AP or CLEP?

[SunshineMom]

My dd13 will be in 9th next year. At the end of summer she will have 5 hs credits. She's on track to attend CC or DE beginning either in 10th or 11th. My question: would getting college credit (Psychology, US History, Sociology) in 9th & 10th be better using AP or CLEP? Her perspective state college accepts both. She is interested in studying medicine. Our thinking is that she could get some of the humanities requirements met in the early high school years and then focus on the college level science sequences (Chen &Bio)with DE. She will have Honors Biology, Conceptual Physics and Anatomy after next year. Thoughts?

Edited April 26, 2017 by Jewels

[foxbridgeacademy]

CLEPs are easier and if they count the same.... I think I'd do more CLEPs but maybe there's a particular AP  or two that she's sure to do well on, then that could be good too... shows she capable of both.

[Matryoshka]

AP's are better for schools with competitive admissions - both because they make for a stronger candidate, and also many competitive schools don't take CLEPs.

 

BUT... if you know the school you're aiming for takes CLEP, it's cheaper and less work/money/stress (don't have to take or set up special classes, CLEPs cost less, take less time, and can be taken any time during the year) - AND the schools that do take them give pretty much the exact same credit for AP or CLEP.

 

We know my youngest is going to a state school, and I've checked, they all take CLEP, so for her that's what we're doing.  

 

One of my twins, who went to PS and took a ton of APs, didn't want to take AP Lit because she's a STEM kid and was already taking two other APs.  I had her take the CLEP instead (once we knew where she was going and it would count), and it gave her the exact same credit as if she'd worked her butt off all year in AP Lit, for $80 and an hour of her time.

[Melissa B]

My dd is doing the CLEP for English because it gives her college credit for Comp I and Comp II where the AP would only give credit for Comp I and a general Intro to Lit class. We also like CLEPs because they can be taken whenever the student is ready as opposed to one specific day each year. 

[Matryoshka]

My dd is doing the CLEP for English because it gives her college credit for Comp I and Comp II where the AP would only give credit for Comp I and a general Intro to Lit class. We also like CLEPs because they can be taken whenever the student is ready as opposed to one specific day each year. 

 

It is really weird how different each school treats scores.  One of my twins took the CLEP in English, got a 60.

 

That got her out of 

- 2 semesters of English at CC

- 1 semester of English at her 2nd-tier 4-year (good thing the CC recommended taking the 2nd semester of English there in case this happened).

 

Now she's likely transferring to the state flagship.

 

CLEP is worthless (unless she wanted to retake), as they only give credit for a 63.

They also give NO College Comp credit for AP Literature, even for a 5.  But they will give credit fora a 5 on AP Language (which for some reason almost no high schools in our state offer - coincidence?)

 

Fortunately I think the English 102 she took at CC will waive the credit - also oddly, unlike the CC and 2nd-tier 4-year she was at, the flagship only requires one semester of College Comp.

 

Oh, and other dd took the CLEP for English as well - got her out of TWO semesters of College Comp at her state school, which is much higher-ranked than the 2nd-tier her sister was at that gave her one semester of credit.  :confused1:   It's just arbitrary, apparently...

Edited April 26, 2017 by Matryoshka

[G5052]

It is really weird how different each school treats scores. 

 

Mine do two years at the community college and then two at a 4-year.

 

We have to REALLY watch how the scores are handled.

 

The community college gives credit for many AP's with a 3, but the 4-year has a limited list and wants only 4 or 5 scores.

 

Same with CLEP. The community college wants a 55 and has a long list of ones they accept. The 4-year has just a handful: history (all four), psychology, and sociology. And the 4-year wants a score of 62 or more.

 

So you could get credit for English 101/102 at the community college with a 3 on one of the English AP's, and then not be eligible for guaranteed admit to the 4-year unless you took those courses.

[SunshineMom]

I couldn't really assign grades to calculate High School GPA for CLEP scores, correct? Would I just report credit awarded on her transcript?

 

The College Board states a score of 50 is roughly a C, the lowest "grade" for which the college can issue credit.  

 

I am guessing that her actual CLEP scores just like AP scores, will be evaluated to determine her college readiness and aptitudes prior to DE as well as earn her college credit, if we take that route.  

 

I am still on the fence.  I have all the materials to teach AP Psychology next year however the one day test option along with the stress of taking "the test" has me a little apprehensive about AP.  My dd has already begun learning and quizzing herself from the AP Psychology flashcards so she's motivated.

 

Thank you ladies, I'll keep mulling it over.

[Matryoshka]

I couldn't really assign grades to calculate High School GPA for CLEP scores, correct? Would I just report credit awarded on her transcript?

 

The College Board states a score of 50 is roughly a C, the lowest "grade" for which the college can issue credit.  

 

I am guessing that her actual CLEP scores just like AP scores, will be evaluated to determine her college readiness and aptitudes prior to DE as well as earn her college credit, if we take that route.  

 

I am still on the fence.  I have all the materials to teach AP Psychology next year however the one day test option along with the stress of taking "the test" has me a little apprehensive about AP.  My dd has already begun learning and quizzing herself from the AP Psychology flashcards so she's motivated.

 

Thank you ladies, I'll keep mulling it over.

 

I will have to admit that I've used CLEP to get the kids out of courses they don't want/need to take, not to strengthen their transcript or assign grades.  I honestly haven't worried too much about their scores, as long as it met the cut-off for receiving credit (although so far they've all easily exceeded it - except for the kid who's transferring, but that's the weird school that offers credit for a 63 on the CLEP, but nothing at all for even a 5 on the AP Lit).

 

APs I think do look more 'impressive' on the transcript if you're looking to make it shiny.  Competitive admissions I think don't even look at CLEPs (which make sense since competitive schools often don't even give credit for them). Heck, some competitive schools don't even like giving credit for APs - they want to see them on the transcript to show that you're up to challenging work, and because all the other applicants have them and if you don't, you don't stack up.

 

On the other hand, if you're just looking to save money/time in undergrad for a minor or double major or to make room for study abroad or anything like that, CLEP is lower-hanging fruit. :)

 

Both my older kids did take a range of AP classes and tests; they only CLEP'd English Comp.  Youngest isn't going to take any APs; she is just as smart but doesn't like to study - getting her through an AP class and to study enough to do well on the tests would probably be an exercise in frustration.  It's DE and CLEPs for her.  She will be going to a state school where all of those will transfer, so that will be fine.

 

I'd say work backwards from your goal.

Edited April 27, 2017 by Matryoshka

[SunshineMom]

Thank you Matryoshka! I appreciated your clarity:) Not to muddy things more but DE may turn out to be my dd's best option. 

[Dmmetler]

For us. AP is a real pain to find a site to test. CLEP is "make an account with college board, register, call CC test center, take test". So CLEP it is!

[8filltheheart]

I couldn't really assign grades to calculate High School GPA for CLEP scores, correct? Would I just report credit awarded on her transcript?

 

The College Board states a score of 50 is roughly a C, the lowest "grade" for which the college can issue credit.

 

I am guessing that her actual CLEP scores just like AP scores, will be evaluated to determine her college readiness and aptitudes prior to DE as well as earn her college credit, if we take that route.

 

I am still on the fence. I have all the materials to teach AP Psychology next year however the one day test option along with the stress of taking "the test" has me a little apprehensive about AP. My dd has already begun learning and quizzing herself from the AP Psychology flashcards so she's motivated.

 

Thank you ladies, I'll keep mulling it over.

Just keep in mind that plenty of ps kids take AP classes and make As in the class and then a 1 or a 2 on the exam. Some kids don't take the exam at all and still have AP on their transcript. AP scores do not have to be reported to a school. They can be self-reported, but they aren't required like SAT/ACT or subject tests.

 

Fwiw, my 12th grader has taken several CLEP exams. When she applied to college, the only score she had was cal, but I included it on her transcript bc it was a very high score. If it had been lower and just enough for credit, I probably wouldn't have put it on there.

[Angie in VA]

I couldn't really assign grades to calculate High School GPA for CLEP scores, correct? Would I just report credit awarded on her transcript?

 

The College Board states a score of 50 is roughly a C, the lowest "grade" for which the college can issue credit.  

 

I am guessing that her actual CLEP scores just like AP scores, will be evaluated to determine her college readiness and aptitudes prior to DE as well as earn her college credit, if we take that route.  

 

I am still on the fence.  I have all the materials to teach AP Psychology next year however the one day test option along with the stress of taking "the test" has me a little apprehensive about AP.  My dd has already begun learning and quizzing herself from the AP Psychology flashcards so she's motivated.

 

Thank you ladies, I'll keep mulling it over.

 

I would think you could assign credit/grades on your high school transcript any way you want, as long as you explain it.

 

For ex: "Credit given for a score of 55 on the CLEP. Student's score: 62." 

 

Your transcript (and/or course descriptions) should have the grading scale. You could add a section for CLEP or AP scores. 

[Matryoshka]

 

For ex: "Credit given for a score of 55 on the CLEP. Student's score: 62." 

 

 

I would never add a line like the bolded on a transcript for the simple reason that that data point is completely different from school to school.  It's nonsensical.  It's like saying "Credit awarded for a 3 on the AP, student's score: X".  Each school knows what they give credit for; they don't care what you think or what other schools do. In the CLEP that number could be a 50 or a 60 or a 63, just like a 3 on an AP gets you credit at some schools and nothing at others.

 

I just have a table somewhere on the transcript that lists the kind of test, the subject, and the score.  They know what to do with the numbers.

[Angie in VA]

I would never add a line like the bolded on a transcript for the simple reason that that data point is completely different from school to school.  It's nonsensical.  It's like saying "Credit awarded for a 3 on the AP, student's score: X".  Each school knows what they give credit for; they don't care what you think or what other schools do. In the CLEP that number could be a 50 or a 60 or a 63, just like a 3 on an AP gets you credit at some schools and nothing at others.

 

I just have a table somewhere on the transcript that lists the kind of test, the subject, and the score.  They know what to do with the numbers.

 

Good points and, very true, it wouldn't make sense to put that line on the transcript. Nonsensical as I am, though, I would put it in the course description under evaluation. 

 

Great idea about the table on the transcript. 

[wapiti]

 Our thinking is that she could get some of the humanities requirements met in the early high school years and then focus on the college level science sequences (Chen &Bio)with DE. 

 

This part of your plan is something I might wonder about.  Look closely at whether DE is what you want for these sciences for a couple of reasons, (1) whether you might want a stronger academic experience for these (at, say, a 4-yr university, or at least taken at a later age, during college) in preparation for med school, and (2) bear in mind that DE will count toward college GPA re: med school admissions, I believe.  (I don't know what the answers are; these are just things I'd worry about.)  Maybe ask Creekland.

 

ETA of course the student could take the courses again once she arrives at college, with the earlier DE as solid foundation.  I might still feel wary of GPA effects if DE doesn't work out spectacularly.

Edited April 27, 2017 by wapiti

[StephanieZ]

FWIW, if there's any chance she'd "use" her AP/CLEP credits towards meeting requirements for med schools later, then I'd suggest doing the AP exams. Some med schools accept AP credits (say, for English) to count towards their own admission requirements, but I've never read of them accepting CLEP Credits. 

 

Personally, I use CLEP with my kids for Spanish, but haven't yet used it for other classes. We've used AP a lot, though. 

 

For my youngest, I plan to have her take CLEP whenever she might score well enough to get credit . . . AP whenever she's taken a class that could prepare her well enough to score high on the exam . . . and SAT Subject tests whenever she's ready for those, too. Each serves a unique purpose, some overlap . . . but for various purposes, one is stronger than another.

 

I.e., I'll have her CLEP out of Spanish once she's ready. After biology this coming year, I'll have her take the BIO Subject test AND the BIO CLEP. I won't have her take the AP exam, as I don't use a college level text (but I am betting it'll be good enough for the CLEP, which is easier than AP) . . . Subject tests don't get kids credit, but they do help with admissions to very selective schools and/or competitive scholarships . . . 

 

Also, CLEP is meaningless to elite schools, but (strong) AP scores are very helpful, might get placement credit and/or help with admissions/scholarships . . . Subject tests don't get credit anywhere, but do help with admission/competitive scholarships . . . SO, since my goal is to keep options open as long as possible, we'll do all applicable testing . . .

 

(I regretted not doing a bio CLEP and the subject test after I taught it to my two older kids. I know they'd have done well on the testing, and it would have been helpful in several ways . . . Could have probably CLEP'ed out a a full year of bio -- knocking out a year's science requirement for my comp. sci kid -- and the subject test would have also benefited her for admission to one school that we had to take off her list when we found out they required a science subject test for homeschooled students .  . . But I didn't realize those things until years too late . . . I know better now with kid#3, so we'll CLEP and Subject test after this year's biology.)

[Corraleno]

I couldn't really assign grades to calculate High School GPA for CLEP scores, correct? Would I just report credit awarded on her transcript?

 

If you google around a bit, you can find score/grade equivalence tables. There is an official one on the college board that gives the scores equivalent to a B, and some colleges list the scores for which they will grant an A (although these tables tend to just include the CLEPs they accept, which often isn't a complete list). Examples:

 

College Board (scroll down): https://clep.collegeboard.org/develop-your-clep-program/create-a-clep-policy/ace-credit-recommendations

 

Excelsior college: http://www.back2college.com/clepgrades.htm

 

There are more of them out there you can search around for if you're looking for specific tests, or want to see how different colleges handle it.

[8filltheheart]

FWIW, if there's any chance she'd "use" her AP/CLEP credits towards meeting requirements for med schools later, then I'd suggest doing the AP exams. Some med schools accept AP credits (say, for English) to count towards their own admission requirements, but I've never read of them accepting CLEP Credits.

 

Personally, I use CLEP with my kids for Spanish, but haven't yet used it for other classes. We've used AP a lot, though.

 

For my youngest, I plan to have her take CLEP whenever she might score well enough to get credit . . . AP whenever she's taken a class that could prepare her well enough to score high on the exam . . . and SAT Subject tests whenever she's ready for those, too. Each serves a unique purpose, some overlap . . . but for various purposes, one is stronger than another.

 

I.e., I'll have her CLEP out of Spanish once she's ready. After biology this coming year, I'll have her take the BIO Subject test AND the BIO CLEP. I won't have her take the AP exam, as I don't use a college level text (but I am betting it'll be good enough for the CLEP, which is easier than AP) . . . Subject tests don't get kids credit, but they do help with admissions to very selective schools and/or competitive scholarships . . .

 

Also, CLEP is meaningless to elite schools, but (strong) AP scores are very helpful, might get placement credit and/or help with admissions/scholarships . . . Subject tests don't get credit anywhere, but do help with admission/competitive scholarships . . . SO, since my goal is to keep options open as long as possible, we'll do all applicable testing . . .

 

(I regretted not doing a bio CLEP and the subject test after I taught it to my two older kids. I know they'd have done well on the testing, and it would have been helpful in several ways . . . Could have probably CLEP'ed out a a full year of bio -- knocking out a year's science requirement for my comp. sci kid -- and the subject test would have also benefited her for admission to one school that we had to take off her list when we found out they required a science subject test for homeschooled students . . . But I didn't realize those things until years too late . . . I know better now with kid#3, so we'll CLEP and Subject test after this year's biology.)

SAT subject tests do grant credit at some schools. For example, Baylor gives credit for some subject tests. https://www.baylor.edu/irt/index.php?id=74597

 

CLEPs might be easier bc they are MC and shorter in length, but they are not "easy" as in not requiring much knowledge to pass them. My 12th grader is prepping for the bio exam after taking an AP equivalent course. My 9th grader took a standard high school course and I am on the fence about whether or not she should attempt the CLEP. Her course did not go into as great of depth on several topics as her sister's. I am going to have my 12th grader take it and see what her score is before I decide. As a 12th grader she is a much stronger student in general and if she doesn't score in the 70s, I won't have my 9th grader take it.

[StephanieZ]

SAT subject tests do grant credit at some schools. For example, Baylor gives credit for some subject tests. https://www.baylor.edu/irt/index.php?id=74597

 

CLEPs might be easier bc they are MC and shorter in length, but they are not "easy" as in not requiring much knowledge to pass them. My 12th grader is prepping for the bio exam after taking an AP equivalent course. My 9th grader took a standard high school course and I am on the fence about whether or not she should attempt the CLEP. Her course did not go into as great of depth on several topics as her sister's. I am going to have my 12th grader take it and see what her score is before I decide. As a 12th grader she is a much stronger student in general and if she doesn't score in the 70s, I won't have my 9th grader take it.

 

I agree CLEP aren't "easy". :) Just easier than the AP exams, in general, IME, and certainly easier to schedule since you can retake them every 3 months and can schedule at your convenience vs. once-a-year AP testing and having to schedule through a local school. :) 

 

I have multiple degrees in biology, and I teach a *very* solid honors level high school bio to my kids (all 35 chapters of Miller & Levine, plus extras, lab, etc, and I'm competent to teach any missed items when we do targeted CLEP prep . . .). I doubt a typical high school level bio course would prepare for the CLEP . . . (most cover maybe half the text, if that, and don't do it nearly as thoroughly as I do), but the way *I* teach it, it's close to AP level, and I'm pretty comfortable my students could do well on the CLEP and certainly on the subject test. I should have been more clear . . . I don't want to mislead folks into thinking a typical high school bio (or other subject) course could properly prepare for the CLEP (or even the subject test! Half the book! For reals!? What the heck?) . . . but the way I do it, I think we'd be in good shape. 

[SunshineMom]

Psychology and Sociology are prerequisites for the Med school so I guess AP would be the better option. I have the Psychology AP materials and can proceed with getting a syllabus approved by the college board. I can therefore teach the course, she can have AP class distinction and

try to get college credit.

 

Thank you all for helping me figure this out.

[Matryoshka]

Psychology and Sociology are prerequisites for the Med school so I guess AP would be the better option. I have the Psychology AP materials and can proceed with getting a syllabus approved by the college board. I can therefore teach the course, she can have AP class distinction and

try to get college credit.

 

Thank you all for helping me figure this out.

 

Somehow I missed upthread that your dd wanted to do Med school someday.  From what I've read (mostly here at the Hive ;) ) Med schools don't want to see any CC classes (including DE) for any Pre-Med requirements, so I think your gut feeling here is spot on.  CLEP may give credit for things, but won't impress Med school.  If you CLEP anything at all, I'd pick GenEd type stuff that they don't care about as much.

Edited April 28, 2017 by Matryoshka

[SunshineMom]

I am not sure what to do about science in her 11th or 12th years.  She will be ready for college level classes (biology and chemistry) in those years however I don't want to graduate her early.  At least with the humanities we have some flexibility using AP or CLEP.  

 

The DE option would be at the university with the medical school so they wouldn't have a conflict with those credits.  I just don't know how to go about the DE with the university. 

 

The local homeschool community uses our community college for DE which is state funded.  The university my dd wants to attend has a satellite campus near us but does not do DE with state funds so we would pay out of pocket. 

 

I need to probably just go talk to someone at the university. 

Edited April 28, 2017 by Jewels

[fourisenough]

FWIW, if there's any chance she'd "use" her AP/CLEP credits towards meeting requirements for med schools later, then I'd suggest doing the AP exams. Some med schools accept AP credits (say, for English) to count towards their own admission requirements, but I've never read of them accepting CLEP Credits.

 

Personally, I use CLEP with my kids for Spanish, but haven't yet used it for other classes. We've used AP a lot, though.

 

For my youngest, I plan to have her take CLEP whenever she might score well enough to get credit . . . AP whenever she's taken a class that could prepare her well enough to score high on the exam . . . and SAT Subject tests whenever she's ready for those, too. Each serves a unique purpose, some overlap . . . but for various purposes, one is stronger than another.

 

I.e., I'll have her CLEP out of Spanish once she's ready. After biology this coming year, I'll have her take the BIO Subject test AND the BIO CLEP. I won't have her take the AP exam, as I don't use a college level text (but I am betting it'll be good enough for the CLEP, which is easier than AP) . . . Subject tests don't get kids credit, but they do help with admissions to very selective schools and/or competitive scholarships . . .

 

Also, CLEP is meaningless to elite schools, but (strong) AP scores are very helpful, might get placement credit and/or help with admissions/scholarships . . . Subject tests don't get credit anywhere, but do help with admission/competitive scholarships . . . SO, since my goal is to keep options open as long as possible, we'll do all applicable testing . . .

 

(I regretted not doing a bio CLEP and the subject test after I taught it to my two older kids. I know they'd have done well on the testing, and it would have been helpful in several ways . . . Could have probably CLEP'ed out a a full year of bio -- knocking out a year's science requirement for my comp. sci kid -- and the subject test would have also benefited her for admission to one school that we had to take off her list when we found out they required a science subject test for homeschooled students . . . But I didn't realize those things until years too late . . . I know better now with kid#3, so we'll CLEP and Subject test after this year's biology.)

Just curious when you think a student might be ready for CLEP Spanish? After Spanish 2? Spanish 3? I know it will depend on the student.

[mumto2]

Just curious when you think a student might be ready for CLEP Spanish? After Spanish 2? Spanish 3? I know it will depend on the student.

I would take a look at the samples either at College Board or at this website.http://www.free-clep-prep.com

 

Eta.....Language exams (at least French) have two recommended credit scores.....the first is the 50 with up to 6 credits recommended, the second was 63? with up to 12 hours recommended.

 

My dc's have done a number of CLEP exams and have had them transferred onto transcripts. In their case their transcripts list the actual exam score for all the exams beside the name of the exam in parenthesis. So the scores do carry forward for some beyond a pass. It's simply a number to most I suspect but that number is the actual score.

 

Also some of the exams have a miniscule pass rate so these are not easy for many. Our exam center had a pass rate sheet out that I picked up. I am not sure how it was calculated data wise (just that center...all exams given etc) but chemistry had a 5 percent pass rate, the lowest. Dd worked really hard studying and managed a 72 but thought it was far harder than her other exams. I would never call a Clep exam easy unless it's for a class that is traditionally considered easy. That pass rate sheet pretty much mirrored how hard a typical University class is in a particular subject as I remember.

Edited April 30, 2017 by mumto2

[StephanieZ]

Just curious when you think a student might be ready for CLEP Spanish? After Spanish 2? Spanish 3? I know it will depend on the student.

 

My guess is that the *best* time to take it is after Spanish 4 (or perhaps Galore Park's level 3). That's when you can generally hope/expect to get a score high enough for "Level 2", i.e., 4 semesters of college Spanish.

 

(One year of high school Spanish is generally equivalent to one semester at college.)

 

At the colleges I've looked at (U Alabama and WVU), various scores on the Spanish CLEP earn the student credit for either 2 semesters, 3, or a maximum of 4 semesters. 

 

So, if your kid has a strong Spanish background with at least 2 years of solid high school level Spanish, and is "done" and not going to continue studying in high school, then it's worth trying for a score to get 2 semesters of credit (or more if they are particularly adept). So, essentially, take the CLEP whenever you're done with Spanish so long as you've taken 2 or more years of high school level Spanish, IMHO. 

[OnMyOwn]

Just curious when you think a student might be ready for CLEP Spanish? After Spanish 2? Spanish 3? I know it will depend on the student.

I know there have been at least a couple of people who have posted that their children did very well on the Spanish CLEP after Sr, Gamache's Spanish 3 class. My ds is just finishing that class and he's going to take the CLEP and the SAT subject test in the fall after spending some time preparing this summer.

[fourisenough]

I know there have been at least a couple of people who have posted that their children did very well on the Spanish CLEP after Sr, Gamache's Spanish 3 class. My ds is just finishing that class and he's going to take the CLEP and the SAT subject test in the fall after spending some time preparing this summer.

My DD16 is taking Spanish 4 at her very good PS (that is, very good in all areas, but the foreign language department). She does not plan to take AP Spanish next year as she already has 5 APs in her schedule, and it is taught by a very marginal teacher. Only one college that she's considering now requires students in her intended major to take 2 semesters of FL. I'm worried that will be hard for her after taking senior year 'off' Spanish, thus it makes sense to try to CLEP out of it. She is very strong on grammar and has a decent vocabulary, but her speaking skills are terrible. I suspect the CLEP test will play to her strengths since it is multiple choice, correct?

[sgo95]

Psychology and Sociology are prerequisites for the Med school so I guess AP would be the better option. I have the Psychology AP materials and can proceed with getting a syllabus approved by the college board. I can therefore teach the course, she can have AP class distinction and

try to get college credit.

 

Thank you all for helping me figure this out.

 

What do med schools think about AP credit for prerequisites?

[Penelope]

What do med schools think about AP credit for prerequisites?

Best to look at what the medical schools say.

 

Here, Harvard specifically says no AP Bio can sub for the biology requirement, but can use just one semester of AP Chem (out of four college semesters) and that AP Calc BC is fine for the Calc requirement. Although they want biostatistics, they don't say that AP Stats will be accepted. It is pretty clear that they want to see most of the prerequisites taken at the university. Still, AP can be taken and the student not take college credit for the course; the student will have a GPA advantage if some of the material has been covered in high school.

 

https://hms.harvard.edu/departments/admissions/applying/requirements-admission

 

Specific social sciences like psych have not been on any of the prerequisite lists that I have looked at. Maybe the OP is aware of some schools that do?

 

ETA for another example of requirements: https://www.med.umn.edu/admissions/how-apply/prerequisites

 

Med school is so competitive (see other posts on these boards and elsewhere). I think it would be better to not think in terms of knocking out requirements with APs, but to think about doing the AP (or DE), which are introductory level, to allow you to take higher level courses in college, either the more interesting upper level social sciences, or more courses in your major, whatever you major is, or higher level sciences or a course in a different science than med school requires.

Edited April 30, 2017 by Penelope

[mumto2]

My DD16 is taking Spanish 4 at her very good PS (that is, very good in all areas, but the foreign language department). She does not plan to take AP Spanish next year as she already has 5 APs in her schedule, and it is taught by a very marginal teacher. Only one college that she's considering now requires students in her intended major to take 2 semesters of FL. I'm worried that will be hard for her after taking senior year 'off' Spanish, thus it makes sense to try to CLEP out of it. She is very strong on grammar and has a decent vocabulary, but her speaking skills are terrible. I suspect the CLEP test will play to her strengths since it is multiple choice, correct?

Dd actually did both French and German Clep. They are multiple choice with roughly half being written questions and half being based on listening. I remember her saying it was a variety of accents and voices for the listening which was a relief. She did well and would not consider her German particularly strong.

 

Fyi, The SAT subjects are also multiple choice and you can choose just reading or listening. Dd did the reading for both SAT exams and her score for German was identical (one is out of 80 and the other is 800) and for French the SAT was quite a bit higher. She did get 2 years for each. These AP's are not available to us so no experience.

[SunshineMom]

Thanks Penelope, I think we will focus on AP class materials for now and look at DE later.

Psychology and Sociology credits are considered recommended prerequisites for the med school but are not required.

[Renai]

My DD16 is taking Spanish 4 at her very good PS (that is, very good in all areas, but the foreign language department). She does not plan to take AP Spanish next year as she already has 5 APs in her schedule, and it is taught by a very marginal teacher. Only one college that she's considering now requires students in her intended major to take 2 semesters of FL. I'm worried that will be hard for her after taking senior year 'off' Spanish, thus it makes sense to try to CLEP out of it. She is very strong on grammar and has a decent vocabulary, but her speaking skills are terrible. I suspect the CLEP test will play to her strengths since it is multiple choice, correct?

 

My dd took Spanish CLEP this past August and her experience is similar to what mumto2 posted - reading and listening. 

[OnMyOwn]

My DD16 is taking Spanish 4 at her very good PS (that is, very good in all areas, but the foreign language department). She does not plan to take AP Spanish next year as she already has 5 APs in her schedule, and it is taught by a very marginal teacher. Only one college that she's considering now requires students in her intended major to take 2 semesters of FL. I'm worried that will be hard for her after taking senior year 'off' Spanish, thus it makes sense to try to CLEP out of it. She is very strong on grammar and has a decent vocabulary, but her speaking skills are terrible. I suspect the CLEP test will play to her strengths since it is multiple choice, correct?

 

It is multiple choice.  There is a listening section for the Spanish CLEP, but no speaking.

[katilac]

I was surprised to discover that our local university does not take any foreign language CLEPS at all. 

[Luckymama]

Our state flagship doesn't accept CLEPs and neither does the school d will be attending.

[8filltheheart]

Our state flagship doesn't accept CLEPs and neither does the school d will be attending.

It really is hit and miss what schools do and what schools don't. Ds took history CLEPs and got credit at Bama, but even in the same state, Auburn doesn't accept any.

 

I remember reading about a state that wanted their state schools to increase the number accepted. I can't remember for sure, but I think it was FL.