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.

Taking the CLEP Exam

Should my kid use the CLEP assessments to get credit for college courses? This question resonates with many families looking to reduce the price of college. The CLEP program has increased in popularity over the last few years. Be home more, reduce costs and get college credit. Sounds like a win-win situation, but consider all the facts before moving head first into this new effort.

The College-Level Examination Program ® or CLEP is a program that allows learners of any age the chance to gain college credit through a series of examinations in undergrad higher teaching programs. Like AP programs, there are several advantages to doing well on CLEP assessments. The CLEP program is not necessarily used as replacement for college. Many learners take these assessments to prepare and improve their college experience.

Benefits:

  • Take fewer classes in college. You can get college credit for information you already know. If you have already studied a particular subject, you can route that information into college time and get credit for your secondary school information. CLEP-ing out of starter classes can also help you jump into the more advanced and interesting programs college has to offer.
  • Spend less cash on education and studying. CLEP examinations coast approximately $65, which is cheaper when compared to the price of college credit hour. CLEP examinations are also free to those who are serving in the army.
  • Finish your Degree. If you lack certain programs to be eligible for graduating, CLEP examinations can be great way to help you get those last few college hours.

Disadvantages:

  • Reliability of your degree. Many families have decided to have their kid do all their college work through some form of “distance learning” program. Although correspondence programs have grown in approval, many companies and institutions of higher learning are hesitant to accept these degrees as genuine.
  • Longer than you think. Some programs claim that a four year degree can be obtained in six months through accelerated studying and then CLEP-ing out of normal college classes. Don’t just take the word of someone who has written a book; do more research to find out if this is actually possible.

College Level Examination Program Purpose

CLEP (College Level Examination Program) is a program developed to provide learners possibilities to obtain higher education degree credit for certain academic places of study by testing their knowledge through specific placement assessments. CLEP is the abbreviation for College Level Examination Program. CLEP is developed for learners to accomplish higher education credit by passing exams for the appropriate undergrad college programs. Most institutions provide credit and/or placement for passing CLEP exams provided by the College Board.

CLEP exams involve a sequence of multiple-choice questions that are evaluated on a range of 20-80. Most institutions consider a score of 50 a passing grade. However, some academic institutions provide more or less credit according to your ranking and the subject. For example, a score of 50 in Spanish might compensate 6 credits to a college student while a grade of 65 might give 12 credits. Consult with a consultant or CLEP professional at your preferred university to find out the range of credit given for a particular discipline.

As of 2007, CLEP exams are provided in the following areas:

Business

  • Financial Accounting
  • Intro Business Law
  • Information Systems & Computer Applications
  • Principles of Management
  • Principles of Marketing

Composition & Literature

  • American Literature
  • Analyzing & Interpreting Literature
  • English Composition
  • English Literature
  • Freshman College Composition
  • Humanities

Foreign Languages

  • (Check with the school for foreign language CLEP exams offered)

History & Social Sciences

  • American Government
  • Intro to Educational Psychology
  • History of the United States I, II (Early Colonization to 1877 / 1877 to Present)
  • Human Growth & Development
  • Principles of Macroeconomics
  • Principles of Microeconomics
  • Intro to Psychology
  • Social Sciences & History
  • Intro to Sociology
  • Western Civilization I, II (Ancient Near East to 1648 / 1648 to Present)

Science & Mathematics

  • Biology
  • Calculus
  • Chemistry
  • College Algebra
  • College Mathematics
  • Pre-calculus
  • Natural Sciences