TESU :: Psychology Testing Resource Guidance

[HAYDENTREE77]

Hello,

I've been all over this forum and there is A LOT of great information, but a bit seems dated and possibly irrelevant. And, the search feature isn't quite robust as I would like. With that being said... I have a very good career but I'm older and wanted to complete my BA. I went to the Art Institute before they were accredited and both TESU & Excelsior rejected my AA credits but I've been admitted by both. So I'm starting from scratch... My current role is fairly demanding but this is something I really want to accomplish. With that being said, I have decided to go for a BA in Psychology at TESU (I'm in-state and it's something that my career could probably benefit from). My goal - even with my demanding schedule is to complete this in a year. It may be very aggressive but I'm willing to try.

I really don't have the time, nor the attention span to read 600 pages of text in order to pass an exam. I plan on testing out as much as I possibly can. I've read about Straightliner, IS and the rest... it's becoming quite overwhelming sifting through all the information on the forum and would really appreciate if someone that has chosen this path to chime in on the best way to prepare for the exams and what are the most relevant tools to leverage. I don't mind paying for great tools to prepare me for the exams.

Much appreciated,

Hayden

Thomas Edison State University: Psychology

[mednat]

Psychology has become harder to test out of at tesu. What would you like to use your degree to accomplish?

[jsd]

Psychology has become harder to test out of at tesu.

You can still test out of all but two classes: the Capstone, and Ethics in the Social Sciences. I guess the cornerstone too, but that's not really a course. it's even easier than an actual test out exam, and applies to all degrees now, not just Psych.

[HAYDENTREE77]

Thanks for the response!

"Psychology has become harder to test out of at tesu. What would you like to use your degree to accomplish? "

I work in tech but have also done a lot of work in HCI and Human Factors. I sit in User & Client Experience. Quite a few people in my field have Psychology degrees. A big driving factor is really being able to climb the ladder. I've done very well but it's not enough. The paper does matter where I work. Everyone above me has a masters. It's just the way it is. I NEED to do this and I do find Psychology interesting. I did consider a Liberal Arts degree from TESU but have been on the fence.

"You can still test out of all but two classes: the Capstone, and Ethics in the Social Sciences. I guess the cornerstone too, but that's not really a course. it's even easier than an actual test out exam, and applies to all degrees now, not just Psych."

Hmmm. How many credits do the above equal? And back to the question at hand. Do you have any recommendation in regard to testing resources?

Best,
H

[jsd]

Hmmm. How many credits do the above equal? And back to the question at hand. Do you have any recommendation in regard to testing resources?

Best,
H

The capstone and ethics in socsci are 3cr each, 12 week courses. The capstone is a 1cr, self-paced course that I bet you could knock out over the weekend.

Im not sure what you're asking when you say testing resources. Are you asking for info about what exams you should take, like a degree map? Or are you asking for study resources for specific exams? If so, what exams? InstaCert will help you on many CLEP/dsst/uexcel exams, but not so much for all of the other psych alternative credit routes. But all exams give their suggested resources. I know you're not looking to read a 600 page text, but unless you have a solid background in the subjects, you are going to have to put in a considerable amount of work to pass some of these exams.

If you have more specifics of what you're looking for, we can be more helpful.

[HAYDENTREE77]

The capstone and ethics in socsci are 3cr each, 12 week courses. The capstone is a 1cr, self-paced course that I bet you could knock out over the weekend.

Im not sure what you're asking when you say testing resources. Are you asking for info about what exams you should take, like a degree map? Or are you asking for study resources for specific exams? If so, what exams? InstaCert will help you on many CLEP/dsst/uexcel exams, but not so much for all of the other psych alternative credit routes. But all exams give their suggested resources. I know you're not looking to read a 600 page text, but unless you have a solid background in the subjects, you are going to have to put in a considerable amount of work to pass some of these exams.

If you have more specifics of what you're looking for, we can be more helpful.

Fair enough. I was curious about InstaCert and any other recommended study resources in general. BTW, I found this thread and has me reconsidering the liberal studies at TESU. Seems fairly comprehensive but it's probably changed a bit.

Also, I'm horrible and abhor math. I believe I saw something about Alek courses for folks like myself.

http://www.degreeforum.net/excelsior-tho...osc-2.html

Thanks again.

[frostedfire]

You can still test out of all but two classes: the Capstone, and Ethics in the Social Sciences. I guess the cornerstone too, but that's not really a course. it's even easier than an actual test out exam, and applies to all degrees now, not just Psych.

Hi Jsd,
for the Tor exams, what study material do you use to prep for the exams?

[jsd]

I only took the History and Systems of Psych exam through them (technically Coopersmith Career Consulting, not Tor, I guess that partnership ended), and I wouldn't recommend it.

They provided a "study guide" which was just a PDF that told me to read a 500 page textbook cover to cover, and included a poorly developed slideshow that just kind of bulleted out some headlines with brief commentary, none of it in depth enough to really help with the exam.

The exam focused on trivia as opposed to understanding concepts (think "who was the president of the APA in 19xx?" type questions), and I don't have a mind for history/trivia if it doesn't relate to actually understanding the significance of the topic.

I passed the exam just fine, to my surprise, but if I had to do it all over again, I'd pay more money to avoid that setup. I'd probably pay the $500 to take the independent study course offered by CSU Pueblo.

[Synicaal]

Hello,

I've been all over this forum and there is A LOT of great information, but a bit seems dated and possibly irrelevant. And, the search feature isn't quite robust as I would like. With that being said... I have a very good career but I'm older and wanted to complete my BA. I went to the Art Institute before they were accredited and both TESU & Excelsior rejected my AA credits but I've been admitted by both. So I'm starting from scratch... My current role is fairly demanding but this is something I really want to accomplish. With that being said, I have decided to go for a BA in Psychology at TESU (I'm in-state and it's something that my career could probably benefit from). My goal - even with my demanding schedule is to complete this in a year. It may be very aggressive but I'm willing to try.

I really don't have the time, nor the attention span to read 600 pages of text in order to pass an exam. I plan on testing out as much as I possibly can. I've read about Straightliner, IS and the rest... it's becoming quite overwhelming sifting through all the information on the forum and would really appreciate if someone that has chosen this path to chime in on the best way to prepare for the exams and what are the most relevant tools to leverage. I don't mind paying for great tools to prepare me for the exams.

Much appreciated,

Hayden

Thomas Edison State University: Psychology

1. Honestly, just go with what everyone else suggests when starting. Make yourself a spreadsheet first off. After that just tweak the classes to the easiest and most efficient credits.

2. For all your math just do ALEKS. You can get through 4 courses (12credits) quickly. Also do the 2 credit Ethics course from The Institutes (2hours max) I'm not sure how many Math credits you need for your degree but they can all be done here.
3. Do your Psychology CLEP's. I took Intro to Psych (it was very easy- minimal studying got a 61). Then you can do the Human Growth and Dev, then the Education Psych CLEPs. Another 9 credits 23 Credits / 120
4. Decide how you want to get your English Comps done, SL or CLEP seems to be the best way.
5. You need Knowledge of Human Cultures credits. You need 12 credits here. I'd do the Shmoop Classes is they work for you. US Hist 1, US Hist 2, Modern European History(you can knock all these out for 87$) Still would need 3 more credits here.
This will get you too 38 credits already and you can prob finishes everything except the CLEPs in a few weeks. I did 3 ALEKS courses in about a week and that was not rushing to get them done. I'm starting on my Shmoop classes tonight.
I'd like to make you up a spreadsheet but I need to know what you prefer.. SL/CLEP/Study/DSST (cheapest?/quickest?/easiest?)

[OakLakeNC]

UExcel exams might be worth considering for upper level credits. They are usually $99-$145. They have Psychology of Adulthood and Aging, Research Methods in Psychology, Soical Psychology, Bioethics, etc... I noticed the Abnormal Psy. exam is $345. You could find a class cheaper than that. They have lower level exams, but I would consider Straightliner or Study.com first. At least with those you can factor in quiz scores.