Credit By Exam | Distance Learning Systems (DLSI)

All About CLEP

The acronym of College Level Examination Program, CLEP is really a set of examinations provided by the College Board, a not-for-profit examination board in the United States, established in the nineteenth-century. The College Board controls conventional assessments, such as the SAT, PSAT/NMSQT, CLEP, ACCUPLACER, and Advanced Placement assessments and the subject-specific SAT Subject Tests. CLEP provides the opportunities to the learners of any age to show their college-level success through a sequence of assessments. There are about 2,900 universities that allow university loans and/or advanced degree status for CLEP assessments or exams; a credit is a system that provides weighting towards the price, degree or time specifications of an academic course.

The CLEP assessments facilitate the US learners in high schools or universities and colleges to generate credits for the effective completion of each class for each academic period. The state or the company in most cases, places a minimum of credits required to graduate college. The CLEP assessments are usually 90 minutes long and currently cost $60 each.

These assessments are organized at examining facilities on university and college campuses, as well as military installations; the facilities impose an administrative or signing up fee per college student or per test, which might range from $5 – $60. The CLEP assessments are free to military service people. The Military Services whose members are eligible for a CLEP tests consist of Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, Army Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Navy Reserve, Coast Guard Reserve, Military and Air National Guard. The CLEP assessments are on a range from 20 – 80 multiple-choice assessments that provide outcomes. The credit for a grade of 5 – 0 or greater is given by almost all educational institutions, but driving ratings differ from university to university.

DSST Credit by Exam

While the DSST program offers a total of 37 examinations in unique subject matter, the 10 examination titles releasing with new material are: Substance Abuse, Introduction to Computing, Ethics in America, Criminal Justice, Personal Finance, Management Information Systems, Here’s to Your Health, Fundamentals of College Algebra, Principles of Statistics and Introduction to World Religions. A rejuvenated practice examination is also available for each title.

Regular material up-dates keep the DSST examinations certified with the extensive requirements of the American Council on Education (ACE), which suggests the examinations for credit, as well as appropriate to applicants and arranged university classes. It also increases the security and reliability of the examinations through protection of item overexposure.

“The universities that agree to DSST credits do so based on the capability of the examinations to coordinate up with certain course specifications, and this positioning is crucial to the success of the DSST program,” said Jean Steinke, DSST Senior Product Planner at Prometric. “College directors, giving programs and learners should be confident that the topic and material of all DSST examinations are indicative of course material and representative of a progressed level of information in any of the topic.”

Almost any adult who has gone back to school is familiar with credit by exam programs that allow them to earn college credit for life experience. The DSST program is Prometric’s exclusive program of 37 examinations while attending college subject matter such as Social Sciences, Math, Applied Technology, Business, Physical Sciences and Humanities. Learners who take and pass a DSST examination are given college credit applied toward their degree. DSST examinations are applied by more than 1,200 universities, colleges and military facilities globally and are recommended for school credit by the American Council on Education (ACE). Close to 2000 universities offer course credit for a passing grade on the DSSTs. Providing a simple and fast way for current or future students of any age to “short cut” their degree program by saving them the time of having to sit in a class and the money of having to pay for it by taking the credit by exam route.

Passing the College Level Examination Program

For those of you who have ever reported, “I already know this information, this class is a waste of my time,” prepare yourself for the biggest thing you have heard all year. Kept invisible from learners for some unidentified reason (money), I present the soon-to-be infamous CLEP test. It stands for “College Level Examination Program,” this test allows learners, if ready with the appropriate information, to take a test on a course they are already well-versed in and get full credit. To all the senior students living off campus, the CLEP is not news. But for some reason, nearly every person has little to no idea about it. Do not worry, there are indeed a few select people who actually care about your time and effort and do not just want as much cash they can get.

This test, appropriate to nearly every student, gives learners a chance to spend a week passing a class instead of 20. This way you can make good of the little time you have on campus; not strolling through the steps of rounding numbers. This being said, the test is not going to be a simple task. The test is basically a final examination and since you have never actually taken the class, it’s bound to be complicated. There are, however, several sources on campus with the only objective of assisting you to successfully pass the College Level Examination Program.

Speak with your guidance counselor. It would be annoying spending for the test, taking time out of your week and in the end finding out that the exam you took is not applicable to your university.
Register for the exam date/time/location. Since there are certain times and places for the test, you will need to resume a spot at a convenient time and place for you.
Study! The exam is basically a final examination for a class you have not taken, so you have to be pretty ready. In the written text, there are study guides in the library particular for these assessments.
Pass the test. Now with the appropriate planning and signing up, you are hopefully ready to take an entire class in a matter of two hours.

The Focus on Credit by Examination

Too many students are targeted on the classes they need to take. English, Psychology, Chemistry, Accounting etc. It’s simple to see why. Choose a college course book and you will see that degree programs are set out as series of classes to take. Successfully pass them all and you graduate with the degree you desired. Yet, this is actually a superficial way to look at higher education. As it turns out, credits are the real foundations of degrees, not classes.

Take a closer look at your college’s course book. What you will see is that you actually need a certain variety of credits to graduate, usually 60 for an associate degree and 120 for a bachelor’s. This is a key understanding, because once you move your focus from classes to credit, you can begin researching methods to buy them for less. The costly classes your university provides are just one way of getting those credits, even though most learners thoughtlessly believe it’s the only way.

In reality, there are three methods to generate higher education credit:

Classes at four year public colleges/private universities
Classes at community colleges
Credit by examination

Most students are acquainted with the first two choices. But hardly anyone knows about credit by examination and even less understand its full potential. Credit by examination represents college-level subject assessments like CLEP and DSST. With this strategy, you take a large test covering an entire subject (say, English) rather than a semester-long course. Successfully pass the examination and you get credit just as if you had taken the class. What this implies is that you can possibly cut lots of money off the price of graduating by replacing as many of these examinations for classes as your college will allow. Unfortunately, many colleges and universities have tight “residency requirements” restricting how many attributes you can get this way.

Taking The DANTES – Credit by Examination

DANTES, CLEP and Excelsior examinations are Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) Financed for active duty, Nationwide Guard members and Reserves which means they are generally free. The DANTES credit by examination is a nationally-recognized credit-by-examination program that most universities agree to for credit towards a degree plan. One tremendous benefit is to soldiers who may be separated from army bases such as recruiters who can still take these examinations for free at private analyze facilities. Any army college student with an accepted degree plan should be able to use these examinations towards their degree. There are 38 DANTES credit by examinations and these can be taken at a base education center or at an approved off base computer examining center.

There are steps to taking and passing a DANTES credit by examination:

Step 1. Find and Schedule – Once a testing center is located, they must be approached to confirm testing procedures and scheduling for army learners. DANTES credit by examinations are developed to analyze proficiency in various college-level course materials. The evaluation is similar to the final evaluation given in lower degree college programs.

Step 2. Get a Fact Sheet – There a few strategies to successfully passing a DANTES that utilize the actual test development to ensure a passing grade. The examinations are developed based on and summary from subject experts and the questions are examined for stability based on a subject’s knowledge of that particular topic. Basically each fact sheet has a content summary that describes the content and the exact percentages of that content on the evaluation.

Step 3. Get Books – The next phase in using the fact sheet is to test the area known as sources for study material, because this is where the guides used to design the test question originate from. Generally, an evaluation details several books for an evaluation however there is usually a seminal written text. The best way to purchase lessons is to search Amazon.com for the book. In most cases, the most recent version need not be bought, as the explanations and concepts in the guide do not change that considerably over time.

CLEP Free for Military Personnel

Army workers who are seeking to enter college may have quite a bit of life experience under their belt. That experience may be enough to meet up with some college credits without getting college courses, what the College Boards’ CLEP makes possible through examining. Those assessments (exams), when passed, may be replaced for credit at hundreds of universities across the nation, saving military workers cash. CLEP examinations have a price, but for our men and women in uniform, the price for getting any one of the 33 determining introductory-level subject examinations can be waived. Through an agreement with Defense Activity for Non Traditional Education Support (DANTES), active duty, reserve and National Guard personnel have their CLEP examination expenses covered.

The coverage refers to Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard personnel, as well as members of the Army Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Navy Reserve, Coast Guard Reserve and the Army and Air National Guard. Moreover, partners and private workers of the Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard, Army National Guard, Army Reserve and Coast Guard Reserve qualify for CLEP fee waivers too.

Under the military’s CLEP agreement, the first examination attempt is free. However, if military workers want to retake a test previously financed by DANTES, they must wait six months and pay both the $80 examination fee as well as the administration fee. The administration fee, however, is waived if the test is on base or is base subsidized. Is CLEP worth it? Absolutely. If you have the experience and knowledge, then getting and passing at least some of those assessments can reduce your degree pursuit. You will also reduce your overall expenses when you engage in CLEP through the DANTES program, yet another way to contain your college expenses.

Credit by Examination Need to Knows

A college is commonly viewed as a financial commitment into your future. Invest your cash into college, and your return is a degree and hopefully a well-paying job. Testing out, or credit by examination, gets you the same return for a smaller financial commitment of both cash and time. Simply put, it’s a faster, more affordable way to generate college credit by passing one standardized evaluation per course. So, here are some things you need to know about credit by examination.

You can get college credit on your schedule without sitting in a classroom – Credit by examination, or testing out of college programs, is a method that focuses on the elements of college that are valued most, gaining the college credits you need while saving cash. Separate studying and testing out of a course allow you to structure the studying process into your current life schedule, no matter what your life routine may be.

Passing one standardized evaluation can give you up to 12 college credits – A passing score on a standardized evaluation indicates that you have the same level of information as someone who took the same topic in a traditional class room. Think of it as skipping right to the final exam in an excellent course and having your entire grade based on that test. The number of credits earned depends on the evaluation topic and the university or college you plan to transfer it into.

Testing out can save you money – By using your knowledge, you can reduce costs on tuition, transportation costs and child care and save lots of money along the way.

Testing out is not just for the army anymore – For many years, the army has used independent studying to allow army personnel the flexibility to independently learn and then test out of college programs, as well as army specific programs. Today, there are many people, army and non-military alike, who get a four-year degree using nothing but independent studying to aid in testing out of programs. Their passing grades are transferred to a school of their choice that accepts the passing standardized evaluation scores and the college issues them credit toward a degree.

Why High Schools Should Focus on Credit by Exam

What is “credit by exam,” such as CLEP, DSST, and AP? It represents a test one can take and earn college credits at participating universities. Some examinations can be taken at any age, while others have some age limitations. Here’s why credit by exam should be the focus on a high school?

Reduce College debt – This is the #1 reason we are concentrating on getting college credit without taking college classes! If we can pay $100 per examination, each being worth either three or six credits, it significantly reduces down the cost of a university education.

Pose a challenge – Since an honor student generally has done quite well in school, she is used to placing in 50% effort. This is a risky habit to pick up and giving her the task of passing a college level examination helps her step up her game.

Reduce the period of time in college – The earlier he or she can get started in “real life,” the more experience he or she can have as he or she gets to her primary adulthood. As a 30 year old, he or she could have ten years experience in a given field rather than six or eight. Decreasing the period of time in college also decreases some of the contact with the insane college lifestyle, in which many teenagers leave their principles for what seems fun and interesting in the moment.

Take a course once – There are many programs that a student would rather not do, such as Literature. Some students dislike literature with a passion and it’s definitely the topic in which they nag the most about things getting done. Now, does the student want to do literature once in high school, or have to do it again in college? If the student passes the examination, then he or she will not have to finish that same course in college. It’s a win-win situation!

College Level Examination Program News

Though learners are given the opportunity to earn credit before college, some credits might not be transferable to Northwest. The College Level Examination Program provides many different choices for learners to get credit without getting a formal course. Students at Northwest are permitted to take these assessments for certain subjects detailed in the yearly catalog. There are several programs provided that learners can test out of, a few examples being American Government, financial accounting, college algebra and western civilization.

“In the catalog, there are certain scores we need,” said Tamera Grow, associate director of admissions. “These (in the catalog) are the ones that have been analyzed in the past by our teachers. It reveals the ranking that is required to get the credit for the classes that are here.” There are no specifications learners need to fulfill to take this test. Freshmen through seniors are able to test out of programs using College Level Examination Program. However, though many learners think this program is a simple and fast way to generate credit, some programs detailed in the catalog as having the test-out choice are not approved at all at Northwest.

“If a college student had another (subject), we could have it analyzed,” Grow said. “I think this is a traditional record of what has been done in the past. I have not gone through all College Level Examination Program choices in the last few years to say ‘OK, this is the one that we should do.’ I have just kind of left it up, but if we got a demand, I could look at it.” Each test costs learners $100, said Beth Mason, assessment office administrator. Of that, $80 goes to the CLEP examining company and the other $20 invested on the 90 minute test is kept by Northwest. Students may not have obtained credit for certain subjects at Northwest for a few reasons: They could have not scored well enough for the Northwest specifications, or the individual departments at Northwest may not think the credit is worthy of passing.

Taking Dantes Credit by Examinations

Dante’s Credit by Examinations, CLEP and Excelsior examinations Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) Financed for active duty, National Guard members, and Reserves which means they are basically 100% free. The DANTES credit by examination is a nationally-recognized credit-by-examination program that most universities agree to for credit towards a degree plan. One tremendous benefit is to soldiers who may be separated from military bases such as recruiters who can still take these examinations for 100 % free at private testing facilities. Any military college student with an accepted degree plan should be able to use these examinations towards their degree plan provide the subject suits into their accepted degree plan. There are 38 Dantes credit by examinations and these can be taken at a base education center or at an approved off base computer testing center.

Step 1. Find and Schedule – Once a testing center is located, they must be contacted to confirm examining procedures and scheduling for military learners. Dante’s examinations are developed to analyze proficiency in various college-degree course materials.

Step 2. Obtain Fact Sheet – There a few strategies to pass a Dante’s that utilize the actual test construction to ensure a passing grade. The examinations are developed based on a summary from subject experts and the questions are examined for reliability centered on a subject’s understanding of that particular topic.

Step 3. Get Book(s) – The next phase in using the simple fact sheet is to analyze the section known as Sources for study Material, because this is where the guides used to design the test questions originate from.

Step 4. Make Flashcards – Purchase a set of flashcards. Using the evaluation Fact Sheet, each term listed on the simple fact sheet summary should be put on a flashcard. Using the evaluation Principles of Counseling as an example, this would lead to a minimum of 34 flashcards.

Step 5. Use Your Resources – Some examinations are normally easier than others because learners have current understanding of the test topic information. A good example would be the Army MOS 31B or military police.