Yeah I failed thanks instantcert!

[nj593]

Dont know maybe its just me but i dont see how we did anything wrong and now have to take back and apologize. We said what we said and obviously meant it at that moment. What changed in that time period that we are saying sorry now?
You came in blasting the forum and IC because YOU failed, no one else failed you did. Thats like me practicing for the next 3 weeks on advice Cook or Peace or the many others here that help me. Then I fail, turn around and blast them for lousy advice. They gave me the tools they felt best would help. How is it there fault unless they intentionally mislead the info. IC doesnt mislead it provides a study tool to be mixed with others. Hell, you can tell from the flashcards that you need other stuff.
For failing the test I feel bad. But as stated by myself and others its not IC's fault it might have been many contributing factors. To sit here and say we are sorry would be hypocritical i believe. Because nothing has changed from yesterday till today except that you cooled down.
We should always think before we speak I would imagine that holds true even more on the net being its stuck there for ever.
I do wish you the best of luck on the next test however and hope that some calmness is brought next time. You will see many people are very knowledgeable and VERY helpful.

[taylor]

I'm new to IC and I know how you feel. At least you failed 1, I failed 3 CLEPS in a row this month. My stomach was in knots all 3X and the drive home just makes it worse. To be fair to IC I went in cold on 2 CLEPS, and Humanities I studied with IC and CLEP Study Guide and got a 48. But today I passed a DSST Intro. to Law Enforcement with a 57 by only using IC for 2 hours only. I hope this is a new streak. I think I'll keep wearing the same shirt on the next exam. Whatever works, right? The only way you can get that icky feeling off your back is by passing another exam. So take a deep breath and focus on your next one. Good luck!

[Rhashad]

3 IN A ROW? jeeeez bro, this might not be for you.

[ideafx]

I'm curious to know how those who failed their CLEP's used IC to study.

When I was studying with IC, I found it useful to break the sets of questions up into sections of 8-12 questions. Then, I would keep going over those questions until I could answer them with 100% accuracy before I moved onto the next 8-12 question section.

Perhaps this may be seem obvious to some, or maybe it will help you next time. I passed every CLEP I've ever taken on the first try. I took about 15 of them (my lowest score ever was a 58), and IC was my primary study tool.

[Rhashad]

@ Ideafx. that's exactly what I do, works wonders.

[taylor]

On the Humanities exam I answered each section 3X within a month, but I was also mixing studying for my 12 credits for TESC as well. That could be why I wasn't retaing the material as well as I should've. But your idea sounds better so I think I'll give it a shot. Thanks for the advice.

[Basket Weaver]

On the Humanities exam I answered each section 3X within a month, but I was also mixing studying for my 12 credits for TESC as well. That could be why I wasn't retaining the material as well as I should've. But your idea sounds better so I think I'll give it a shot. Thanks for the advice.

Your plan seems quite adventurous to say the least. There are several members from the past that absolutely flew through their tests, I was able to do about 4 a month...but that was solely based on the material and how confident I felt about my comprehension of the materials and knowledge base of the subject. Some tests, like College Math, took me three weeks to prep for using a tutor and several different sources of study. My point being, is that we're all different and we all learn at different rates using different methods. Just because you read that one member only studied 1 day and passed a test doesn't mean that you will too. Take each test by itself, be patient and use the forum search features as most questions have been asked and answered already...this will give you an almost instant answer to your inquiry.

I liken a degree plan to the old adage "How do you eat and elephant?"... the answer being "one bite at a time". I found setting up a game plan an effective way to conquer the sometimes overwhelming prospect of finishing my degree. My method was to make a list of all the classes I needed. I put them in order of those that overlapped with those that were either going to be a bear or an easy pass; this gave me something to look forward to after I tackled a tough one.

Don't assume anything when it comes to preparing for a test. Again, a test that was cake for me might me a real challenge to you. I NEVER read anything about pass rates as I feel they either give a false sense of security or may psych you out...it really comes down to how well you prepare and nothing else. I took tests that had less than a 20% pass rate and thought they were fairly easy with the right preparation.

This forum is a wealth of knowledge and you'll find the members here very empathetic to what your going through as we've all been there. Use the search engine, go through the IC questions until they become second nature (not just the blank spots but the question and complete answer as well), search the web for practice online tests and use supplemental study material if you feel you need some. I don't think I'm the exception when I say that IC and practice tests were all I needed for 90% of my degree. However, if you feel you need more than IC then use outside resources as it's better to take an extra week or two to thoroughly prepare for a test than to fail it and start all over again. Once you get a few passes under your belt, your confidence will grow and you'll discover what it takes for you to be successful. We're all different when it comes to learning but in the end, our goal is a common one.

Good luck and let any of us know if there's any way we can help you. Most of us could not have gotten through this without the help of this forum, we are eager to repay the debt and see all members reach their goal/join the graduation club.

[barcotta]

I was content to sit back and let my fellow forum members provide feedback in this thread, but I after the latest email from rescueswimmer I felt that it might be helpful to give this thread some framework. After all, it appears that rescueswimmer posted here looking for help and was buried in hatred and "scrutiny"--or so you might believe based on rescueswimmer's most recent post wherein we learn that rescueswimmer was returning to the thread to apologize. To be clear, I do not hate rescueswimmer or anyone else that I don't even know, and my sole intent is to exam this thread to determine exactly what happened and why.

So let's start with the premise that rescueswimmer posted here looking for help--based on the following statement:

"...let's just see what people have posted to try to help me where I went wrong."

The first two rescue swimmer posts are the only ones that apply here. I looked for language that suggested the initial post was a request for help. I found only the following sentence:

I suppose I need a reminder of why one should pay 20 dollars a month (since these ads explain how easy it is to use and pass exams).

That's the closest I could come to a help request.

Now let's assume that the reason rescueswimmer posted to this forum was to bash instantcert and anyone who disagreed with the viewpoints expressed. Examining the rescueswimmer posts in this thread I identified the following:

I know this sounds mean, but I'm really starting to question instantcert and the intentions of the webpage writers.

This made me wonder if some of the questions were actually valid or if someone actually looked at these "flash-cards" right.

I don't care how much you study on this webpage. It's useless when you look at the "material" they offer here.

I got a 48 and I needed a 50. So, yeah I'm pissed off pretty bad.

Thanks for nothing instantcert. Keep my 60-80 bucks and screw over the next person in line.

I appreciate everyone's concern and trying to help. I really do, but I don't appreciate when someone patronizes me and tells me I should have studied harder, not use IC as a primary source, and not bitch and get bitter if you fail.

If I have missed anything in either category, please let me know. Assuming that I've done a reasonably competent job parsing this out, I don't see any reason our forum members would expect rescueswimmer to return to this thread to see what kind of "help" we would provide. Nonetheless--this thread was FILLED with help. I don't believe there was anything here that would lead a member to believe that rescueswimmer would be returning with an apology while collecting the helpful suggestions offered, with perhaps the following exception:

I appreciate everyone's concern and trying to help. I really do, but I don't appreciate when someone patronizes me and tells me I should have studied harder, not use IC as a primary source, and not bitch and get bitter if you fail.

Since it is not possible to determine what people are going to do in the future--I don't believe it would be reasonable to expect that the members of this forum would have expected an apology based on the actual rescue swimmer posts.

There are two other areas I believe are worth revisiting. The following closed the second post from rescueswimmer:

I feel like the true 20 dollars is just going to all of you that open a more outstanding line of communciation...

I don't understand that at all. What does that mean? The "true 20 dollars???" Who, exactly, is opening "a more outstanding line of communication?" WHAT is a "more outstanding line of communication???"

Finally, in rescueswimmer's third post, the following statements are made:

I really appreciate the HATE in this forum.

I've already been called an idiot and scrutinized.

I knew I was going to get some sarcasm but man it must feel good to make fun of someone so much and put them down.

But let's just rag on eachother and not help eachother out. For everyone else that isn't an ass..

So I looked back to find some hate and scrutiny. The first three posts were nothing but helpful and kind. Not a harsh word to be found anywhere. Rescueswimmer posted in reply in part:

...I don't appreciate when someone patronizes me and tells me I should have studied harder, not use IC as a primary source, and not bitch and get bitter if you fail.

That brings us to the post which contains the word "idiot." However, contrary to rescueswimmer's assertion that he or she was CALLED an idiot, we find the actual quote as follows:

Perhaps you're a poor test taker, or suffer from terrible pre-test anxiety. Perhaps your just an idiot.

This was arguably the harshest post in this thread. At that, it appears that the poster was suggesting rescueswimme may be an idiot as one of three possible explanations. Inartful, perhaps, but certainly distinct from someone making the statement, "You're an idiot." While we can see that the patience of this poster had been stretched thin, this was clearly the exception.

If someone else can find other hateful or sarcastic language--or examples of ragging on each other, putting them down and not helping, please reply.

Otherwise, my review of this post reveals that despite a flagrant attempt to smear and undermine instantcert with baseless, hateful and untrue comments, this forum's members responded with patient, measured and sincere assistance in great numbers. While in life you usually get what you give--in this case, rescueswimmer gave instantcert an underserved slam and received virtually nothing but help and support. I don't understand why rescueswimmer responded as though this was not the case. Certainly, no other member who responded in this thread has written anything for which they owe an apology.

[taylor]

Well said Basket Weaver and thanks. You are a gentleman and a scholar. I definitely login at least once a day to get feedback on what people are doing to be successful. I think I definitely underestimated the exams and overestimated my knowledge on these subjects. All in all, I lost an opportunity to get 18 credits and $300 bucks but on the bright side I still ended up with 3 credits in a month which is still faster than the classes.

[cookderosa]

Not specifically to rescueswimmer, but I have a few thoughts.

1. Think back to high school. Did everyone in your class earn the same grade or take away the same education? They all were in the same class using the same text....so why not the same education? Because there are other elements at play that determine how successful a person is. I won't list them, but there must be about a thousand.

2. I agree that there is some underestimating of the level of difficulty. There is always a post or two where someone passes a test after only a few hours of study. I think it's important to note that this is an exception and not the rule. Each of us brings a background making about a thousand variables that determine how hard a test will be and how long we must study. Those of us who took many tests (about 1/2 my degree) will tell you that you should always study just a bit more than you think is necessary before plunking down your time and $.

3. Lastly, IC is flash cards and a forum. The forum is free. Not everyone finds the flash cards useful, but this is the best CLEP forum on the net PERIOD. I have spent years talking here and other places about this subject, and HERE is the place. Talk to people here and follow threads about the test you are preparing for. You'll likely find valuable information that way. There is a specific exam feedback forum here that will help you target the exact topics that are appearing in the test back too. If you are not into the flash cards, save your $20 and gather exam resources in another way. You are still welcome to hang here and use the forums!

4. Ok, that wasn't my last thing I have observed a handful of people over the years who seem to think that they are buying the actual CLEP test questions. We need to better point out that these flashcards represent the type of questions and subjects one can expect to encounter. NO ONE HERE HAS THE TEST QUESTIONS. Additionally, the test questions are random from a pool of questions, everyone's test may be a little different as far as subject. Spending time in the Specific Exam Feedback section will help see the direction of recent test questions.

Please pity my broken finger, this took me over a half hour to type and my spell checker is broken, so if you find a type o just ignore it hilarious