<p>I've read that most people consider them easier than the AP exams; well, can CLEP help an applicant stand out?</p>
<p>CLEP has probably been around longer than the AP program. I think that it was originally designed to allow people who were coming back to college to get some credit for life experience. I have not heard of kids just taking CLEP exams in high school. Because it is not widely done, there is probably not any kind of admissions benefit.</p>
<p>However, you can take the tests and earn some college credit. The best time to do that would be after you have your acceptances in hand and know whether a college will award credit for CLEP exams. There really isn’t a reason to just take a bunch of CLEP tests.</p>
<p>There would be no reason that a high school would put CLEP tests on your transcript, so you would have to pay to have all the reports sent.</p>
<p>What about for transfer admissions?</p>
<p>My homeschooled daughter put CLEP on her transcript in order to provide credibility to her homeschooling. She started CLEPing in the fall before 9th grade. She has received positive comments from the colleges she has visited (she is going to be a senior). She will be receiving credit for some of the exams. CLEPs show the colleges that you are ambitious. She has CLEPed Spanish, Anal & Inter Lit., Eng Lit & Comp, College Algebra, Intro to Psych., Government and is working on Pre-calc and Chemistry (maybe for AP). She also did the DSST/DANTES Prin of Public Speaking (also good practice). She has also completed some AP’s for the same reasons. The test taking practice was also helpful.</p>