"Refreshed Dantes Tests"

[jadechow]

Hi All,
I was just wondering what the general feeling is about the "refreshed" Dantes tests. I know that no one will have taken the "old" and then the "new" version of the same test to completely compare things like difficulty, etc., but was just trying to get a feel for what this group thinks in general about them.

I am seriously considering trying Principals of Finance and was thinking that I should get off my butt and do it before the "refreshed" version hits the shelves (so to speak ) in August. I am deciding between that and studying for the GRE in Lit (offered in Oct and Nov). I anticipate that Finance will be a tough one for me so I don't think I could do both (although the GRE in Nov is not out of the question if I take Finance early enough).

Any opinions/suggestions/reality checks you'd like to share??

Thanks so much. I think this is the most amazing group of people that I have ever come in contact with (outside my cyber-friends in the Autism community).

Best,
Kelly

[nick94]

I don't know about difficulty but I'm glad I scheduled Principles of Supervision for this Thursday (July 2) because it refreshes on the third Thursday in July (July 16).

[bkbarden]

Well, I took the 'new' World Religions and Intro to Computing and the 'old' Rise and Fall of Soviet Union, Civil War and Reconstruction, Organizational Behavior, Principles of Supervision... and a couple others.

The 'new' ones I took were easier than, say, Rise and Fall of Soviet Union, but slightly harder than Organizational Behavior and Principles of Supervision.

Without having taken a new and an old version of one exam, I think it's hard to say. I think either way, it depends more on how familiar the topic is for you than what version of the test you take.

[perrik]

I am seriously considering trying Principals of Finance and was thinking that I should get off my butt and do it before the "refreshed" version hits the shelves (so to speak ) in August.

Are you enrolled at EC, or are planning to enroll there? If so, take the non-refreshed versions now while they're still available if you want letter grades.

[B Smith]

Take them while you can still get letter grades.

[jadechow]

Are you enrolled at EC, or are planning to enroll there? If so, take the non-refreshed versions now while they're still available if you want letter grades.

Hi Perrik!

I'm not enrolled at EC yet, but that is my master plan. That's why I am also seriously thinking about the Lit GRE (soooo jealous of your score, btw ).

I do love that EC gives letter grades for Dantes exams; however, to be honest, I'm not expecting to get that great a score on Finance cause it's not really my strength.

But, I do think I'll give Finance a try before they "refresh" it. Thanks for the help.

[categ]

Hi Perrik!

I'm not enrolled at EC yet, but that is my master plan. That's why I am also seriously thinking about the Lit GRE (soooo jealous of your score, btw ).

I do love that EC gives letter grades for Dantes exams; however, to be honest, I'm not expecting to get that great a score on Finance cause it's not really my strength.

But, I do think I'll give Finance a try before they "refresh" it. Thanks for the help.

I must be shadowing you. I have Business Law II then Principles of Finance on my summer agenda along with an UMUC online course. I am wondering if I should fast track it so I can take the soon to be old one. Do you think there is much overlap on Finance and Bus. Law II?

[jadechow]

I must be shadowing you. I have Business Law II then Principles of Finance on my summer agenda along with an UMUC online course. I am wondering if I should fast track it so I can take the soon to be old one. Do you think there is much overlap on Finance and Bus. Law II?

Hey there the only reason that I passed Astronomy!!! I just sent you a PM.

All my best,
Kelly

[stacyb99]

Can anyone share what you mean by getting a letter grade? I am knew to testing out of classes and only have HR Mgmt under my belt. I go to a traditional college and they do not even accept Dantes--so I have to transfer to a college that accept and than transfer to my school--- can anyone share a better solution?

[perrik]

Can anyone share what you mean by getting a letter grade? I am knew to testing out of classes and only have HR Mgmt under my belt. I go to a traditional college and they do not even accept Dantes--so I have to transfer to a college that accept and than transfer to my school--- can anyone share a better solution?

Excelsior College not only accepts Dantes exams, it grants graded credit for 27 of the 37 exams. Four of those exams are being refreshed (revised) and will probably drop to pass/fail status at Excelsior, but that would still leave 23 exams eligible for letter grades. The minimum passing score earns a C, a few points higher gets a B, and a few points above that (and higher) earns the A.

This is useful if you need graded credit in order to improve your chances at graduate school. As far as I know, Excelsior is the only regionally-accredited college which gives letter grades for Dantes exams.

Have you verified that your university will accept credit from a Dantes exam if it's listed on another university's transcript? Generally, the scores will not transfer on school transcripts, because different universities have different policies on accepting CLEP, Dantes, AP, etc.

If you can't accumulate credit by exam via Dantes, there are alternatives (albeit not as cheap). Some universities offer self-paced online courses in the traditional subjects, and Ohio University also offers a good selection of credit-by-exam courses - all of these would transfer in as credits on university transcripts, so your own college should accept them without any issues.