Over-studying?

[swthing64]

I first used Instacert when studying for the Business Law CLEP last fall. I also used the Barron's Law book to study for this exam. I probably spent about 3-4 weeks of studying and passed it with a score of 53. That was my first CLEP exam.

I am now preparing for my second CLEP - Microeconomics. I will take the exam a week from Friday. I have been studying for a few weeks now from a college Microeconomics textbook. I've been taking notes like crazy according to what's required on the CLEP study guide for this subject. I have also started the Instacert studying this week.

I understand the CLEP exams are a pass/fail which a minimum score needed of 50 to pass. The problem I think I am having is that I am over-studying. I also felt that way when I was studying for Business Law but 'only' passed with a 53. I'm a bit nervous going into the Micro CLEP exam. It seems like I have this mindset as I'm studying that I 'need' to know ALL the answers and I am pretty hard on myself to really cram this material into my head. I suppose the goal is to study EVERYTHING related to the topic, and shown on the CLEP study guides, but I've noticed some people study for much shorter periods and get pretty decent scores (compared to my 53 in Business Law after studying, what I thought, was my tail off).

Any suggestions on how to make it easier? Or...how to not feel like I 'need' to get 100% of the questions correct? I really studied my heart out for Business Law and passed but would like to strive to get a higher number on the Micro exam. Any suggestions from those who have been through a few CLEPs? What made it easy? What made it hard in terms of studying the material?

[snazzlefrag]

I first used Instacert when studying for the Business Law CLEP last fall. I also used the Barron's Law book to study for this exam. I probably spent about 3-4 weeks of studying and passed it with a score of 53. That was my first CLEP exam.

I am now preparing for my second CLEP - Microeconomics. I will take the exam a week from Friday. I have been studying for a few weeks now from a college Microeconomics textbook. I've been taking notes like crazy according to what's required on the CLEP study guide for this subject. I have also started the Instacert studying this week.

I understand the CLEP exams are a pass/fail which a minimum score needed of 50 to pass. The problem I think I am having is that I am over-studying. I also felt that way when I was studying for Business Law but 'only' passed with a 53. I'm a bit nervous going into the Micro CLEP exam. It seems like I have this mindset as I'm studying that I 'need' to know ALL the answers and I am pretty hard on myself to really cram this material into my head. I suppose the goal is to study EVERYTHING related to the topic, and shown on the CLEP study guides, but I've noticed some people study for much shorter periods and get pretty decent scores (compared to my 53 in Business Law after studying, what I thought, was my tail off).

Any suggestions on how to make it easier? Or...how to not feel like I 'need' to get 100% of the questions correct? I really studied my heart out for Business Law and passed but would like to strive to get a higher number on the Micro exam. Any suggestions from those who have been through a few CLEPs? What made it easy? What made it hard in terms of studying the material?

Aaaw! Don't feel badly swthing,

The important thing is that YOU study as much as YOU need to, to pass these exams. There is no prize for the person who can pass an exam with the shortest amount of study. Different people need to approach these exams differently, depending on their own learning style. That's all.

Some exams are easier than others. If you read this message board, you will start to get a feel for which exams are 'generally' considered 'easier' and which exams are 'generally' considered 'harder'. You can then adjust your depth of study accordingly. You will also be able to pick up helpful hints about which study resources are best for each exam, and find tips about what areas to focus on in your studies. This will help you focus your studies more efficiently.

College textbooks often cover far too much material, and go into too much detail, or go off on wild and unnecessary tangents. This may be one reason why you are feeling a little overwhelmed with how much info you have to learn. Certain inexpensive study guides (and Instantcert) are designed to provide you with enough information to pass these exam, without wasting your time on extemporaneous information that you won't need. As I said, this message board is a great source of information about which study materials work best for each exam.

Generally speaking, you only need to answer about half of the questions correctly, on any given exam, to pass. That means that you could technically get every second question wrong, and still pass (as a rough guide). So you definitely don't want to freak yourself out by struggling to memorize a 600 page textbook word for word. Okay?

Also, after you have taken a few of these exams, you will get a bit of a rhythm going with your studies. Experience will teach you how best to organize your time, what type of information you are likely to find on any given exam, how deep the questions are likely to go, etc.

You PASSED your first exam! So you are obviously doing something right! If studying for three weeks is what you need to do, then you just go right ahead and study for three weeks. You need to do whatever works for YOU!..and don't worry about anyone else. We're all different!

As you take each exam, try to make a mental note of how much of the information you studied is actually on the exam. Also, make a note of how much information is covered on the exam that you didn't cover in your studies. This will help you narrow down your study process so that you don't waste time going too deeply into one topic whilst not going deeply enough into another.

Over time, it will fall into place for you, and you will find your "happy place" between too much study and not enough.

Study hard! Do well!
Snazzlefrag
(We're all your classmates now! Just let us know if you need anything)

[swthing64]

Wow, thank you very much for the insight!! I was very pleased to pass the Business Law CLEP but felt I could have scored higher based on the amount of studying I did. But, I'll take the 'pass' and understand that I may need a bit more studying than some other people. With the Business Law exam, I found Instacert to be helpful but there were some topics on IC that weren't on the CLEP exam. In IC there were over 400 questions on the Business Law portion alone so it was a bit overwhelming. With Microeconomics, there are 'only' slightly over 200 so I'm a bit more at ease with this one but am supplementing IC with a textbook and yes it does cover a LOT of material. I am picking and choosing based on the CLEP handout for that particular exam.

I REALLY appreciate your kind words of support. I was SO nervous when I took the first CLEP exam!! My heart was racing when I was done and finally got to the screen where it shows the score. I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief that I passed. I guess if I can pass the B.L. one, I can pass the micro one. Here's hoping anyway. :p

Again, thanks a million!!

[yutzyj]

Any suggestions on how to make it easier? Or...how to not feel like I 'need' to get 100% of the questions correct? I really studied my heart out for Business Law and passed but would like to strive to get a higher number on the Micro exam. Any suggestions from those who have been through a few CLEPs? What made it easy? What made it hard in terms of studying the material?

Hi Swthing64-
i haven't taken very many clep tests yet, since i am just starting on this journey, but one of the few tests i have taken is microeconomics. my husband and i only studied the instantcert flashcards and googled a few things we didn't understand and we both passed (69 and 68). we did take macroeconomics first and that helped us understand some things a little quicker. if you know and understand the instantcert flashcards, you will pass. i want to add that depending on where you are enrolled, some clep tests are for a grade. at excelsior, this test is for a grade, not just pass/fail. good luck with your test a week from friday and let us know how you do.

[swthing64]

Thanks for the reply. I noticed your comments in another thread - mainly about taking macro prior to micro. I am scheduled for the macro exam in June but figured I'd start with the micro first. So far, it's going okay but I am finding myself googling some topics that the book it really dry in. I have also studied the first three segments of I.C. so far and am doing fairly well. I've taken notes from I.C. just to refer to something when I'm not on the computer.

My university does the pass/fail thing which I personally like. I will let you know how I do after the exam - thanks again!

[yutzyj]

I was SO nervous when I took the first CLEP exam!! My heart was racing when I was done and finally got to the screen where it shows the score. I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief that I passed. I guess if I can pass the B.L. one, I can pass the micro one. Here's hoping anyway. :p

Again, thanks a million!!

i do have to add that it's such a rush when you hit that button and find out you passed!! then i go home and open a bottle of wine.

keep positive thoughts, you WILL pass micro. believe me, if i can do it, so can you!

[swthing64]

Oh, believe me, I'll have some sort of 'liquid' celebration when I get home!! I remember walking in for the Business Law exam with a rash all over my neck and chest from nerves. It's nerve racking but it's worth it in the long run. I am saving tuition money and time. My company only pays for a portion of my education so the rest is up to me, thus the reason for taking these CLEP exams. I am scheduled for the Marketing exam in September and believe that one should be my easiest one.

[yutzyj]

Oh, believe me, I'll have some sort of 'liquid' celebration when I get home!! I remember walking in for the Business Law exam with a rash all over my neck and chest from nerves. It's nerve racking but it's worth it in the long run. I am saving tuition money and time. My company only pays for a portion of my education so the rest is up to me, thus the reason for taking these CLEP exams. I am scheduled for the Marketing exam in September and believe that one should be my easiest one.

i'm with you on the rash thing! i hate when that happens. how far are you into getting your degree and what are you getting it in? i hope you are farther than me. it's moving quickly for me because i'm lucky to be doing this with my husband. thank god he's such a slave driver or i would be dead before i'm done. as i like to say, i'm old and i'm not getting any younger. hilarious oh yeah, and this month i turn ANOTHER year older!

[swthing64]

I am almost halfway towards my Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration. Yes, I'm not getting any younger either but it's always been my personal goal to have a degree and I am in the right place in my life to concentrate on studies and get it done.

Happy Birthday to you this month btw!!

[Sammy]

I generally recommend instantcert to give a good accurate outline of the exams. So study instantcert well. I always recommend at least one additional study source. For clep, I recommend the CollegeBoard CLEP official Studya guide. Take the practice exam to evaluate where you are in your study process. For DSST, I recommend the fact sheets from thier web site which usually has a 10 question practice. Then I also highly recommend the Petersons practice exams.
http://www.guidancenet.com/guidancenet/t...9&tab=clep
http://www.petersons.com/airforce/clepce...?sponsor=8
http://www.petersons.com/airforce/clepce...?sponsor=8
http://www.petersons.com/airforce/pdfsec...&sponsor=8
Like I say, I always recommended one extra source besides instantcert but obviously it is not required unless you want to kick someones butt like I did with Snazzlefrag in statistics...but then again he kicked my tail in Socialogy with less study time and materials. So there is no absolute right answer. BTW, you usually end up with about the same exam results as you do with the practice exams.