CLEP College Algebra Question

[rng234]

Hi -

I am in the process of studying for the CLEP College Algebra exam.

I have around 7-8 weeks until I will take it, and without knowing me personally what is everyone's experience with taking the test and how much study did you put into preparing for the exam - how confident did you feel going into it?

I am also interested in how the CLEP College Algebra exam is graded. I have the REA College Algebra book, and using their raw score to scaled score table, a score of 50 (scaled) equates to a raw score of 27 - am I correct that this means it takes 27 correct answers to pass the CLEP exam with a scaled score of 50? Can anyone further clarify the grading for the CLEP College Algebra exam - how many correct answers are required to pass?

Any other feedback would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks,
Tim

[rng234]

Does anyone have any information?? I would really appreciate it.

[lrgaul]

[SIZE="2"]There is no solid answer on how many you will need to get correct in order to earn a passing score. In fact, among other factors, the raw score you will need in order to get a scaled score of 50 can vary based on the difficulty of your version of the test. Here is a quote that I pulled right off of the College Board website. (Please note the link that I pasted below as well):[/SIZE]

[SIZE="2"][COLOR="Black"]"In order to reach the total score you see on your score report, two calculations are performed.
First, your “raw score” is calculated. This is the number of questions you answered correctly.
Your raw score increases by one point for each question answered correctly, and no points are
gained or lost when a question is not answered or is answered incorrectly.
Second, your raw score is converted into a “scaled score” by a statistical process called
equating. Equating maintains the consistency of standards for test scores over time by
adjusting for slight differences in difficulty between test forms. This ensures that your score
does not depend on the specific test form you took or how well others did on the same form.
Your raw score is converted to a scaled score that ranges from 20, the lowest, to 80, the highest.
The final scaled score is the score that appears on your score report."[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[SIZE="2"][COLOR="Navy"]I think it is very likely that REA is giving you an accurate "ballpark" of how many questions you will need to answer correctly in order to earn a passing score. However, there is no firm number that will make any guarantees.

I will tell you that on the first Peterson's practice test I scored 60%. I took the real CLEP the next day and earned a scaled score of 60 on it. Also, I did not think that the Peterson's version was any harder (or any easier) than the real exam. Hopefully this information will help you gauge your readiness for the College Algebra CLEP. [/COLOR][/SIZE]

[SIZE="2"]http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloa...scores.pdf[/SIZE]

[CLEP_enthusiast]

[SIZE="2"]There is no solid answer on how many you will need to get correct in order to earn a passing score. In fact, among other factors, the raw score you will need in order to get a scaled score of 50 can vary based on the difficulty of your version of the test. Here is a quote that I pulled right off of the College Board website. (Please note the link that I pasted below as well):[/SIZE]

[SIZE="2"][COLOR="Black"]"In order to reach the total score you see on your score report, two calculations are performed.
First, your “raw score” is calculated. This is the number of questions you answered correctly.
Your raw score increases by one point for each question answered correctly, and no points are
gained or lost when a question is not answered or is answered incorrectly.
Second, your raw score is converted into a “scaled score” by a statistical process called
equating. Equating maintains the consistency of standards for test scores over time by
adjusting for slight differences in difficulty between test forms. This ensures that your score
does not depend on the specific test form you took or how well others did on the same form.
Your raw score is converted to a scaled score that ranges from 20, the lowest, to 80, the highest.
The final scaled score is the score that appears on your score report."[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[SIZE="2"][COLOR="Navy"]I think it is very likely that REA is giving you an accurate "ballpark" of how many questions you will need to answer correctly in order to earn a passing score. However, there is no firm number that will make any guarantees.

I will tell you that on the first Peterson's practice test I scored 60%. I took the real CLEP the next day and earned a scaled score of 60 on it. Also, I did not think that the Peterson's version was any harder (or any easier) than the real exam. Hopefully this information will help you gauge your readiness for the College Algebra CLEP. [/COLOR][/SIZE]

[SIZE="2"]http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloa...scores.pdf[/SIZE]

Peterson's it isn't easier or harder, but it's more conventional straight-forward one-step problems. My recommendation: don't study Peterson's alone. Couple it with the REA study guide and a college algebra final.