Barely Pass

[maria]

Just wanted to let you all know that even though i studied from this website for 3 weeks in addition to the REA and the exam guide from CLEP i barely made it through the Introduction to Sociology Exam.

Has anyone ever taken this exam in NYC? let me know nothing that i studied was on it except for about 10 questions, the rest i managed to answer by process of elimination.

I was so sure that i had failed the exam and to make things worse people who were there taking other exams left so early that it made me feel even like a bigger loser.

At the end of the exam you are asked whether you want to accept your marks or to forget them (something like that) and I almost reject them but then decided to see what i got and i got 55. I was overwhelm with emotions. I know this sounds like drama but you don't understand i haven't done anything for 3 weeks but study.

Anyways there were questions from people that i never heard about and theories i wasn't familiar with. There were also many questions on statistic which suck cause i didn't know any of them.

I am very nervous now because i still have 2 more CLEP and 2 Dantes to complete before i get my bachelor's degree. My goal is to finish before the end of the year.

My next exam is CLEP History 1. Can anyone here suggest any studying materials. I would really appreciate it.

[bmills072200]

Maria,

Keep in mind that these tests are unlike "normal" tests in that they are designed for the average student to miss almost 50% of the questions. It took me a while to get used to that.

I had a similar experience to you when I took Statistics and thought that I had failed for sure, but you have to go into the test accepting the fact that you are not going to know a lot of the questions. The reason that you study is to get enough knowledge to be able to know the answer or, more importantly, be able to narrow it down to 2-3 options. Don't beat yourself up, a 55 is a good score and a pass is a pass. What are you taking next?

[cookderosa]

Just wanted to let you all know that even though i studied from this website for 3 weeks in addition to the REA and the exam guide from CLEP i barely made it through the Introduction to Sociology Exam.

Has anyone ever taken this exam in NYC? let me know nothing that i studied was on it except for about 10 questions, the rest i managed to answer by process of elimination.

I was so sure that i had failed the exam and to make things worse people who were there taking other exams left so early that it made me feel even like a bigger loser.

At the end of the exam you are asked whether you want to accept your marks or to forget them (something like that) and I almost reject them but then decided to see what i got and i got 55. I was overwhelm with emotions. I know this sounds like drama but you don't understand i haven't done anything for 3 weeks but study.

Anyways there were questions from people that i never heard about and theories i wasn't familiar with. There were also many questions on statistic which suck cause i didn't know any of them.

I am very nervous now because i still have 2 more CLEP and 2 Dantes to complete before i get my bachelor's degree. My goal is to finish before the end of the year.

My next exam is CLEP History 1. Can anyone here suggest any studying materials. I would really appreciate it.

I don't know what it means to say you studied for 3 weeks, only because we all have different ideas about what studying means- but I don't think 3 weeks is terribly long, I wouldn't say to spend LESS than 3 weeks getting ready for your fist CLEP since it is all new.
You put in 3 weeks and walked away with 3 credits! You skipped all the homework and writing, attending classes, textbook fees, and tuition costs. I think you came out ahead!!
55 is a pass, there is no "higher or lower" credit, only pass or fail. There really isn't a point to earning an 80 (perfect score).
You can interpret your score as meaning you did about the same as a Sociology 101 student who earned about a B in the class. What's there to complain about??

A tip for next time- For US History 1, REA is hands down the best resource. Read it cover to cover. You should read the specific exam feedback section and know about every single thing on the lists compiled by members. You will need to know people, dates, places, etc. for every test. US History will ask you some quotes, historical documents, government, and some literature of the time. I would suggest again another 3 (or 4) weeks on that exam. ALL THE BEST!!!!!

[maria]

Jennifer i am not complaining. I am actually so grateful that i even passed this exam. I am just lost as to why i didn't know most of the questions. I did study for 3 weeks, 4 hours a day except for weekends. I knew all the material given by InstantCert by heart and also the REA and the CLEP exam guide i took it a few times and was very comfortable with everything.

I am just concern about my other exams. What if i am not so lucky anymore. My next Exams are CLEP History 1, CLEP English Freshman Composition and Dantes "Here's to Your Health", Dantes "Ethics in America" as per my advisor.

So anyone has any suggestions about any of them please let me know.

Jennifer thanks for the tips for History 1. Does this mean that i shouldn't focus too much on InstantCert for History 1?

[originalbigjim]

55 is by no means barley passing. You did great! I have taken dantes exams where the cut off for credit is 45 and got a 45. 55 is awesome! even if you dont like a 55 is passing and a pass is a pass. keep up the good work.

[Lindagerr]

I just passed this last Thursday witha 69. Iused only IC and the Peteren test on the Airforce site. These test are a great predicter I feel I got 67,64 & 72 on them and that seems to average very close to what I got on the real thing. The other thing I always do is check the exam specific feedback, there are usually some great tips there.

If you are not in the service you can still use the airforce site if you know someone that can give you an activation code.

If you can switch one of your planned test to Intro to Psychology I think that goes very well with Intro to Sociology, I saw lots of similar questions.

As for the time it took you, never let other testers make you feel rushed. I always mark questions I am unsure of and go back and review them at the end. You are not in a race take your time. I usually only leave 10-15 minutes of the available time unused.

55 is not a bad grade for a first CLEP. Relax and enjoy the 3 credits. Good Luck on the rest of your exams.

[cookderosa]

Jennifer i am not complaining. I am actually so grateful that i even passed this exam. I am just lost as to why i didn't know most of the questions.


Simple- you didn't know all of the questions because you would have had to know every possible event, contribution, research paper, experiment, and outcome of everything that happened in that field for the past 75 years LOL. No small task.


I did study for 3 weeks, 4 hours a day except for weekends. I knew all the material given by InstantCert by heart and also the REA and the CLEP exam guide i took it a few times and was very comfortable with everything.

I am just concern about my other exams. What if i am not so lucky anymore. My next Exams are CLEP History 1, CLEP English Freshman Composition and Dantes "Here's to Your Health", Dantes "Ethics in America" as per my advisor.

Ok, I understand now. You feel like you didn't really "know" the info, only that you got lucky. Well, to some extent that is correct. Before a test, I always tell my husband "I hope they ask me questions about things I know about" LOL! Really, there is SO much that they COULD ask you about. As you test more and more, you will notice trends in how they ask questions. For example, I find it easier and easier to predict what might be included by how mainstream it is. Everything you might expect to be covered absolutely will be.

So anyone has any suggestions about any of them please let me know.

Just test more. Study hard. Use more resources if you like. I always used a variety of sources, I'm a little "type A" that way, but rest assured there are dozens (hundreds?) of people here who will tell you IC was all they needed to pass. (remember- pass, not ace)

Jennifer thanks for the tips for History 1. Does this mean that i shouldn't focus too much on InstantCert for History 1?

Heck no. Know it all.

[morgan1611]

My advice for US History 1, is to know the IC flashcards well, but also go to the specific feedback forum and get some ideas for additional topics and people to research on Wikipedia or some of the other webpages that folks mention in that forum. That was a lifesaver to me. When I took History 1 I felt well prepared, but only scored 52.

[barbara2bba]

Sociology was my first clep and I took it based on the "reviews" of the ease of the test. I studied IC and went and took the test.

I am one of those that thought the test was much harder than what others thought. I was completely freaked while taking the exam since I didn't think I knew anything! I ended up passing the test.

However, what I did thereafter was look at the exam content guide for the exams I was taking. I also searched the internet (such as wikipedia) to look up all of the content. I also studied IC. The most helpful thing for me to do was to find the student section of the recommended textbooks and take the practice exams. Everyone learns a different way, but the practice exams were the final way for me to really apply the information.

After doing this, the exams were much more easy to get through and I felt much more confident hitting the score button. Even on the Excelsior exams.

[goldpaws]

Sociology, I've heard, is one of the "easier" CLEP exams.
A 55 is a good score. I would call 50 or 51 barely passing.

I would study more intensely for History, though...