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My CLEP Story
Hi! My name is John
Husband. And I'm a student. This website is dedicated to
the
non-traditional learner that wants to earn a college degree. Many
of
us have skills and experiences that are the equivilent of college
credit. Sometimes we are able to translate that into credits
through
the admissions department of our schools. But sometimes the
school
wants more proof. That's were CLEP and other standardized tests
come
into play. CLEP exams allow us to prove we have the knowledge we
think
we do.
Some of us don't have the knowledge yet but we for some reason don't
want to go to a class room to get it. In my case, I have a full
time
job, a full time wife and a full time daughter. I can't afford
the
time (or money) it takes to have even a part time class load. So
I
study in my spare moments. Then when I am ready I schedule a test
at
my convenience. After passing that test I can have the scores
sent to
my school for credit. You probably know that over 2900 different
college and universities accept CLEP exams for credit. In fact
it's my
goal to earn a four year degree without ever stepping foot in a college
classroom.
So far I have spent an average of $110 per exam. I usually buy a
general book on the topic about $20. I don't typically buy text
books. Although there is a place for them. I use a practice
test
software (sold on this site) about $20. I have to pay
$70 to
actually take the test, $50 to the College Board and $20 to the testing
center (prices vary.) So all together my cost is about
$110. CLEP
exams are typically worth 3 credits. So my cost per credit is
about
$37 give or take a bit. Some CLEP exams are worth 6 credits like
the
accounting exam. IN that case my cost per credit including
everything
is about $19. Think about it. Where can you go to school
for $19 a
credit? As far as I'm concerned this is an opportunity every poor
college student should take advantage of.
Most colleges will allow you to challenge (test out of) 30-60
credits.
There are a small hand full that allow even more. So far the only
one
that I've found for sure is excelsior.edu. Please e-mail
me if your school allows you to challenge more than 60 credits.
Perhaps you are going back to school after a number of years.
Maybe
you only need a few more credits to add AA or BA to your resume.
If so
then CLEP may be the way to go.
Finally there are some people who simply wish to get through school
faster. And maybe they want to get to the interesting upper level
credits quickly. CLEP is an easy way to advance your college
education.
Always check with your school before dedicating too much time to CLEP
studies. They may have specific requirements about what is
allowed and
what is not. I've found that English can be especially tricky.
All in all CLEP, DANTES, and other standardized tests are a great
resource for just about every college student. I wish you luck
in
your educational goals.
-John
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