CLEP Calculus

[freddy]

I passed the Calculus CLEP with a 51 a couple of weeks ago. I'm still waiting for my school to post them to my transcripts, but their minimum score for credit is a 50 so I should be good to go.

Total Time studying(excluding Khan academy): approximately 90-100 hours

Background Knowledge:

-Precalculus in high school
-a distance learning precalculus course taken in 2006.

Studying:

Khan Academy - Jan 2012

I actually originally started thinking about passing the CLEP in January 2012. Back then I was going to follow the free clep prep website's advice about starting out with the college mathematics CLEP and working my way up. I began going through the Khan videos from the start(we're talking simple addition and subtraction here). I only made it up to the radical/exponents section before I stopped doing it after just a few days and never returned to finish it

Thinkwell Calculus - December 2012 to January 2013

I started the Thinkwell Calculus course on December 18th. I originally had about three weeks to go through the course with my first scheduled test date. I studied limits for about 7 hours total between December 18th and December 22nd. I became so overwhelmed with the trigonometric identities used with the squeeze theorem(since I didn't know them) that I almost completely gave up on even taking the test. Also, I became busy with the holidays, so I didn't start studying again until January 2nd 2013.

I decided to push through my lack of knowledge about the trig identities and the squeeze theorem. I figured the more I saw them in problems and solutions to problems I would start to remember them. Also, this was in the section about limits and limits wasn't a huge part of the test so I decided not to worry about it too much. This enabled me to continue to work through the think well course.

From January 3rd to January 7th I averaged about 9-10 hours a day studying and for a total of around 45 hours of studying. From January 8th to January 11th I only averaged 1.5 hours per day for a total of 6 hours. This was primarily because this was the first week of college and I only had time between classes and a little bit in the evening. Also, I had decided to push the Calculus clep as far back as I could. I originally scheduled it for January 7th and pushed it back to the 10th and finally to the 16th.

From January 12th to January 14th I average a little less than 8.5 hours per day. For a total of about 25 hours. At this point I had achieved my goal of going through all of the Thinkwell sections of Calculus that was going to be on the CLEP, which was sections 1-14. The rest of the sections covered Calculus II material. I'd estimate that about 60 hours of my time studying Thinkwell went towards studying limits and differential Calculus(10 and 50 hours respectively). The other 25 hours of my Thinkwell study time went towards studying Integral Calculus. ***Note*** I didn't allot those quantities of time ahead of time, it's simply how long it took me to get through the course.

REA Calculus and Official CLEP Study Guide:

Back in December I had emailed Instantaneous to get an idea of the amount of hours he studied, since he left his email address in this thread. He mentioned in his post that he studied less than two months. To me the amount of months or days someone studied is kind of a useless metric due to the various amounts of time people dedicate each day. For me a much better metric is the total number of hours studied. Thankfully, he replied back and estimated his study time to be about 100-200 hours. He also highly recommended the REA Calculus CLEP study guide and offered to sell me his. Unfortunately, due to the distances between us and it being the holiday season I didn't think it would make it early enough for me to study with it for my originally scheduled test date and I had already purchased Thinkwell, so I passed on his offer.

Side Note: If you are looking to purchase a REA calculus book, definitely hit him up. He might still have his copy.

Anyways, so towards the end of my study time with the Thinkwell course I randomly decided to pop into my local library and see what Calculus study materials they had. To my surprise they had both the REA Calculus CLEP study guide and the 2013 Collegeboard Official CLEP Study guide for all of the CLEP subjects.

After finishing the Thinkwell course I spent about 10 to 15 hours taking the practice tests and reviewing the answers in both the REA Calculus CLEP study guide and the Official collegeboard study guide both the night before and the day of the test. I scored a 39 on both of the REA practice tests, which was a blow to my confidence and once again caused me to wonder if I should just take the class. Ultimately I decided(with my roommate's help) that I had invested too much time into studying not to take the test and I owed it to myself to try.

After taking the REA tests, I went through the problems with answer key. I looked at all of the problems, including the ones I got right(just to make sure it wasn't a lucky guess) and worked through them to see how to get the right answer. I paid close attention to the ones I had gotten wrong, and tried to figure out where I made my mistake.

I didn't really "take" the Collegeboard practice test. I just looked at the questions and the answer keys. I then attempted to reason out in my head why the correct answer was the correct answer, skipping the questions that required a lot of mathematical computations. This was the day of the test and I still had to attend class, so I didn't have enough time to sit down and take the test otherwise I would have done that.

I ended up skipping an accounting class to take the test. I arrived about 20 minutes early and spent that time reviewing my notes and portions of the REA Calc book. During the test, I opted for the strategy of answering the easy questions first, and then coming back to the harder questions. If you do use this method I recommend at least selecting an answer before marking it and moving on. That way in case you run out of time you have all the questions answered. No use in leaving any answer unmarked.


Conclusions and advice:

GET THE REA CALC CLEP STUDY GUIDE!
GET THE REA CALC CLEP STUDY GUIDE!
GET THE REA CALC CLEP STUDY GUIDE!

Although I mainly just used it for the practice tests, I think this is what put me over the top. I think if I had not taken the practice tests and not tried to figure out the reason why the correct answers were the correct answers then I would've come up short and failed.

Thinkwell is a great resource and I learned a lot from it, but no matter what method you choose to learn Calculus you should allot time in your schedule for the REA calc clep study guide.

Some forum members have mentioned that Math is cumulative, and you need to have a foundation in order to successfully pass the Calculus clep. I agree with those statements to some extent. You'll have a hard time passing it if you know nothing about exponents. However, I don't think that means you have to study exponents, radicals, precalculus, etc... for months on end.

I think you are better off studying for the Calculus CLEP and brushing up on the areas that you are weak on as you go. My skills/knowledge with trigonometric identities was next to nothing. However, just by attempting and practicing Calculus problems as I went through the Thinkwell course I started remembering them. I think learning by doing is a much better/efficient method than learning through rote memorization because you actually learn how to apply the concepts. Applying the concepts reinforces them in your head.

This thread is a double-edged sword. It provides a lot of great information, but it can be overwhelming. As I was studying I would return to the thread and reread the posts. I would see a concept I hadn't learned yet and become discouraged since I had been studying for 40 hours and still didn't understand everything they were saying. If this happens quit reading the thread and focus on studying. Once you have gone through all of your study materials then come back and read the thread.

Final thoughts on Calculus:

Calculus 1 is about finding:

-instantaneous rates of change/slopes of tangent lines(also called a derivative - thus the name differential calculus)
-areas of exotic shapes(such as the area underneath the curve of a graph)(integrals and anti-differentiation falls underneath this)

You don't need to be a genius/math whiz/mad scientist to pass the Calculus clep, you just need to allot enough study time. Just think about all of the people around the world who take and pass calculus in a college classroom. If they can do it in a classroom, you can do it on your own. If you can pass any other CLEP, you can pass the Calculus CLEP. You just need to apply the same discipline and studying. I would recommend a bare minimum of two weeks, preferably at least 3 or 4 weeks for study time. Adjust accordingly depending on your skill level. Don't be afraid at rescheduling your test date. I think if I had taken it on the original date I scheduled I would have failed. Do schedule an initial test date though, that way it motivates you to start studying.

A lot of the notation and words seem foreign at first. I think this is what leads to a lot of the apprehension and fear about calculus. As you study Calculus, it becomes more familiar and you realize that the equations, notations, and lettering really aren't that scary once you know how to read it and understand it. Kind of similar to learning a foreign language.

Hopes this helps.

[dposborne]

I recently ended up having to take CALC I and II online through TESC and it was no picnic (online classes are pretty much self taught). I hadn't seen CALC in 20 years so this was a serious challenge. To study for CALC I personally used "The Humoungous Book of Calculus Problems", I also used the DVD's from Math Tutor DVD - Online Algebra Help, Online Calculus Help, Online Physics Help, Online Help Math!. Thinkwell was also a tremendous help. I ended up with a B- in CALC I and C- in CALC II, not the best grades but hey I passed and thats all I really needed for those 2 classes.

I would also add that Khan is a great resource, but sometimes Sal was a bit confusing in that he would start lectures with problems of more difficulty and I would get lost.

[RhymingRyan]

This thread was instrumental in helping me pass the CLEP Calculus Test. So I thought i'd pay it forward a bit.

I took the CLEP Calculus Exam this morning. Passing the test was pretty important for me, as a failing grade would have meant that I couldn't apply to Engineering programs this summer and would have had to wait an entire year.

So I was pretty nervous.

Even more of a curveball is that I originally had taught myself Calculus and taken classes like Differential equations, Vector Calculus, Infinite Series and Sequences, and Linear Algebra. All classes that have introductory Calculus as their prerequisite, so this was more of a formality.

Which leads me to my first point. This Calculus exam is unlike any final exam you'll see in a calculus level math class. Something I know from experience.

The material that CLEP wants you to learn is far more conceptual than anything you'll learn in a brick and mortar class. This is something that I liked. A lot. If you understand the material that CLEP tests you on, you will be able to get an A in Calculus at any college. This exam just goes places that is difficult for "normal" Calculus courses to go.

With that, I think that the CLEP-Calculus is unique. I don't think that you can do well on this exam by just picking up a Calculus textbook and doing problems. You won't get the correct immersion into the topic. Or at least not the perspective that CLEP wants you to find. Buy the REA CLEP Calculus Book. Buy the Practice exam on CLEPs website.

(or go to this link: http://papers.xtremepapers.com/CLEP/CLEP...0Guide.pdf )

Answering problems that are of the same mold that you'll see on the CLEP exam is vital. Which is why I don't believe being able to do problems in your ordinary Calculus textbook will be all that helpful. The CLEP thinks differently than your Calculus textbook, so you need to learn to think that way.

Preparing for the Exam:

As I said above, buy the REA CLEP textbook. It's worth it.

I used that (REA) and two CLEP study guides and passed with a 64. I should say that I was never able to pass any of the practice exams convincingly(CLEP and REA). The problems you'll see in the REA book are more difficult and take longer to solve than the ones you see on the actual exam. Even after going through the Practice exams more than once, I was never able to get a raw score of over 32 and was always struggling with finishing the exam on time.

The Exam

As for specific problems on the exam, someone else outlined that above and I found that to be very accurate. If you know how to do related rates and optimization problems, you'll save yourself a lot of time. Even though they are not a large part of the exam, they are quick to solve IF you know how to solve them.

Someone said that the related rates problem on the exam was about an oil tanker. It actually wasn't. Something minor, but there was something about an oil tanker.
As far as all of the other problems they stated, they were absolutely correct and all of the problems were on the exam.

Even though I struggled to finish the practice exams on time, I finished each section with time to spare. Enough that I was able to go over all of my marked answers and make sure they were answered correctly. Also, learn to use the Calculator. It helps.

One thing that threw me off was how the exam ended. They don't just tell you your score. They make you answer a survey that will probably take 3 years off of your life because of the built up anxiety. To top it off, my exam froze on question 5 of 6 of the survey and took 20 minutes to reset the system. Once I finally finished the survey, there's a drawn out pause on a blank screen that makes your heart scream for mercy.

This is the roughest part of the exam.

After that, it's fairly straightforward. You either passed or failed and you get handed a grade print off stating your grade and the exam you took.

Oh, and this might change between testing centers, but I was only allotted one sheet of scratch paper. This was difficult, but I worked around it.

Good luck! It's a tough exam, but it's doable.

[RhymingRyan]

Even after going through the Practice exams more than once, I was never able to get a raw score of over 32 and was always struggling with finishing the exam on time.[/U]

That number should say 23, not 32. I had a hard time passing the practice exams.

[gatetwelve]

Since this thread seems to have some staying power, I thought I'd resurrect it and and give some information that I was looking for while studying for the Calculus Clep. I passed Calculus CLEP about 2 hours ago with a 61. When I was taking practice exams, I was looking for score comparisons (REA vs. Actual CLEP) to compare difficulty, so, here they are:

• REA Test 1 (taken 3 weeks ago): 36
  
• CollegeBoard 2006 study guide (taken 2 weeks ago): 62
  
• CollegeBoard 2012/2013 guide (taken 3 days ago): 58
  
• REA Test 2 (taken yesterday): 44 - yes, I still went through with taking the CLEP even after that score.
  

Overall, I feel the REA tests are quite a bit harder than the actual CLEP. The calculus is pretty similar, but REA seems to use more complicated equations which will require more steps, which cover a wider knowledge base, which presents a lot of opportunity for mistakes. My scores from the CollegeBoard study guides were pretty accurate for my actual test.

My Background:
I'm generally good at math, but I have not taken a math class since 2005. And that was high school algebra. I CLEPed college algebra last year after a LOT of heavy studying. I have never taken geometry or trigonometry. I know being positive and encouraging is always appreciated, but the biggest help I can give to someone who is in my situation is to be kind of a wet blanket: if you haven't taken (or CLEPed) the prerequisite classes (advanced algebra, trigonometry, geometry, and maybe even pre-calc, DO NOT TRY TO CLEP CALCULUS. I know there are those who didn't take these classes and passed this CLEP (myself included), but trust me, it isn't worth it. I would have spent less time, effort, and stress by just taking the class.

That being said, my studying included, and I really recommend:

• Calculus for Dummies
  
• Calculus Workbook for Dummies
  
• REA - CLEP Calculus
  
• 2006, 2012/2013 CollegeBoard Study Guides
  
• wolframalpha.com - I can't recommend this any more highly. It will perform integration (definite and indefinite), derivatives, and everything else in between. With the $2.99 "Pro" subscription it will give you unlimited STEP-BY-STEP solutions to whatever you type in. Can't figure why the correct answer is the correct answer? WolframAlpha will show you step by step.
  

What I DON'T recommend:

• The MIT OpenCourseWare videos - they are intensive, and are not aligned with the CLEP material. They're good, but not efficient for learning the CLEP.
  
• The Peterson's practice tests - there are so many errors and mistakes that I spent more time error-checking basic math steps than learning. Huge waste of money. They should be ashamed.
  

Good luck, guys.

[spudbunny]

Hello Everyone,

I passed the Calculus CLEP yesterday with a 55. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this thread since it helped me prepare for the exam. The biggest hurdle for me was the timing - I ran out of time on the first section (of 27 questions) and only had a couple minutes left after I finished the second section (17 questions). You really need to be able to isolate what they are asking for quickly and of course be able to do any calculations without any hesitation. I taught myself calculus from an old textbook but the REA Clep Calculus book shows you the type of problems you will encounter on the exam - I strongly recommend that you obtain a copy of this book a couple of weeks before the test. The Humungous Book of Calculus Problems was also very helpful. Good luck to all future CLEP Calculus exam takers!

[benjenkinsv95]

I took this test about 6 months ago and passed with a 57.

There is a lot of good material on this thread, but I thought I would drop a link to a video that really helped me understand calculus.

Calculus in 20 minutes - Reviewing Calculus - YouTube

It tries to go through all of Calculus I in 20 minutes, and it does a pretty darn good job. I would suggest watching this at the beginning and end of your studying just as a good review/general explanation.

[lprstn]

My ds took this test today. Barely passed with a 51. He said if he had it to do over again - he wouldn't. The one thing he stated that bothered him the most was that he couldn't use his calculator like he is able to do in class (he took pre-calc 1 and 2 this past semester).

He studied for 4 weeks using CLEP Professor Calculus (cost $39 for CD on Amazon), REA | AP Test Prep | CLEP Test Prep | Teacher Certification Prep | College Admission Test Prep test and Petersons test (which he said almost made him give up). He did lots of practice problems and practice test. Listened to the Education-Portal.com videos and the CLEP Professor video lessons and problem review and he said the worst part of all was using NO CALCULATOR and the one they provided was online and subpar. He thought it was the worst CLEP to take and realistically would've taken a student 8 weeks of studying 3 hours a day to be ready - and studying without a calculator, lol!

[BGSU_Alum_86]

For those who want to practice with a calculator: make sure to find the tutorial of the calculator on the CLEP site that you will actually have built in as part of your CLEP test. CLEP does not allow physical calculators of any kind; you will only have the built-in one on the computer screen. I believe you can play with the calculator on the CLEP site so get comfortable with it!

[BGSU_Alum_86]

Here is the link that I could find for those who are interested:
Infinity Softworks: ETS Calculator