American Gov't CLEP

[pci_dss]

I've gone over the Instacert and did the three MWR AG CLEPS. I got a 67 70 75 on the 3 mwr CLEP. After retaking them I got 80 85 85. At this point should I take the American Gov't clep or should I try test from another source? If so does anyone know a source?

[Storyteller]

If you feel confident, go for it! However, check the Specific Feedback forum for hints on studying. Also, get a copy of REA AM Govt. - (sit in a Barnes & Noble and go over the questions and answers) - that's what I did 3 days before taking the test - I learned a bunch and passed with a 66.
Just remember, when it comes to credits, a 50 is as good as 80. Also - check free-clep-prep.com for study info. Good luck!

[clep3705]

If you are going to get a degree from a public Texas college or university, I recommend not taking the CLEP American government exam. To obtain a degree from a public college or university in Texas, you must have credit for GOVT 2301 and GOVT 2302. Some schools say the CLEP = GOVT 2301, others say CLEP = GOVT 2302. If you transfer from one Texas school to another, you may be told that you have to take the other government course.

[pci_dss]

[quote=Storyteller]If you feel confident, go for it! However, check the Specific Feedback forum for hints on studying. QUOTE]

I definitely don't feel confident. I took another Peterson practice test and got a 65 out of 100...And people say they've passed this with just instacert???? The Specific Feedback has a lot of people saying the Peterson tests are easy compared to the actual test. I put in about 35 hours in the last week so comparatively I feel like I should be doing better. Who knows it's my first CLEP and I have to finish several before July(Including College Algebra).

3705,
Thanks for the info I'm just trying to take easy CLEPs to fill out the Gen Reqs for my school in Il.
I need 30 including humanities/fineart=Analyzing Lit, Math=College Algebra, Science=Biology, that leaves around 15 more (-5 for AmerGov't) credits required before July.

[Storyteller]

pci_dss,
Keep taking the Peterson's until you are really remembering the information and understanding the explanations. I actually used the Peterson's as a study aid for 20 of the 21 Clep and DSST's that I took. I didn't learn about them until after I studied for Am. Govt. I spent 2 months with Instacert and 1 hour with REA book. Most folks think 65 on a Peterson is very good.

[pci_dss]

Storyteller thanks for the response. Is the CLEP the same scorring system? I would assume a 65 on any test is failing. I guess the question is, If i got 65% of the clep questions right would I pass?

[Storyteller]

The Clep scoring system is weird - 100% is 80, Lowest passing score is 50. Most schools accept 50-80 as passing, check what your school allows.
Go to free-clep-prep (free-clep-prep.com/practice-clep-tests.html) Justin gives a very good rundown of Clep scoring, etc. As I remember, 65 on Peterson's is good!

[clep3705]

A 65 is a good score on a CLEP test. Understand that the company that creates the CLEP tests is the same company that creates the PSAT and SAT. The PSAT is scored the same as a CLEP test using a range of 20-80 with 50 as the midpoint. Now take those three numbers and multiply them by 10. You get 200-800 with a midpoint of 500. Is that familiar? That's the scoring of the sections of the SAT. None of this is coincidence, it is all by design. The Educational Testing Service has devised these scales for comparability of results.

Scaled scores do not necessarily convert directly to percentages. Nor should a simplistic linear conversion be trusted.

A 65 on a CLEP is not a 65%.
100 * 65/80 is not necessarily the percentage correct, either.

If you want to interpret a CLEP score, multiply it by 10 and compare it to an SAT score. That's a reasonably accurate interpretation of how good a score is.