First Time CLEP Taker. A tad confused about study material listed on this website

[CaraCee]

Hello All!

I have just recently been trying to decide if I should take one or two CLEP exams. I am going to start with Introduction to Sociology, then possibly move to Human Development through Lifespan. My concern, I am not a very good test taker. And the fact that I view this as cramming an entire semesters worth of information into one test is very intimidating.

Part two: I have been reading the posts on this website and have heard terms such as InstantCert Flash Cards, CLEP prep study guides and various other tools to use to study. This is where I am very confused. How is it studying for one of these tests? And could someone explain the format for each of these tools? I just want to make sure Im spending the my money wisely.

Any help you guys could give me would be greatly appreciated.

[soliloquy]

I'm taking the Sociology CLEP today at 2:30 EEEK! I feel like I have a pretty good grasp of all the theorists and concepts.

I used the flashcards here: Sociology Clep flashcards | Quizlet

I listened to videos here: (educational portal concise helpful info) Sociology 101: Intro to Sociology Course - Free Online Video Lessons | Education Portal and (lectures by NYU professor) EDU - YouTube

I read the REA (just one time).

I took all of the (3) practice exams at Peterson's here: Practice Tests for the CLEP Introductory Sociology Exam

I also took the practice CLEP in the 2013 Official CLEP Study Guide.

If you have a Kindle, you can get the REA for about $10.00 from Amazon.
The videos and flashcards are free.
The Peterson is free if you have military connections/veteran/family or you can pay for it.
The CLEP book you have to buy of course.

I have never used INSTA Cert.

I hope this helps. :/

[Storyteller]

I used InstantCert for every Clep that flashcards were available for. The great thing about the flashcards is they get to the core of the subject you are studying. Being a bit of an overachiever, I supplemented IC with REA books, Petersons tests, and any other study guide that was recommended in the Specific Feedback section which is available only to InstantCert subscribers.
I don't relish taking tests, however, I do value my time, and not having to sit in a classroom for 9-10 weeks and taking tests and quizzes, made the Clep and DSST tests the best alternative for me. Good luck.
To get your feet wet in Clepping, you may want to take Analyzing & Interpreting Literature, while there are no IC flashcards available for this test, the test is basic comprehension of literature - Not too hard if you are familiar with the english language. The bonus: 6 college credits with a passing grade - It doesn't get better than that!

[soliloquy]

Not every college takes every CLEP so make sure you check with the school before you pick a test and if you are say....attending a community college....you may want to check with the University you intend to transfer to make sure they accept the CLEP as well if they don't already do so through an articulation agreement with the community college.

[clep3705]

Buy an older edition of the CLEP Official Study Guide. The older ones are just as good and cost much less. They don't go to the expense of updating the practice tests from year to year.

[LaterBloomer]

CaraCee, When posters write about Instacert Flash Cards, they are referring to cards at the Instacert.com web site. It's a paid membership aspect of this forum. It's about $20 per month. Why would you want to join? Well, there's an additional forum that shows up when you sign-in at degreeforum.net. It contains feedback from DSST/CLEP/ECE/TECEP test takers. In addition, on Instacert's web site, there are flash cards to help you learn and study many topics. These two aspects are really helpful, and many (most?) think it is worth the cost.

As to the structure of CLEPs, five possible answers are provided to each question. It's multiple choice. There aren't any fill-in-the-blanks, or essays. (Well, there is if you do the Eng. Comp. CLEP.) The tests are timed. There are a prescribed number of questions, but I don't recall if the number of questions varies with the test.

My suggestion? Do a search of this web site. Even without the Instacert membership, you will get a lot of advice. By searching the site, you'll get info from past posters who may no longer post, and posters who might miss your question.

Soliloquy makes a good point. Before you take any exam, make sure your school accepts it.

As I don't suffer from test anxiety, I really can't help you with that aspect. Yes, for CLEPs, it's one bite of the apple. You can't take the same subject CLEP for another six months. It's something you might want to consider. Search this forum and see if others who suffer from test anxiety can offer advice.

Finally, welcome and good luck.

[NAP]

Another website we mention often: Free Clep Prep.com

And abbreviations we use all of the time: http://www.degreeforum.net/general-educa...board.html

Welcome to the forum and credit-by-exam!

[Westerner]

Awesome info here. :coolgleam:

CaraCee, When posters write about Instacert Flash Cards, they are referring to cards at the Instacert.com web site. It's a paid membership aspect of this forum. It's about $20 per month. Why would you want to join? Well, there's an additional forum that shows up when you sign-in at degreeforum.net. It contains feedback from DSST/CLEP/ECE/TECEP test takers. In addition, on Instacert's web site, there are flash cards to help you learn and study many topics. These two aspects are really helpful, and many (most?) think it is worth the cost.

I personally think the cards vary as to their helpfulness (you can search the site for info on what is most helpful for each test you take) but the Specific Exam Feedback is perfect, accurate, and that alone is worth the money. It's $20 per month but if you use the code 59690 when you sign up, you get the first month for $15.

[rebel100]

To me the specific exam feedback section is the real gem. There isn't any other guide quite like it.

[sanantone]

I mostly rely on the Instantcert flashcards. I have a short attention span, so flashcards work for me. I'm too lazy and often don't have enough time to look up the suggested topics in the Specific Feedback forum. I only look at it to kind of gauge the difficulty of the test. The feedback forum and flashcards along with everything else can be inaccurate. There are different versions of each test and the tests are occasionally "refreshed" covering different topics that won't be covered by suddenly out-of-date CLEP-specific study guides like REA, the feedback forum, and flashcards.