning on completing. If you are using excelsior then I would advise you to call and speak to an advisor which you can do and not be an enrolled student. They will assist in directing you where you need to start. The college network is an excellent source of information as well. You will need to decide which program you are going to do and find out what the required courses are and start from there. Some programs require different courses so be sure you are going to take courses that apply to that particular school or program. Also check to see what scores they accept. Usually Clep is at least 50 and if letter grades a C however, there are some schools of nursing that require Bs on upper level exams. I recently took one exam and the accepted score was a B and not a C since it was upper level. So make sure you find out what accepted scores are.

Many places will offer you outrageously priced study guides. Go to ebay and you can get just about any book or guide you could ask for.I have bought some books there and they arrived in mint condition and were very inexpensive. I purchased the one text that I had been looking for for 3.oo and it was brand new. Saved me 85.00! I also have plent y of guides and from College Network that have been extremely helpful in preparing me for CLEP DANTES AND EXCELsior examinations. I am in the ISU program for LPN to BSN RN and soon will finish at last, I have taken many of the exams so if you would like my opinion on them I would be glad to answer any questions for you. One key note I found was to study concepts, theories and such and how to apply them. These exams are not the kind that are elementary and ask for specific things like a date or a name...Also some of these courses are upper level college work so be aware you will be expected to have a junior and senior level of knowledge about certain subjects.

I did buy the one of the clep prep guides...but did not find it to be much help and would not advise that be your only source of study material. My texts I used prepared me much better. However. everyone has their own learning and studying style so it might work for you. Good luck and let me know how you are doing sometime.

fiskurwoman · May 24, 2005

You will have to purchase the study guides on your own. I ordered the CLEP Official Study Guide and Cracking the CLEP from http://www.amazon.com, both are good resourses for teaching the test format, test taking strategies, etc., but neither includes study material per se. Both these books will, however, give you a feel for the test and actually break down the subject matter tested - that way you'll have a good idea on how to plan and organize your studies.
To review/learn/study subject material, you would need to refer to a text book on the subject (i.e. for psychology a Psychology 101 text), or some type of review material such as Cliff's Quick Review for example. I've read posts from students that swear by InstantCert or istudysmart to learn and review subject matter, but I'm not that far along in my CLEP-ing to offer an opinion one way or the other on those companies.
Don't want to hijack your post, but I would welcome anyone who has successfully CLEP-ed a particular subject to let us know what reference material they used to help them pass. Any info from the 'old hands' at CLEP would be welcomed from us 'newbies'.
Good luck to you on your testing out! Hope this bit of information helps you to get started.

I have taken the Psychology, Sociology, Biology, Analysis of Literature Clep exams. But have taken the Excelsior and Dantes also.

Clep is not easy -and you have 90 minutes for most exams.

There is no one text or guide that will fully prepare you for the exam. I do think you have to take some time, read, research, and study to do well on them. I did a lot of quizzes and test online from colleges and such that were free to test my knowledge as I studied which worked well for me. All are multiple choice and one answer can be discarded right away. There are generally I have found to be 2 correct answers but one is the better choice. They do require thorough reading before answering as when I have reviewed some of my answers I realized I had misunderstood and marked the wrong answer. I was glad you can review your answers before ending the test if you have time left on the clock! Good luck to you..

Spazzy Nurse, RN · May 25, 2005

I have a baby and its hard to be able to actually go to campus.

You do need to take the CLEPs and DANTES at college campuses. There is a listing of which colleges give which exams on the websites.

I second everyone's opinion on checking with your school to see which exams they will except for what.

I took the sociology CLEP. It wasn't as easy as I thought it would be, but it wasn't horrific. I studied for about 2 1/2 hours (don't do that!) and barely passed. I bought a study guide at a Borders Books, but you can get them cheaper online. Here is a link to a used one on half.com http://half.ebay.com/cat/buy/prod.cgi?cpid=1169210126&domain_id=1856&meta_id=1

and another one on Amazon--- $3 more but brand new.http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0878912762/qid=1116982488/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/103-3935730-9781466?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

Just a tip---- check half.com for tests and study materials before buying from anywhere else. You can get some great used books for dirt cheap.

Best of luck to you, and congrats on that little baby. :)

MiaLyse, APRN · May 25, 2005

I am in the ISU program for LPN to BSN

Is this the program that has many of it's classes online with clinicals offered locally?

Kelly