Specific Help with Social Sciences and History

[Getiton1]

See how well you do on the IC flashcards while you are waiting for your stuff to come in the mail, and use free clep prep. If BOTH those test say you are awesome at history (40% section) but need work on Economics (or whatever)…study the economics now while your mind is relaxed. Basically the idea is to figure out WHAT you are weak on and study that. I think you have all the tools in your toolbox…now it's time to know which tool and what skill to grab! I think you have a good shot at passing because you have a whole tool box of tools. Don't crowd your tool box otherwise its harder to find what you need. As you know which concepts to use (know what the test is asking for….and you only get better and better at this the more you test) the more likely you are to pass. You only need a 50 on the CLEP to will pass. Thats why this is a no brainer to try and do your best. I forget…how many questions are on this test again? It's in the CLEP link I sent you. Basically you know that a few questions are experimental. So that's a big weight off your shoulders. Then just think about the question they are asking and say to yourself…ahhhh this is the section in history I studied…they want me to know about the Monroe Doctrine (or whatever). Do you see what I am getting at? It's all about knowing which concept to grab from your brain. If you already know the history don't bother killing yourself memorizing dates. Another tip I have is make timeline Sort of like this:

Leif Erikson discovers what might have been america----Columbus hits north america----Settlers hoping to start a new life come to Virginia and sadly die of famine and disease---Settlers from England, Netherlands,Germany, etc. come back again to Plymouth Rock they came to escape religious persecution back in the mother country----then they meet the Indians (=Thanksgiving in the USA)----Quakers, Puritans and other largely Unitarian people move into Pennsylvania and start schools and Universities like mad----Try to remember the first 13 colonies (think about it logically NY, NJ, PA, RI, VA and MASS are sure to be in there use common sense to fill in the rest!) ----1st president George Washington is a General and he and a few key players basically come out and say, 'No way about your stamp and tea taxes England! You can't tax us over in England if you don't know what's going on here in America!' (I bet you figured out that's why Sam Adams helped launch throwing the English Tea in the Boston Harbor = Boston Tea Party)--- US goes back and forth with England a couple times, fight with England for independence, gain France as an ally largely because of Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin and so on and so on. If you block things out in your mind in a time line, it's easier to remember dates and people. Here's a shot at one of the timelines I used to study:

Rameune: April 2012

BUT, like I said, you probably know most of this stuff already since you recently passed US History II. I would focus on what you DON'T already know. Possibly the Economics part? Or whatever your weakest areas are. You don't need to spend anymore money... just time focusing on the weak areas so you don't have any surprises come test day. When they ask you a question about any of the topics on the outline, you should immediately know…'okay, I am awesome at this'…or, 'okay…this was one of the harder sections, but I have this'! Then just show what you know! You are not going to know EVERY thing they throw at you, that's CLEP, it's weighted differently that a 100 percent score. An 80 would be a 100 in the world of CLEP. You just have to get a 50 to get credit at TESC (is that where you are going?). One good thing about these monster tests is that they usually have more questions, which means you have lots and lots of chances to show what you know.

I just looked and it's 120 questions in 90 minutes. Totally doable. Here's a copy of the breakdown of the exam for your ease:

40%
History
Requires general knowledge and understanding of time- and place-specific human experiences. Topics covered include political, diplomatic, social, economic, intellectual, and cultural material.

17% United States History
Covers the colonial period, the American Revolution, the early republic, the Civil War and Reconstruction, industrialization, the Progressive Era, the First World War, the 1920s, the Great Depression and the New Deal, the Second World War, the 1950s, the Cold War, social conflict-the 1960s and 1970s, the late twentieth century

15% Western Civilization
Covers ancient Western Asia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome as well as medieval Europe and modern Europe, including its expansion and outposts in other parts of the world
8% World History Covers Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America from prehistory to the present, including global themes and interactions

13%
Government/Political Science, including
Comparative politics
International relations
Methods
United States institutions
Voting and political behavior

11%
Geography, including
Cartographic methods
Cultural geography
Physical geography
Population
Regional geography
Spatial interaction

10%
Economics, including
Economic measurements
International trade
Major theorists and schools
Monetary and fiscal policy
Product markets
Resource markets
Scarcity, choice, and cost

10%
Psychology, including
Aggression
Biopsychology
Conformity
Group process
Major theorists and schools
Methods
Performance
Personality
Socialization

10%
Sociology, including
Demography
Deviance
Family
Interaction
Major theorists and schools
Methods
Social change
Social organization
Social stratification
Social theory

6%
Anthropology, including
Cultural anthropology
Ethnography
Major theorists and schools
Methods
Paleoanthropology

Google or You Tube any concepts listed above that you are thinking 'Whaaat?' And you should pass.

Relax and know the odds are in your favor for this test. Time yourself and see how well you do with 120 questions in 90 minutes. Know how to pace yourself this is a big exam. Mark the questions you have to think about more than 2 minutes and at the end, go back and do them. Petersons is typically harder than the actual exam. Crush Petersons and you should pass CLEP with no problems.

You've got this
Tara

I'm going to take the test next wednesday (02/19/2014). So far I've been taking the peterson tests and the practice test from the official clep study guide. my REA book should arrive tomorrow and I also ordered cracking the clep (although I highly doubt it will get here in time). Every test I take on the peterson website has been somewhere in the 50's. I went to the specific test forum for this subject and made a study sheet out of all the topics discussed on that forum.

Is there anything else you guys think I can cram in there to better prepare myself? I feel slightly confident, which scares me a little!

[scottishg8r]

Thanks, Tara! I really appreciate the effort you've gone through to help me out! I'm going to go over everything you listed as well as my other study material. Also, I'm enrolled at Excelsior. Need 18 clep credits and 4 upper level classes to finish my degree. Trying to finish up by the end of June.

[Getiton1]

You are studying with all the best tools…now just learn how to use those skills. Like I was saying, show what you know! Know what they are asking. Use common sense when looking at a question.

If you start your test write down the time you start the test on the scrap/note pad. About 1/2 way though test you should be halfway through the questions. If you are not sure,take a guess, MARK the question and move on. Once you get to about 15-20 minutes left on the exam you should be close to the end of the test of completely done with it. That's when you go back and look at all the questions you answered and marked that you were not sure about. 15-20 minutes should be enough time to go back and look at the questions you were not sure of. Also, when you finish the test and go back to the older questions…just by answering the rest of the questions it can refresh your memory. The reason I say guess your best on an answer, mark it and move on is important. In CLEP there is not a double penalty for getting it wrong and guessing. But you WILL get it wrong if you don't guess at all. So guessing will usually give you a 20% chance of guessing correctly. Not guessing at all will give you a zero chance at getting it right. This matters on test with a huge amount of content like this test. When you hit the halfway mark you should feel pretty good about how you are doing and how much time you have left. Take your time and when you are not sure, guess, mark and move on. As long as you see that you are going to finish the exam, you know you have a shot a passing. That should give you a little breather. Then when you DO finish early and have your questions marked, you have the comfort of knowing you have time to really think about the tougher questions. CLEP is an awesome test. I love the method. The odds are in your favor for this one. You ALREADY know more than most people taking this test raw because you passed US HX II CLEP.

Work on the FREE CLEP PREP questions, IC Questions and Peterson's for a few more days. Time yourself to see how you are with 120 questions in 90 minutes…come test day, relax, know your test center, say a prayer or do a meditation that reaffirms you can and will pass...use the method I suggested above to get all your best answers in (so you don't run out of time)… and I would put money on a pass for you on this exam.

Gan on lass!

You can do it
Tara

PS the link I sent you has too much info….I really just wanted you to see the timeline (only) it's dates April 17th I think…it's about 1/2 way down the link page. Don't try to stuff too much new stuff into your brain. Just keep working on and polishing up the tools you already have. I just like the timeline for it's visual appeal. I remember pictures better than lectures

Thanks, Tara! I really appreciate the effort you've gone through to help me out! I'm going to go over everything you listed as well as my other study material. Also, I'm enrolled at Excelsior. Need 18 clep credits and 4 upper level classes to finish my degree. Trying to finish up by the end of June.

[scottishg8r]

Thanks again for all the info! I've taken the Peterson tests, Cracking the Clep test, the REA tests, and the official CLEP study guide test. With the study sheet I made from the specific feedback thread, I'm feeling pretty confident. Test is tomorrow (02/19/2014) at 9:30am. I'll update you all on how I did!

[scottishg8r]

Just got back from taking the exam. I passed with a 70. The information on this thread and the Specific Exam Feedback thread proved invaluable. Thank you all for your help!

[Getiton1]

WELL DONE! I posted a reply on your passing since it was on the list before this posting…but I have to say I KNEW you would do it! I had a sneaking suspicion they were going to hit you with the economics questions too! So glad you had time to study those more. How did you do on time? Did you find you had enough time to finish the exam or was it getting close near the end? I think with the huge exams (more than 100 questions) one of the bigger worries is 'will I have time to even answer all the questions'? That's why I take my best guess, mark it (to come back to if there is time), and just move on…I do this all the way through the exam and like I mentioned before…I make note of the time I started on my note sheet and pace myself to finish half the questions halfway through the exam. The idea is to be confident on the majority of the questions and get through the exam. If I am not sure, I guess the best, mark it, move on and then come back to it if there is time.

Well, all I know is you did GREAT! A 70 is an AWESOME SCORE! WELL DONE SCOTTISH GIRL!

-Tara

Just got back from taking the exam. I passed with a 70. The information on this thread and the Specific Exam Feedback thread proved invaluable. Thank you all for your help!

[scottishg8r]

As I got done with the last question, I looked at the time and still had about 25 minutes left. I used that time to review all the marked questions. I made marks on scratch paper of answers I KNEW I got correct, and they only added up to about 50 out of 120! I was pretty pleased with a 70 considering that. My wife's going to take me out to dinner now that I got this one out of the way! Next up is either A&I Lit or Principles of Management. Most likely going to get the 6 credit one out of the way first. Maybe next Wednesday

[Getiton1]

Rock on! You and your wife have a GREAT time!

Also, I would say take the A&I Lit. It's easy, mostly common sense. I would block the Principals of Management, and Principals of Marketing after that, the concepts are similar. That is if you NEED those classes.

Another biggie is the Humanities. If you like to read do that after A&I Lit. In my opinion, all of these will be easy for you.

Have a Great night!
Tara

As I got done with the last question, I looked at the time and still had about 25 minutes left. I used that time to review all the marked questions. I made marks on scratch paper of answers I KNEW I got correct, and they only added up to about 50 out of 120! I was pretty pleased with a 70 considering that. My wife's going to take me out to dinner now that I got this one out of the way! Next up is either A&I Lit or Principles of Management. Most likely going to get the 6 credit one out of the way first. Maybe next Wednesday

[scottishg8r]

I just need 12 more lower level credits and I'll be done with CLEP. A&I, Management, and marketing was definitely going to be my course of action. I need 4 upper level courses to finish my degree, and I'm thinking about taking DTTS tests for those.......although I'm just starting to do research on those exams. Someone told me they were extremely difficult.

[BGSU_Alum_86]

For any test (CLEP or DSST), your background will always play into the difficulty. If you have absolutely no life experience in the field, if you don't have any interest in the course, if you don't have any overlap in the subject matter with another course/exam, if you find it challenging to learn material on your own versus in a classroom setting, this may make it more difficult for you to study and prepare. But if you do have any experience or interest in the subject matter or look at it as a challenge to be conquered, you may find it much easier than someone else. Good luck in pushing forward!