History of the US I

[lreis]

Could anyone tell me specifically, what to expect on the US History I clep? Does it mainly focus on dates,people, cases or specific facts in general. I'm really struggling on what to pay attention to. I have the CollegeBoard clep book and and REA book just for History of the US I. It seemed like in the REA book, all the practice questions all were "all occurred EXCEPT" questions which mean you have to know everything to a T. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Lauren

[NAP]

This test was not as fact-based as I had hoped. For instance, you need to know several things about each president so you can eliminate who may have or who may not have made a certain decision and why. Then you can guess from there, if needed. Knowing several facts on each topic is really helpful on this type of test, which is the type of practice you are getting with REA.

You are on the right track. REA is excellent for this exam. I took it in February. Learn as much of the material as you can. If you are doing well on their practice exams, that is a good sign for the actual exam.

I don't remember a lot of dates, but it is helpful to know the order of events, so you can keep things straight in your head. There are 120 questions, so it is broad and they basically ask one question about each topic.

Best wishes on your exam!

[bkbarden]

I used REA and found it perfect for this exam.

I don't remember much, as it's been awhile... honestly, most of the things coming to mind apply to US History II.

I did memorize the order of the Presidents... it helped me a ton in setting context for a question. For example, if a question asked about an event that happened during a certain Presidency, it's easier to figure out the answer if you know approximately the years that President served. That make sense?

Btw, REA tests are great practices, but I generally find they are a lot harder than the real thing. The information covered is usually the same, but don't worry too much about the way the questions are worded.

[lreis]

Thanks for the help. I haven't memorized any order of events or presidencies. I take the clep this Thursday so, hopefully I can get those under control before then. Thanks again!

[Ruddigore]

Are you using IC? That is a good gap-filler. And don't forget the specific exam feedback section. It's so helpful.

Hope it goes well for you! Come back and tell us how it went.

[codface]

I took this exam today and passed with a 66. I had 1 week to study for this and Business Law I at the same time. The REA practice tests I took were a LOT like the actual test. I read the REA book first (about 130 pages), loaded the included cd practice tests, did all 3 tests with explanations, and then went over the IC flashcards twice. No problem! :p

Patrick