Order of classes help

[80's girl]

Hi, I'm new to the site, but have been looking through your forums for about 2months, and great advice you have here.

Looking for your opinion's on the order I should take the following classes from your experience.

Straighterline

• Intro Sociology
  
• Intro Business
  
• Macroeconomics
  

CLEP

• Princ of Marketing
  
• Princ of Management
  

DSST

• Organizational Behavior
  
• Princ of Supervision
  

I have ordered all the books and they have arrived, so I am ready to begin my journey. BTW I already have 30 credit/hrs

[burbuja0512]

Hi and welcome! I have a few comments based solely on my experiences with these same courses - others may have a different opinion.

First of all, I do really like Straighterline, but I would recommend attempting a test first before taking any of these classes. They say that Sociology is one of the easier tests, so why take a course if you can study a bit and test out? I did have to take the SL macro because I failed the CLEP and it was a LOT of work. Some SL classes only have 6 exams, but Macro has 19 if I remember correctly. Yes, 19 tests that even if you already know all of the answers and don't have to study at all (unlikely) you will still have to sit through each one of these. I would try to test out first. If you fail, then go do the SL macro.

Regarding order of exams, I would say pick the one that interests you most first. Perhaps Sociology is a start because it's supposed to be easier.

For the business ones, I would take Macro last because it is the most difficult. With pretty much everything else, it's just a matter of memorizing. All of the business tests are pretty easy, though can be boring. Principles of Supervision/Management and Org. Behavior all have significant overlap. Supervision is management at the lower level. Management is more of a strategic level, but many concepts are similar.

I guess if I had to define an order, it would be the following:

1) Intro to Business (test, not SL)
2) Principles of Marketing
3) Principles of Supervision
4) Principles of Management
5) Org. Behavior
6) Macroecon

Sociology - whenever you want to take it.. maybe before you take the whole group of biz tests. Also, you'll have to study a lot for your first biz test if the concepts and language is new to you, but you will need less study for each progressive test due to the overlap. Macroecon will have a lot of new ideas, but you'll need a good understanding of biz terms and ideas in order to make it easier. Definitely save it for last.

HTH

[tausend]

Take sociology as a CLEP test rather than a course. It is a good first exam and taking it as a CLEP gives you more options to transfer that credit. Go through a cheap older edition of a textbook or what is available at your local library and you will be in good shape for the test.

I have taken introductory management classes and much of that information is also found on the Principles of Marketing CLEP. I would take Principles of Marketing after you have taken intro to business and the management and supervision tests. There's a little bit of economics covered in Principles of Marketing but it is mainly on price elasticities.

Taking the subjects as tests whenever possible, my list would be:

1) Sociology
2) Introduction to Business
3) Principles of Supervision
4) Principles of Management
5) Principles of Marketing
6) Organizational Behavior
7) Macroeconomics

[semmy916]

I have not taken macro, but i have taken and passed all the other CLEPs. Supervision was by far the easiest one for me. I only used the petersons practice tests for them.

i would do

supervision
management
organization behavior
sociology
business
marketing
macro

[dcan]

I'm studying marketing and management right now. I work in the government sector so a lot of the business concepts are not completely intuitive to me. I found that studying marketing first gave me the "big picture" that laid out the framework in which management decisions (such as organizational structure design) are made. There is a fair bit of overlap between the two, and the management one seems to me to build on the marketing knowledge.

[columbia]

Sociology CLEP! (It will help to do this one before management and it is a easy exam. No need for a course; IC is more than enough to pass.)
Principles of Supervision, Principles of Management (which ever one you want to do first is fine, just take them consecutively.)
Organizational Behavior
Principles of Marketing (I recommend IC only for this as well.)
Intro to Business DSST! (Due to the wide scope of this exam it is better to take it after you go through the other business exams. I would try a exam before a class)
Macroeconomics

I hope this helps.

[dcan]

I agree on the Sociology CLEP. Though I haven't taken it I'm roughly familiar with the basic ideas, and there seems to be a lot of that (and a group and motivational psychology as well) in the management and probably organizational behavior tests. Or rather, understanding it will probably aid your intuition when guessing on some scenarios.