College Level Examination Program Advantages

Bypassing College through CLEP

Ever dream of becoming a nurse without actually going into semester coursework? Well, you don’t need to dream further. The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) is there for you. This is a standardized test where a college-level assessment is given to those students who have not taken college courses.

Administered by the College Board, the College Level Examination Program has thirty-six subject areas on its test as a mechanism for those students to get by with the conventional college program. CLEP has more than 1,700 sites at its disposal across the US, including community colleges, universities and even technical schools.

Almost 3,000 colleges are granting credits through CLEP. These institutions usually grant credit to students who have at least qualified for a college degree, which are about 60 students out of a possible 80. These qualifying offer depends on the site and the exam given. If you have obtained a nursing education outside a traditional classroom, perhaps an online associate degree, CLEP is perfect for you. And even those through home study, job experience or cultural involvement, this test will give them a kind of leverage for them to get that desired degree. This particular program is also available for those students outside of the US, and has their sights of studying further in the country.

CLEP is not just an exam per se, it also provides students to show their skills on a subject of their choosing, and to somehow get through an undergraduate study. More and more students are availing of this said program because it is convenient, not to mention it saves a lot of time. And also because the costs involved are much cheaper than going into that customary coursework. So if you are planning on pursuing a nursing degree with less hassle, CLEP is the way to do it.

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.

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.

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.