PRIORITIZING STUDY TIME: Natural Sciences CLEP

[KingdomUnshaken12:28]

Hello everybody,
I will be taking the Natural Sciences CLEP in one week, which is a little sooner than I was anticipating, and am looking to hear how you would prioritize the study topics (besides the fact that biology is half of the test ). I have read through all of the advice in the specific exam feedback section and am planning to base my studying on the Free-Clep-Prep resources, but wanted to see what recommendations you would have besides just working down the page reading every link.

Edit: I have not taken the Biology CLEP yet, because biology isn't my strongest science area - I am better in physics/astronomy/geology - and liked the idea of balancing it out with a mix of sciences.

[EI2HCB]

KINGDOM! if you put together a study plan for this one would you mind sharing it. I'm a bit of a KEN Hammer fan and have been wondering if what is the best way to approach natural science from. As a teenager I was told I wasn't smart enough for science so I've never taken a science class since sixth grade. I guess I have a lot to learn but would appreciate your input. I have the CLEP on my upcoming plan for the future as I can't see myself taking it as a class and enjoying it.
Also make sure you submit your natural science CLEP to your college and then seek written approval of CLEP Biology some colleges are only taking nat science CLEP and seeing the CLEP bio as a duplicate.

[Getiton1]

Hi Kingdom

I did not take this exam, but here's my thoughts on your taking it. If you have a decent base in Biology as well as Chemistry, sure... take this exam. If you have doubts, take the Biology CLEP instead. I think BIO is supposed to be easier than Natural Science since Natural Science uses Chemistry. But if that's your thing (and you seem to like right brained numerical stuff)....go for it. I used "Crash Course" videos on You Tube which are wicked fast no matter which exam you decide to take. I think I have a post on here with my infamous "Tara's Tips" Listed out step by step. It's posted somewhere...maybe under Bio CLEP or exams passed, but it should help a bit with your exam. Off the top of my head I would say do these things:

1. Take the Official CLEP Study Guide. If you are passing with a 50% or better take the test. If not, you'll need to really study for this one. The BIO's and Natural Science cover a LOT of material.
2. Do the Instant Cert Questions and see which categories you need work on.
3. When you know your weak areas, watch videos from the Educational Portal if you need to go slow.... and "Crash Course " on You Tube if you prefer to go fast. I thought the Crash Course videos were so funny, but very fast! They tell you about each important person in the history of BIO, show you all the stuff from Biology in action (nucleous, Rough and smooth ER, Golgi bodies, etc.) so it's interesting, but fast (it's a crash course, so it's supposed to be fast). DARWIN was ALL OVER my exam for BIO, I think it will be for Earth Science too.
4. Go back over your Instant Cert Questions. NOTE: If you run out of time this week, don't fret, just keep doing Instant Cert. questions or move onto Free CLEP prep and answer those questions/read their study tips (it sounds like you are already doing this...so good for you!). There are a LOT Of Instant Cert Questions, so give yourself time. Worse comes to worse you can reschedule right? OR take BIO CLEP.
5. Free Clep Prep was awesome...especially if you run out of time with Instant Cert questions. I see you are already using it, so, you should be well prepped if you are done using these resources.
6. Pray, Pass the test and...
7. Post to let us know how you did.

Other thoughts... you have a really good track record with good scores. Trust yourself to know where you stand.

I believe in you
-T

Hello everybody,
I will be taking the Natural Sciences CLEP in one week, which is a little sooner than I was anticipating, and am looking to hear how you would prioritize the study topics (besides the fact that biology is half of the test ). I have read through all of the advice in the specific exam feedback section and am planning to base my studying on the Free-Clep-Prep resources, but wanted to see what recommendations you would have besides just working down the page reading every link.

Edit: I have not taken the Biology CLEP yet, because biology isn't my strongest science area - I am better in physics/astronomy/geology - and liked the idea of balancing it out with a mix of sciences.

[KingdomUnshaken12:28]

Hi Kingdom

I did not take this exam, but here's my thoughts on your taking it. If you have a decent base in Biology as well as Chemistry, sure... take this exam. If you have doubts, take the Biology CLEP instead. I think BIO is supposed to be easier than Natural Science since Natural Science uses Chemistry. But if that's your thing (and you seem to like right brained numerical stuff)....go for it. I used "Crash Course" videos on You Tube which are wicked fast no matter which exam you decide to take. I think I have a post on here with my infamous "Tara's Tips" Listed out step by step. It's posted somewhere...maybe under Bio CLEP or exams passed, but it should help a bit with your exam. Off the top of my head I would say do these things:

1. Take the Official CLEP Study Guide. If you are passing with a 50% or better take the test. If not, you'll need to really study for this one. The BIO's and Natural Science cover a LOT of material.

I'm getting around 40%, so I have a ways to go.

2. Do the Instant Cert Questions and see which categories you need work on.
3. When you know your weak areas, watch videos from the Educational Portal if you need to go slow.... and "Crash Course " on You Tube if you prefer to go fast. I thought the Crash Course videos were so funny, but very fast! They tell you about each important person in the history of BIO, show you all the stuff from Biology in action (nucleous, Rough and smooth ER, Golgi bodies, etc.) so it's interesting, but fast (it's a crash course, so it's supposed to be fast). DARWIN was ALL OVER my exam for BIO, I think it will be for Earth Science too.

Given the current time limit, a crash course sounds about right. Sounds like they make the information pretty memorable, too, which is always good since I don't want to forget everything right after the test.

4. Go back over your Instant Cert Questions. NOTE: If you run out of time this week, don't fret, just keep doing Instant Cert. questions or move onto Free CLEP prep and answer those questions/read their study tips (it sounds like you are already doing this...so good for you!). There are a LOT Of Instant Cert Questions, so give yourself time. Worse comes to worse you can reschedule right? OR take BIO CLEP.

Actually, CollegeBoard recommended 2-3 weeks to transfer to Charter Oak and the deadline to have it there is November 28/30 (not quite sure), so I don't really have time to reschedule, and in the graduation application you have to list any other courses that you will be transferring in between the application and graduation, and I said the Natural Science CLEP. I suppose I could try it a week later, but I'd really rather not cut it quite so close.

5. Free Clep Prep was awesome...especially if you run out of time with Instant Cert questions. I see you are already using it, so, you should be well prepped if you are done using these resources.

Yes, it is really good - just trying to prioritizing.

6. Pray

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Always need that reminder.

Pass the test and...
7. Post to let us know how you did.

Other thoughts... you have a really good track record with good scores. Trust yourself to know where you stand.

I believe in you
-T

Thank you so much, Tara. You are a blessing.

[KingdomUnshaken12:28]

KINGDOM! if you put together a study plan for this one would you mind sharing it. I'm a bit of a KEN Hammer fan and have been wondering if what is the best way to approach natural science from. As a teenager I was told I wasn't smart enough for science so I've never taken a science class since sixth grade. I guess I have a lot to learn but would appreciate your input. I have the CLEP on my upcoming plan for the future as I can't see myself taking it as a class and enjoying it.

I'm not planning on putting together a study guide at this point, but I will definitely share feedback after I have finished it.

Also make sure you submit your natural science CLEP to your college and then seek written approval of CLEP Biology some colleges are only taking nat science CLEP and seeing the CLEP bio as a duplicate.

I'm actually only taking the Natural Science one, so there hopefully won't be any transfer issues, but thanks for the head up!

[Imran520]

It is very good to giving time to study. Natural Sciences Clep is good subjects for study.

[Westerner]

Hey Kingdom! Here's my feedback from when I passed this test

CLEP Natural Sciences

For my Science requirements, I wanted to do Chemistry since I’d done well on the DIVE Chem course I did in high school, but after studying for a month and getting ok scores on REA and Peterson PTs...I took the OCSG and failed it. So...I decided to play it safe and went with Natural Sciences instead. I think it’s really a pretty easy test, because the online resources are really good, and you don’t have to know a LOT of any one subject—especially, depending on what science you might’ve studied before, you might not need to study too hard on something.

*I studied for about 2 weeks for Natural Sciences and took it in March 2012.

*The only book I used was the Comex book, which has a PT. It was a great overview!!

*Basically I had to learn a lot of Biology. See below for the KA videos that were most helpful. There’re also a lot of helpful links on here: Free Clep Prep’s Biology write up.

*Didn’t need anymore Chem study ;-) (BTW, Periodic Table of Videos is great for a non-boring Chem overview).

*Didn’t do much of Physics in high school but didn’t study it much at all (& that was fine!). There was very little Physics on the test. Rader's PHYSICS 4 KIDS.COM is great for this section.

*Astronomy was the most fun thing, but sadly I couldn’t spend too much time on it This site is good for that part: Sixty Symbols.

*There was more Earth Science on the test than I was expecting but most of it was pretty straightforward. The few Geology questions weren't bad either.

*SpeedyPrep is really good for this test

*Khan Academy!

I'd done a not-very-thorough Bio course a couple of years before taking this Clep. But the Bio is super important to know, because it's about 1/2 of the test, so I was kinda panicking. Thankfully, Khan Academy came to my rescue I didn't watch all of his Biology playlist, just the following ones:

—some of the Evolution videos to get familiar with what they say (as a side note, there was very little, if any, Evol. on the Clep)
—most of the “Cell Division" playlist (these were SUPER-helpful)
—first 4 of the “Heredity & Genes” section
—first 5 of “Tree of life”
—most of “Cellular Respiration”
—"ATP,” “Photosynthesis,” “Light Reactions 1,” and “Calvin Cycle”
—ones on the major systems & organs in the body (you don’t have to go deep into the Neurons stuff)
—first 2 of “Immunology” + “Inflammatory Response”

*The KA sections "Orbitals and Electrons," "Periodic table, trends, and bonding,” "Chemical reactions (stoichiometry),” and "States of matter“ cover most of the Chemistry on the test.

*On the Petersons tests I took, my scores stayed around 50% And I passed the real thing with 64. The most accurate and helpful PT is always the Official Clep SG's. Take that (usually near the end of your studying) to gauge your knowledge. Study it to pick up on topics that'll come up on the CLEP.

Enjoy learning about the world God created!!! :coolgleam:

[ShotoJuku]

[COLOR="Navy"]

[SIZE="3"]Study Time: How I Did It…[/SIZE]

Pre-Study-Prep: Obtain or set up whatever materials I will need to study (IC Flashcards, REA Books, Standard Deviants Videos, Pass-Your-Class Guides, and Petersons Practice Exams.

Week One: Begin to read books, review flashcards, watch videos. Call your test center and make an appointment in advance as they sometimes require a few weeks advance notice).

Week Two: Re-read books, review flashcards, watch videos Take 1-2 practice exams* (REA, Petersons).

Week Three: Continue to review all materials, take additional/final practice exams. You should be passing these with room to spare. Take real exam at end of the week and PASS. In addition, you should have at this point already acquired pre-study-prep materials for your next exam so as not to waste time.[/COLOR]


* It should be noted that there are many (like me) who feel that the practice exams may be a bit more difficult and as such if you are able to "pass" a practice exam (with room to spare) you should do well when you sit the actual exam.

[KingdomUnshaken12:28]

Hello everybody,

I just wanted to let you all know that I passed my Natural Sciences CLEP with a 60!!!!!!! Since I was really running short on time, my studying primarily consisted of reading and taking notes on Biology Essentials for Dummies, and I scored 68% on the official CLEP practice test a day or two before I took the test. Thank you so much for all of your advice and support - I really appreciated it!!

EDIT: I was taking notes on paper, since that helps me to remember more than typing, otherwise I would share them with you all. Unfortunately, I don't really have time to type up 15 pages of notes, but they were basically a summery of the book, which I would highly recommend as a valuable resource - the Essentials version contains just what you actually need for the test, and is short enough (165 pages) that you can read through the whole thing.

[ironheadjack]

Good job Kingdom!!!


Was the test harder or easier then you expected? I considered taking this test a few months ago, but I backed away because it seemed like an overload of information.