Biology CLEP Advice + Resources Wanted

[bcimo564]

Let me give you some background to help better understand my case. I'm a math/physics dual major. I just received an A in Chem 1 in past semester, with one of the highest grades in the class. I took a Biology class [for non-science majors, this is before I added a physics major] 3 years ago and received a B. Basically, I'm trying to establish I have a decent background in science. I'm astute at reading and eliminating obvious choices though.

I'm an autodidact; a self-learner. I also like a challenge. I put of studying, somewhat purposely until Friday night. I planned on studying nearly non-stop for the Biology CLEP Monday morning. I figured with random guessing I would get 20% questions right (on average). Only requiring me to know about 40% to provide myself with a decent window to pass this exam.

I'm a getting a bit more nervous as the time goes on, so I'm asking for advice from people that have taken the exam or other science CLEPs.

1. I saw on here a previous post about lab questions, and that they threw off many test-takers. Does anyone know where I could see some GOOD examples of these/their prevalence on the test?

2. Anything to STRONGLY focus on? (I have the list of topics, of course)

3. Would it be better to get a rough understanding of all subject matter, or to focus more deeply on topics I can get to/more important ones?? I've been reading the questions can be a bit specific.

4. How do the questions of the biology CLEP compare to the ones on this site? I took a practice test cold and score about 83%. CLEP Biology Practice Exam - Free Test Prep and Review at PracticeQuiz.com

THANK YOU

[Jonathan Whatley]

I'm an autodidact; a self-learner. I also like a challenge. I put of studying, somewhat purposely until Friday night. I planned on studying nearly non-stop for the Biology CLEP Monday morning. I figured with random guessing I would get 20% questions right (on average). Only requiring me to know about 40% to provide myself with a decent window to pass this exam.

I think you're misinterpreting how CLEPs are scored.

The score you need to reach (the cut score; this can vary by college and test) is typically 50, but this isn't 50 percent. It's a scaled score of 50 on a scale between 20 and 80.

Scaled scores for CLEP tests don't correspond with the number or percentage correct (the raw score) in a linear way. If you didn't get one single question correct, your scaled score would be 20. If you got 100% correct the most you could get would be 80 (and even though 20-80 is the published range, I believe they reserve the right to scale it such that the highest possible score is below 80). You won't receive a report of your raw score.

IIRC, the scale is designed so that a score of 50 on most CLEPs should correspond approximately with the performance of a C student in a corresponding college course, in this case a one-year sequence in biology excluding labs (6 semester hours).

As of last I looked into this, the details of how raw scores correspond with scaled scores are behind something of a black box, with some details not publicized. It's possible that getting just over 50% of questions correct will be enough or more than enough to match a C-level performance in a one-year bio sequence. It's also possible that that threshold will be higher.

Also: Welcome! And good luck.

[bcimo564]

I understand the official scores needed are ominous, however the JIST I got from several sources is that on average, most CLEPs 55-60% of questions correct would correspond to a 50, or a passing score. Obviously this varies for CLEP, and I was ASSUMING Biology was on the lower scale, since it is probably one of the more difficult CLEPs. But, what good and jists, and assumptions?

And thanks for the luck :p

[cookderosa]

Are you interested in taking the exam just for fun? I ask, because this exam is going to duplicate your bio credit unless your school is unusual. A passing score will yield 6 (not 8) credits. I'm sure there are schools for which this exam would count as gen bio 1 & 2, however, that would be an exception. For a science major, this is probably not going to count, even as an elective. If you share the name of your school, I can help you locate the rule for your major if you have trouble doing this.

[sanantone]

A lot of schools award credit for science majors for the Biology and Chemistry CLEPs. Many of them also award lab credits.

[sklineho]

I bought a set of CLP Flashcards off of Amazon for my Kindle that were surprisingly useful for this CLEP. Even if you don't own a Kindle you can view them on most mobile devices via an app and even on a PC.

[charismo]

This person passed CLEP Biology in only 2 days of study. The resources used are listed in this link

[clep3705]

Normally I'd suggest doing a Bing or Google search with the following search string:

clep biology site:degreeforum.net

But you don't really have time for that if you're going to take the exam tomorrow. If you already have a strong science background, this is what you need to pass:

http://www.degreeforum.net/general-educa...ology.html

Since you already have some biology credit, like others I do wonder what you hope to accomplish by passing this exam. It doesn't matter if most schools only give 6 hours credit or if some schools give 8 hours credit for science majors. The only thing that matters is what your school does. Two schools I attended gave me 8 hours of biology credit (lecture and lab) for science majors. Other schools I attended did not.

[bcimo564]

To answer everyones question: The Physics major requires a different Biology course then I took, one for science majors. I've already check my school website, and the CLEP Bio exam counts for credit for the science version + lab.

So no, I'm not taking it for fun, although it is turning out to be.

[sanantone]

I got a 68 on the Biology CLEP just by going through the Instantcert flashcards. This might not work for everyone, but it consolidates most of the information you'll need into one place cutting down on the searching and reading time.