clep bio, clueless and need for advice!

[Perel]

Hi,
I am planning to take the BIO Clep...this is the first clep I take...EVER!
I took college biology in a community college, it was a 6 weeks course and I got an A in the course, this was last year. It was intense the class met everyday for 2hrs besides twice a week labs, I had to study hard, like 3-4 hrs a day to get those grades.
The bio clep is supposed to cover the 1st semester ( which I took in a 6 week course) and the 2nd. How long did it take you to prepare for the material?

In this particular course I studied hard but I also spent a lot of time reading about it and going deeper than just prepare for the exam which I believe got me straight A's.
I don't think this method will be good when I prepare for cleps, I need to study hard but also smart and not spend time looking into extra material and deeper into the subject. Sometimes this bothers me because I feel like I have to know everything in a deep way.
My question is, how do I study more efficiently to get the grades I want without spending too much time getting needlessly deeper into the material just so "I understand how things work"?
I hope I made myself clear, I REALLY could use some tips. Thanks!!!

[cookderosa]

Tip 1- be sure that this will even apply to your degree. If your college awarded you 4 credits for BIO101, are you certain that you'll get another 3 or 4 and credit for BIO102? Be certain.

Lastly, have you looked at the official test outline? http://www.collegeboard.com
Use your bio book and match subjects you have already done against what will be expected. If it were me, I'd focus on MASTERY of 50% of the outline. So, look at what you have already done and do hard core review. If you can ace every question from what you learned in semester 1 bio, you are likely within a few points of passing. Trying to cram semester 2 into a few weeks It's not 50/50 first and second semester bio, so you might be closer than you think.

[kelli]

I just passed BIO yesterday with a 62. Here's what I did to study:

This subject was foreign to me, so I had to do a lot to prepare --
The Thinkwell on-line class is awesome. I used the Sparks BIO AP as a guide of what to study and then supplemented the material with modules from Thinkwell. This helped me to better understand the material in Sparks. Thinkwell is one of the best classes that I have ever taken -- the professor is phenomenal and helps you to really understand the material.

Two weeks before the test, I used the InstaCert flashcards and Peterson's tests. I am not impressed with Peterson's -- rather than sticking to the basics, their test questions had some very difficult questions that would not be on bioloigy clep.

I have taken several CLEPs and have always passes the first time -- BIO was by far the hardest one that I have taken.

[Horseshoo]

I used Instant Cert . Took Clep Bio on Nov. 20th. Got a 51.

I studied 11 days 8 hours each day.

I just took Intro Psych yesteday using mister prep only. got a 56.

[HorseManiac]

When I took the Biology CLEP recently this is what I used:

REA Biology Book w/practice tests
Peterson's practice tests
multiple websites listed in the Specific Exam Feedback (If you are a paying member definately check this out)
IC Flashcards - all 878 of them several (maybe 4-5) times

I also last year took a Biology course for highschool. We used Apologia Exploring Creation with Biology. It was very easy to understand.

Don't feel intimidated by this test. It is a very broad test, but it is doable.

Hope this helps. Good luck on your test and let us know how it goes.