Have you taken the CLEP Test?

Question

I am considering taking a few Clep Tests to qualify for some college credits and get ahead in my studies. Have you taken the CLEP Test? If yes how did you study for it? What can I expect on testing day? Did your college except these credits? If you transferred to another college did your new college or university except those credits? Would you recommend taking the CLEP test to someone else? I would really appreciate an answer to any of these questions. Thanks in advance for any informative answers.

Answer 1

So far, I've taken and passed 4 CLEP tests.  If you're able to study independently, I definitely recommend CLEP tests!  They can save you a lot of tuition money and time.  It's a great way to earn college credits.

My college did accept the credits.  I knew they would before I took the tests.  Each college's CLEP acceptance policy is different, so I highly recommend that you check with your school prior to taking any tests.  Not all schools accept CLEP credit, and the ones that do accept them don't necessarily accept credit for all of the available tests.  It's best to find that out ahead of time so that you don't waste money for the test only to find out that your college won't accept it!  I haven't tried to transfer my credits to another school, but once again, that would depend on the college's CLEP acceptance policy.  CLEP keeps your scores on file for 20 years, so you can request transcripts at a later time should you need to change schools.  Your best source for CLEP information is the College Board website at:

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/test...

Testing day wasn't bad at all.  Of course, I'm always nervous, but the people at my testing facility are very nice and helpful.  Where I test, they don't test in a group.  There are usually only two or three other people there, so they just set up the computer in the testing lab, you enter your personal information, sit down and begin the test.  You can enter information for your school so that your score is automatically sent.  During the test itself, you can mark questions to return to if you didn't answer the question or aren't completely sure that you answered it correctly.  At the end, you can go back and review/complete these questions.  The tests are timed, so it's best to go through and answer the ones you know first and then go back and work through the rest.  Pressing the score button at the end is always the hardest part and is very nerve wracking!  Please make sure you're thoroughly prepared, because if you fail the test, you lose your testing & facility fee and you cannot retake the same test for 6 months.

So far as study materials, I highly recommend the REA books and InstantCert. These are the two resources I've used most, and I've been very happy with my test results. You can find the REA books on Amazon or at most large bookstores. They cost around $25 and come with a CD of practice tests. Make sure to read the reviews for the specific test you're taking, as some of the REA books are better than others.

InstantCert is an online study resource. They charge a $20 a month fee, but you have access the study questions for many different subjects. They also have an excellent forum where people give feedback and advice on specific CLEP tests. If you're interested in checking it out, you can get $5 off your first month's fee with coupon code "36438".

http://www.instantcert.com/landing.html

Good luck!