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You may not realize it, but you can get credit for a course if you can pass the College Level Examination Program–or CLEP exam–for a particular subject area. Very few colleges allow students to “CLEP out” of an entire degree program, but if you can knock out a subject or two and get credit without taking online college courses for subjects for which you are already proficient.
Taking a CLEP test is an efficient and inexpensive way to earn college credit. Each exam costs $72. If you’re active duty military, you can take these tests for free. There are numerous books and websites dedicated to preparing students for the CLEP exam, so it may be worth your while to give it a try. Be sure to check with the college you’re planning to attend to ensure they accept CLEP credit.
Here are the basics. There are two types of CLEP exams: general and subject exams. Altogether, there are 34 exams that fall under these subject areas:
Business
Composition and Literature
Foreign Languages
History and Social Sciences
Science and Mathematics
Once you’re ready for the CLEP, you can take the test at a designated CLEP Test Center. You can easily find this information online by typing “CLEP Test Center” in a search engine. Think of how much time and money you could save by passing CLEP tests. If you’re well-prepared, you may be able to graduate up to a year early or breeze through every Spanish course you’re required to take for your degree. Perhaps you’ve had to a semester off and want to catch up.
If you’re seriously considering this option for earning college credit, don’t go blindly into the testing center. If you fail the test, you’ve thrown away money. Take full advantage of all the books and online study programs available. You can take practice tests to determine your CLEP readiness.
Here are a few tips that will help you manage CLEP test day jitters:
1. Answer the easy questions first. Time management is the key to successfully passing the CLEP exam. Don’t waste time agonizing over answers. Save the difficult questions for last. Just be sure to answer every question. Do not leave any questions blank.
2. Go with your first response. We all know that our first response is our best response. Once you mark an answer, let it be. Otherwise, you risk changing your best guess to a wrong response.
3. Do not cancel your score. At the end of the test, you may cancel your score. Don’t. If you cancel it, you won’t know the results and there’s a six-month waiting period to retake the test. Since most colleges won’t document a failed CLEP, there’s no reason why you should not get the results of your test.
Taking CLEP exams is one of the best avenues to take for earning college credit in a subject area with which you’re already familiar. You’ll save time and, perhaps, hundreds or thousands of dollars on the cost of online college courses.
