CLEP Lit question

[Mamasaphire]

It's been a while since I've seen discussion about this (maybe I just missed it?), but am wondering how difficult American Literature & English Literature CLEPs are? A student of mine is hoping to attend a university that doesn't accept A&I Lit, but will accept AM & Eng Lit CLEPs -- at 53 & 62 scores.

Said student just found out that their Intro Psych score of high 50's barely missed the University's cut-off of 59 and will not be accepted as transfer credit. Thus the student is stressed about trying another CLEP that might be a "pass", but "not good enough" for the goal school.

[Mamasaphire]

Forgot to mention that other forms of alternative credit are NOT accepted by this particular university. So SL/Sophia/Study.com/etc etc are not options.

[cookderosa]

yikes.

American Lit is my choice because it is loosely aligned with American history, while English Lit stands alone - so there might be some familiarity or overlap from prior knowledge. When I took that exam 2006 or 2007, it was *literally* from The Idiots Guide to American Literature. That's the only book you needed. ACE is showing an update for that exam on 3/2015 - so my exam advice is too old to trust, but based only on the subject, I think American is probably easier.

[SuZQ2]

It's been a while since I've seen discussion about this (maybe I just missed it?), but am wondering how difficult American Literature & English Literature CLEPs are? A student of mine is hoping to attend a university that doesn't accept A&I Lit, but will accept AM & Eng Lit CLEPs -- at 53 & 62 scores.

Said student just found out that their Intro Psych score of high 50's barely missed the University's cut-off of 59 and will not be accepted as transfer credit. Thus the student is stressed about trying another CLEP that might be a "pass", but "not good enough" for the goal school.

I took both Lit CLEPS in 2012 and agree with Jennifer - Am Lit (for me) was by far the easier of the two.

Why?
Am Lit encompassed far less material. Am Lit pretty much starts around the Colonial Era - Eng Lit begins hundreds of years earlier (1000AD-ish).
Am Lit has a lot less "analyzing" (my personal weak point).

I can’t comment on the 2015 revised exams, but for me, both 2012 exams were challenging. There was a lot of material to absorb + literary terms, rhyme, meter, etc. That said, I LOVE literature and was highly motivated to take the time to deeply explore the subject just for my own personal enjoyment. (My Avatar is a photo of the books I used to study for the Lit CLEPS!:eek. And yup, my months of study paid off. I received a perfect 80 on the Am Lit CLEP – the ONLY time that has EVER happened (or ever will happen)!

That said, I’d first ask your student if they have any prior knowledge of literature, poetry, etc. Do they enjoy literature? How much time do they have to prepare for each exam/how much time do they want to devote to studying for each exam? For me, it was always easier to study a subject I actually enjoyed - (don't ask me about my nightmare regarding the Civil War DSST - I hated it, couldn't get into it, gave up on it because I knew I'd never pass it)!

As for study resources, I also agree with Jennifer – the best text for Am Lit is the Idiots Guide – it’s a fun read and really follows the exam topics. Also check out the SEF – the info there should guide your student toward what he/she needs to be familiar with for both exams. (You don't really have to spend an entire weekend analyzing Emily Dickinson's poetry, or with regards to Eng Lit - a month renting Shakespeare's plays, like I did!:eek.

Hope this helps!

[cookderosa]

I took both Lit CLEPS in 2012 and agree with Jennifer - Am Lit (for me) was by far the easier of the two.

Why?
Am Lit encompassed far less material. Am Lit pretty much starts around the Colonial Era - Eng Lit begins hundreds of years earlier (1000AD-ish).
Am Lit has a lot less "analyzing" (my personal weak point).

I can’t comment on the 2015 revised exams, but for me, both 2012 exams were challenging. There was a lot of material to absorb + literary terms, rhyme, meter, etc. That said, I LOVE literature and was highly motivated to take the time to deeply explore the subject just for my own personal enjoyment. (My Avatar is a photo of the books I used to study for the Lit CLEPS!:eek. And yup, my months of study paid off. I received a perfect 80 on the Am Lit CLEP – the ONLY time that has EVER happened (or ever will happen)!

That said, I’d first ask your student if they have any prior knowledge of literature, poetry, etc. Do they enjoy literature? How much time do they have to prepare for each exam/how much time do they want to devote to studying for each exam? For me, it was always easier to study a subject I actually enjoyed - (don't ask me about my nightmare regarding the Civil War DSST - I hated it, couldn't get into it, gave up on it because I knew I'd never pass it)!

As for study resources, I also agree with Jennifer – the best text for Am Lit is the Idiots Guide – it’s a fun read and really follows the exam topics. Also check out the SEF – the info there should guide your student toward what he/she needs to be familiar with for both exams. (You don't really have to spend an entire weekend analyzing Emily Dickinson's poetry, or with regards to Eng Lit - a month renting Shakespeare's plays, like I did!:eek.

Hope this helps!

You got an 80!!!!!????? We had a thread once upon a time where people posted their perfect (or nearly perfect) scores. I couldn't find it because our search function is crap.
After reading your siggy, all I can say is DANG-A-LANG you're a great tester!! That's awesome!! I'm quite sure my highest score is lower than your lowest

[jsd]

I couldn't find it because our search function is crap.

Here's one, but way back from 2012 so it might not be what you're thinking of: http://www.degreeforum.net/off-topic/175...-here.html

A good way to search the forums is to skip our lousy search feature and just use google, but include the string site:degreeforum.net as part of your search, and it will just search our forums only. for example, i found the thread i linked to by searching for:

Code:

perfect score site:degreeforum.net

[cookderosa]

Here's one, but way back from 2012 so it might not be what you're thinking of: http://www.degreeforum.net/off-topic/175...-here.html

A good way to search the forums is to skip our lousy search feature and just use google, but include the string site:degreeforum.net as part of your search, and it will just search our forums only. for example, i found the thread i linked to by searching for:

Code:

perfect score site:degreeforum.net

That's not the thread. It might have been a survey. It had a lot of replies. It's probably older than 5 years ago. I'd bump it if I could find it.

[SuZQ2]

After reading your siggy, all I can say is DANG-A-LANG you're a great tester!!

Nooo...I'm a teeth-chattering, knees-knocking, head-spinning, anxiety-riddled, "I just might pass out during the exam", test-taker:willynilly:. My strategy was to waaaay over-prepare (4 months of study for my first CLEP - and quite a few others!) to compensate for the nerves. I wanted my degree so badly I made up my mind I wasn't going to let the fear beat me...

It worked...it took forever, but it worked!