Spanish CLEP prep question

[davidkoelle]

Hello all,

I'm currently prepping to take the Spanish CLEP (scheduled for 4 weeks from now). I've got the REA book, Schaum's Outline of Spanish Grammar, and am also working my way through the Pimsleur audio lessons. I've heard the REA book is a good resource, though trying to work through it is difficult because it's laid out rather poorly. I also pulled the REA vocab list and made flashcards (about 500!) which I've been hammering away at as well. I'm doing well with the audio lessons and the vocab; I think the hardest part for me will be gaining deeper knowledge as far as grammar, conjugations, etc. is concerned.

The only background I have is a couple years of Spanish back in high school (in the late 90's!). My required 12 foreign language credits are all that's left for me to get my bachelor's degree, so I'm really hoping that I can at least get a passing score (8 credits at my school) and then take Spanish 3 and be done in a semester. I'm trying to be realistic in figuring that my chances of getting a 63+ and earning all 12 credits are probably slim to none.

I've viewed a lot of feedback about the Spanish CLEP and it seems to vary widely (i.e., from "the exam was surprisingly easy" to "the exam was way more difficult than I expected). Since my academic future sort of depends on this, I'm trying to go into it as prepared as possible. One positive on my side is that I've passed a lot of CLEP exams (~12) so I'm familiar with the general format, and also seem to have a knack for doing well on this style of exam.

I'd appreciate any/all feedback from those of you who've taken the test, and also if you have any specific feedback as far as learning grammar and such is concerned. Thanks!

[Publius]

Have you considered Spanish Hour? I personally have never taken this test, and know extremely little Spanish, but I've heard that the Spanish Hour is supposed to be a good preparation for this test. It's created by the same folks who made IC. It's supposed to be a 50 day program, I think, but it may be worth a shot. Sorry I can't help much, but I thought I'd throw that out there.

How To Learn Spanish > Online Spanish Lessons > Courses – SpanishHour

[BGSU_Alum_86]

Here are some online resources I have heard about. I cannot vouch for them, but you are certainly welcome to check them out...
StudySpanish.com (Learn Spanish)
Trent University: Spanish Language Exercises (Más arriba: Spanish Language Exercises)
Destinos, video series (Destinos: Home Page)
Foreign Service Institute’s Language Courses: Spanish (FSI Language Courses - Spanish)

[dmateosg]

I am fluent in Spanish, and I took the Clep and passed with a 79. It is somewhat hard for me to gauge the difficulty of the exam, but I do know that the audio was not very clear. That presented the biggest challenge to me on the exam.
Make sure and takes GOOD notes in whichever language you feel more comfortable on the long audio passages. You may be able to scribble part of a word in English faster and with less thought than in Spanish, and that is ok.
Echoing someone else's post, the FSI Spanish course is a great resource! And free!


David

[CLEP_enthusiast]

If I were you I'd listen to minimum an hour of Spanish a day, every day until your test.

Reflecting on what dmatesog said, the German CLEP also has scratchy audio. I think it's the downfall of the language test's and ironically the hardest part of the test, people have said. I'd look into a plan B at your school, sometimes you can test out of language classes. A foreighn language departmental exam would be far easier than the CLEP, it will probably give you a longer time line and you'll have the benefit of listening to the instructor dictate the final exam or at least have better audio available. Seek out a Plan B, it will be very disappointing if you don't hit your goal.

[Prloko]

I am a third generation hispanic and have a good working knowledge of Spanish (about enough to bribe a Spaniard policeman . I took this exam with no preparation and it made my head hurt. The entire exam is in spanish including the instructions. The most difficult part for me was the listening part. I did pass but with only a 57 and not enough to get full credit as I was hoping. The exam has a very high pass rate, but that is probably because its dominated by native speakers (in my opinion at least). Whatever strategy you use, you will need to fully immerse yourself if you want to go for the full 12 credits.

[bluebooger]

bbc in spanish

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