CLEP option | Distance Learning Systems (DLSI)

How to Get College Credit Through the College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

The average cost of annual tuition in the United States range from $3,131 for community colleges and 29,056 for private four year institutions. In fact, the most expensive university charges $51,008 on tuition fees alone. It’s no wonder a lot of people look for ways around paying huge amounts of money for their degrees. College Level Examination Program or CLEP is one of the options a student has to get that college credit, and there are over 2900 colleges that grant them.

How It Works

Every institution will set a minimum qualifying score for CLEP exams. If you reach the required score, the institution will determine the credits it will award the student. It is commonplace for these institutions to place this information on their CLEP policy, so be sure to read this first.

While each institution may have their own standards and metrics for their CLEP, these are the basic standards. Upon passing the exam, students can be awarded up to 12 credits. There are some colleges that place a limit on the total credits that a student may receive. On the other hand, there are also some that grant exemption, but no degree credits.

Each college have varying qualifying scores for every exam. These scores are commonly published in their general catalog or brochure, indicating the scores that they require in order for the student to earn credits.

No Credits Awarded

There may be certain instances wherein the college will not grant credit for a CLEP exam. The two sample scenarios where this may happen:

If the exam is connected to a course. Some colleges will not credit your CLEP exam if you have already attempted to take a course that is directly related to the exam.
If you have already failed in a similar course. In some cases, the college may even not permit you to take the CLEP exam for that particular course.

Retaking the Exam

Students are allowed to repeat a CLEP exam given that six months have already passed since the first one. Retaking the exam before the six months has passed could mean a forfeit of test fees and results.

Before you even start studying for your exam, you first have to check the institution CLEP standards. Find out what credits can be earned, and other factors that may affect the test, the results and credit that you may receive.

About your CLEP Examination Scores

Taking the CLEP exam requires a lot of preparation and focus. There are some who finish and pass without any hustle or retake. However, there are those who don’t pass or score below credit minimum. It’s necessary to know how the scoring works in order to make good test taking strategies for yourself.

Most of the questions are multiple choice. These questions are reviewed and checked by the computer. The essay portions are graded by English professors from different colleges who are specifically picked by the College Board. The score you receive from the essay will be combined with your score on the multiple choice portion. It will then appear as a scaled score in the report.

You’ll notice that there are portions of the exam that are optional. Most of them are essays and are required by specific colleges. The college or university that requires the question will personally check the answers, rather than the College Board.

On the multiple choice questions, you will get one point for each correct answer. When your answer is wrong for a certain item, it will not be deducted from your total score, as well as the unanswered items. It is important to answer every item to get a chance of getting a correct answer than leaving it blank and get no chance. Your totaled scaled score will be shown on your score report. Your score will be in between 20 and 80. If you register for a CLEP exam online, you can name the college or certifying agency that you desire to receive your CLEP test scores. You don’t have to pay for your transcript request; the payment will be included in your exam fee.

CLEP Basic Questions

If you’re looking to go to college to finish your degree in a field that you already have some experience in, you might want to check into the CLEP, or College-Level Examination Program. This is an exam-for-credits program that is run by the College Board, the same company that designed and provides the SAT’s and the AP’s. By successfully testing out of training that you are already acquainted with, you can save a lot of both cash and time on your degree.

1. Who are they for? The CLEPs are usually recommended for learners with some real-world experience in the subject they are being tested on. Army members, those who have served internships and those who have developed on-the-job skills make strong applicants for getting credits through exams. It’s essential to know beforehand that the assessments are usually identified as being pretty challenging, so you’ll want to ensure that you have an excellent knowledge of the subject, or you’ll end up wasting cash on the test and then having to take the course anyway.

2. How much do they cost? Each test is $80, obviously more affordable than a college course, but it can add up if you’re trying to test out of a lot of topics. While the CLEPs are definitely a less expensive choice than a conventional college course, this is certainly not a simple way out of college sessions. If you don’t have a strong knowledge on the subject, it’s probably not suggested to try testing out of something that is required knowledge in your field.

3. What colleges and universities accept them? While the College Board indicates that CLEP credits are approved by some 2,900 colleges and universities, it might be of interest to note that there are about 4,600 degree-granting organizations in the U.S., which means there is a very excellent possibility that your university won’t take these credits. Many of the top U.S. educational organizations have ceased getting these credits completely and many more have put a limit on the number of credits that you can get in this way. The best way is to check out your college or university’s web page and look for details on Credit-by-Examination. If they don’t have it posted, you can get in touch with the registrar’s office and they should be able to help you.

CLEP Preparation Steps

The College Level Examination Program is an arm of College Board, which provides a way for speeding up the completion of college courses. Based on the institution’s guidelines, CLEP assessments can help learners generate college credits or postpone certain specifications if they have already designed proficiencies in certain subject areas.

Here are some steps to adhere to help guide your approach.

1. Check out the CLEP website – Now that you have read through the CLEP website, it’s a chance to find out which test(s) you should take. On the home-page of the CLEP website, there is a “Search Institutions” bar. Do this! There are 33 CLEP assessments available, but each college/university has a different approval policy. You do not want to take a test that will not be accepted by your college/university. Instead of getting the test, save the $80 and put it to good use elsewhere.

2. Verify your facts – It is not sensible to make presumptions about college policy based on third party information. Now that you are equipped with some baseline details, cross reference it with your institution’s course catalog and double check the registrar’s office to make sure the details found on CLEP web page is up to date.

3. Get ready for the test – When taking CLEP assessments, it’s important to plan in advance. It does not appear sensible to get $80 and not know what you are getting into. The College Board provides several 100 % free resources, many of which can be found in the internet.

4. Sign-up for the test – Registering for a CLEP test is probably the most convenient part of the process.

Not every college will promote their CLEP policy where it is readily available. CLEP tests can help learners facilitate their course completion, which could result in less income for the college, a fact that some organizations would like to cover up. CLEP tests can also be an affordable solution to taking summer classes, but it all depends on the college’s policy.

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.

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.

CLEP Tests

Every university student goes through times where life is beyond stressful and preparation seems to be limitless. Fortunately, there is a way to cut down your to-do list during the term. College Level Examination Program (CLEP) is a group of standardized assessments designed by the College Board. These assessments allow students to take college-level examinations with the chance of “CLEP-ing” out of getting a semester’s worth of a particular class. Students can take CLEP tests at most community colleges. Each test costs around $100, which is much less costly than getting a class for a complete term at a private college. They are also much simpler than investing 15 weeks seated through a class.

CLEP tests are pass-or-fail and you have a chance to study before getting the examinations. “I only tested for four times for Humanities; it was worth it because I do not have to take Imagination In Culture,” sophomore Garret Todd said. CLEP assessments usually cover pre-reqs and primary classes such as basic math and Writing in Culture. They also cover some electives. “I heard about it through buddies,” senior Joshua Kauzlarich said. “I researched it and heard I could really reduce my schedule for my last term. Not only that, but I could save a reasonable sum of cash.” Taking CLEP assessments allows students to reduce expenses and reduce their university load considerably.

“Next term I only have Wednesday and Friday sessions,” Todd said. He took two CLEP assessments, Humanities and Analyzing & Interpreting Literary works, for six credits each. Kauzlarich took the Humanities test as well. “CLEP assessments are excellent because they provide you a chance to reduce your course load as well as offer a probability to obtain extra credits and graduate early,” sophomore Bieber Geerts said. Geerts says he plans on taking CLEP assessments because they are a much better substitute to a regular term of a basic course. Kauzlarich said he would suggest other students to look into getting CLEP assessments as well and that he would have taken advantage of them early in his college stint, but he is too far into his educational plant to exchange any more credits over from CLEP assessments.

Speeding Up the College Completion Process

The common college student is no longer the 18- to 24-year-olds that completed secondary school and instantly went on to college. The present scholars are a different lot and include army veterans, stay-at-home moms, business men and others. Those that are not part of the young set are regarded “non-traditional students” or individuals that generally attend sessions on a part-time basis. Going to greater education part-time is often the only option for returning students. The procedure can take the better part of a decade to finish, placing stress on weddings, family members and businesses along the way.

Here is how you can speed up the college completion process:

1. Check out CLEP. The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) may make it possible for learners to take examinations to confirm expertise in certain subjects. If accepted by a college, College Level Examination Program examinations can help learners quickly obtain credits that will count toward graduating. Before you take a CLEP examination, you need to find out your college’s CLEP plan.

2. Prior classes may transfer. If you have been out of college for years, credits you have taken previously may still be transferrable. There are deadlines and credit limits that colleges and universities allow, but that “Modern European History” or “Health Science Foundations” programs you took decades ago may depend toward your present degree.

3. Remain on target. One of the annoying things that scholars must deal with are those programs that cannot count toward their degree. Typically, this happens when learners change degrees, perhaps shifting from Chemistry to Business Management. Some programs may count as electives while others will not. Clearly, you need to know what degree you want to engage in and stay on track at all times.

4. Take web based programs. Even if you attend college in person, you may be able to complement your programs by taking classes on the web too. On the internet programs generally allow learners to work at their own rate, allowing them to obtain credit as they finish each course.

5. Get the good grades. No matter your pace of study, you need to get high grades in every class. That meaning of “good” is generally a “B” or better. Getting at least a “C” can be appropriate too, but if you get a “D” grade, you may not be able to transfer that course to another school if you have to.

College Level Examination Program Advantages

As learners look for ways to make education more affordable, there is an obvious chance that learners and their parents seem unacquainted with, the College Level Examination Program, or CLEP assessments. These assessments allow learners to be able to test out of up to 33 college level programs. That can convert to up to 45 units. Many of these programs such as chemistry, calculus, geometry, history and humanities, are required by almost all colleges and universities and some trade schools. These are programs that college-bound learners should already be taking in high school. Students who are doing well in these topics in secondary school should be able to successfully pass these programs, with little or no training, if they just study hard while in high school, but training and practice assessments are available.

The price of a unit of study at Northern State University is $133 per unit for citizens, so a three-unit class would cost about $400, not keeping track of the guides and various other fees. The CLEP examination costs $80. The big advantages come when you take enough CLEP examinations to equal a term or more of college tuition. For each term of classes you could miss at NSU, you would save their approximately $12,363, if you live at home, or the more likely $18,821 if you live on campus. Because NSU is one of the more cost-friendly colleges, you would save even more if you choose more expensive universities. As they say on the College Level Examination Program website, “you do the math.”

Within a 200-mile distance of Aberdeen, the site identifies 32 organizations that agree to CLEP examinations. Regionally, they include NSU and Presentation College. South Dakota State University, University of Sioux Falls, Dakota State University and Augustana also agree to these assessments. Even Lake Area Tech allows them. If you are looking outside the state, more than 2,900 universities and colleges accept these examinations. Another real benefit comes in time. Every term, the college student can “CLEP out of” is a term they could be making profits and getting real-life experience. Real education happens when you interact with what you have learned in the class room with actual life problems.

Why Prepare for CLEP Exams

Whether you are about to begin your higher education career or are coming back, you still need to have a quick evaluation to get ready. There is nothing more intense than going into one of the English CLEP exams with generally taught one-semester long Introductory Microeconomics course. Each appropriate response matters favorably and then a portion might need for certain questions likely to be asked on the examination. The college student is permitted to prepare for the CLEP exams using web-based CLEP examination research programs, less than the credit would cost if the class was taken. This purpose is just one of many illustrations of how CLEP is during an actual test, so you can plan in advance a CLEP test-taking technique that will continue to work best for you.

Most colleges and universities allow learners to drop College Level Examination Program are also supporters of utilizing AP or Advanced Placement classes. Most CLEP assessments award credit with a passing score of 50, although the CLEP review books for practice beforehand can be essential to the student’s success. There are large numbers of CLEP research books available online. Economic Recession makes CLEP exams eye-catching. This choice, with the economic system in its current state, leads to learners acquiring between 3 to 6 school credits. These examinations cover material trained in introductory or general education college programs and require learners to take the risk of sitting in the examination without adequate planning. CLEP exams meet lower level college education requirements, a college credit without giving up the unique possibilities for fun and relationship that are available during secondary school.

Of the thirty-four provided examinations, the army education and studying finance attracts a planning system personalized particularly for you. You will find this key function losing in conventional ways of studying. These CLEP examinations provide extra optionally available 90-minute articles with two example assessments based on the particular test for which you require research. Learners may choose to take these examinations in order to simply lose a few classes and this is where using the right research books can be incredibly valuable.