Do you HAVE to submit CLEP scores?

[EKT]

I'm just starting to learn about CLEP tests and I'm wondering: Do you HAVE to submit CLEP scores to colleges? (I know, for instance, that if you take any dual enrollment community college classes, those grades are permanent and you HAVE to submit them to any colleges you apply to. Is it the same with CLEP test scores?) 

As we plan out high school, I'm considering having my daughter take CLEP tests at the end of the year for some subjects. (For instance, she'll be doing biology at home for 9th grade next year, so I'm thinking of having her do the biology CLEP test at the end of the year.) Our goal in doing this would not be to earn college credit (at least, this wouldn't be our main motivation), but more to substantiate the work we do in our homeschool. (That is, to have some "outside evidence," for college admissions purposes.) But, in the event that my daughter bombs the tests, I'm wondering if we'd HAVE to submit her scores during the college admissions process? (I certainly don't anticipate her scoring poorly, but I want to know what she'd be getting herself into.) 

If your child takes several CLEP tests over four years of high school, can you cherry pick the scores you report? Thanks for any insight!

[klmama]

You can choose colleges to send them to when you take the test, but I don't think you have to choose or send results then.  You are still free to send results at a later date for an extra fee.  However, my understanding is that the entire CLEP record will be sent when you do request it.  So, if she does well on some tests and yet bombs one, she can't leave that result off what is sent. (Another poster corrected this info below.)  

ETA:  If she takes the test at a community college where she's taking classes, the results may also appear on her transcript from there.  When one of my dc took CC classes and transfered to a state U, the Accuplacer results were listed, as well as course grades.  You'll want to check into that with the testing center.

Edited May 18, 2021 by klmama

[Bristayl]

I believe you can choose which scores to send.

[klmama]

I just looked this up on the CLEP site.  It sounds like they do send a transcript of all the courses.  (ETA:  It's an option, but not required.  See additional posts below.)

Edited May 18, 2021 by klmama

[EKT]

5 minutes ago, klmama said:

I just looked this up on the CLEP site.  It sounds like they do send a transcript of all the courses.  

Thank you for this; I didn't see this. It does sound like they send all scores as one lump transcript. Good to know!

[Aloha2U]

In our experience, you can designate which exam scores to send on one transcript. This may seem crazy to some here... but each time my young man completes a CLEP, I request a new transcript to be sent to us at home with all of the exam scores listed. So far, I have been able to pick which ones we want on the transcript with no problems. It costs $20 per transcript. It looks like there are three options: 

1. Send All Scores 

2. Send only exam scores of 50 or above

3. Orderable Scores (you select from the list which ones to add)

Edited May 13, 2021 by Mom21

[EKT]

43 minutes ago, Mom21 said:

In our experience, you can designate which exam scores to send on one transcript. This may seem crazy to some here... but each time my young man completes a CLEP, I request a new transcript to be sent to us at home with all of the exam scores listed. So far, I have been able to pick which ones we want on the transcript with no problems. It costs $20 per transcript. It looks like there are three options: 

1. Send All Scores 

2. Send only exam scores of 50 or above

3. Orderable Scores (you select from the list which ones to add)

This is great to know! Thanks for chiming in!

[RootAnn]

And you don't have to send any of them if you don't want to.

[klmama]

3 hours ago, Mom21 said:

In our experience, you can designate which exam scores to send on one transcript. This may seem crazy to some here... but each time my young man completes a CLEP, I request a new transcript to be sent to us at home with all of the exam scores listed. So far, I have been able to pick which ones we want on the transcript with no problems. It costs $20 per transcript. It looks like there are three options: 

1. Send All Scores 

2. Send only exam scores of 50 or above

3. Orderable Scores (you select from the list which ones to add)

Do you have a link to the page where you can do this?  It might be helpful to someone.  

[Aloha2U]

https://clep.collegeboard.org 

—> Sign in 

—> My CLEP Account (drop-down overview) 

—> Request a Transcript

—> Transcript Ordering page

Edited May 14, 2021 by Mom21

[regentrude]

5 hours ago, Mom21 said:

each time my young man completes a CLEP, I request a new transcript to be sent to us at home with all of the exam scores listed. 

Why?

[Aloha2U]

It was helpful that a transcript was sent to us after he completed his first CLEP Exam. I kept it for our records, scanned it in, and planned to put it in his portfolio. But then after the second exam, and then the third, and now soon the fourth, all of which were not necessarily planned, I do not want only separate/individual CLEP Exam score transcripts for our records. I want one CLEP Exam transcript to rule them all. 😏

Edited May 14, 2021 by Mom21

[Aloha2U]

This is a bit off topic, but something else that was helpful pertains to the particular testing center. The first testing center we used for the first two exams printed out the unofficial raw score after each one and gave them to us. The second testing center that we used for the last exam both emailed and printed out the score report, so now I don’t have to scan it.

What is more, the two testing centers are night and day difference. All testing centers are not set-up equal. The computers at the first testing center are ancient, the area cramped/confined with wires everywhere at your feet, so uncomfortable as well as hot. Temperature is a big deal for my young man while testing, as well as air flow. Yes, he had to wear a mask during the first two exams, which does effect him. At the second testing center, the computers were better quality, and he had a room to himself so that he could remove his mask while testing. Even though the sitting fee is more at the second, we’ll be returning to that facility for all exams in the future.

[Corraleno]

On 5/13/2021 at 1:12 PM, EKT said:

I'm just starting to learn about CLEP tests and I'm wondering: Do you HAVE to submit CLEP scores to colleges? (I know, for instance, that if you take any dual enrollment community college classes, those grades are permanent and you HAVE to submit them to any colleges you apply to. Is it the same with CLEP test scores?) 

As we plan out high school, I'm considering having my daughter take CLEP tests at the end of the year for some subjects. (For instance, she'll be doing biology at home for 9th grade next year, so I'm thinking of having her do the biology CLEP test at the end of the year.) Our goal in doing this would not be to earn college credit (at least, this wouldn't be our main motivation), but more to substantiate the work we do in our homeschool. (That is, to have some "outside evidence," for college admissions purposes.) But, in the event that my daughter bombs the tests, I'm wondering if we'd HAVE to submit her scores during the college admissions process? (I certainly don't anticipate her scoring poorly, but I want to know what she'd be getting herself into.) 

If your child takes several CLEP tests over four years of high school, can you cherry pick the scores you report? Thanks for any insight!

Just a heads-up that CLEP tests often do not line up very well with high school level classes. They are their own thing, and because they are nearly all multiple choice, they tend to focus heavily on memorization of tons of factoids (names, dates, vocabulary, etc) that may or may not be covered in a standard class (and even if they are, are unlikely to be emphasized). In most cases, a student will need additional prep focused on the specific type of information the test is looking for. I've heard that the Bio and Chem CLEPs are particularly difficult and do not line up well with HS courses. However, many of the CLEP tests have recently been revised and rewritten, so I'd be sure to get the most current prep materials.

You can choose which tests you want to send to colleges, but be sure to check each college's list of CLEP credits before you send any scores, because often they have very different cut-offs for credit — while CLEP considers any score of 50 or above to be "passing," many colleges want to see higher scores for credit, and the cut-off can vary from subject to subject as well as from school to school. So for example you don't want to send a score of 50 to a school that won't give credit for anything less than a 65, because they will not be impressed with that. And some schools don't give any credit for CLEPs, or only give credit for a selected few.