How To Ace CLEP Exams

By taking up CLEP exam or commonly known as College Level Examination Program, there is a chance to earn college units and it can help you save time, money and graduate college fast. This exam is administered by the College Board to help assess the college level knowledge for 36 subject areas. It is conducted at more than 1,700 sites (colleges, universities, and military installations) across the United States.

These tips will help you pass the CLEP exams:

  • Browse the internet then look for the exam outline – CLEP exams permit you to cash in knowledge earned outside the classroom or in high school. As you skim for outline, point out what may be your weaknesses and strengths.
  • Check your school choice – CLEP exam may depend on university or college that you choose, but most CLEP tests gives a passing score of 50, although it has been reported that other educational institutions require a higher score.
  • Make list of key terms in a flash card – Flash card can help you remember terms and definitions. It is fairly effective by its ability to help you store terms in your long term memory and eliminate cramming. Every time you encounter unfamiliar words, write the exact term and its meaning to an index card and go over it a few times.
  • Search for updated reviewers – in this generation, there are many resources that are available. Search for books or other materials in the internet that are still comprehensive and reliable and look for its year of publication.
  • Seek for help – Ask help from your friends and relatives that have already taken the exam. Ask them about the concepts that you don’t understand and take that as an opportunity to gain knowledge.
  • Use practice test – Practice makes perfect. After you study everything, practice test is advisable because it will help you fill in the lapses in your knowledge. It can also help you develop strategies that you can use during the examination day.

Taking examinations that can help you boost your future can be a headache, but you just have to look into your holes and maximize it through knowledge.

Getting College Credit through CLEP  

Earning a college credit is helpful for anyone who wishes to finish college early. CLEP is the fast track to your educational future. The College Level Examination Program is one of the examinations that students can take in order to earn college credit from 2,900 colleges that grant it. Each institution awards the credit to students who meet the college’s minimum qualifying score for that exam. Also, each institution determines the exams for which it awards the credit and the amount of credit that will be granted. Make sure to review the college’s or university’s CLEP policy to know this information.

The amount of credit you can earn from a CLEP exam can be up to 12 credits if you pass it. However, the amount of individual CLEP exam you can earn varies with each institution. There are colleges that place a limit on the total amount of credit you can earn while others may grant you exemption but no credit towards your degree.

Minimum qualifying score for earning a CLEP credit may vary from exam to exam. Most colleges publish their required scored for earning CLEP credit in their general catalog or brochure.

There are instances where colleges will not grant credit for a CLEP exam. If you have already attempted a college-level course closely aligned with the exam, some colleges will not grant credit for it. Also, some colleges will not permit you to earn CLEP credit for a course that you failed.

Before repeating a CLEP exam, be sure to wait six months. Repeating a CLEP exam of the same title earlier than six months will make the scores not accepted and test fees will be forfeited. Aside from that, colleges usually award CLEP credit only to their enrolled students.

To be sure if a CLEP credit can be earned, find out from the institution what type of credit you can receive and all other information before taking the CLEP exam.

Earning Online Degree

There are numerous domestically approved online colleges that are competency-based and offer versatile techniques for students to earn credit. By signing up for one of these reputable online colleges, you may be able to earn the majority of your credits by proving your learning by acquiring tests rather than by finishing the coursework.

Getting an online degree by taking tests has several key disadvantages. Particularly, students miss out the most significant facets of the college experience. Whenever you take a test rather than a class, you lose the chance at reaching a professor, social discussion with your peers, and learning as part of a community. Additionally, the required tests are challenging and the unstructured nature of learning alone can lead a lot of students to simply quit. In order to be prosperous with this strategy, students have to be especially driven and disciplined. 

The tests, which you take, are determined by your college’s prerequisites. You might find yourself taking university tests supervised online, university tests supervised at a specified testing area or external tests. External tests just like the College Level Exam Program (CLEP) can help you bypass the courses in specific subjects such as U.S. History, Marketing, or College Algebra. The CLEP Exams and other tests can be utilized with proctored supervision at a number of locations.

Remember that most of the “earn a degree fast” and “test out of college” advertisements are scams. When selecting to earn a degree primarily through an examination, it is necessary that you sign up for an authorized, accredited online college. Probably the most widely form of accreditation is regional accreditation.

If you choose an accredited online college, your degree should be considered legitimate by employers and other educational institutions. There should be no difference between the degree you earn by proving your knowledge through test taking and the degree another online student earns through coursework. 

Humanities in CLEP

The humanities subject includes numerous subjects, including history, literature, music and art. For those who have a humanities background, you might want to go ahead and take the CLEP test. Passing the CLEP, also called the college-level examination program, provides you with the chance to earn as much as six college credits, which might apply toward your degree. Understanding how to pass this test may reduce the number of classes you have to take throughout your college career.

credit by examThe initial step in planning for that test is to be aware what the exam entails. The humanities CLEP test covers music, art and literature. You will have to know and find out the works of specific authors and be aware of the qualities of their writing. In addition, you will have to know the specific types of poetry along with other writings. The exam will ask you questions made to test out your general understanding of certain artists, pieces of art and also the history surrounding these, along with other subjects within the humanities. You may even have to identify works of art, sculptures along with other artworks. The exam includes 140 questions that you’ll want to accomplish within 1 hour 30 minutes.

Knowing you’ll go ahead and take the CLEP humanities test later on, spend some time reading through a number of works. Concentrate on classics and popular modern works. You will have to read poetry, plays, short tales, books and nonfiction works to have a good start. When you don’t have time to read a number of works, you might want to study books that provide an introduction to subjects in the humanities. You might not have just as much success using the test just like you browse the works themselves; however, this may give a better approach in studying when time is a concern.

To organize, you need to listen and focus on a number of music styles that will help you get ready for the exam. Review music styles and ideas, and acquaint yourself with a number of artists. You might request buddies or relatives to listening to a bit of music so that you can practice determining the composer or song. Make flash cards with questions regarding artists and composers. Just like other parts of the humanities, you will need to study a number of visual arts. This can include works of art, sculptures and designs of architecture. You must also know the concepts behind film and dance, in addition to being capable of identifying specific good examples. Make yourself familiar with the method and your good to take the exam. The technique is to be familiar with the common, significant and noteworthy details related to humanities.

American Literature CLEP Exams

The CLEP exams for American Literature covers chronologically organized material taught in a two-semester introductory course in American Literature. This CLEP exam deals with the writing and poetry written in the United States from the Northeastern, Romantic, Realism and Naturalism, Modernist, and Contemporary Times.

This CLEP examination focuses on fiction and poetry more than essays, dramas, and autobiographies and assumes that learners getting the examination have read a wide range of American Literature works and know its basic periods and traditional development. Specifically, this CLEP exam tests learners’ information about specific literary content such as characters, plots, setting, and themes. This CLEP examination also assesses a learner’s ability to demonstrate and understand short poetry or excerpts from longer poetry and writing works. Students getting the CLEP exams need information of the traditional and social settings of literary works and their authors. The American Literature CLEP exams also require learners to demonstrate their familiarity with terminology used by literary experts and researchers, while understanding critical theories, verse forms, and literary devices.

The Analyzing and Interpreting Literature CLEP examination involves content provided in a two-semester common literature course. This CLEP examination represents learners have read a wide range of poems, dilemma, stories, and nonfiction mainly from United States and British literature. Exam questions apply to chosen paragraphs and no past experience with the paragraphs is required. The English Literature CLEP exams cover a traditional organization of material obtained in a two-semester undergrad course. This CLEP test covers author’s work from Beowulf to the present, working on major authors and literary works, but sometimes includes questions about minor authors.

All of these multiple-choice CLEP exams allow for achievement within 90 minutes. The American Literature CLEP examination has about 100 questions, while the Analyzing and Interpreting Literature CLEP examination contains roughly 80 questions and the English Literature CLEP examination contains 95 questions.