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Newbie here, just discovered the world of CLEP and can't believe I never knew about this option to earn college credits for little cost or even free. I have two sons in college already, all gen ed classes have been taken, but I have one son in high school. I'm researching the possibility of him taking CLEP while still in high school.
This year my son is taking Honors Biology and is doing very well (95%). They use the Campbell's Biology Concepts and Connections textbook, which is very in depth. His tests are very difficult and he spends many hours studying, which pays off with his good grades. By the end of the year, he will have only covered 1/3 of the textbook though. He will take Honors Chemistry next year, then move on to Physics. This will be his only Biology class.
Do you think it would be a good idea for him to purse the CLEP Biology exam this summer since he will have so much material fresh in his mind? By the time the class is over, he will have learned most of molecular and cellular biology (33% of CLEP) and a little bit of population ecology and organismal biology. Still, my research tells me that this is a difficult CLEP exam.
Thoughts/advice/feedback is appreciated.
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(02-25-2019, 01:14 PM)Mom23boys Wrote: Newbie here, just discovered the world of CLEP and can't believe I never knew about this option to earn college credits for little cost or even free. I have two sons in college already, all gen ed classes have been taken, but I have one son in high school. I'm researching the possibility of him taking CLEP while still in high school.
This year my son is taking Honors Biology and is doing very well (95%). They use the Campbell's Biology Concepts and Connections textbook, which is very in depth. His tests are very difficult and he spends many hours studying, which pays off with his good grades. By the end of the year, he will have only covered 1/3 of the textbook though. He will take Honors Chemistry next year, then move on to Physics. This will be his only Biology class.
Do you think it would be a good idea for him to purse the CLEP Biology exam this summer since he will have so much material fresh in his mind? By the time the class is over, he will have learned most of molecular and cellular biology (33% of CLEP) and a little bit of population ecology and organismal biology. Still, my research tells me that this is a difficult CLEP exam.
Thoughts/advice/feedback is appreciated.
Yes for sure.
True this is a difficult exam, but if he's a strong student he can push through enough of the remaining content to make it. If I were in your shoes, I'd let him finish the school year as planned with the idea of starting Modern States the next day. It's totally free and it's a condensed prep course. There will be review for what he did in school, but they'll also cover the remaining basics. I'd have him do it quickly, about 3-4 weeks is more than enough time. He can hang on to his text if he wants to read a little deeper than what MS teaches, but take the exam end of June (for free with your Modern States voucher).
While it is true that you won't know for sure that his future college will award credit for this exam, so what? It's free and there is a LOT of life between today and a college graduation- this is low hanging fruit, for sure he should do it.
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studyandpass5
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(02-25-2019, 01:14 PM)Mom23boys Wrote: Newbie here, just discovered the world of CLEP and can't believe I never knew about this option to earn college credits for little cost or even free. I have two sons in college already, all gen ed classes have been taken, but I have one son in high school. I'm researching the possibility of him taking CLEP while still in high school.
This year my son is taking Honors Biology and is doing very well (95%). They use the Campbell's Biology Concepts and Connections textbook, which is very in depth. His tests are very difficult and he spends many hours studying, which pays off with his good grades. By the end of the year, he will have only covered 1/3 of the textbook though. He will take Honors Chemistry next year, then move on to Physics. This will be his only Biology class.
Do you think it would be a good idea for him to purse the CLEP Biology exam this summer since he will have so much material fresh in his mind? By the time the class is over, he will have learned most of molecular and cellular biology (33% of CLEP) and a little bit of population ecology and organismal biology. Still, my research tells me that this is a difficult CLEP exam.
Thoughts/advice/feedback is appreciated.
Yes! For sure he should attempt this exam. The Biology CLEP was my very first CLEP, and I took it immediately after finishing my high school biology course. It wasn't Honors Biology, but I felt it more than prepared me for the CLEP. Especially with your son's good grades, he should be more than prepared.
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You could have your son do the chemistry clep after his honors chem class as well.
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I've heard the Chemistry CLEP is much harder than the Biology one, so the odds of success with that are lower, but if Modern States is still alive and kicking then there's no reason for him not to try it
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If his school offers AP courses, the AP exams are accepted much more universally than CLEP.
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Thanks for all of your tips and encouragement. I think he will go probably take the Biology CLEP this summer, after he has taken the time to study the material that he doesn't already know. He will also take 5 or 6 AP classes over the next three years of high school as well. He will take AP exams for his AP classes, and CLEP exams for any Honors classes that he takes. He can also take CLEP classes if he doesn't do as well on his AP tests.
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(02-26-2019, 02:34 PM)Mom23boys Wrote: He can also take CLEP classes if he doesn't do as well on his AP tests.
That is an excellent strategy in my opinion! Oh if only I knew about this stuff in highschool I could have graduated HS with an AS between Dual enrollment/AP/Clep alone.
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(02-26-2019, 02:34 PM)Mom23boys Wrote: Thanks for all of your tips and encouragement. I think he will go probably take the Biology CLEP this summer, after he has taken the time to study the material that he doesn't already know. He will also take 5 or 6 AP classes over the next three years of high school as well. He will take AP exams for his AP classes, and CLEP exams for any Honors classes that he takes. He can also take CLEP classes if he doesn't do as well on his AP tests.
Yes. As a bonus, you should know that ANYONE can take an AP exam, even if they don't take an AP class. No reason he can't match up AP exams with his honors classes, and even CLEPs. If he's doing honors or AP work, he IS doing college level work. By the time my kids hit high school, almost every course they took aligned with some form of college credit opportunity.
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