Banking exam credit?

[ChasingDegrees]

How do you handle the CLEP, DSST, and other exams?

Do you decide what you need, sign up, take and pass the exam, and when needed transfer into your degree program? Or do you apply for the degree program and then sign up and take exams?

Are there less expensive exam options than CLEP, DSST, TECEP, and Excel exams?

[dfrecore]

You should always know what school/degree you want to get before taking exams - many schools won't accept them, and they may count differently depending on the school.  I would never advise to just go take a CLEP exam and hope your school accepts it!

CLEP exams are cheap right now through ModernStates.org (free actually)  Normally they are the same as the DSST exams: $85 plus testing center fees (normally around $20).  TECEP's are $117 if you apply to TESU first.  UExcel exams range in price, most are $110 plus testing fees of $50-$60.

There are lots of inexpensive options to take courses through different course providers, but you would want to know what school you were going to first, because most schools won't take ACE/NCCRS credit.

[Ideas]

I think it's somewhat safe to take some CLEP/DSST/other if you know you're going to a Big Three school.

There are some completely free credits at Sophia, TEEX, and maybe others. And many of us get Study.com classes for free through the scholarship.

Saylor and Shmoop are really cheap. Straighterline is cheap.

[ChasingDegrees]

You should always know what school/degree you want to get before taking exams - many schools won't accept them, and they may count differently depending on the school.  I would never advise to just go take a CLEP exam and hope your school accepts it!

CLEP exams are cheap right now through ModernStates.org (free actually)  Normally they are the same as the DSST exams: $85 plus testing center fees (normally around $20).  TECEP's are $117 if you apply to TESU first.  UExcel exams range in price, most are $110 plus testing fees of $50-$60.

There are lots of inexpensive options to take courses through different course providers, but you would want to know what school you were going to first, because most schools won't take ACE/NCCRS credit.

Thank you for turning me on to modernstates.org Good stuff!

[davewill]

If you apply to the school first, you can send your test scores for free as you take the exams. Otherwise, you have to pay to send a transcript later.

[dfrecore]

I think it's somewhat safe to take some CLEP/DSST/other if you know you're going to a Big Three school.

There are some completely free credits at Sophia, TEEX, and maybe others. And many of us get Study.com classes for free through the scholarship.

Saylor and Shmoop are really cheap. Straighterline is cheap.

I didn't see anywhere on the original post that the OP was going to one of the Big 3, and I didn't want to assume that.

[cookderosa]

You can't go wrong. Pick a school first or pick an exam first, either way, you're headed in the right direction.

I actually picked an exam based on finding a free discarded textbook from my bookstore called Human Growth and Development. I just read it and then took the exam. At that time, I wasn't sure I was even smart enough to test out of a class, let alone worry about a WHOLE DEGREE. But that first pass gave me a big confidence boost, and I did take a few more just to "be sure" I could test my way through. Around that time I found this forum, and was very inspired by other's success too, so I joined InstantCert and the rest is my history.

If you budget $100 and 1 month to study, you'll have a better sense of whether this is a good plan for you.

EDIT: Your thread title "banking exam credit" wasn't answered yet. As you take CLEP exams, The College Board (exam author) records your score on an official transcript. Those records are kept for 20 years, so you have plenty of time to use your credit, no need to pay a banking service. If you know where you're going to attend, you can request that a free copy of your score report be mailed (that is a question you'll answer when you sit down to take the exam) but it's just as easy to wait. I waited until I'd taken all my exams and then paid $20 to have my official transcript mailed to TESU. It had all my passing scores on it. Easy either way.

[ChasingDegrees]

You can't go wrong.  Pick a school first or pick an exam first, either way, you're headed in the right direction.

I actually picked an exam based on finding a free discarded textbook from my bookstore called Human Growth and Development.  I just read it and then took the exam.  At that time, I wasn't sure I was even smart enough to test out of a class, let alone worry about a WHOLE DEGREE.  But that first pass gave me a big confidence boost, and I did take a few more just to "be sure" I could test my way through.  Around that time I found this forum, and was very inspired by other's success too, so I joined InstantCert and the rest is my history.  

If you budget $100 and 1 month to study, you'll have a better sense of whether this is a good plan for you.

EDIT:  Your thread title "banking exam credit" wasn't answered yet.  As you take CLEP exams, The College Board (exam author) records your score on an official transcript. Those records are kept for 20 years, so you have plenty of time to use your credit, no need to pay a banking service.  If you know where you're going to attend, you can request that a free copy of your score report be mailed (that is a question you'll answer when you sit down to take the exam) but it's just as easy to wait. I waited until I'd taken all my exams and then paid $20 to have my official transcript mailed to TESU.  It had all my passing scores on it.  Easy either way.

Jennifer,

Thanks for the reply.

I took my transcripts and laid out a plan for TESU BS in Technical Studies and if I am correct I should only need around 30 credit hours to complete the degree.

I also checked out modern states based off of defrecore's reply and I have already completed one course and signed up to take a CLEP next week. I hope to take another next week as well if I can get through another course. I am pretty pumped about this process.

Besides modern states / clep, DSST, and TECEP, I am looking forward to learning about more opportunities to earn credit. I keep seeing stuff about study.com, Sophia, TEEX, etc. I haven't looked those up yet because I have never heard of them, but I plan to.

[davewill]

Jennifer,

Thanks for the reply.

I took my transcripts and laid out a plan for TESU BS in Technical Studies and if I am correct I should only need around 30 credit hours to complete the degree.

I also checked out modern states based off of defrecore's reply and I have already completed one course and signed up to take a CLEP next week. I hope to take another next week as well if I can get through another course. I am pretty pumped about this process.

Besides modern states / clep, DSST, and TECEP, I am looking forward to learning about more opportunities to earn credit. I keep seeing stuff about study.com, Sophia, TEEX, etc. I haven't looked those up yet because I have never heard of them, but I plan to.

If your school is TESU, there's no real reason not to go ahead and plunk down $75 and apply and several reasons to do so. Applying locks in your catalog, and allows you to send your old transcripts in so you can see where everything is applied officially.

[allvia]

Jennifer,

Thanks for the reply.

I took my transcripts and laid out a plan for TESU BS in Technical Studies and if I am correct I should only need around 30 credit hours to complete the degree.

I also checked out modern states based off of defrecore's reply and I have already completed one course and signed up to take a CLEP next week. I hope to take another next week as well if I can get through another course. I am pretty pumped about this process.

Besides modern states / clep, DSST, and TECEP, I am looking forward to learning about more opportunities to earn credit. I keep seeing stuff about study.com, Sophia, TEEX, etc. I haven't looked those up yet because I have never heard of them, but I plan to.

If your school is TESU, there's no real reason not to go ahead and plunk down $75 and apply and several reasons to do so. Applying locks in your catalog, and allows you to send your old transcripts in so you can see where everything is applied officially.

Agreed.  It is always best to lock in your catalog when you can.  Plus the BS in Technical Studies has rather specific requirements, hate to have you plan it all out and they change everything come June (which is when TESU traditional updates their catalog).  If they make a change to the degree that makes it easier for you to complete in the next you catalog you can always switch forward, but you can't go back.