I recently learned about CLEP.

[Kngo226]

I'm really interested in these exams. i'm an incoming freshman and I really want a head start in college by studying and taking them. but... is it really beneficial to me? i want to take all of the business CLEPS this summer because im planning to major in business.. but will i learn the same amount about business if i took the exams rather than the actual class?

[bmills072200]

I'm really interested in these exams. i'm an incoming freshman and I really want a head start in college by studying and taking them. but... is it really beneficial to me? i want to take all of the business CLEPS this summer because im planning to major in business.. but will i learn the same amount about business if i took the exams rather than the actual class?

Well Kngo...it depends on what your goal is...if your goal is to deeply learn a subject...than classroom interaction and study might be better than testing. Though many here would say that you can learn just as much if not more through self-study and testing. My goals are different: I am just trying to get through it as quickly as possible. However, I am 27 and have almost 10 years worth of work experience and I am ready to move to the next level with my career and I cannot do that without a degree.

I am also getting my business degree and I have taken pretty much all of the business related CLEPs and DSSTs.

You are probably 18 or 19 years old...so I am going to give you a little advise: Get your college degree as quickly and as with as little incurred debt as you possibly can. I went to a private college for 2 years 10 years ago and I am still paying off college debt that amounted to almost $15,000. In the end, do you want to know what that $15,000 in debt was worth.........51 credits. Do the math...that's almost $300 per credit hour. Keep in mind, $15,000 was just my debt...I also had scholarships, so the cost per credit hour is actually around $500 and that was 10 years ago.

I wish I had someone when I was starting college that told me what I am telling you now. Get whatever your college will allow you to transfer in from CLEP and DSST and get out of there as cheap and as quickly as possible.

Sorry if I sound bitter, but I am a little bit...I just wish I would have known back then what I know now...my career and life would have been different...but now I am correcting that and moving on.

Sorry for the rant...Your post brought me to a brief flashback to 10 years ago when I started college...Good luck

[gcalvin]

It's difficult to answer the question the way you phrased it. Passing a CLEP demonstrates knowledge commensurate with that of a college student who has recently completed a course in that subject area. The exams are developed and scaled so that college students who recently scored a C in the course will typically score a 50 on the CLEP exam. With a little research on the web, you can find a lot more detail, but that's the basics of it.

Having said that, whether you will learn as much as you would in a class depends on you, your learning style, your study materials, the class you might have taken, its instructor, and plenty of other factors. Many college courses have excellent instructors and provide an excellent learning experience. And many have lousy, inexperienced, unmotivated instructors, and are a big waste of time.

Personally, I've never regretted taking an exam instead of a course. Like Mark Twain, I've never let my schooling interfere with my education.

-Gary-

[Kngo226]

Thank you SO much for your replies guys. They were extremely helpful and I really appreciate your help. I'll make sure that I take advantage of these CLEP opportunities.