Has anyone actually ever.....

[ShotoJuku]

[SIZE="3"].....Taken -AND- Passed CLEP-College Mathematics yet??? [/SIZE]:confused:

[SIZE="2"]I am scheduled to take this exam next Friday (5/1) and it is the VERY LAST EXAM needed for my degree. Math has never been, or will ever be a strength, yet I MUST PASS it in order to walk the walk in July

So, is there anyone here in the IC group that can lend whatever insights as to the "overall difficulty" of the exam and as to what to focus on strongly as I head into what I hope is my last week of school.

Whatever you've got will be very much appreciated!!!

Thanks in advance!![/SIZE]

[snazzlefrag]

.....Taken -AND- Passed CLEP-College Mathematics yet??? :confused:

I am scheduled to take this exam next Friday (5/1) and it is the VERY LAST EXAM needed for my degree. Math has never been, or will ever be a strength, yet I MUST PASS it in order to walk the walk in July

So, is there anyone here in the IC group that can lend whatever insights as to the "overall difficulty" of the exam and as to what to focus on strongly as I head into what I hope is my last week of school.

Whatever you've got will be very much appreciated!!!

Thanks in advance!!

Sorry ShotoJuku,

You know I'd help if I could.

The only thing I would just mention is that this exam is pass/fail. You DON'T have to be a math genius to pass this exam. You don't need to be able to answer EVERY SINGLE question.

This exam is not designed for Math Majors. In fact, it is specifically geared towards people who are NOT Math Majors.

Most of the questions on the exam will be of "average" difficulty. The other questions will be split between very easy and very hard. Since you will most assuredly be able to answer all the very easy questions, the very hard questions will be negated and won't count very much towards your final score (Eg, for every easy one you get right, you can get one of the hard ones wrong and come out even).

As a result, the key is going to be the average difficulty questions. If your studies are adequate to answer the average difficulty questions, you will have the edge on this exam.

So your aim should be to get yourself to the point where you can answer ALL the very easy questions, MOST of the average questions, and hopefully SOME of the very hard ones (perhaps just by guessing).

In theory, you could answer every second question wrong and still pass. In such a case, random guessing will likely take you over the pass mark.

Here's my point...

Try not to get overwhelmed by the very difficult stuff. Of course you are going to struggle a bit with the very difficult stuff...that's why they call it the "very difficult stuff". Instead, focus on learning how to answer the very easy, and average difficulty questions. Try to master those two areas....and don't worry so much about the really hard stuff. This WILL get you over the 50% mark. Random guessing will nudge your score even higher.

I'm sorry I don't have any specific feedabck or tips for you. But hopefully this will put things in a bit of perspective.

You can do this!

I wish you well,
Snazzlefrag

[angie]

I actually took this and passed - but it was about 6 years ago. Unfortunately, I don't have any words of wisdom for you. The only way I passed it was to take a basic developmental Algebra class (which would be the class to get you ready for College Algebra) and then took the Clep cold.

I barely passed by a few points, but it took care of it. I do remember thinking "crap, I never learned any of this". I wish I had more to offer in terms of helping. Good luck to you!!

[ShotoJuku]

Sorry ShotoJuku,

You know I'd help if I could.

The only thing I would just mention is that this exam is pass/fail. You DON'T have to be a math genius to pass this exam. You don't need to be able to answer EVERY SINGLE question.

This exam is not designed for Math Majors. In fact, it is specifically geared towards people who are NOT Math Majors.

Most of the questions on the exam will be of "average" difficulty. The other questions will be split between very easy and very hard. Since you will most assuredly be able to answer all the very easy questions, the very hard questions will be negated and won't count very much towards your final score (Eg, for every easy one you get right, you can get one of the hard ones wrong and come out even).

As a result, the key is going to be the average difficulty questions. If your studies are adequate to answer the average difficulty questions, you will have the edge on this exam.

So your aim should be to get yourself to the point where you can answer ALL the very easy questions, MOST of the average questions, and hopefully SOME of the very hard ones (perhaps just by guessing).

In theory, you could answer every second question wrong and still pass. In such a case, random guessing will likely take you over the pass mark.

Here's my point...

Try not to get overwhelmed by the very difficult stuff. Of course you are going to struggle a bit with the very difficult stuff...that's why they call it the "very difficult stuff". Instead, focus on learning how to answer the very easy, and average difficulty questions. Try to master those two areas....and don't worry so much about the really hard stuff. This WILL get you over the 50% mark. Random guessing will nudge your score even higher.

I'm sorry I don't have any specific feedabck or tips for you. But hopefully this will put things in a bit of perspective.

You can do this!

I wish you well,
Snazzlefrag

[SIZE="2"][COLOR="Navy"]Gotcha covered there - I am literally counting on passing the exam with the "easier" material and hope that the exam has an ample supply of the easiest of the easiest style questions. Only time will tell and as I enter my last full week of study I'll be busy learning as much as I can. I will be taking two days off from work before exam day just so I can do as much study as possible before taking the exam on Friday - 5/19.

Thanks for the support!!![/COLOR][/SIZE]

[ShotoJuku]

[SIZE="2"][COLOR="Navy"]Based on the number of views (over 100 now) and only 2 replys (mine do not count) it is abundantly clear that hardly anyone has sat this exam from the IC group but many plan on doing so. So, as posted earlier, I will take one for the team and sit the exam this Friday and share with you my experience as agonizing as it may be.

Here is just one new question for the group: What is the concensus on the MINIMUM number of questions that MUST be answered CORRECTLY in order to pass with a 50?

I look at this way, there are 60 questions with a built in presumption that you should answer 1/2 (30) correct in order to pass. But what about those sample questions they say are included and will not count against you if answered wrong; what if you answer them correctly - do they count then???

Hoping more than less of you reply this time. Until then it's back to X+Y (Study x Pray) = Pass This Damn Thing & Graduate. [/COLOR][/SIZE]

[snazzlefrag]

I look at this way, there are 60 questions with a built in presumption that you should answer 1/2 (30) correct in order to pass. But what about those sample questions they say are included and will not count against you if answered wrong; what if you answer them correctly - do they count then???

Hoping more than less of you reply this time. Until then it's back to X+Y (Study x Pray) = Pass This Damn Thing & Graduate.

ShotoJuku,

Aim for more than 30 correct and you should be fine. It would be unwise to even contemplate the pretest questions. Just pretend they don't exist.

Regardless of whether you answer them correctly or incorrectly, they will have NO effect on your score whatsoever. They are indistinguishable from the real questions, so any attempt to play the odds with them would be a big mistake.

They don't exist! All 60 questions are the real thing, okay?

I am hoping and praying that you come back to us on Friday with a big sigh of relief and a good report.

You deserve to pass this exam. It's a shame they don't give out A's for effort. We know you are working hard for this exam, and we are all rooting for you to pass.

Remember, each question is worth just as much as the next one, regardless of difficulty. If you come across a question that is too hard to solve within a minute or two, mark it, skip it, and move on. The aim is to answer as many of the easy and intermediate difficulty questions as possible. You don't want to struggle and toil over every hard one at the expense of not having enough time to answer the easier ones. You can always go back to the ones you skipped, at the end if you have time leftover.

Go for the "low hanging fruit" first!

Also, if you have any formulas or other info memorized, jot them down on your scratch paper BEFORE you start the exam. This will free up your brain to focus on the questions instead of trying to recall the formulas in the middle of the exam.

I wish I had already taken this exam so that I could give you much more specific details instead of just general advice. Thank you for boldly going where no man has gone before!
hilarious

Do well, do very well,
Snazzlefrag
(P.S. I bet you'll sleep well on Friday night after it's all over!)

[Urbannaja]

Hi, I took that clep a couple years ago. I am a very poor math/algebra student and really just took it because it was free in the military...I took it cold, and I passed. It seemed to be mostly fairly simple algebra and word problems as I recall. I was apprehensive about alot of it, but I remember being able to make alot of educated guesses from just minimal knowledge of the algebra and more difficult questions (by eliminating alot of the choices offered).

Anyways, sorry I can't give you a better breakdown of the questions, but I did pass it cold, and with a very pitiful math background.

Good luck!

[ShotoJuku]

Hi, I took that clep a couple years ago. I am a very poor math/algebra student and really just took it because it was free in the military...I took it cold, and I passed. It seemed to be mostly fairly simple algebra and word problems as I recall. I was apprehensive about alot of it, but I remember being able to make alot of educated guesses from just minimal knowledge of the algebra and more difficult questions (by eliminating alot of the choices offered).

Anyways, sorry I can't give you a better breakdown of the questions, but I did pass it cold, and with a very pitiful math background.

Good luck!

[SIZE="3"]Thanks for your feedback and encouraging thoughts. I sink or swim for me tomorrow........[/SIZE]

[rjc311]

Hey shoto...I was wondering how you are doing on the flashcards and practice clep...what kind of percentages are you hitting? I think you are going to do fine but I completely understand the anxiety surrounding this exam and I am sure I will feel the same when I go to take it.

Good luck!!!

[ShotoJuku]

Hey shoto...I was wondering how you are doing on the flashcards and practice clep...what kind of percentages are you hitting? I think you are going to do fine but I completely understand the anxiety surrounding this exam and I am sure I will feel the same when I go to take it.

Good luck!!!

[SIZE="3"]Quite simply - I've got a lock on some areas and weak on others; my main focus right now is mastering what I can do well and using that as a springboard to a passing score. Gulp!![/SIZE]