Historyof the US I & II

[Ajzpar4]

I am signing up for my first CLEP exams -History of the United States I & II - using IC. Should I take them together? And do you suggest using other study material of is IC sufficient. Also what amount of study time is suggested? I am an older student (53) and I have been taking TECEP exams at the rate of one per month....I am hoping I can cut that time down with InstantCert. Advice and suggestions appreciated.

[Getiton1]

At 53 years old, and an experienced TECEP taker...I bet if you are from the USA, that yeah, you can pass these 2 exams in one sitting. I would study for at least 2 weeks minimum. A lot of 20th century history is going to be familiar to you.

If you haven't discovered the following resources I would highly recommend them:

1.History of the United States I CLEP Free Study Guide - Free-Clep-Prep.com
History of the United States II CLEP Free Study Guide - Free-Clep-Prep.com

2. History 103: US History I Course - Free Online Video Lessons | Education Portal
History 104: US History II Course - Free Online Video Lessons | Education Portal

(The above can be long, so if you are running out of time, do the IC flashcards and come back to ONLY the lessons you need. I was SO happy I played these videos. Because the day of the US HX II test, I was playing it while I took a shower, brushed my teeth ,and ate breakfast and at least 3 questions were on the actually exam from the info on the website.)

3.CLEP Exams | CLEP
CLEP Exams | CLEP

Make sure you pay attention to the part of the exam that carry a lot of weight. Get those down pat with the IC flashcards for sure then go back and start filling in the blanks with all the other information.

Best of Luck,
T

I am signing up for my first CLEP exams -History of the United States I & II - using IC. Should I take them together? And do you suggest using other study material of is IC sufficient. Also what amount of study time is suggested? I am an older student (53) and I have been taking TECEP exams at the rate of one per month....I am hoping I can cut that time down with InstantCert. Advice and suggestions appreciated.

[clep3705]

This is a common question that has been answered many times. This site's search feature isn't very good, but fortunately there is a solution.

Go to Google or Bing and enter the following search string:

clep us history site:degreeforum.net

[benjenkinsv95]

I took them at the same time and passed both, so that is fine.
I put in 40+ hours of study time within the 3 days leading up to the tests and the day of the tests.
I would suggest against doing them that fast, the headache from it kind of sucked.
I personally took the 2 practice CLEP's that you can buy from collegeboard for $10 each.
I wish I could tell you some good places to study, but I have slept since then.
Attached are my notes, if you have Instant Cert and go through the specific feedback and follow their suggestions, you should be fine.

[Chebasaz]

Just took the US History I yesterday again. There was a ton of stuff on there that I hadn't seen before (makes me wonder if they've refreshed the exam along with the new CLEP software). That being said, I still made a 70 so there's plenty of the older things mentioned here as well.

Some specifics - There were many more quotes than I remembered as well, asking you to identify the speaker. Many times you can tell the answer by thinking about the context of what's being said and eliminating the ones that don't match that context.

For example - Someone who is denouncing slavery and doing so in a very grandiose manner, is likely not going to be Calhoun (was for slavery) or Lincoln (more statesman than showman), instead it's likely to be an abolitionist newspaper author. If you know your firebrand abolitionists, then it's easy to pick out the correct answer.

Also, don't neglect the colonial era. Know exports/imports, individual colonies and what the major cities were known for. Also know French, Spanish, and English holdings in the new world, along with how those holdings changed hands.

I'll take US History II in the next few weeks when I can spare some time for the testing center. I'll post here afterwards again. Follow the advice that others here have given and you'll be fine. I'd much rather study for the two of them together then doing so separately, so I think you're on the right track. Best of luck!

[Getiton1]

Wow, is this THE Justin from Free Clep Prep?

You are awesome Justin. I think what you have done in conjunction/cooperation with IC is fantastic. I LOVE IC and I love your website.

Steve and you are the saviors of budget conscious people that want to better themselves without drowning in debt. I truly appreciate what you and people like you do for the everyday person.

Many thanks,
Tara

PS….just to reiterate, I totally think with about 2-3 weeks study or 30-40 hours study time a diligent test taker could pass both exams in one sitting.

Just took the US History I yesterday again. There was a ton of stuff on there that I hadn't seen before (makes me wonder if they've refreshed the exam along with the new CLEP software). That being said, I still made a 70 so there's plenty of the older things mentioned here as well.

Some specifics - There were many more quotes than I remembered as well, asking you to identify the speaker. Many times you can tell the answer by thinking about the context of what's being said and eliminating the ones that don't match that context.

For example - Someone who is denouncing slavery and doing so in a very grandiose manner, is likely not going to be Calhoun (was for slavery) or Lincoln (more statesman than showman), instead it's likely to be an abolitionist newspaper author. If you know your firebrand abolitionists, then it's easy to pick out the correct answer.

Also, don't neglect the colonial era. Know exports/imports, individual colonies and what the major cities were known for. Also know French, Spanish, and English holdings in the new world, along with how those holdings changed hands.

I'll take US History II in the next few weeks when I can spare some time for the testing center. I'll post here afterwards again. Follow the advice that others here have given and you'll be fine. I'd much rather study for the two of them together then doing so separately, so I think you're on the right track. Best of luck!

[EI2HCB]

I am signing up for my first CLEP exams -History of the United States I & II - using IC. Should I take them together? And do you suggest using other study material of is IC sufficient. Also what amount of study time is suggested? I am an older student (53) and I have been taking TECEP exams at the rate of one per month....I am hoping I can cut that time down with InstantCert. Advice and suggestions appreciated.

It depends on how much U.S History you know, I took the U.S History I test a couple of months back and I spent about three weeks 2+ hours a day reviewing material. I didn't attend high school in the U.S so it was all new to me. I'm hoping to test out of U.S History II in about five weeks, I'm hoping to put in an hour a day for the next three weeks and then put two weeks intensive review in just before. I'm currently doing two regular courses at EC and working 2+ jobs so I need the extra time to get it all done. Make sure you check out the exam specifics for U.S History as I found them very helpful.

[clep3705]

What's the difference between the news and history? I didn't have to study for US History 2 very much because I remember watching Walter Cronkite tell it to me as it happened. World War II and the Great Depression were told to me by people who lived those events. You're old enough that you know more than you think.

[UptonSinclair]

Excellent lectures for the American Revolution and The Civil War. I doubt there are better professors on these two subjects. The videos are great for those times when you just don't feel like reading.Open Yale Courses | History

[Prloko]

I am signing up for my first CLEP exams -History of the United States I & II - using IC. Should I take them together? And do you suggest using other study material of is IC sufficient. Also what amount of study time is suggested? I am an older student (53) and I have been taking TECEP exams at the rate of one per month....I am hoping I can cut that time down with InstantCert. Advice and suggestions appreciated.

One thing I noticed, is that many self proclaimed history buffs as myself are not history buffs, but history of WAR buffs. History exams cover a lot more than wars, make sure you are familiar with significant events, attitudes, religous beliefs, laws passed, etc.