A friend’s son, who is an engineering sophomore at A&M, encouraged my fall freshman engineering son to gain credit for history, etc by taking the available CLEP exam for classes my son won’t have AP/dual credit for but will need to satisfy CC. He says there is free material online to help study for those exams (through Khan, College Board, AP guides or ?). Yes, the exams cost $80? but he strongly recommended it as an option instead of taking those classes at A&M or even online through a community college.
So, has anyone received credit by taking a CLEP exam? Am I missing something…it sounds like a great option! BTW, so far the sophomore took one of the US history exams cold turkey and passed - only needed a 50%. Interested in hearing others experiences
@52AG82 Don’t know if this site is legitimate, but there is a chart comparing AP and CLEP. What caught my eye is that CLEP is all multiple choice! Also, immediate scoring, 90 minute test, year round testing at certain colleges, signing up for a test 48 hours before taking it. Hmmm…I think my son has 90 minutes to spare this summer
As with any credit, you want to make sure they count for something, rather than have excess hours not applied to a specific degree requirement.
From reading the link, it is claimed similar to AP credit and therefore, claimed as needed after advising.
@thelma2 Yes, my son is probably one of the few that does not have AP or dual credit for US History. It appears that none of the other CLEP exams would be applicable to him, based on the engineering degree plan required CC classes and AP credits he has (or will hopefully earn next week ).
Although A&M is a CLEP testing site, these tests don’t have to be taken at A&M. For him, its cheaper to take at the local community college, and a convenient thing to hopefully do this summer.
@Eggscapgoats my daughter doesn’t have any History AP scores to bring in either! Wonder if there are ‘Cliff Note’ type books, or something online, to crash study? Totally going to look into this!
I don’t hear much about CLEP test these days (since AP tests are more prevalent) but back in the 70’s I got an entire year’s worth of college credit by taking it. It was one entire test then split into different subjects.You could “clep out” of different subjects based on score of each section. Similar to spending the day taking the SAT.
I skipped every intro gen ed course and was able to focus on pre-reqs for my major. I did save almost a year of college. I do suggest that you really do the research as to what is accepted in what capacity at the specific college. But even getting elective credits can lighten the load along the way.
@52AG82 What caught my eye regarding all the study resources out there (both on this link and elsewhere - its overwhelming!) is Khan Academy. My son used it for SAT practice with great results. Its free, easy to use, and customizable. The $10 individual study guide from CLEP also sounds good. Good luck!
My opinion is that you don’t want to take too many core classes ahead of time. These help balance out the workload on heavy semesters. If all you have are engineering type courses left, there’s no where to hide lol. Especially if you like History or Gov’t or whatever core class it is you are wanting to take. It can be a welcome relief to use the other side of your brain for a change! My 2 cents!
I can tell you that CLEP is a fantastic way to earn credits on the cheap. My son is doing it for his Gen Ed classes. I have one son who is a college freshman who is taking the Sociology CLEP to knock out his social science requirement. I have another son who is taking CLEP and AP exams during high school as well.
Go to the Modern States website. If your child completes the course through modern states (which is free), he will get a voucher to take the CLEP exam for free. Real deal, many of us have been doing it for quite a while. You register for the CLEP, pay for it, take the exam, then send the receipt to Modern States with the Voucher. They credit your account. Can’t beat free credit.
Anyone who is in college now - make sure your college accepts the CLEP credit ahead of time. My high school son is taking CLEP exams without knowing whether or not they will be accepted since he has no idea where he is going. But since he is taking the exams for free, we figured why not.
@sbgal2011 Wow! I’d heard about Modern States for free preparation but the account credit is interesting. What can that credit be used for - other classes at Modern States? Thanks for the insight.
The credit is only for CLEP exams. TBH, I’m really surprised how little CLEP is publicized. I guess it’s because of AP exams. I know kids who take AP tests, then immediately afterwards, take the CLEP in that subject because there are no essays. Something to consider
@sbgal2011 At our high school, CLEP is not mentioned at all, but the counselors talk a lot about earning college credits by taking AP classes (and doing well on the AP exams) or by taking dual credit classes. A third option for gaining college credit was never referred to. Perhaps the high school has nothing to gain by mentioning CLEP.
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