Just starting and new to this, a few questions for ya!

[seanmathews]

So im pretty new to this but have been giving it A LOT of thought, im looking to start this after my current semester of school is over, my reasons being that i just cant find enough time in the day to get everything done and school is taking up too much time, not to mention how much its costing me.

So my current goal is to obtain my AS degree from a community college. The community college im graduating from says they honor up to 30 units of CLEP tests. I have a handful of general ed classes to finish and im hoping i can mind the majority through CLEP.

So here is a list of questions if you don't mind answering;

1)Very basic question, how does this work? Would my college counselor help me set this up?

2)Whats the difference between CLEP and Dantes, besides the time and # of answers for multiple choice? From my own research it would seem Dantes is mainly for BA/BS schools.

3)Is there an Official Website for the CLEP tests? im finding a lot of different ones..

4)Whats are some advantages of doing CLEP tests rather than regular schooling? Also, Whats the difference between getting 3 units from CLEP for a course, and getting 3 units and a grade from a school? How does this affect my degree and or transfer?

5)Where would you recommend getting study guides from? Flashcards from here? or Study guides/ Practice tests from other sites?

6)Whats the average price per course including test and study guide?

7)And lastly i think.. Whats the average amount of time per course some of you spent studying/preparing?

8)Oh one more, whats the deal with the other tests i see people talk about.. eve? excelsior? tecep? tesc?

I know there's a lot of questions i have, but i appreciate any answers and help.

Thank you!

[Merlin]

Welcome to the forums!

So here is a list of questions if you don't mind answering;

1)Very basic question, how does this work? Would my college counselor help me set this up?

You may want to consult your counselor to help select the tests you wish to take and determine what score you need to achieve to get credit at your school. However, you should not need to arrange taking the tests with your counselor, they are available to anyone to take. You can take the tests themselves at your school (if they are offered there) or you can find a local test center that administers them.

2)Whats the difference between CLEP and Dantes, besides the time and # of answers for multiple choice? From my own research it would seem Dantes is mainly for BA/BS schools.

The main differences are the group that administers them, the test subject areas available (while there are a few that overlap, most do not), and the level of the tests (some of the DSST tests are considered upper level.) The testing process itself is pretty much the same with both. Not all schools accept DSST (aka dantes) examinations just as not all accept CLEP examinations for credit.

3)Is there an Official Website for the CLEP tests? im finding a lot of different ones..

The official CLEP site is CLEP - College Level Examination Program (CLEP) -Save Time. Save Money. Take CLEP | College Board CLEP Site.
The official DSST site is DSST - GetCollegeCredit.com.

4)Whats are some advantages of doing CLEP tests rather than regular schooling? Also, Whats the difference between getting 3 units from CLEP for a course, and getting 3 units and a grade from a school? How does this affect my degree and or transfer?

Different schools treat CLEP/DSST differently. CLEP are pretty much pass/no pass only, but some schools offer letter grades for certain DSST subjects. Aside from that, credits are credits. If your school just accepts them as transfer credit without a grade, then they don't really affect your GPA. In any case they should not impact your degree, unless you end up transferring to a school before graduating that does not accept the tests for credit.

5)Where would you recommend getting study guides from? Flashcards from here? or Study guides/ Practice tests from other sites?

I like the REA study guides when taking CLEP tests, however, if you check the specific testing forum here, it will generally give you great ideas for study materials others have used for each exam. Throw in the IC flashcards (where available) and you're usually good to go.

6)Whats the average price per course including test and study guide?

Some of the study materials are available free, so I can't really say how much it costs to study, but the CLEP tests themselves are $77 plus the administration/proctoring fee wherever you end up taking the test (usually around $25.) The DSST tests are $80 plus the admin/proctoring fee.

7)And lastly i think.. Whats the average amount of time per course some of you spent studying/preparing?

That all depends on how familiar you are with the subject of the tests and/or how quick of a study you are. Some people are able to take the tests cold (no studying at all) others study for weeks or months. Personally I have been spending roughly 10-40 hours per subject.

8)Oh one more, whats the deal with the other tests i see people talk about.. eve? excelsior? tecep? tesc?

ECE stands for Excelsior College Examinations, TECEP stands for Thomas Edison State College Examination Program. They are examinations similar to CLEP and DSST that are administered by Excelsior College (EC) and Thomas Edison State College (TESC). The tests are primarily aimed at their own students, but some colleges also accept them for credit. Charter Oak State College (COSC) also has its own examinations, but I think they are only accepted at Charter Oak.

I know there's a lot of questions i have, but i appreciate any answers and help.

Thank you!

I hope those answers have been helpful. I'm sure others will fill in the gaps in areas I've missed or didn't go into detail on.

[ZsaZsa]

In answer to #6- where I test the DSSTs are $80 plus a $20 testing fee to IVY Tech. Compare that to about $450 for one class at Indiana University (tuition plus texts). Multiply that extra $350 by 10 and you can see why I would go for the 30 credits you can get from testing with clep and dsst.
(Not to mention the fact that you can do all of your studying at home in your jammies...in the middle of the night...)
Also most of the texts I used were picked up on ebay for a couple of dollars- which makes me smile every time I remember the look on my husbands face when I wrote the check to the bookstore at nursing school for BIG BUCKS!$$$$