CLEP Tests: A Quick and Cheap Way to Receive College Credits

Are you looking for ways to save money on your college education? Or hoping to speed up the time until graduation? CLEP tests are a great way to test out of basic college level classes, saving you money on tuition and time in class. Read on to learn about CLEP eligibility, preparing for a CLEP test, registering for a CLEP and taking a CLEP test.

What are CLEP tests?

The College-Level Examination Program® is run by the College Board, a non-profit organization which also produces the SAT and AP tests. They offer 34 different CLEP exams in the following areas: Composition and Literature, Foreign Languages, History and Social Sciences, Science and Mathematics, and Business.

The exams cover introductory college courses, allowing you to test out of lower-level classes if you have studied the material on your own, in another college class, or in high school. The cost of each exam is $72 (subject to change), which is far lower than tuition and fees for a typical college credit. Active duty military personnel and veterans are eligible for free or reduced fees for CLEP exams.

Tests last for 90 minutes and are mostly multiple-choice with some fill-in-the-blanks. English Composition with Essay obviously has an essay component. Tests usually cover the equivalent of a one semester class, though some cover more material. They are computer-based.

CLEP Eligibility

Before taking a CLEP test, find out your college or university’s policy on CLEP exams. Some colleges only give you partial credit, some will only accept a certain number of CLEP tests, there may be different required minimum scores, and some colleges will let you exempt classes but not give you credit towards your degree. Look in the university’s general catalog under academic policies and search for credit-by-examination.

When researching which college you would like to attend, consider the school’s CLEP policy. You could save a lot of time and money at schools which are more generous when granting CLEP credit.

Do not re-take a CLEP test within 6 months of the original test. The College Board will cancel your new score and you will forfeit your fees.

Prepare for a CLEP Test

Once you have verified that your college will accept a particular CLEP test, read the official test description at www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/exams.html so you have an idea of what to expect.

There are several resources for CLEP test preparation, including:

The College Board’s own test material. See if your local library has this material available and look at websites like Amazon to see if they have discounted or used books. Most general study advice is already available for free on the College Board’s website, but these do contain some test-specific material and practice exams.
Studying recommended textbooks. The College Board lists recommended textbooks for each exam area. This approach takes more time, effort and money since you have to purchase multiple books. This is not recommended unless you have a strong personal interest in the test subject and/or plan to major in the subject and want a thorough background.
Test preparation books. The advantage of test prep books is that they are focused just on a particular exam and contain specific test-taking tips. When researching which one to purchase, read others test takers’ reviews to see how they liked the book. Keep in mind that the books are already narrowly focused on the material and you will likely need to know every bit of information contained in them.

Tip: Buy two test prep books from two different publishers. Determine which one has the best exam material and study that one. Then use both for practice questions. Look for used editions online. Don't pay more than $20-$40 per book.

CLEP Sampler. Download the CLEP Sampler software from the College Board and practice using the software before the exam. This will give you an idea of the look and feel of the exam before test taking day.

Register for a CLEP Test

First, you need to find a testing center near you. The College Board provides a search page at http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_clep/searchCLEPTestCenter.jsp. Call the test center and find out their registration procedure, including any testing or parking fees you may have to pay. Ask about available test dates.

Then fill out a registration form (available at www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/student/testing/clep/reg-adm-form.pdf) and return it to the testing center, not to the College Board. Send in the registration form several weeks ahead of the test; at a minimum you must allow 7-10 business days if you are taking an essay test.

Take the CLEP Test

Before test day, drive or ride to the testing center and find where to park and where to go for the test. You don’t need any additional stress finding the correct building or room on test day.

Review the policies regarding what is required to bring to the test center. What forms of ID or payment are acceptable? Are calculators allowed? What about cell phones? Make arrangements to store disallowed belongings.Review the policies regarding what is required to bring to the test center. What forms of ID or payment are acceptable? Are calculators allowed? What about cell phones? Make arrangements to store disallowed belongings.

Eat a good breakfast or lunch and get a solid night's sleep before the exam. The basics really do make a difference!

At the end of the exam you will have an option to cancel the test before the score is submitted. You will not know your score before deciding to cancel the test. You will not get a refund of testing fees if you cancel the score, so only use this option if you feel like you have really bombed the test. If you have been using practice exams you should have a pretty good idea of how well you are doing.

After finishing the test, you will receive your score instantly, with the exception of tests with essays. You can have your score sent for free to your college or university, or you can request a CLEP transcript from the College Board at a later date.

Source: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/about.html