college credit by exam

Alternative Ways of Earning College Credit

Anyone who has already started working full time knows how difficult it is to go back to college, get a second degree, or get that post grad course you’ve been wanting. Luckily, the government has acknowledged these needs, which is why there are credit by exams programs. Anybody who is 25 or older and already has some college experience can take this advantage.

Not surprisingly, students who have signed up for this program have a higher course completion rate compared to the students who signed up for the traditional campus courses. This is not to say that students in the program are better, but they possess more motivation to complete their courses. And because of this, the Federal Government as well as companies have taken an interest in these educational opportunities. The government continuously modify the law in order to allow more funding for distance students. Companies have also assisted employees with tuition compensation, and have reaped rewards of these programs. The credit by examination is an amazing effort to allow anyone who wants to pursue a degree, but does not have enough resources to earn it through traditional methods.

Who are the people who commonly benefit from credit by exam programs?

Regular students- Any student who has the capacity of taking up supplement senior high school credit by examination programs can take advantage of it. Many schools who recognize the potential of their advanced students try to offer a wide array of advanced positioning courses. While this is not available in all schools, the institutions offering the program is growing.

Working adults- Looking at the facts, most American University students are actually over 25 and already hold jobs. They try and support their own families while studying which is why they will benefit from this program the most.

Licensed Medical Professionals- Health care professionals have extremely demanding working hours, and cannot strictly follow traditional class schedules. There are many health-care-related courses that have credit by exam programs in order to meet those needs.

Companies- Enhancing the talent pool is one of the goals of companies, and there are many instances wherein trainings are not enough to meet these needs. Credit by exams have been receiving budgets from companies.

Course Placement and Credit by Exams

Earning credits through examinations can determine the course placement of students at a university. Many credit by exams are recommended when enrolling for a particular course, while others are optional. A high school graduate can earn an elective undergrad course if they are able to pass these exams.

Credit by exams have eligibility criteria set, so not everyone aspiring to go to a University are able to earn credits for a preferred course. The requirements are established by the academic department with the approval of the dean.

Earning credits by passing a course is equivalent to passing a credit by exam. The only exception is that credit is not earned in residence. Failure of passing credit earned examinations does not threaten their chances of getting scholarships during the first year of college and does not reflect on their official transcript.

Students with a score eligible for credit has the option to either get a placement only prerequisite or credit only. If the latter is preferred, the Registrar’s office reports the credit the student qualified through credit by exam given that the student is not prohibited from enrolling in the said university. If the students would like to use the qualifying score to enroll in a course, he may do so. A credit-only may later be used as a placement for a course upon student’s petition, but a course credit cannot be changed to placement only. Students who are officially enrolled or former students are allowed to take examinations to establish eligibility for either placement or credit only.

There are also other credit by exams, that upon the approval of the academic dean and department head, a student may take the exam offered by the University. Those who are officially enrolled in the said University will have the chance to take the exam. IF they receive a qualifying score, they will receive credit for their preferred course.

Taking a Credit by Exam

For the majority of college students, the road to earning credit usually requires weeks of paying attention to classes, taking notes, finishing projects and passing a mid-term and final examination. However, if you can earn that credit faster and at a small fraction of the expense of getting a formal course, will you be engaged? There would be no projects to finish and no classes or lessons to go to, just an examination to pass.

Students searching for a more effective style to acquire a college degree must look into credit-by-exam programs, which may have gained popularity among those who wish to speed up their education and save money at the same time. Credit-by-exam programs have already been employed for many years and strive to grow today simply because they offer real value to students and allow them to finish degree demands more proficiently than taking conventional courses.

Almost 3,000 universities and colleges within the U.S. recognize credit-by-exam as transfer credit. The programs permit students to earn credit by passing just one examination and tend to be an excellent fit for self-sufficient students, students who possess college-level knowledge and students who are good applicants.

Credit-by-exam programs aren’t for everybody, particularly students preferring a structured atmosphere and getting together with a teacher and fellow students. Choosing to gain college credit by getting ready for an exam that includes a semester’s worth of content means you need to be self-motivated and encouraged. This method appeals to many hectic adult students who have contending demands on their own time and preferring to work independently.

Students thinking about credit-by-exam programs must consult with their academic advisor to ensure credits with the exam they’re planning to take can be moved to fulfill essential requirement in their degree program.

Options in Credit by Exam

Students after graduating high school have the opportunity to get credits by taking examinations that are recognized by the college they are enrolling. Credit by exam enables you to earn college credit before you decide to take college. Getting a credit will save you some time and money and will allow you to take on another subject, major or finish your course earlier than usual. There are colleges and universities that permit students to get as much as 30 hours of credit in certain academic areas. Some colleges allow more, depending on their program. There are different “credit by examination” programs that are recognized by most colleges, for example the College Level Examination Program, the International Baccalaureate Program and the Advanced Placement Program.

You can generate 3-8 semester hours of credit per test, based on your score and the subject, in an AP exam. If you are a transfer student, you must submit your AP and CLEP scores, less than 12 semester hours, to the college you are enrolling. Your school will still evaluate your score and the subjects you took.

You can skip many core courses and receive credit for them by taking a college credit examination and advanced placement. The college credit examinations are generally recognized by colleges and universities. If you pass these examinations, you can earn one-third or more of the credits mandatory for a degree. The examinations are accessible in more than 150 subject areas which gives you a lot of options. The exams are comparable to final examinations given by colleges and universities. Nevertheless, credit by examination is quite fast, this means it saves you time, but requires you a lot of preparations. It is an affordable way to receive a college credit which makes it very convenient and a must option.

Reasons to take Credit by Exam

As college tuition prices continue to increase at universities across the country, some learners are looking for more cost-saving, non-traditional routes to college. One way that you can preserve countless dollars on expenses is by getting an examination to get college credit in place of a conventional three-credit course. Many American universities and colleges will actually allow you to test out of certain programs with a credit by exam, allowing you to be able to take more classes that can get prepare you for your upcoming profession. In fact, here are some reasons why you should consider credit by exam:

1. Save Time: Credit by examinations can help decrease the number of hours and classes you may need for a degree program. You have the versatility to schedule the test on your own time and to make a study plan that continues as long as you need it to.

2. Save Money: A test costs only $80! On average, one college is worth $250. Add up 3 credits and that’s $750! You do the math.

3. Credit = Credit: Over 1,900 organizations allow credits for credit by examinations. Whether you are seated through a class of 400 learners taking notes or passing a credit by exam, the credits are worth the same!

4. Variety of Resources: With the help of online practice examinations and several third-party sources, you can make sure that you will be guided on your path to success.

5. Immediate Results: About 100 questions later, click “finish” and viola! The test results are reported directly on the screen at the end of each test. These results are usually sent by mail to the college student and their organization five weeks after the test.

6. Get Ahead: If you look through the record of available test subjects, you’ll probably find that there is a subject you already know well! Take advantage of the practice tests to see how much information you already know. Then test out of programs that you’re already an expert in.

Credit by Exam and Prior Learning Assessment

A credit is frequently recognized as standing for a reliable enterprise officially guaranteeing the value of an educational experience. Officially, a credit symbolizes how long is spent in a particular course. Initially, the credit was an administrative input measure to assure equivalency of team amount of work. Features are gathered and “rolled up” into qualifications such as accreditation or degrees. Prior learning assessment and credit by exam are useful in this perspective to enable casual studying to be associated with credit. Credentials signify a package of information, abilities and skills; not just time spent, but also the accomplishment of desired studying outcomes, usually at the unit, program and institutional level (such as graduate skills) and getting skill sets, knowledge and capabilities.

The value and worth of credit, and especially qualifications, are dependent on the reputation of the conferring organization and its relationships with stakeholders. For example, a community trusts the popularity of a university and ascribes a value (usually economic) to this connection. Your credit or certification is recognized as being a de facto ‘letter of introduction’ from the school to a third party (most commonly an employer or another university) in which the popularity of the school performs a purposeful role.

The contextual sizing of the credit and the certification is implied in the reliable connection between the credentialing organization and the areas in which it is appropriate. Informal studying experiences, like their official alternatives, are most significant in the perspective in which the student is engaging with the encounter.

For example, local colleges often act as financial points of interest, hiring students and faculty who definitely give rise to the financial, social and perceptive investment of the region. For these institutions, the future of credits, credit by exam and credentialing could well lie in creating locally-valued studying experiences. A certification benefits value through localized, contextualized, genuine tests which build a connection of trust between the school and local industry. The connection is fully noticed when businesses are active stakeholders in the creation of units of study.

The most popular examinations provided by credit by exam companies fall into the type of “general education and learning,” enabling learners to get credit for subjects such as college geometry and calculus or English composition and literature by passing standardized examinations, rather than participating a brick-and-mortar 101 class.

Between these significant players and other credit by exam resources, there are actually a variety of core/introductory, course-distribution and even significant need programs that learners can check off by passing an examination vs. seated through the comparative course at the school in which they are enrolled. Given that examination prices are a portion of educational costs, credit by exam is an attractive choice for learners looking to reduce costs by finishing a four-year degree program in just three years or less. And universities are starting to work with learners enthusiastic about discovering solutions to four years of tuition-paid registration as a means to bring down the increasing cost of higher education.

Students considering this choice should keep in mind that CLEP and other college equivalence examinations are much like a complicated final examination that comes at the end of a well-taught course. So, learners need to get ready (ideally by actually studying the content vs. just cramming) through separate study or registration in an online classroom. In theory, one could get an entire degree by just taking examinations (with some companies providing to help you get around your way through the thicket of who provides and who allows what with respect to college credit). But, credit by exam does illustrate an opening for getting more MOOC classes associated with authentic college credit (presuming some advanced MOOC company, examination designer or other business owner can find a way to make this a practical option).

DANTES Exams and Civilians

A way of prior learning evaluation, DANTES offer learners an affordable, time preserving way to use their information obtained outside of the class room (perhaps from studying, on-the-job training, or separate study) to achieve their academic objectives. If you are like me, you look for methods to reduce costs while attending higher education. Although most of us know to shop for used books and test out of programs with CLEP examinations, those of us with no army qualifications may have little, if any, information of DANTES exam or otherwise known as DSST examinations. Until lately, DANTES exam (now known as DSST exam) was only for army employees. Fortunate for us citizens, now we get to take advantage of these examinations too! Why is this a good thing? More options, of course!

Here’s a list of DANTES Exam subjects:

Fundamentals of College Algebra
Principles of Statistics
Art of the Western World
Western Europe Since 1945
Introduction to the Modern Middle East
Human/Cultural Geography
Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union
A History of the Vietnam War
The Civil War and Reconstruction
Foundations of Education
Lifespan Developmental Psychology
General Anthropology
Drug and Alcohol Abuse
Introduction to Law Enforcement
Criminal Justice
Fundamentals of Counseling
Principles of Finance
Principles of Financial Accounting
Human Resource Management
Organizational Behavior
Principles of Supervision
Business Law II
Introduction to Computing
Introduction to Business
Money and Banking
Personal Finance
Management Information Systems
Business Mathematics
Astronomy
Here’s to Your Health
Environment and Humanity: The Race to Save the Planet
Principles of Physical Science I
Physical Geology
Technical Writing
Ethics in America
Introduction to World Religions
Principles of Public Speaking