Credit By Exam | Distance Learning Systems (DLSI)

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.

Preparing for the Dante’s Credit by Examination DSST Exam

To prepare for the Dante’s Credit by Examination, you must first visit your admission department to discuss the credit awarding policy. Here they will clarify some things you want to know and be able to provide you with their advice. The DSST is an example of a Credit by Examination program allowing students to gain credit by passing the exam.

Through the DSST exam, the schools will be able to award credit to a student when he meets the necessary requirements and the passing rate of the exam. The passing rate is usually determined by the school itself, but it must be established and recommended by the national committee of college faculty. The American Council on Education (ACE) is the institution that approves and provides their recommended passing score. They are also responsible in determining how much credit the student is allowed to receive.

It is advisable to inquire first about your school’s program in DSST to make sure you are prepared and illegible to take the examination. You must also know the passing rate. There are schools that have a higher requirement with their passing rate, not following the ACE’s suggested passing score.

Actual preparation for the DSST exam includes taking practice exams. Through these practice exams, you will be able to assess yourself on how well you are in the subject and how much more you need to study and practice. Practice exams will also help you get used to the exam and makes you quicker in understanding questions.

Make sure you have chosen the best practice test offered by a school or online service. Through these exams, the students will be able to save time and money while accelerating graduation completion, allowing them to take another step closer to the profession you want to achieve.

College Degree through Credit by Examination

Undergraduate students can acquire a degree by getting credit by examination without formally enrolling in a certain school for the course. But first, a student must be eligible to take the exam. The student must visit the office of the registrar to complete the Academic Requirements Committee petition. Next is to gain the approval of the faculty and department to schedule your examination. It is similar to the CLEP program which can be an option for a student who wants credits. These are standardized test process first established by the Department of Defense. A similar option is offered at Excelsior College, Thomas Edison State College and a handful of other schools as well as other Online Programs that offer their own exams which enrolled students and others can take for credit.

These options are very popular among students who want to bypass the standard course by passing the exam and just pay around $ 100; allowing the students to save hundreds or thousands of dollars which they can use on their other needs. Though it’s a practical way to earn credit, there’s no assurance that you will pass the exam. It will test your knowledge about certain subjects, so you must be prepared and be well equipped before taking the exam.

Other credit by exam programs are only accepted by specific schools, not all. CLEP is the only widely accepted program by universities. Make sure that the program you are taking is accepted by the university you are planning to enroll. These exams can only be suitable for certain types of students. There are students who prefer having formal classes, for they learn more if they interact with the professors and classmates. It’s advisable to think well and consider your abilities and knowledge about the subjects before applying for the exam.

Getting a Credit by Examination

Credit by examination has been a more appealing program for people who are in the service. This is because they no longer need to take the courses they already know or have a background with. They no longer need to pay the costly tuition to be able to get the credit. This makes the credit by examination a great choice for many students, who are busy with their work or their daily activities.

Different programs are developed to let the students get the credit by demonstrating their knowledge regarding the subject by passing the standardized test. Service members, their spouses and civilian employees are allowed to receive civilian college credits through subject-based examinations.

The credit by examination is an excellent shortcut in getting credits but not every school accepts the program. But the program does have its limits also. It’s not designed to cater every subject or cover the whole course. Most schools who offer the program usually place a limit on how much credit can be earned in this manner.

If you are interested to take the test, there are a bunch of programs who offer it. But, not all colleges and universities accept it. Make sure that your chosen school accepts the program so that you won’t waste your time in taking the test, or you will still have the time to look for another college or university which accepts it. The first thing you need to do is to speak in detail with prospective schools to ensure you won’t be disappointed. You must pick also the best program that is best suited to your abilities. You may ask people who already took the test for advice so you may know what are the things you need to prepare and the requirements needed.

Credit by Examination in Texas

High School students in Texas High are now allowed to get credit by examination which is a mandate by the State Law. The students must first speak with their advisers to clarify the process and then undergo evaluation before application. Applications must be given to the advisers by April 2. And the schedule of the examinations will be on April 7-9, 2014.

To be able to get credit ranking, learners must achieve a certain ranking. This is to ensure that the students will do their best in studying. If students have taken the class, the ranking must be 70 % or higher. If they haven’t a ranking of at least 90 % is needed. This is to ensure that the students are in a greater capacity to pass the exam and that they will be motivated to do their best and get a higher score.

“It’s state law that all educational institutions are needed to provide a means for learners to get credit ranking”. Schroeder said, “We like it for especially kids that are local speaking students, they can successfully pass the lower level Language sessions. Or if it’s a student that wants to take the speech class and not use that term because they want to take another class in that semester.” This program understands the situation of the students and making it more uncomplicated.

According to Schroeder, credit ranking by evaluation is also a way for learners who might have lost a credit ranking due to absences that can easily successfully pass the evaluation without having to be present during summer. The State is ensuring the quality of education through programs in schools that will help and benefit the students. Credit by evaluation is free, while during summer is not. For more information regarding this topic, contact an educational adviser in Texas.

Credit by Examination and Home Schooled Students

If you’ve ever considered how a homeschooler can graduate from secondary school and college at the same time, it is probably because they combined home school with earning college credit by examinations. CLEP examinations, DSST examinations and AP examinations can be used to accelerate through high school and college. There are three basic types of examinations used to earn college credit while home school learners at the secondary school stage. These are the same programs used by learners attending a physical high school as well.

1. The CLEP (College Level Examination Program) was designed by the College Board to allow scholars to gain credit for prior experience or knowledge. There are 33 examinations available that range from three to six credits per test. More than 2900 approved colleges and universities agree to these assessments as credit for classes, allowing learners to skip starting programs and get to the meat of their program. Home schoolers can take CLEP examinations at local colleges and universities.

2. DSST examinations (formerly known as DANTES Subject Standardized Tests) were initially designed for the army and allowed servicemen to speed up their education while serving in the military. While these assessments are free for the army, citizens may also use these examinations instead of attending a traditional college class. Over 1200 schools agree to the 38 DSST examinations as credit for classes at their schools. Home schoolers and High School students are drawn to DSST examinations as they cover common topic like Astronomy, Personal Finance, and Introduction to World Religions that learners are likely to have some information about and may have to take as a core subject in college. Students must take the credit by examination at a university that provides the test.

3. AP programs with examinations are designed by the College Board and used widely in public schools to award high school learners with college credits. AP exams are often taken in the Spring as part of an official AP (Advanced Placement) class; however, home schoolers can still participate through independent study. You will also need to arrange to take the AP credit by examination at a college in your area that takes part in the AP program.

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.

College Level Examination Program Test Taking Tips Part 2

Don’t let the test taking get the best of you. Sometimes taking a test can save you time and money. The CLEP (College Level Evaluation Program) examination has been the most commonly efficient credit-by-examination system and is approved by over 2,900 universities. CLEP allows you to take an exam to earn higher education credits without taking the course, enabling you to save lots of money. Here are some easy tips that will help you stay relaxed and successfully pass your College Level Examination Program test:

Read the entire question, including the multiple choice answers before putting down your answer. Instructions typically tell you to choose the best answer. Study all the answers before you choose one, even if the first or second answer option looks appropriate to you.
Pace yourself and keep an eye on the time. Always make sure you are not going to fast or too slow. The common duration of answering the questions should be about 30-45 seconds. You should have answered at least 50 percent of the questions in a section when half of the time for that section has passed.
Don’t spend a lot of your energy and effort on any one question. If you don’t know the answer after you’ve considered it briefly, go on to the next question. Mark the question so you can come back to it later.
Any answer is better than no answer. Do not leave a question empty. There are no penalties for wrong answers. If you can recognize apparent wrong answers, you have improved your possibilities of answering it properly.
Don’t waste your time. Most students’ spend by reading too much into the question by looking for faults in query terminology or styles in appropriate answers. CLEP places significant amounts of effort into creating legitimate, efficient and reasonable examinations.

Deferring Cost Thru Credit by Exam

It used to be that students attending college could only get credits by sitting through weeks-long lessons, writing notes and passing a litany of assessments. Now, however, there may be a more effective way of making credits for classes in a shorter period and at a portion of the cost. There are no projects to finish, no assessments to take, and no lessons or classes to attend, just an examination to pass. Sound interesting? Students looking for a more efficient way to generate a degree might want to consider credit by exam programs, which have become well-known among those who want to speed up their time in school and save costs simultaneously.

“Credit-by-exam programs have been used for years and keep growing today because they offer real value to students and enable them to finish degree requirements more effectively than getting traditional programs,” says Marc Singer, vice provost of the Center for the Assessment of Learning at Thomas Edison State College, which recently arranged several of its credit by exam programs with open programs to make new routes for students to generate credit. Currently 3,000 universities in the U.S. accept credit-by-exam as transfer credit. The programs allow students to generate credit by passing a single examination and are an excellent fit for independent students, students who possess college-level knowledge and students who are excellent test takers.

Credit by exam programs are not, however, a one-size-fits-all strategy to learning. For instance, those students who choose an organized environment and getting a lecturer and other students may not do as well with getting one test that includes a semester’s worth of material. This strategy does tend to work well for busy adult students who have competitive requirements on their time and who want to work individually. Two of the most well-known credit-by-exam programs in the U.S. are the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP exams) and DSST examinations. “Students considering credit-by-exam programs should talk with their educational consultant to make sure credits from the examination they are planning to take can be transferred to fulfill a requirement in their degree program,” says Singer.

Enrolling in a DANTES Catalog Program

DANTES is an off-duty support system for the voluntary educational applications. DANTES primary roles include providing the army employees all the necessary tools to help them achieve their personal education goals. The DANTES Independent Study Catalog courses are offered by domestically approved colleges and universities (with a DANTES Memorandum of Understanding). The DANTES External Degree Catalog lists, certificates and degree programs are available from domestically approved colleges and universities (with a DANTES Memorandum of Understanding).

To join any of the programs found in the DANTES credit by examination online catalogs, you need to get in touch with the university and follow the procedure. Remember, before searching for a course or degree program, that there is the possibility of receiving credit through the Military Evaluations Program http://militaryguides.acenet.edu, and through the DANTES Credit by Examination program. Also, many of the service members Opportunity Colleges at http://www.soc.aascu.org colleges offer contracts-for-degree in which, particular use of non-traditional credit is usually optimized for military learners. Be aware before applying to any college of all the specifications that you need to meet, course cost, term lengths, delivery modes, student-to-instructor contacts and testing guidelines. Check for the college’s drop/add date for each course, guidelines for giving “W, F, and I” grades and all return guidelines and schedules. Consider all of these before you join.

In general, although subject to particular service guidelines, specified boundaries, yearly caps and accessibility to financing, learners will be provided either up-front or reimbursable educational costs assistance which may cover 100% of their educational costs and charges. Contact your Service education counselors for current educational costs assistance guidelines and specifications, as these frequently change. And the liability to know and understand the policy falls on you. You should bear in mind that you may be required to make another payment to the university book store for books and materials, this is not standard, but some educational institutions make a requirement of it. Although educational institutions agree to notify DANTES before changing educational costs and generally attempt to avoid changing charges during a school year, prices can change before they are enrolled into the online Catalogs. Make sure to always consult the school to determine the correct price before applying.