I Need Information and Advice on the CLEP Exams

[Van1998]

In case you missed it, I'm the guy who started the "I'm 18 and Never Attended School" post on here about a month ago (which to my surprise has over 5K views on it...Damn.) I've basically decided to forego a GED and instead take the CLEP exams instead. According to at least one comment in my old post, if I do a years worth of college-level work at my local CC they will actually grant me the equivalent to a high school diploma, which would allow me to kill two birds with one stone; getting my HS diploma while also grinding away at college-level work.

 

I picked up a book yesterday called "CLEP Official Study Guide" but it turns out that the book just has sample questions in it, it doesn't actually teach anything. So what I'm looking for in this post is basically just advice in general for doing the CLEP exams. What books to read, what courses to take, etc. Anything at all would be much appreciated, thank you all.

[mumto2]

I have been following your other thread but haven't commented because everyone else was doing such a good job. Clep exams are something we know quite a bit about. My kids have taken many Clep exams. We start with looking at the Free Clep Prep website http://www.free-clep-prep.com. I would take a look at the list ranking the exams by difficulty http://www.free-clep-prep.com/clep-difficulty-list.html and do an easier one first. The ones ranked as hard really were! :)

 

We normally buy an REA study guide used from Amazon or other booksellers. But Free Test Prep normally gives links etc for study and you could try it with those. We have also used classes from Coursera which are free. This was good for economics and calculus because the classes were self paced and always available. I think there is a College Algebra also. There are other websites with free course content that would be helpful also. Edx????

 

I think the Clep Official Study Guide contains actual exams. We had one and gave it away a couple weeks ago. We used those exams as the determining factor before taking the exam. The exams are graded on an 80 point scale with a 50 normally being passing. The foreign languages have a slightly different scale and can be worth up to 12 credit hours. If you are interested in trying a foreign language Duolingo (free website) might be a good place to start. The foreign languages do have a listening section so more would need to be done to pass most likely.

 

Check with the Community College to see how many credits they will give for each exam. Some of the 6 credit hour exams are only 3 at some schools. The advantage is a 6 hour Clep costs the same as a 3 hour one to take.

 

I (or my kids) are happy to try and answer any other questions. Good luck!

[historically accurate]

In case you missed it, I'm the guy who started the "I'm 18 and Never Attended School" post on here about a month ago (which to my surprise has over 5K views on it...Damn.) I've basically decided to forego a GED and instead take the CLEP exams instead. According to at least one comment in my old post, if I do a years worth of college-level work at my local CC they will actually grant me the equivalent to a high school diploma, which would allow me to kill two birds with one stone; getting my HS diploma while also grinding away at college-level work.

 

I picked up a book yesterday called "CLEP Official Study Guide" but it turns out that the book just has sample questions in it, it doesn't actually teach anything. So what I'm looking for in this post is basically just advice in general for doing the CLEP exams. What books to read, what courses to take, etc. Anything at all would be much appreciated, thank you all.

 

Before you buy a CLEP practice book, check with your local testing center (ours is our community college, but I don't know if they all are). Our cc rents out the official CLEP books for a $20 deposit. 

[theelfqueen]

Check your public library before you pay anyone anything ... ours carries Clep books also used books on amazon are frequently very cheap ($4 shipped.)

 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[mumto2]

My dd wanted to make sure you know about ACE credits https://www.acenet.edu/news-room/Pages/College-and-University-Services.aspx. If your community college participates your options increase beyond the traditional CLEP exams.

 

One option which we used partially is ALEKS. https://www.aleks.com/highered/math/devmath. It occasionally gives 5 day free trials. It is a program where you learn math totally on the computer and some classes do actually award ACE credit upon completion.

[Corraleno]

There is a site called InstantCert that includes a lot of resources for studying for CLEPs (as well as ACE/DANTES credits, but I don't see anything on the Sowela website indicating that they accept those). In addition to flashcards and other study materials, they have large discussion forums where you can ask questions about specific exams from people who have already taken them, and people there are generally very helpful and cheer each other on. Access to the study materials costs $20/month, but you can access the discussion forums for free. I don't know how the study materials compare to what's available in the Free CLEP Prep website linked above, but you could check it out and see if you think it would be worth paying for access. And even without access to the study materials, I think the forums could be very helpful.

Just be sure to focus on the tests that Sowela will give credit for — they don't accept all of them (for example, the only tests they grant English credit for are English Comp and English Lit) and they only give 3 credits (4 for Bio & Chem), even if 6 credits are "recommended," so there's no advantage in choosing "6 credit" tests.
 

[Corraleno]

According to at least one comment in my old post, if I do a years worth of college-level work at my local CC they will actually grant me the equivalent to a high school diploma, which would allow me to kill two birds with one stone; getting my HS diploma while also grinding away at college-level work.

 

Just to clarify this, the CC doesn't grant the diploma, that would come from North Atlantic Regional High School. NARHS is based in Maine, but they are allowed to issue diplomas to students in any state, as long as they meet the requirements. This is how it works:

 

For students who do not have a high school diploma, but who are taking college courses, there is a special provision for you...

 

Maine Law allows another way to earn a high school diploma [CH 127, SECTION 7:02, SUBSECTION C (1) ]:

“A secondary school student who has satisfactorily completed the freshman year in an accredited degree-granting institution of higher education may receive a diploma from the school...although the student does not meet all diploma requirements in this rule. Such decisions shall be at the discretion of the superintendent of the school unit, in accordance with the policies of the school board.†What does this mean?

 

... Students who have earned the equivalent of one full year of college credit can be awarded a NARHS high school diploma without fulfilling all of the other course requirements. They simply complete the NARHS Registration Form, pay the Graduation Year tuition, and supply us with an official transcript from the colleges verifying their credits. The number of credits needed may vary, depending on the college from which they are issued. NARHS will decide what is needed for the student to prove that he or she completed the equivalent of their “Freshman Year of college.†Please call the Maine office for more details on this provision.

 

If you complete an AA degree, you could also basically just print yourself a diploma (there are services that produce these for homeschoolers) as a self-schooled homeschooler, counting the CLEPs and CC courses as both high school and college. Most employers just want to know that you can check the "high school diploma" box, and aren't going to ask for specifics.

[Van1998]

Just to clarify this, the CC doesn't grant the diploma, that would come from North Atlantic Regional High School. NARHS is based in Maine, but they are allowed to issue diplomas to students in any state, as long as they meet the requirements. This is how it works:

 

 

If you complete an AA degree, you could also basically just print yourself a diploma (there are services that produce these for homeschoolers) as a self-schooled homeschooler, counting the CLEPs and CC courses as both high school and college. Most employers just want to know that you can check the "high school diploma" box, and aren't going to ask for specifics.

So earlier today I picked up a book called "Cracking The AP U.S. History Exam" I know it's for a different exam, but I would imagine that history would be pretty interchangeable between exams. Should I trudge through this book or return it and get something else? Thanks.

[Corraleno]

So earlier today I picked up a book called "Cracking The AP U.S. History Exam" I know it's for a different exam, but I would imagine that history would be pretty interchangeable between exams. Should I trudge through this book or return it and get something else? Thanks.

 

AP exams are generally much harder than CLEPs. Most students would be spending 8-10 hours/wk for a full school year in prep for an AP test, plus they are longer exams and involve a lot more writing. They are also only offered once per year, whereas you can take CLEPs any time. I would focus more on the CLEPs, since your CC accepts those.

 

[Van1998]

AP exams are generally much harder than CLEPs. Most students would be spending 8-10 hours/wk for a full school year in prep for an AP test, plus they are longer exams and involve a lot more writing. They are also only offered once per year, whereas you can take CLEPs any time. I would focus more on the CLEPs, since your CC accepts those.

 

I'm still studying for the CLEPs, what I'm asking is if the information in the book I bought, despite being for a different exam, would be useful in the CLEP exam?

[Corraleno]

I'm still studying for the CLEPs, what I'm asking is if the information in the book I bought, despite being for a different exam, would be useful in the CLEP exam?

 

I think you would end up studying way more detail than you would need to know, which would be much more time-consuming and less efficient than specifically targeting the info needed for the CLEP.

 

[mumto2]

So earlier today I picked up a book called "Cracking The AP U.S. History Exam" I know it's for a different exam, but I would imagine that history would be pretty interchangeable between exams. Should I trudge through this book or return it and get something else? Thanks.

I am assuming you checked the AP review book out of a library. AP exams have essays and CLEP exams don't. The book you have should be spending a significant portion of it's content preparing someone to write the essays. So not the greatest fit. Reading the preparation for the multiple choice questions section certainly can't hurt. The history should be the same but the format may not be the easiest because of the emphasis on the essays. Not sure if this book would make you exam ready by itself. You could check content against the exam info at Free Clep Prep.

 

I think a review book for the US History SAT Subject exam would be a closer match in format. Both the SAT Subject Exam and Clep exams are graded on a similar scale and are all multiple choice. You have more time to complete a Clep exam. My son did actually use a SAT Subject book when studying for his Clep literature exam. Dd used a World History Subject exam book as part of her prep for Western Civ Cleps. I would only recommend using Subject exam books if they are free to you. If you need to buy a used book the REA guides are a better investment.

 

Also Instacert was mentioned earlier. It is helpful and we did use it for some of the Dantes exams where preparation materials were pretty limited. It is essentially a huge question bank that allows a student to practice for the exam.

[Van1998]

I am assuming you checked the AP review book out of a library. AP exams have essays and CLEP exams don't. The book you have should be spending a significant portion of it's content preparing someone to write the essays. So not the greatest fit. Reading the preparation for the multiple choice questions section certainly can't hurt. The history should be the same but the format may not be the easiest because of the emphasis on the essays. Not sure if this book would make you exam ready by itself. You could check content against the exam info at Free Clep Prep.

 

I think a review book for the US History SAT Subject exam would be a closer match in format. Both the SAT Subject Exam and Clep exams are graded on a similar scale and are all multiple choice. You have more time to complete a Clep exam. My son did actually use a SAT Subject book when studying for his Clep literature exam. Dd used a World History Subject exam book as part of her prep for Western Civ Cleps. I would only recommend using Subject exam books if they are free to you. If you need to buy a used book the REA guides are a better investment.

 

Also Instacert was mentioned earlier. It is helpful and we did use it for some of the Dantes exams where preparation materials were pretty limited. It is essentially a huge question bank that allows a student to practice for the exam

I went ahead and read through a chapter in the book and there isn't a huge emphasis on writing essays. It seems to be a pretty straightforward history book, honestly.

 

I did see the SAT book at the store earlier, I'll probably pick that one up soon. Thank you.

[LisaKinVA]

Sending you a PM

[Corraleno]

I went ahead and read through a chapter in the book and there isn't a huge emphasis on writing essays. It seems to be a pretty straightforward history book, honestly.

 

I did see the SAT book at the store earlier, I'll probably pick that one up soon. Thank you.

 

The REA CLEP books (here are US History I and US History II) are really your best bet. They are specific to the CLEP exam, and that's what most people use to prepare for them. Different exams (AP, SAT, CLEP) emphasize different things and have different ways of asking questions; books written specifically for the test you are taking often provide helpful test-taking tips (for that specific test) as well as content prep. The REA books also include two full-length practice tests as well as diagnositc tests that show areas of strength and weakness. They are about $21 new on Amazon, or as little as $10-12 used, including shipping (check the details listed under "condition" to be sure they haven't been written in). Your library may have copies as well.

 

[Van1998]

Just thought I'd give an update: I've read quite a bit into the SAT US History book I bought and the SAT and CLEP tests (at least in this subject) seem to be similar enough that I don't need the official CLEP book. I've made it up to John Adams' presidency so far, which may seem slow, but keep in mind that I read each chapter twice to make sure everything sticks.

 

But the main reason I'm writing this is to ask for a little more help: Can anyone give me any tips on taking notes? I'm sitting here with a cramped hand and a nearly-full notebook filled with notes on just the first 125 years of American history, I feel like I'm doing something wrong.

[Dmmetler]

Cornell notes may help. http://coe.jmu.edu/learningtoolbox/cornellnotes.html

 

Having said that, everyone needs to find what works for them. I don't think that it is all that unreasonable to have a notebook full of notes for 125 years of history if you're someone who remembers better what you've written down. I have a friend who basically brain dumps as she reads initially, then takes notes from her notes to summarize to study from later. It looks like a ton of work to me-but her recall later is much better if she just writes everything the first time through, and then decides on the important parts later.

[lmrich]

Have you tried watching videos to supplement the readings? There are excellent documentaries and even more teacher lectures covering the material. You will want to look around to find your style. I like the US Crash Course videos by John Green. Also, since you are studying the time period, you might want to listen to The Hamilton soundtrack - mostly for fun!

[mumto2]

Note taking is something that everyone does differently. Dd has filled a notebook for every CLEP exam she has taken. That being said when she is done reading her prep material and done her note taking she does a practice exam and generally takes the exam as soon as one can be scheduled. For her copious note taking is how she learns. In terms of how she does her notes it's her own method which has grown out of the basic out line method I taught her years ago. She writes more complete outlines in her notes than most would but they are really easy to study from.

 

My ds on the other hand rarely puts pen to paper. He reads the book a couple of times. Uses note sets/flashcards on free computer sites like quizlet and memrise. Instantcert is a great tool for taking these exams if you want to subscribe. Ds loves it when he has a subscription and uses it copiously. Dd goes through it after having done her notetaking.

 

Both kids pass the exams but the prep looks very different for each. Different types of learners. Neither did US History Clep exams so no words of wisdom pertaining to that exact exam. At one point I had a review book for both the SAT Subject and the the REA for US History and the basic set up was very different. I think the SAT book was very structured around each Presidency while the CLEP book was more event driven. Take a close look at the subjects covered section of Free Clep Prep

http://www.free-clep-prep.com/History-of-the-United-States-I-CLEP.html. The good news is you only need to cover through 1877 for the first exam! ;)

 

Here is a set of flashcards on quizlet that appear to be pretty helpful https://quizlet.com/88796169/us-history-1-clep-test-flash-cards/.

[maize]

you could also try typing your notes, that would at least help with the cramped hand. I know some believe that you remember handwritten stuff better but you could see what works for you. Typing makes it easier to back later and rearrange, summarize, bold or highlight stuff, etc.

 

Documentaries are a great idea!

 

When I was studying for exams at your age, SAT subject tests and AP's and stuff, I didn't take notes at all. I just immersed myself in the material, used multiple sources, over a significant time period. It worked for me.

[hisacorn]

Van, how about an update?! :001_smile: