30 Days to study for Spanish CLEP and get a 50 - Suggestions?

[VictorLustig]

I plan to take the Spanish CLEP test around December 9th, I know some basic spanish and took 3 classes in high school but I'm guessing I will need to do a lot of refreshing. I'm looking to CLEP out of Spanish 1 and 2 (6 hours) which appears that I need to get a 50 on the exam. Money is no object, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to pass with at least a 50 and save a year of my life instead of having to take these 2 classes.

How hard is this going to be?

How should I best spend my time preparing?

I've already purchased the official study guide from CollegeBoard.com and plan to signup for either Speedyprep or InstantCert (possibly even both?). Should I also get the REA book? I think this is it but not sure, is this the best version?: http://www.amazon.com/Best-Test-Preparat...37&sr=8-1?

Anything else I should do or get? I plan to also find a list of the top 100 most commonly used words in Spanish and learn those, I've heard that helps with understanding spanish but unsure if it will help for the test.

If you have any hints tips or tricks that I should know I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks!

[burbuja0512]

It's really hard to say how you'll do as it depends greatly on your aptitude and what you still remember from high school. However, some people can learn a language in a very quick time through total immersion. Is this a possibility? Can you find Spanish TV shows that interest you on the internet? What sort of music do you like? Can you find your favorite genre in Spanish? What sort of basic reading do you do every day? Many people get their daily news fix online so why not do it in Spanish? No you won't be able to understand every word, but you'll likely be able to uncover the basic idea. You can even do a Google.com.mx (or any one of the latin Google sites, .es, .ar, .pe, etc..) search on sitios para niños to find Spanish sites geared towards kids. They may be easier and more interesting than sites geared towards adults.

Do you have any friends that are native speakers or VERY fluent? If you're in a rush to learn, I wouldn't spend a lot of time practicing with someone who barely speaks the language, but if you know anyone that is patient and willing to work with you, take advantage of it. If you don't know anyone, check to see if there are any Spanish-speaking church services in town. If you can find one that appeals to your religious background, it would make it even easier to learn. Besides, you can make a Spanish-speaking friend at church who would probably be very willing to help out! You could even volunteer to help elderly Spanish speakers through church and that would be a rewarding way to find someone in your community who has all the time in the world to practice with you.

I hope you don't think these ideas are silly, but trust me, you really do need to practice to master it and since you don't have a lot of time, you may need to get creative.

Suerte!

[Carnation]

I have this website saved as a possible study tool but haven't tried it yet.
http://www.spanishhour.com/clep.html
They offer a money back guarantee.

For immersion you can change any DVD movies you watch to Spanish and choose Spanish on your TV as well.

Let us know how you do.

[ryoder]

I assume that this test is hard for non-native Spanish speakers due to the obvious easy A and 6 credits that students from Spanish speaking countries can get on the test with zero study pushing up the curve for us poor kids who only took 2 years of Spanish in high school.

[burbuja0512]

I assume that this test is hard for non-native Spanish speakers due to the obvious easy A and 6 credits that students from Spanish speaking countries can get on the test with zero study pushing up the curve for us poor kids who only took 2 years of Spanish in high school.

I thought it was hard, but after living in Mexico for years, I would have been extremely disappointed with a score below 70. My major issue was the listening portions.. they were cheesy and I had a hard time remembering everything they said even though comprehension wasn't an issue. I've posted this a million times, but if I hadn't been taking notes on what they were saying, I would have probably gotten some of those wrong.

Of course this was the very first CLEP test that I took and I doubt that I would consider it difficult now, but you never know.

[minmei7]

this test seamed hard while i was taking it but turns out got full credit (12)hrs ,i speak spanish pretty well. i recall it having lots of paragraphs and they ask you about certain word and what they imply. as far as the listening portion you should be fine if you can pick up on the subject. roseta stone might help. just a suggestion

[VictorLustig]

Thanks guys... Anyone have any recommendations on SpanishHour.com vs. SpeedyPrep.com?

The only thing I hate about speedyprep is they answer every single question on Yahoo! Answers about a clep test and they pretend like they are just someone giving feedback and don't work for speedyprep, and it's the same account recommending speedyprep everytime so I can't find any unbiased answers on them.