CLEP | Distance Learning Systems (DLSI)

Combining Homeschool and Credit By Exam

Through a process of trial, error and sharing, many homeschooling families have the approach to combining secondary school education and planning for university-level examinations down to a science. There are two basic approaches to earning higher education credit while simultaneously completing secondary school.

1. If a college student has acquired knowledge that aligns to a credit by exam check, they would get a research guide and take a practice exam to see if they know enough to complete the check. If they feel confident, they would take the credit by exam check and if they complete it, they have gained higher education credits according to the DSST, CLEP, or AP programs. The parent will also award the college student high school credit on the home school transcript.

2. When a homeschooler is ready for high school work, sometimes as early as junior high school age, the parent and kid will choose his or her course of study. To gain higher education and secondary university credit simultaneously, they will match-up what they want to study with a credit by exam check. The home school student might decide to research US History 1 for 9th grade and after learning the information from a textbook and spending a few weeks reviewing CLEP planning materials, he or she will take the CLEP evaluation. If the kid passes the test, they will have gained both secondary school and higher education credit from studying the same material. If the kid does not pass the test, he or she will have still gained secondary school credit from doing the work. The kid can then earn even more higher education credits by following the US History 1 CLEP with the Civil War and Reconstruction DSST evaluation, as the examinations have overlapping information.

The most apparent benefit to making college credits in secondary school is to speed up the degree process. This can be a considerable benefit from a tuition viewpoint, as well as placing you on a fast-track to profession income.

College Level Examination Program 101

Reduce the Path to a Higher education Degree. You may be able to reduce your college expenses and graduate faster by getting CLEP examinations. That is because getting these examinations can generate you college credit for subjects you already know. Jump right into innovative programs. What Is CLEP? The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) has been the most widely used credit-by-examination program for more than 40 years. It is approved by 2,900 schools and is given in more than 1,700 test centers and on army bases. CLEP allows learners of different ages and qualification to show their expertise of college-level content and generate college credit. It offers 33 examinations in five subject matters; covering content taught in programs that learners generally take in their first two years of school.

Why Take CLEP Exams? If you’re planning to enter college, College Level Examination Program can help you spend less. Here is how. Get Higher education Credit. If you pass a CLEP examination, you may generate up to 12 credits. The amount of credit you can generate on an individual CLEP examination differs with each college. Earning CLEP credit can benefit you in various ways. If you generate college credit by getting a CLEP examination, you can preserve lots of cash in college tuition expenses and charges, student-loan charges, and book expenses. A CLEP examination expense is only $77, while the average cost of an excellent course is $700.

CLEP credits make it possible for you to place out of needed basic sessions and leap right into more-challenging innovative programs. Putting out of needed or optional classes can also free up time while attending college. CLEP is a time-saving way to generate a degree. College Level Examination Program learners seeking a bachelor’s stage cut enough it took to graduate student by two-and-a-half to ten months.

College Level Examination Program

CLEP means College Level Examination Program. What this amazing program provides to scholars is this: to be able to take an exam that, if approved with a certain score, can generate the college student college credit for needed degree sessions at your school or college. Many learners discover that CLEP examining allows them to invest their time on more innovative level research, or the capability to discover electives of their selection with enough time stored that would normally be invested in a quarter-long starting college class. For all of these advantages, many learners convert to College Level Examination Program research helps to help them get ready for their College Level Examination Program exam.

You will see that CLEP preparation comes in two primary forms: hard-copy guides and online CLEP research helps. Both provide common CLEP test-taking guidelines, and then they provide concerns and example assessments depending on the particular exam for which you need research. There are thirty-four CLEP examinations provided by the College Board; you will want to check with your college to see which ones they use for credit at your particular college. Each college places its own CLEP plan, so you will want to study that plan before your continue.

A CLEP research information is available for each CLEP examination you wish to take. Exam topics consist of composition and literary works, language, history and social sciences, science, mathematics and business. Depending on the place of interest and your stage of information, you might need only a fast sweep up of the content or a more in-depth search of the topic. There are several online CLEP research books available that are super easy to use and offer you with the CLEP research that you need to be able to do well on your preferred CLEP examination.

Guides for CLEP Exams

In the more advanced world, Education and learning is a primary need for all human beings. Most people cannot continue their study due to some reason. Military personnel whose time is mostly spent in missions are not able to continue their education such as 4 year college degree. CLEP and DSST are examinations that give them opportunity to get college credit for learning obtained outside the conventional educational setting. This is a very useful system.

There are many companies that run programs for planning of CLEP and DSST examinations. The College-Level Evaluation Program (CLEP) is the most commonly approved credit-by-examination system, was developed by the College Board. It is available at more than 2,900 schools. There is need to complete any of the 34 CLEP examinations and after passing it, you can accomplish your college and profession objectives. The course is designed in as short as 4 days, so you are able to take CLEP test on the 5th day and earn credit from the course. It is helpful to get college credit for what you already know, for a little sum of cash.

There are many companies that offer a very beneficial on the internet CLEP study guides that gives you the material to prepare for the CLEP exams. The content of these guides is so simple that learners can easily prepare for the examinations. The College Board also post study information containing sample assessments for all examinations. There are unique tips for exam takes to make the exam easier. In the CLEP review, you do not have to pay for every detail. There are services that offer many study guides. Some of them are easily available to prepare you for your topic and others have a set price range.

Saving Money through the Dantes Exam

Distance learning works under the supposition that you do not have to sit in a classroom in order to learn. You can study anywhere, at any time and then test your knowledge using consistent assessments. If you score well enough, you “pass” and generate credit. Some learners may want to finish their whole degree through distance learning. However, you do not have to take an all-or-nothing strategy. Many institutions allow you to test out of at least some programs and have credit used.

CLEP examinations are the most popular way to test out of entry-level higher education courses. For a 90 minute test that costs just $77, you can earn between 3 and 12 credit hours! Nearly 3000 approved institutions nation-wide award credit score for at least some CLEP examinations. CLEP examinations cover 33 topics including biology, Spanish, calculus and American literary works. Excluding language and structure CLEP examinations, the examinations are made up of multiple choice questions.

There is also the Dantes Exam or Dantes Subject Standardized Tests (DSST). These assessments were initially designed for the army, but citizens can now take them. Like CLEPs, Dantes exams cost a portion of earning credit typically. Dantes exams are $80* for a 3 credit-hour examination and many of the test are even granted upper-level credit! Nearly 2000 institutions across the country accept some Dantes exams for credit. Dantes exams cover 38 topics such as “Human Resource management,” “Principle of Statistics,” and “The Rise and Fall of Soviet Russia.” These examinations are more challenging than CLEPs, but are in multiple choice forms. Though Dantes need studious planning, you can research at your own speed with the components you choose.

Dantes Exam

Earning a degree while finishing army service can be extremely challenging. Military responsibilities can make it increasingly difficult to study regularly and experts can also struggle to finish their undergrad degrees while attempting to handle work, family and educational responsibilities simultaneously. Fortunately, there is a widely used option that allows learners to finish their degree in a timelier manner. DANTES exams grant credit-by-examination, allowing learners to earn transferable credit by passing an examination in topics that they’ve already perfected, rather than having to join long, time intensive and repetitive courses. DANTES exams (now known as DSST exams), and the colleges that support them, can save army personnel a lot of money.

The DANTES evaluation was the unique name of a type of credit-by-examination that permitted learners to generate credit for subjects they could confirm they already completed via qualified testing. DANTES examinations are now known as DSST examinations and are just like AP examinations taken in secondary school. Moving a DSST / DANTE evaluation allows the student to generate higher education credit without having to take an excellent course in the same subject. Earning attributes via DANTES or DSST examining can cut out the time required to complete a degree, enabling learners to graduate a term or in some cases even years earlier than expected, saving lots of money in educational costs.

There are also two other, quite identical types of credit-by-examination frequently used by Active Duty army members and experts called CLEP and ECE.

CLEP Advantages on Students

The CLEP, or College Level Examination Program, allows you to take up to 34 different examinations that can be used in the place of college programs. No matter what degree of school you are in, CLEP examinations can save you money. The CLEP exams were designed to help learners advance through their study more quickly. The assessments are approved as college credit by schools across the United States. Anyone at any age is permitted to take a CLEP test.

Most school programs include programs that are not proportional to your degree. If you take advantage of the CLEP option, you will be able to avoid participating in some of these common programs. CLEP qualifies as course credit, so you will still meet all of the credentials for commencement. You can study for a CLEP exam on your own time, however, and take the test when you are ready. The time that you would have invested on preparation or participating classes can be used for other sessions that are of more concern to you.

Every college and university course provides expenses that are not easily obvious. Aside from expenses, you will be accountable for buying textbooks and other class requirements that can be very costly. The common college student usually spends as much on textbooks as they invest on expenses for personal sessions. CLEP provides you an option to understand the content without having to buy particular costly textbooks. You can use any source to understand the details that is tested on a CLEP examination. The CLEP examinations cost less than $ 100, which is a simple portion of the money you would invest on a conventional higher education course. The CLEP program is an excellent way for kids to start their higher education profession early. Anyone, at any age, is qualified to take the CLEP exams. With 34 test topics available, a secondary college student could probably decrease the time they invest in higher education by one or two semesters.

DANTES Credit By Exam

The Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Educational Support or DANTES has credit by exam tests known as DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST). They were initially produced to ensure that the U.S. Military’s enlisted soldiers, mariners, airmen and Marine Corps could earn college credit while serving on active duty in locations with no traditional schools. Prior to the internet, service people needed to depend on limited on-base educational possibilities. Frequent alterations in duty stations managed to be tricky to establish residency. The DSSTs assisted to fix this issue by enabling military students to accelerate their degree programs by generating college credit by showing their understanding via testing.

After DANTES sub-contracted the DSST program to Prometric, the DSST grew to become open to non-military personnel. These exams are pretty similar to the College Level Examination Program or CLEP and they’re recognized by many schools for credit provided the minimum cutoff score is accomplished. Like the CLEP program, the majority of the exams cover courses normally trained in the newcomer and sophomore level. This allows students to try out of huge sections of their first couple of years of college.

Students desiring to make use of the DSST program should consult the Prometric web site to find the position of the nearest testing site. The price for every DSST is $80.00. However, many schools and native testing sites frequently charge a nearby fee of $15 to $25. Each examination provides the examinee the chance to earn three credit hours at traditional schools and colleges provided the examinee has accomplished an appropriate score. Each test includes a score, established with a formal validating procedure that fits to some passing grade. One part of the DSST that’s not the same as the CLEP examination is the fact that DSST scores happen to be scaled. Scores over the passing score are qualified for letter grades of B along with A when the college or university takes part for that manner. One prominent distance education college, Excelsior College, does participate and enables students to build up a GPA through testing.

Ways to Save Time and Tuition Fees

You will find several kinds of Credit by Exam options. Listed here are five of the very popular:

College Level Examination Program (CLEP). CLEP is easily the most popular option and it has exams in liberal arts, languages, business, science and math. The completed exams are transferable to just about all colleges for either 3 or 6 units. The CLEP website offers practice tests, study guides and locations of test centers. Costs for CLEP and all sorts of other Credit by Exam choices are usually under $100/test.
DSST Exams. DSST Exams formerly were known as DANTES Exams and were just for military personnel. Today, DSST Exams in liberal arts, business, education and criminal justice can be found to the student, traditional or adult student. Test prep and test locations are online.
Excelsior College Exams or UExcel Exams have numerous tests in areas not included in CLEP or DSST, including Nursing and upper division (junior and senior year) business exams.
Thomas Edison College Examination Program (TECEP) is another method to earn credit for formerly learned understanding. You will find Upper Division exams in Network Technology and business, in addition to exams in PR (public relations), Nutrition and Technical Writing.
Challenge exams originate from the local college or university. If you’re already enrolled in a college and wish to “test out”, your college may offer this other option. Often, a student will go ahead and take the challenge exam, get a listing of study materials and go ahead and take the final exam. The minimum score for that challenge exam is generally 75% or 80% to become counted as credit.

Credit by Exam – Explained

Credit by Exam give learners credits that go toward earning an associate’s level, bachelor’s level or higher education and trade or vocational certification. Students take the examinations needed in their chosen field of study, which evaluates their knowledge in the subject. Testing sites throughout the US bring in The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and Advanced Placement (AP) examinations at various times during the year. Most institutions consider the credits gained by the Credit by Exam program as transfer credits, so the school policies determine the gained credits for the degree. ACE or the American Council on Education grants other examinations acknowledged for higher education credit, such as the Excelsior College Exams and Dante’s Subject Standardized assessments, among others.

Most mature learners have experience in the labor force that can go for a degree program, saving them the time it takes to receive a four-year degree. Many mature learners generate up to 40 credits toward a degree program through testing. Another advantage of the Credit by Exam system is the money stored on expenses. Older students have families to provide for and spending under 100 dollars for an exam, help them to save thousands for higher education courses. These exams also help older learners who have already earned a degree but have been in the workplace for a period of time. They can generate training credits using their work experience and specific skills.

Many adults are not confident enough to take these examinations because they taken any exams for a while. This is especially true of those searching for healthcare occupations, such as nursing because of the specialized and healthcare information required to complete the examinations. Programs are available to help get ready for the examinations in particular higher education areas if individual preparation is difficult or if students feel anxious on textbook learning.