A total newb's experience with CLEP/DSST

[Bushrunner]

This is my first post. I took the Organizational Behavior test today, got a 77. This was after about 3 days of really cramming. What I did was I studied for Principles of Management and Organizational Behavior at the same time (got a 77 on POM today, also). I found there to be considerable overlap between the material for both tests.

My first step was assembling the study material. I checked out a couple of organizational behavior textbooks from the library; actually the ones suggested by the DSST information sheet (Shermerhorn was one, Ivancevich was the other). Through the forums I found a Pass Your Class study guide for Principles of Management. I also had the Comex CLEP guide for POM. I signed up for Instacert about a week ago and flipped through the flashcards for not only POM and Organizational Behavior, but also Principles of Supervision. Lastly, I also had access to practice tests and accompanying study material from the DSST study guide (OB), and Petersons (POM).

I basically reviewed all of the material systematically from start to finish. Much of the information I was familiar with because of previous classes and knowledge that I've acquired. I pursued the "management by exception" ;-) principle to anything I was not 100% comfortable with. I would take note of it and investigate it further with wikipedia, google, and the textbooks. You have to be patient, try to avoid distraction, and have a genuine desire to learn the subject. Last steps should include 1) rereading your "exception" notes and revisiting those strange concepts in case you forgot the material in the meantime and 2) taking practice exams and examining the material for the answers you got wrong.

This is probably the best that you can get prepared if you are under severe time constraints. The test will stump you. The actual test is nothing, I repeat, nothing like the practice tests or the flashcards. So don't get complacent. Stay alert while you are taking the test, read the whole question and all of the answers and reread the questions and answers before picking one.

To date I've taken 3 exams; these two plus Information Systems and Computer Applications, which I took 5 days ago and got a 74. I did the same thing for that exam; got the recommended textbooks (Long), the study materials, did the flashcards (I did both MIS and ISCA) researched unfamiliar concepts, reread my notes, took practice tests, etc.

Test taking is not a breeze; for those of you who are reading the forums and are thinking that you can get away with just InstaCert, perish the thought. Take a solemn approach to it, respect the test. The good news is that if you are dedicated, are able to get the right materials, and can avoid distractions for a few days, you can pass an exam and save hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars, not to mention countless hours, by not having to take the actual course... ever...

My next test is Principles of Marketing... I don't know a thing about it and I'm in the process right now of gathering study material for it (If anyone has study guides they can send me, I would very much appreciate it), but I'm pretty sure that I'll be ready for it in two days when I'm scheduled to take it. Please feel free to send me a PM with any questions or advice.

[bmills072200]

Test taking is not a breeze; for those of you who are reading the forums and are thinking that you can get away with just InstaCert, perish the thought. Take a solemn approach to it, respect the test.

I will agree with part of what you are saying...you do need to respect every test...however, you are scoring in the mid to high 70's on your tests. While this is admirable, it is not totally neccesary. I have used pretty much only IC and practice exams for 13 exams and I have yet to fail one and I really have not come all that close to failing one. It depends on how in depth you want to go. If you just want to get it over with and not kill yourself finding a bunch of different resources, then IC is the way to go...

I just don't want anyone to think that IC alone can not get you through most exams, because it can and it does...good luck on future exams...

[knucyt]

Bmills,

I agree that you don't have to kill yourself, however, perhaps you might want to take into consideration that different people have different learning styles and respect that. I'm glad that IC alone works for you - that's cool for you! There are many posts where people talk about using IC as a core resource and supplement it with small to large amounts of other material to improve their contextual understanding (so they can learn IC material more easily) of the topic, to get clarification on certain points, and use Peterson's/online book quizzes for practice tests. It depends on the subject as well as a person's learning style and past knowledge. I think IC is great and use it extensively, but rarely exclusively.

As to grades - quit making those assumptions please - sometimes a high grade is necessary - it depends on what you are doing with it. I've managed to get "alternate" credits awarded for similar but not the same subjects/substitutions, but it required higher scores. It has also allowed me to take some B&M classes completely out of order (to suit my schedule and class availability).

Personally it is getting old seeing a few users consistenly make comments about "it's a waste of time"/"it's completely unecessary" etc to get high scores on these tests - I do not see why it is necessary to say this. People have to find their test taking comfort zone and telling them that they are wasting their time is not exactly positive feedback. If it makes the users who make these comments feel better about themselves then at least they are getting something from it I guess. That said, I do think it is very important to remind users who are getting concerned about passing a test that they only need a passing grade for (exceptions excepted!) - that is helpful feedback/encouragement and that's what we are here for - to help provide mutual support and boost confidence levels and to receive the same of course!

Cheers!

[cookderosa]

I will agree with part of what you are saying...you do need to respect every test...however, you are scoring in the mid to high 70's on your tests. While this is admirable, it is not totally neccesary. I have used pretty much only IC and practice exams for 13 exams and I have yet to fail one and I really have not come all that close to failing one. It depends on how in depth you want to go. If you just want to get it over with and not kill yourself finding a bunch of different resources, then IC is the way to go...

I just don't want anyone to think that IC alone can not get you through most exams, because it can and it does...good luck on future exams...

Scores in the 70s kick butt!!
Did he over study? Not in three days! I wouldn't call that over investing by a long shot. (3 months....yeah too much) You have to remember, an introductory supervision class ISN'T new material for everyone. Many of us here are adults with 10, 20, 30, or more years DOING it. It shouldn't surprise anyone that an adult can pass a 100 level intro class with flying colors. Any woman here with children has LIVED the human growth and development material. I could give many examples. Information isn't owned by the credit-bearing classroom.

At the end of the day- the goal is the same...WHATEVER WORKS! IC works, but so do other resources. I would hate to see this board send out an "IC way or the highway" type of message, because I personally think this board is the single best resource on the internet for CLEP/DSST takers. Yes, they sell a product, but the message board is free, and I think people should feel safe to freely express their successes earned through all methods.

(sorry, I'm feeling wordy)
I don't know about Bushrunner, but I never have figured out how to study for a "C"

[Bushrunner]

Wow guys those are three great perspectives that I can appreciate.

Bmills: It is comforting to know that it's relatively "difficult" to fail a test.

Knucyt: You are completely correct about high scores being important in my situation. If they were borderline or even moderately above borderline my school would not allow them; they would try to sandbag me. They would rather I pay $3300 for a 3 credit class. Getting high scores gives them less of an excuse to deny me the credits.

Jennifer: I'm with you 100%. I'm a closet perfectionist. I have absolutely no familiarity with the "bare minimum." To me trying to scrape by with mere superficial knowledge on some of the questions that the tests cover is like gambling. I much prefer the certainty of knowing everything that will *reasonably* be covered in the exam.

Again, thank you all for the great feedback... Time to get back to studying for this principles of marketing test I have scheduled tomorrow :-P

[bmills072200]

I think you guys may have missed my point...

My point was to encourage, especially those that are trying to build the courage to take the first test by saying that you may not need 2 months of study, 5 different sources, 4 different practice exams, etc...

My point is to say that it is not as hard as it sometimes may appear. That has been my struggle with this board on a few occasions. The specific exam thread is a great example. You can go into almost any thread and find comments like: "Oh my gosh, this exam is hard..." and right below it something like "this is one of the easier exams out there..."

I know that all of this is based on the person taking the test. I just choose to be careful with how others will interpret what I believe about any specific test. The last thing that I want to do is convince a new person looking at my thread that any exam is "too hard" and not worth the effort...

As far as grades...again, you are right...it depends on your motivation, which I think I stated in my original post. If you have a deep desire to "master" the subject or need the extra knowledge to advance your career or education, then I agree, get the best possible score that you can. However, I think there are many, like myself, that see each exam as a means to an end (I just finished Ethics...Kant would be so disappointed).

I am the last one on this board to want to discourage anyone...to the contrary, I want everyone to stop worrying about whether they know enough and to just go for it...because almost everytime that someone is unsure if they know enough, they usually end up passing with flying colors.

I am having a confidence issue with Organizational Behavior that I am taking tomorrow morning as an ECE. If you look at the Exam thread for that exam, there are some really differing opinions as to "how hard the test really is..."

Sorry for the rant...good luck to all...

[barcotta]

Very interesting thread. It obviously brings out some perspectives and feelings that otherwise don't get addressed in other threads. I think the majority of people are pretty comfortable with many of these concepts, but sometimes other posters' enthusiasm/lack of sensitivity/debilitating fear/short-sightedness/best intentions ruffle some feathers, including mine.

Both dominating viewpoints in this thread stretch things a little beyond people's comfort zones. In my opinion, it's overstating things by telling people to perish the thought of using IC alone--as clearly more than a few people on this board have done so (and, for most exams, I believe IC is marketed as a one-source solution to pass). By the same token, scores can matter and, as you can see in this thread, it depends entirely on your personal situation.

I am frequently guilty of viewing the process of testing out of a degree through my own limited perspective. I often forget that others are not attending one of the "big three" and that they may really have an interest in certain subjects and may need the foundational knowledge to succeed in the future.

Personally, I'm OK with the dominant perspectives discussed in this thread. As an EC student whose primary goal was to obtain a degree quickly (not to gain knowledge for current use on the job or for future use in higher education) I did, in fact, regard every hour that I spent studying for a CLEP exam that resulted in something beyond a passing grade as a wasted hour. That hour could have been the first hour studying for the next exam--as CLEP scores had no real impact on my grade (there is collateral impact, but that's for another day). Of course, I was seldom able to prepare for an exam in three days! However, I never dared to study just to pass--particularly on core requirements. Similarly, I, like bmills, attempted to spend as little as possible to prepare for each exam because, second only to my requirement that I obtain my degree quickly was that it be as cheap as possible!

MY pet peeve is people who post that a test was "easy" when they barely passed. How does that work??? How do you get to describe a test as "easy" when YOU passed BY THE SKIN OF YOUR TEETH??? My other pet peeve is people who take far less than the allotted time to take an exam and wonder aloud why anyone would have to take longer. Often times, these two phenomenoms will occur in the same post--something like, "I thought this was one of the easiest CLEP's I've ever taken. It only took me an hour to finish and I got a 52." What???

I think it's helpful to think back on your experiences in junior high and high school to put things in perspective. Remember the kids that attended class but otherwise didn't put in much effort and still scored well on exams--particularly classes like history or science? They would just hear the stuff once in class and just remember it and know if for the test. THOSE are the people that can "run through the flashcards" once or twice (often times not even all of them) and pass--often scoring well. Then there were those who took meticulous notes, poured over the homework, studied until they couldn't study any more--and still struggled to pass. They would NOT be able to run through the flashcards once and pass.

Most of us are somewhere in the middle. I love the fact that more and more posters are putting their exam scores in their signature. That gives everyone a more accurate idea of what THEY will need to do to pass (or score well) because they can look at the scores and feedback of other posters and match up their abilities. I would disregard the feedback of the "I just ran through the flashcards once" people--particularly if they scored particularly high or low. I would look for folks who scored similar to me on tests that we had both taken in the past and whose preparation methods were most similar to mine. THAT would give me the best idea of what I had to do.

Finally, especially towards the end, I would ask myself, "Do I now believe I know at least as much about (insert exam here) as the average "C" student who actually took the class?" If the answer was yes--I stopped stressing--made sure I knew the concepts most frequently mentioned in the Specific Exam Feedback section, and took the test.

[knucyt]

Michael,
I just have to say that I really like your commentary, think your advice is helpful, and believe you (re)present a well-balanced "State of IC'ers" address!

Thanks!

[alix]

I really like this thread because I enjoy hearing a variety of perspectives on the study/test/score experience. For me, it's been interesting to explore my own process and find out how it can work for or against me.

I'm someone who has always taken tests well -- I'm very calm and focused, and I tend to finish early. I study intently for 1-7 days (sometimes 10 hours at a stretch) and I tend to study other (inexpensive) materials before I start on the IC flashcards. I use the flashcards to gather information and informally quiz myself, not so much work toward a certain pass rate. I do get interested in each topic and that's probably why I read other materials -- certainly, with anthropology I ended up reading some of the late-breaking news that would certainly NOT be on the test -- but I consider that interest to be part of what enables me to hold my focus. Even though I know my particular CLEP scores get me nothing at EC (except a pass!) I still want to get a high score on everything, because knowledge is my game. After American Government, all I could think was, "Where did I go wrong?"

That, my friends, is my own neurosis! hilarious

What disturbs me is when someone judges another person's scores or his/her approach to the process. That's probably because I have known C students who work VERY hard to get their grades, and they weren't dumb people. They were simply not talented in the particular ways that our academic system rewards. Of course, many people don't care, but you can't assume the reasons why someone gets a given score.

Anyway, I'd love it if more people would post about how they approach studying and test scores -- the more perspectives the merrier!

[gcalvin]

I reviewed my scores on all the exams I took, trying to recall how I studied for each, and see if I could identify a pattern between preparation and results. In the end, there doesn't seem to be much of a pattern there, and I think it's because each exam stands on its own, has its own preparation requirements, and its own grading curve.

I took 16 CLEPs, and I always used the Official Guide practice exam as the indicator that I was ready for the real exam. For several of the exams, that was my only preparation. I was only going for a pass (50) in each case, but my scores ranged from 68 to 79. The 68 was on the Microeconomics exam, which is indeed the one I felt least prepared for. But I scored 79s on A&I Lit and Humanities, for which I really didn't prepare at all. Humanities was the first CLEP I took, so I did take the practice exam in the Princeton Review book, reviewed all the explanations for all the right and wrong answers, brushed up on the web a bit, and then took the Official Guide practice exam.

I took eight DSSTs, and my scores ranged from 61 to 69. All of my scores were good enough for As at Excelsior. Typically I felt like I worked harder in preparation for DSSTs, as I didn't have as much faith in the practice exam materials I had access to, and I wanted high scores for my GPA. And yet I was unable to crack 70 on any of them. The exams didn't feel any harder than the CLEPs while I was taking them, which makes me suspect that the shape of the grading curve is different, although I don't have any hard evidence of that.

I took nine ECEs, earning six As and three Bs. My cumulative scores (taking the sum of score x weight for each section) ranged from 73% in Statistics to 85% in Human Resource Management, World Population, and Research Methods in Psychology. The 73% in Statistics was enough for an A, while the 85% in HRM only earned me a B -- clearly the grading curves for each exam are very different. My preparation for ECEs was similar to DSSTs. I used the Excelsior practice exams whenever they were available, and found them to be the best resource.

I used InstantCert flash cards for many of these exams, and found them helpful and on point every time. But I don't think I ever used them as my sole preparation resource.

So I don't know what's to be learned from all that. I think there's a great deal of wisdom in Michael's post. Take each individual exam as its own challenge, read the specific exam feedback threads, determine whether you want to score high or just barely pass, and prepare accordingly -- and still, Your Mileage May Vary.

-Gary-