Anyone CLEP Calculus?

[cabarnett]

I will be taking the Calculus exam in a couple of weeks but have not found anyone who has taken it. Would love to hear from someone who has.

[khasse]

I know this thread is old but I didn't want to add a new one for the same exact question. Can anyone tell me if they have taken the calculus clep? I just transferred to a school where it is required for all business majors, even though my previous school was "better" they only we required finite which was awesome. Either way, I would rather study really hard and pass the clep than barely pass the class with a C "required" and hurt my GPA. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

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[gcalvin]

My impression is that if you have never had a Calculus class, it will be quite a feat to teach yourself enough to pass a CLEP. I had Calculus back in high school, almost thirty years ago, and it would have taken me a whole lot of practice to get back to the point where I could pass the CLEP.

Calculus basically consists of differentials and integrals. You need very solid algebra, geometry and trigonometry knowledge, you study limits, and then you memorize and learn to recognize a couple dozen differential forms. Then integrals are basically about running the sausage grinder backwards and trying to get a live pig.

You can use the Aleks program (ALEKS -- Assessment and Learning, K-12, Higher Education, Automated Tutor, Math) to get up to the pre-calculus level, and then google for "calculus tutorial" and search Amazon for a good textbook.

I have to say, I am surprised and even skeptical that any school would require calculus for an undergraduate business degree. I would strongly advise you to check that requirement again. Are you sure it's not pre-calculus? Having worked in business for more than 25 years, I know that calculus is completely useless for the overwhelming majority. In the insurance business, I'm sure actuaries use differentials and integrals, and there may be a handful of other analysts that would find it useful, but it sure seems like overkill to me. Maybe the school just requires calculus for all degrees? Is this MIT?

-Gary-

[cookderosa]

If you are looking for resources to learn calculus, you could try Saxon

HS_03_Math912


My homeschool "family" (users of the Robinson Curriculum) all use Saxon, which self teaches calculus at or around 11/12 grade using this book.

[khasse]

gcalvin...

Thanks for the help. I attended Texas A&M and am now attending Troy State (much lower but I have triplets and needed greater flexibility). Most business colleges actually do require it regardless of its real world application. If you ask me its so they can make themselves feel more legit. Most big state schools and all "ivy level" schools require it, along with other state schools like mine who are "wanna be" a-list style curriculum. Either way, I'm an accounting major with a relatively high GPA and want to keep it that way without ruining by taking calc for a grade. The big firms around here care about grades when your starting out and you have less experience to be judged by.

[gcalvin]

I stand corrected. Googling around shows me that many schools do require calculus for undergraduate business degrees, although many of them offer "business calculus" which may be somewhat less rigorous than the course required for math, science and engineering majors.

-Gary-

[WantToImprove]

Hello, i'm also studying for the Calculus Clep. I doubt i'll pass, as I never bothered to pay attention in any math classes I have ever taken.

If I do pass it'd save me a ton of money and give me 6 credits. So it's worth a shot. I don't know when i'll take it, I might even wait until Winter since i'm not good at math at all. I'm also a business major and business calculus is needed for upper level business courses. (UNT) However, Calculus CLEP will substitute it.
They allow exceptions apparently if i'm just needing one credit, so I should be able to get into upper levels without having it.

Good luck on your exam.

[Student2010]

"Hello, i'm also studying for the Calculus Clep. I doubt i'll pass, as I never bothered to pay attention in any math classes I have ever taken.

If I do pass it'd save me a ton of money and [B]give me 6 credits.[/B] So it's worth a shot. I don't know when i'll take it, I might even wait until Winter since i'm not good at math at all. I'm also a business major and business calculus is needed for upper level business courses. (UNT) However, Calculus CLEP will substitute it.
They allow exceptions apparently if i'm just needing one credit, so I should be able to get into upper levels without having it. "


Calculus is equivalent to Calculus I and is worth 3 credits. College Mathematics a separate Clep exam is worth 6 credit hours and generally transfers as College Algebra & Trig and Analytical Geometry. I hope this helps someone!

[protester]

Hands down, Khan Academy is the best free math tutor I have found. I have taken algebra and calculus in college and I stayed ahead of my professor's pace by watching these videos before he presented the new concepts in class. It should work well for preparing to take a CLEP.

[Shawn A]

Hands down, Khan Academy is the best free math tutor I have found. I have taken algebra and calculus in college and I stayed ahead of my professor's pace by watching these videos before he presented the new concepts in class. It should work well for preparing to take a CLEP.

Thinkwell Calculus is also good. My daughter used it to CLEP Calculus (She scored a 60) on the exam.


Shawn