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Hi Stephanie, welcome to the forum. I'm going to use TESC as a point of reference since they accept both CLEP/DSST and other forms of non-traditional credit. If you look here you will see the types of CLEP/DSST credit available and the course equivelents that TESC grants for people earning those credits.
Undergraduate Ways to Earn Credit - Thomas Edison State College - acalog ACMSââ¢
All colleges differ in the amount of credit they give, so check with your college before taking any CLEP/DSST exams
Excelsior - BS Business 2008
Son #1 TESC BSBA Computer Information Systems completed June 2010
Son #2 TESC BA Computer Science completed November 2010 Currently in Florida State (FSU) Masters CS program and loving it
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05-05-2011, 06:45 AM
(This post was last modified: 05-05-2011, 12:45 PM by clep3705.)
stefanie.dean Wrote:What is the difference in the two and is one worth more class credits than the other? Is one geared more towards certain degree fields? Who can take the DSST and why would one want to (vs. CLEP)? How does one decide if it's worth paying for and attempting to take one of these tests?
1. Differences - read the previous posts.
2. Differences - CLEP is generally more accepted than DSST.
3. Who can take - you can. The real issue is whether or not the school you want to attend will accept DSST tests.
4. Why take DSST - because there isn't a CLEP test for the subject.
5. Is it worth taking - it usually is less effort and cost in getting credit for DSST or CLEP than taking a course.
The desirability of CLEP or DSST is really determined by your choice of school.
63 CLEP Sociology
75 CLEP U.S. History II
63 CLEP College Algebra
70 CLEP Analyzing and Interpreting Literature
68 DSST Technical Writing
72 CLEP U.S. History I
77 CLEP College Mathematics
470 DSST Statistics
53 CLEP College Composition
73 CLEP Biology
54 CLEP Chemistry
77 CLEP Information Systems and Computer Applications
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dantes are easier
History 1865-Present 59
Sociology 62
Amercian Goverment passed
American Lit 65
Analy & Inter Lit passed
Marketing passed
HTYH 431 passed
Counseling 59
Human Growth 56
Technical Writing 51
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Just read this site, it is incredible and will tell you everything you need to know:
Free Clep Prep.com
As far as being a "shortcut", well if you consider taking a test and getting credit for stuff you may already know or can learn quickly a shortcut, then yes, and perfectly valid.
So valid in fact that TESC, COSC, and EC allow you to get your bachelor's 100% through CLEP/DSST testing, for prices I've seen between $5,000-10,000 total all costs included, some people in less than a year. All three are regionally-accredited, and many grads go to grad school and even get doctorates.
Lawrie Miller's BA in 4 Weeks is a good site for an overview of the concept. Despite the sound of it, these are not diploma mills. Actual courses from TESC are reportedly very writing-intensive.
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