Online tests.

[Southern young gun]

Hello everyone, I am wondering if there are other ways to earn quick college credits besides CLEP and Dantes. I am in the military and currently deployed overseas where CLEP and Dantes are not available. I have haerd of something called Alex Test but cannot find any information. I just want to take a few general ed classes while deployed but havnt found a way yet. I have high speed internet so if something else is available online I would love to know. Thank you!

[defscarlett]

I would double check with your Education Officer on the option of taking CLEP/DSST, many overseas stations have a testing center to take them there. There aren't anything comparable to CLEP/DSST that you could take online that I'm familiar with. There are a few self-paced, distance learning classes that are available.

ALEKS is great for math, these are ACE evaluated classes. The classes don't have any proctored exams or anything, as soon as you show competency in at least 70% of the content you can submit for credit. On my initial assessment I was only at 18%, after 36 hours of study I was able to pass the assessment at 72%. The cost is only $20/month which is awesome!

Straighterline also provides ACE evaluated classes. The downside of Straighterline is that there are proctored exams, but these are done online through ProctorU. Cost for Straighterline is $99/mo + $49 per class.

Penn Foster is a Nationally Accredited school where some of their courses are ACE evaluated. You should only take ACE evaluated courses at this school if you're getting a degree through a Regionally Accredited school. The good thing about Penn Foster is that you can use GI Bill or Military TA to help pay for it. The cost of a 3 credit course is $225 if I remember correctly.

[Lady Grace of Pemberley]

Hello everyone, I am wondering if there are other ways to earn quick college credits besides CLEP and Dantes. I am in the military and currently deployed overseas where CLEP and Dantes are not available. I have haerd of something called Alex Test but cannot find any information. I just want to take a few general ed classes while deployed but havnt found a way yet. I have high speed internet so if something else is available online I would love to know. Thank you!

I think the program you heard about was probably ALEKS, an online math "class" program. About seven of their courses are ACE accredited, so they do count for college credit (see this page --> ACE Credit Courses ). Basically, ALEKS assess your initial comprehension of the course's math skills and then guides you through learning the areas you are weaker. It is all online and can be completed at your own pace. In order to complete the course and earn college credit, you must prove you have mastered at least 70% of the course material by taking an assessment and scoring 70% or higher. Some people will are already familiar with the math in a course may score 70% or higher on their initial assessment, in which case they are done with the course and may apply for a transcript from ACE.

The courses are more learner-friendly than a credit-by-exam test such as a CLEP or DSST. You will work through different sections of the course and fill up your "pie chart," which shows your course progress. In order to complete a section, you will work on a specific type of problem (for example, in the statistics course, probablility), and if you correctly answer two or three consecutive problems, it will be added to your pie chart. Once you answer each question, they will show you the answer and exactly how to work the problem.

Once you have assessed at 70% or higher, you can apply for your college credit to be approved by ACE. First, you must set up an account with ACE ( College Credit Recommendation Service (CREDIT) ) and submit a transcript request from them. ACE will then confirm with ALEKS that you have completed the necessary amount of material to recieve credit for the course. If you have, then ACE will approve the credit and you will be able to send an ACE transcript to any college that grants credit for ACE credit-recommended courses.

Also, you would be able to take FEMA Independent Study courses/tests. Your institution may or may not accept them, but if they are accepted, they are a great way to fill up your Free Electives easily, very quickly, and for free!

[IrishJohn]

I second what's been posted here thus far, but would add some others for you to consider depending upon your degree plan:

1. Saylor.org: 3 NCCRS-approved courses that will cost up to $25 each, which TESC will accept as transfer.

2. CollegePlus: A couple of courses that could fill some social science credits.

3. The Rechtschaffen Institute of Judaic Studies: NCCRS-approved UL courses in philosophy, ethics, political science and religion if you need any of these for your degree plan.

4. FEMA: Free online courses that will fill free electives on your degree plan, depending upon what you are going for, at all the "Big 3" (COSC, EC, TESC).

5. Check out the Sources of Credit page at Degree Forum Wiki for more ideas. Also look at other pages there for help on forming a degree plan among other things.

Btw, here's a link the ACE National Guide if you need it to check on Penn Foster courses or others.

[IrishJohn]

One more thing, make sure you get a copy of your military transcript because you will receive credit for basic training and some of the schools you've attended while in the service. I don't know which branch you are in so here are links for all of them:

Navy/Marine Corps: https://smart.navy.mil/smart/welcome.do

Air Force: USAF Air University: Community College of the Air Force

Army (you know, the guys that get crushed at football every year 11 times in a row thus far! ;-) : Army/American Council on Education Registry Transcript System (AARTS) Home Page

Coast Guard: Request an official Transcript

[Southern young gun]

Thank you all for your help. The closest CLEP/Dantes test sites are over 400 miles away in another country so thats definately out of the question. I am going to look into all of these options that are listed above and thanks again for your help.

[Southern young gun]

IrishJohn, I have already sent my SMART transcript into Thomas Edison so they can evaluate my creidts and tell me what I need. I think I am going to try for a degree in Business Administration/ Operations Management.

[Southern young gun]

I will be back in the sates in June and plan on knocking out alot more classes through CLEP. How much studying is needed on average to pass a CLEP test? I have heard some people say only 6-8 hours studying the study guides on this site will make you pass. Is this true?

[Westerner]

I will be back in the sates in June and plan on knocking out alot more classes through CLEP. How much studying is needed on average to pass a CLEP test? I have heard some people say only 6-8 hours studying the study guides on this site will make you pass. Is this true?

Here's a thread on "Exams Passed With 60 or More, Just Using IC."

[Lady Grace of Pemberley]

I will be back in the sates in June and plan on knocking out alot more classes through CLEP. How much studying is needed on average to pass a CLEP test? I have heard some people say only 6-8 hours studying the study guides on this site will make you pass. Is this true?

It varies drastically based on the student, the test, and your prior knowledge of the information presented in the test. Generally, the easiest CLEPs/DSSTs for the average student are the Introductory Psychology CLEP, the Introductory Sociology CLEP, the Technical Writing DSST, and the Analyzing and Interpreting Literature CLEP. For these tests, you many only need to drill the InstantCert flashcards and go over the study guides in the Specific Feedback section (and thus maybe only 6-8 hours worth of studying). However, it's going to be different for each person, unfortunately. As you take more and more tests, you will be able to get a much better feel for which study methods work best for you and how long you should study for each exam.