My First CLEP experience... Woah!

[sheba]

I think I first heard about earning credits by college level examination some 4 or 5 years ago. I talked about doing it and eventually stumbled upon degreeforum and read and dreamed about doing it. I put together potential road maps and signed up for instant cert and read all of the specific exam feedback but could never get myself to take the leap and actually schedule the exam. For some reason, it just sounded "too good to be true" to me.

Last week I took a serious look at myself and my situation and realized that in this increasingly competitive market getting my degree is no longer a "nice option" but a "must have". I scheduled 2 exams with the nearest college that offers CLEPS before I even signed up for instantcert again. I selected probably the easiest two exams to cut my teeth on, signed up for IC and studied all weekend. I formed an agreement with my boss to have every Friday off til the end of the year for exam dates. And today I left Barton College a whopping 9 credits closer to a Psychology degree from TESC. I can hardly believe it was so simple!

The two exams I passed were Intro Sociology and Analyzing and Interpreting Lit. If there is anyone reading this and sitting on the fence about CLEPing, get off the sidelines and do it! It's the biggest rush ever and soooo rewarding! Sociology was a little harder than I thought. Could have been nerves too, but I got a 57. Analyzing and Interpreting Lit was wayyyy easier than I thought (although I did not do any prep except for read over a list of literary devices) and I got a 66!

I just can't believe that after all that time of being afraid of the water, I find I LOVE to swim! :roflol: Thanks to all of you for all of your help. I am happy as a clam to be on this road with all of you.

Happy CLEPing! eeya:

[Chebasaz]

Welcome to the test-for-credit club! :hurray: I'm always trying to convince friends that they can do it if they just schedule one test to give it a try. Often times the fear of failure is worse than failure itself. Glad you overcame your hesitation and walked away with 9 more credits!

Congrats!

[NAP]

That's wonderful! Congratulations!

[ryoder]

Congrats!
Ok so now start studying for real. You don't want to just pass you want to master the material so that when you finish your degree (and you will) you really know your stuff better than someone who took classes.
I recommend reading the REA book for every CLEP and then doing instantcert. Some might say jump into instantcert and start memorizing cards but the REA books will give you much needed perspective on the topics that will pay dividends later on. Some of the tests build on each other and learning the material from a book and then drilling via flashcards is a great way to actually learn, retain and pass test.

Good luck again.

[sheba]

Thanks for the support guys!

I gotta tell ya, Ryoder, one of my favorite quotes is "anything worth doing is worth doing badly... at first." I haven't been in a classroom in almost 15 years and have never taken a college exam so I am so very proud of my 57 for my first test. Thanks for your input. I am trying to stick to freebie resources and IC for now but my game plan is for the information to become more embedded as I stack courses and over time - just like pretty much any learning, I suppose.

[dcan]

Congrats!
Ok so now start studying for real. You don't want to just pass you want to master the material so that when you finish your degree (and you will) you really know your stuff better than someone who took classes.
I recommend reading the REA book for every CLEP and then doing instantcert. Some might say jump into instantcert and start memorizing cards but the REA books will give you much needed perspective on the topics that will pay dividends later on.

Do you recommend any particular books other than REA for the business tests (marketing, finance, etc) in the BSBA track? (I know you mentioned the Portable MBA which I plan to buy anyway) I've been considering Barron's Business Review series for them.

[ryoder]

Nothing comes to mind. I did the penn foster financial mgmt which comes with a book. I also did straighterline accounting and really liked that textbook too. I read accounting demystified on a plane and it helped to get me in the groove with debits and credits. Rea books are not too expensive and I highly recommend them.

[Lindagerr]

Congratulations Sheba and welcome to Clepping. I remember how many time I looked at clepping and how many times I put it off. Years were wasted. Once you get the Clep bug things will move fast, maybe it will still feel slow at times, but if you keep it up you will amazed when one day you too can say I'm Done.

[LaterBloomer]

Congratulations! Sometimes getting the momentum is the most important thing. You have to just do it, whether you do it perfectly, or not. In this economy, we have to garner every advantage to get ahead. A degree is no longer a nice option. Ryoder is also right, however. It's important to learn the material. Have you come up with a plan for your future tests? I'm wondering if I put the tests down in the InstaCert calendar if that will keep me going strong, as I, too, have wandered off of the education track in the past. Good luck with your future tests.

[Lindagerr]

I agree with the idea of making a plan and stick to it. I was kind of goofing off, slowly taking a test here and there after I earned my AA. Then I realized in January 2010 that if I didn't get to work I would miss the July 1st deadline to graduate in Sept. I had originally said I wanted to go from AA to BA in one year now it might be more than 2. So I figured out I needed 29 credits I picked the test and Aleks I would use to finish and I made a schedule. I allowed my self 3-4 weeks between test and I wrote on my calendar what test I would be taking when. I forced myself to keep to that schedule. Even when I got a 3 month full time job I kept going. I did it and I was so happy to graduate in Sept. and be able to walk in the Oct. 2010 ceremony. That had been my ultimate goal, if I hadn't met the July 1st deadline I couln't walk in a ceremony until Oct. 2011.
So set your goal; a date for completion, gratuation or walking ( the elation of Finally walkin across that stage in a cap & gown was fantastic) and stick to it. Pick up a cheap calendar and write test dates and names and get to work. If I could do it anyone can. It took me 38 years from high school graduation to college graduation, but I am the first in my family to get a degree, both of my parents dropped out of High School, my brother and sister never finished college so I wanted to set a better example for my children.