How CLEP Exams Are Used

College Level Examination Program (CLEP) is a set of exams made and conducted by the College Board. The main goal of these exams is to evaluate the knowledge of students in 36 different subjects. If they pass any of the exams, the will earn college credits so that they won’t have to enroll in that particular course in college.

There are several uses for CLEP:

  • The most obvious use is to reduce the time spent in college. The more subjects you pass in this program, the more credits you earn. The more credits you earn, the lesser the number of classes you need to take. You can then spend your time for other classes. Think of it this way, once you pass a CLEP exam, that’s one less load off your back. Of course, the direct result to this is saving several dollars by not having to enroll in a few classes.
  • Dual Credit Accumulation. This is crucial. CLEP credits can be counted in your high school requirements as well as in college.
  • Eliminate basic subjects so that students can focus more on the major subjects of their chosen courses in college. Taking basic classes can be annoying and can be a chore. After you’ve passed that CLEP exam, you won’t need to take it, thus giving you more time to focus on more course oriented classes.
  • Gives you a sense of accomplishment. Passing CLEP exams can give you the right push that you need to be headed into the right direction education wise. These exams can help you build on your basics as you go to college.

Before you take your CLEP exams though, make sure to consult the college you plan to attend to. Make sure that they accept CLEP credits. Otherwise, all your hard work will be for nothing.

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.

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.

The DSST Credit by examination

A lot of students who are interested in taking a credit by examination recognize mainly the CLEP program.  A credit by exam lets you take a credit by getting a good score on a certain course that you will take. The exam will test your knowledge and familiarity of the subject matter. There are other known credit-by-examination programs offered to students like the Dantes credit by examination. It is the same with CLEP which is also widely accepted and recognized by colleges and universities all over the country. It is open to everyone who is interested to take the examination with over 2000 colleges and universities who will recognize your score once you pass the exam.

credit by examFor each passed DSST exam, you will gain 3 college credit hours which can be equivalent to one course. Imagine what a huge opportunity it is for you to save your time on college as well as money, for you are no longer required to pay for that subject. There are some DSST exams that offer upper-division credit which you can use on your major. The test is not as easy as it sounds, many fail with the examination. It still requires some review and enough preparation to increase your chances to get a good score.

The main goal of the Dantes Credit by examination is to make the college more affordable and less time consuming without compromising the quality of learning and education. The purpose of the examinations is to test whether the students are already an expert or very familiar with the subjects. If they do, they no longer need to take that subject again in college to avoid repetition. The DSST was initially intended to support service members and for active duty and veteran members. The tests are available to civilians as well, and are now being managed by Prometric, an educational services company. This means that anyone who is interested in saving time and money on their path to a college degree can make use of DSST. The DSST exams are currently available in 38 subjects and accepted in almost all colleges and universities.

Credit by Exam in Military College

One technique of higher education credit that is used and not known by many service members is credit by exam. Credit by exam is very easy, you organize to take a test, and then depending on the pass/fail of test, you will either have credit granted to you or not. The best part is that any expenses that are normally billed for credit by exam programs are often handled by the army. So you are able to take examinations, have the army pay for the exam charges, and then any examinations that you generate a passing grade will provide you higher education credit toward your academic objectives. Taking CLEP examinations are easy. You simply organize with your control or platform knowledge workplace for the time frame and date of the examination. On the day of the exam, you have to carry with you a main image ID (your Military ID card or state released license) and a secondary ID with you to the examination grounds or test area. Many people have the training and learning or experience to be able to complete some of the examinations that are available, but because it is not a well-known program or they are uninformed that such applications are available, then, they do not take benefits of credit by exam possibilities.

The exams are often administered by DANTES, or the Defense Activity for Non Traditional Education team. They assist and are one of the major sponsors for the exams, and help organize a time and place for army service members to take them. College evaluation applications, or CLEP examining, are exams that are available for any employees in the army who desire to take them. It is an excellent way to monetize upon your experience and data, and to obtain and generate college credit by successfully passing the test.

Credit By Exam

Students who would like to earn credit for any course by which they’ve didn’t have prior formal instruction may test through credit by exam. Students must demonstrate 90% or greater mastery on the exam to be able to earn credit. Exams are scheduled throughout May, June as well as in August before school begins. Programs can be found in the school counselor and should be returned to the counselor for processing. The applying due dates are on the Test Calendar. Parents must be aware that you will find no exceptions readily available for students to check at other occasions and really should plan summer time vacation agendas accordingly.

There is no fee for the exam. The outcomes is going to be mailed to the parents, counselor, and registrar (when the student passed) following the points are completed. No information about the test results could be provided on the phone or by email due to privacy laws and regulations. Students under certain conditions may have the ability to take Credit by Exam for any course in that they have experienced prior instruction but didn’t receive credit. This method should be authorized by the campus principal (or designee).

Students who make an application for Credit by Examination are strongly urged to start planning for the exams as quickly as possible. Students need to try to get Credit by Examination the moment they understand the need or need to test simply because they may have to know the outcomes over time to create other plans to get the credit if they’re not successful in the exam. Students testing Without Prior Instruction may test the same course only once in a twelve month period. Students who require checking several classes are urged to start testing with core subjects like English and Mathematics. Application ought to be made with the school counselor. Students may complete programs anytime throughout the entire year but must satisfy the application due dates established for every testing session.