How to study for tests

[Jody7818]

What's the secret to some of you guys passing a clep/dsst test after studying for less than a week? I seem to be studying at a very slow rate of speed.

[AkaiOkami]

That depends. Some members can skim trough a textbook right before they take the test because they absorb information like a sponge. Some members already have prior knowledge of the subject which cuts down required amount of study time. Some use a strategy. They place the tests in specific order so that information will over lap which, cuts down time. Let us not forget that some tests, such as analyzing and interpreting literature, are by default easy thus, very little studying is involved. Other tests, such as chemistry(the one with the lowest pass rate last time I checked), are the devil. You really just have to go with what works best for you.

[cstock]

I remember when I first joined and saw how many tests people had took and the time frame and wonder the same thing. For me I use Instantcert questions as my main study material. I also always look at the commentary from other test takers so I have an idea what to be on look for and there is usually a study guide to download as well. I found free-clep-prep.com kinda late but boy due they have good info. They have an overlap list that is great. Also, they have study guides you can buy that so far i have loved and practice tests. I have stretches where I can knock out a few in a month then other times it takes a month or two. Find a comfortable process and stick to it. Good luck!!!!!

[KittenMittens]

What's the secret to some of you guys passing a clep/dsst test after studying for less than a week? I seem to be studying at a very slow rate of speed.

Don't overanalyze. Read the feedback forum to see what people recommend. Just casually read the flash cards - focus on understanding not memorizing. If you treat it like a story, and try to be interested, it'll go by more easily. I typically passed CLEPS and DSSTs with minimal prep, and I'm almost 56, so if I can do it, so can you. Also, do the practice tests to get a feel of how they test - they're cheap and definitely worth it.

If you're studying at a slow rate could be lack of interest, not being engaged in the material, or maybe trouble reading? You have to figure that out as to what's causing you problems, but to read through a CLEP flash card stack if somewhat focused should take you no more than a few hours imo.

[ShotoJuku]

Check out the link in my signature below and YOU WILL PASS!!

[jmeitrem]

My strategy was to make my own study guide based on everything that was mentioned in the Specific Exam Feedback for the test. I would also check Free Clep Prep to get a feel for the test, print out whatever flashcards I could find on Quizlet.com or Cram.com, and cram in the days leading up to the test. I was able to knock out 30 tests in 6 months this way. If your goal is to really learn and retain the material, this is not the best course of action. I did learn a lot, but I know I could have learned a lot more if I had taken my time and studied more than just the bare minimum.

It's worth noting that this won't work with some of the newly refreshed DSSTs that have earned a nasty reputation lately (i.e. Astronomy, Physical Science, Law Enforcement, Human Cultural Geography). Those tests are going to require much more work, or more time to accumulate recent feedback from other testers.

[Leherself]

Some of it is pure test-taking skill - since *most* CBEs are multiple choice, this helps a lot. I've always been a strong test taker - 99th %tile on standardized tests all the way through school until I stopped going, 99th %tile GED, 97 ASVAB, etc. I think a lot of the people on this forum who have lots of CBE to their name are also strong test takers.

Then as far as speedy studying goes, the key is really to *target* your efforts specifically to the sorts of material seen on the exam. Honestly, I think some of the easiest exams to pass at this point are the Excelsior College exams with practice tests. Between the practice test answer guides and google, it's pretty easy to accumulate enough knowledge about the specific things that the test will ask about (I've lately been getting As with this method).

Other exams with good current feedback in the forums are good for this too - plenty of people have put together study guides. Also check out free-clep-prep - I've even paid for some of their prep sheets. More valuable than a textbook in my opinion.

But keep in mind that for me this is mostly talking about social sciences and humanities exams - subjects that I have a lot of both academic and real world experience and interest in. Probably a good half the time I'm answering questions based on knowledge I've gained from places *other* than study guides, for what that's worth. Sticking to material you're already at least partially familiar is a pretty big part of passing tests quickly - if I tried these same techniques for Calculus (never done Math past Algebra), or Chemistry (didn't even take it in high school), then I'd be totally sunk. Taking tests in a certain order can help with this too, but I've been less consistent about using that strategy.

So in short, play to your strengths and have a plan.

And, for what it's worth... I'm military, so I'm not paying for DSST or CLEP out of pocket. This takes a lot of pressure off, since if I fail there's not really much consequence other than I'll have to find a different test to fill whatever requirement I was trying to fill with that test. I'm not out money though. Granted, I haven't failed anything *yet* (knock wood), but if I did it wouldn't be a big deal to me. And since they're free, I've also started taking tests that I don't really need, just to see if I can pass them. Probably if people are paying out of pocket, they're going to only take the specific exams they actually need, and they're not going to want to take them more than once, so they'll probably have a more strenuous study approach than I do.

[cookderosa]

I'm not a strong test taker, never have been. (the opposite of Leherself!) I like to do a little learning before test prepping, it helps me a great deal. For instance, I would be over my head just using the flashcards or cliffsnotes or REA guides, etc. I almost always grab a cheap or free textbook (these are easy to find online, but I like paper) and coordinate it against the exam content outline. I focus on the biggest content areas, and work hard on those. I also almost always incorporate some kind of videos - either a documentary on Netflix, Annenberg Media, Khan Academy or even Youtube. At that point, I can usually tell if I'm getting it or it might be too hard (math and sciences were too hard for me to do, I ended up taking classes instead of testing). At that point, I start to test prep using IC flashcards and some kind of exam prep book like REA or Sparksnotes. Then, unless I felt really confident, I'd use practice tests to assess. REA book has some in the back, but I also use Petersons and the Official Guide. If Free Clep Prep site has one, I use it too. Then I'm ready to go! I tested out of all my gen eds & electives this way in about 6 months.