Please Help, I'm a Little Nervous About Testing

[Chessman]

Hi,

I will be attemping to test out of classes for the first time and I am a little confused and skeptical about a few things here at Instant Cert. So here is my list of questions I would greatly like answered, thanks....

1) Is IC really all the hype it claims to be? Do I really not need a Book??

2) I need to take serval tests and like to know if the clep tests were very hard in these subjects or should I take them in class:

• Micro Enconomics I & II,
  
• Accounting I,
  
• College Algebra,
  
• Business Law, and
  
• Eng Comp w/writting
  

????????


3) How much studying time will I likely need to set aside for studying under IC to guarantee my chances of passing test?

[JanusthePhoenix]

It really all depends, so I'll just give you my opinionated answers.

1) Yes.
2) I just passed Macro today with one week of studying IC. You're better off with a book (Barron's) for Business Law. I can't speak for Accounting. I took College Algebra cold (that is, no study) and passed by the skin of my teeth. I can't speak for English Comp either, but I don't think any kind of cramming will prepare you for it if you are very poor with English. I'd say just take it and see what happens if you can spare the $$.
3) I generally don't study IC for more than a week before taking a test, sometimes less, but it all depends on which test. With an IC subscription comes access to the specific feedback forum: a gold mine of information on just about every exam-credit test there is. Well worth it. If you're serious about credit by examination, there's no substitute.

Man, IC should really pay us for this.

[bawhitsett]

It's going to vary by person. I personally passed Business Law strictly by studying IC. Have no experience with any of the others. I also took Humanities, Freshmen English w/Comp, Marketing, Management, Info Sys and Computer Apps, as well as Dantes MIS, Org Behavior, and Ethics in America, and passed all only with IC.

[Ruddigore]

1) Yes on IC. Maybe on the book. Depends on the subject and your prior exposure to it.

2) Of the tests you listed, I have taken two. I think that ALL of the tests you listed you should do as CLEPs. They're available, right? You should save class money for subjects in which you have great interest, or which are only available as classes.

College Algebra was my most difficult test, but not once I knew my materials. Taking the test once I was ready was actually kind of fun. I recommend the CLEP Professor program, which contains about everything you need to pass.

English Composition with Essay has an IC section devoted to it (unlike College Algebra). Just make sure you can score well on the multiple choice portion and write politically correctly on the essay portion (that hurt me quite a bit, I think).

3) Study time varies. I did American Government in a week. I gave myself a month for Humanities. As I said before, it depends on your prior exposure to the subject -- and how far above 50 you want to score.

[studyhard]

I'm kind of a paranoid person when it comes to testing and I prefer to over-prepare. So I didn't use IC exclusively for any test. However, I did rely on it as one of my main resources and I can absolutely, wholeheartedly highly recommend it. I am positive I would have flunked or scored miserably on a bunch of tests without it. You just can't beat repetition for retaining information. You can read six books on something but if you can't recall the exact specific information you need, you're not going to score well.

I used IC for about 25 tests, I think. It's great. I never scored lower than a 60. It is absolutely worth the $20 a month fee.

[cookderosa]

Hi,

I will be attemping to test out of classes for the first time and I am a little confused and skeptical about a few things here at Instant Cert. So here is my list of questions I would greatly like answered, thanks....

1) Is IC really all the hype it claims to be? Read the IC works survey in my siggy line. Do I really not need a Book?? You might not, but I always did. I used multiple sources before taking a test out exam.

2) I need to take serval tests and like to know if the clep tests were very hard in these subjects or should I take them in class:

• Micro Enconomics I & II,
  
• Accounting I,
  
• College Algebra,
  
• Business Law, and
  
• Eng Comp w/writting
  

????????


3) How much studying time will I likely need to set aside for studying under IC to guarantee my chances of passing test?

I always had about 2 weeks of good study, and by good I mean a few hours per day. I logged anywhere from 10-30 hours for any exam. Just make sure your college accepts the exams you are looking at taking first. Good luck to you!

[rwhitmarsh]

I'm currently studying for business law I and II...for my other tests all I have done is IC flashcards + peterson's test but for this test I've gone a little farther and ordered the REA handbooks on the subject..which teaches basic vocabulary and foundations of subjects and I have found already to be very helpful...with all of these study venues I don't see myself or anyone else having a problem passing any basic upper level CLEP or DSST

[perrik]

Can you pass using only InstantCert? Probably. I took 9 DSSTs for which IC has flashcards, and feel that I could have made a passing score on each of them using only IC for study.

However, you will feel much more confident taking the exam if you are well prepared! In my opinion the most valuable part of IC membership is the Specific Exam Feedback section of the forum. For each exam, there is a thread where members have posted what topics were covered and to what extent, and what study materials they found the most helpful.

Your study methods depend heavily on your prior knowledge of the subject. I studied intensively for subjects which I didn't know well beforehand, and merely reviewed the materials for subjects I knew reasonably well.

Start by studying for one of your proposed exams - as you go along, you'll figure out what methods and materials are working best. A lot of people have had great success using IC as a study aid (and in some cases as the sole study aid), but others have found it doesn't work for them. The important thing is for you to try different options and find what does work!