Which test do I start with?

[MISin08]

Where can I get study guides without going through college board?

The official college board study guide for any CLEP is a great exam resource. It consists of a detailed exam outline -- the essential tool for understanding what will be covered on the test, plus practice questions drawn from actual prior exams. Once you have a basic grasp of the material, practice questions are the best way to gauge your readiness and focus your remaining study.

College board is your friend. They are about to save you big money and a lot of time. If your desire to avoid college board guides has to do with avoiding the $10 nick, read on. The exam outlines are all online at no cost. There's other handy info online as well. That leaves practice questions. If you're going to take one CLEP, $10 is a low price for such a vital resource. If your going take more than one, here's a book with all the guides, which has the handy feature that you can triumphantly :willynilly: cross off each CLEP you pass: Priceless.

The real issue for most of us is: how can I get even more practice questions? The two best places are Peterson's and REA, two publishers of test prep material. Not official practice tests, but these are professional, high-quality materials.
Details on Peterson's can be found via search on this forum but in a nutshell, they sell 3 practice tests for a given exam for $19.95. That's 3 different takes on the same test, this gets you thinking about the material you've just been learning but in a test setting, and gives detailed explanations of your wrong answers. This helps you improve your weak areas. Even the explanations of right answers are valuable. Peterson is a bargain, but look on this forum for tips on how to get these tests, legit, for free.
REA simply publishes a book with their practice tests in it and you buy the book online at the best price you can get. Yay US economy. The strength of REA books is they come with a full prep course for the exam.

If you get hardcore into this there are even more resources available to the dedicated student with a Web connection. Finding and evaluating study sources can actually become a fun part of the learning process.

Phillip

[jackzack87]

The official college board study guide for any CLEP is a great exam resource. It consists of a detailed exam outline -- the essential tool for understanding what will be covered on the test, plus practice questions drawn from actual prior exams. Once you have a basic grasp of the material, practice questions are the best way to gauge your readiness and focus your remaining study.

College board is your friend. They are about to save you big money and a lot of time. If your desire to avoid college board guides has to do with avoiding the $10 nick, read on. The exam outlines are all online at no cost. There's other handy info online as well. That leaves practice questions. If you're going to take one CLEP, $10 is a low price for such a vital resource. If your going take more than one, here's a book with all the guides, which has the handy feature that you can triumphantly :willynilly: cross off each CLEP you pass: Priceless.

The real issue for most of us is: how can I get even more practice questions? The two best places are Peterson's and REA, two publishers of test prep material. Not official practice tests, but these are professional, high-quality materials.
Details on Peterson's can be found via search on this forum but in a nutshell, they sell 3 practice tests for a given exam for $19.95. That's 3 different takes on the same test, this gets you thinking about the material you've just been learning but in a test setting, and gives detailed explanations of your wrong answers. This helps you improve your weak areas. Even the explanations of right answers are valuable. Peterson is a bargain, but look on this forum for tips on how to get these tests, legit, for free.
REA simply publishes a book with their practice tests in it and you buy the book online at the best price you can get. Yay US economy. The strength of REA books is they come with a full prep course for the exam.

If you get hardcore into this there are even more resources available to the dedicated student with a Web connection. Finding and evaluating study sources can actually become a fun part of the learning process.

Phillip

I strongly second petersons, and also the big book from Barrons- "HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE CLEP COLLEGE-LEVEL EXAMINATION PROGRAM" is the title, and you can either borrow it from your local library or purchase online. If you're the frugal sort like me, you can buy the previous years edition for pennies on the dollar. This book give you practice exams, study materials and lets you prepare for the format and style of CLEP - something that as a newbie I remember was very helpful to me. It has I think 5 or 6 of the more common exams like English, Math, Sociology and a couple others in there.

Don't go overboard and spend a ton on resources - your library, this forum of advice and your determination and perseverance are the best keys you have.

[AGVI]

Where can I get study guides without going through college board?

You may want to go to a local book store (Borders/Barne's & Noble) and peruse some of the college credit exam books, just to see which looks easiest and most interesting. You'll also have a chance to try a couple of sample questions to see where you stand.