MA2 Wrote:The reason the NYU exam is $300 because people are still willing to pay $300.

cookderosa Wrote:excellent post from burb. I'll add that you could apply for financial aid and see if you qualify for a pell grant (not loan- the grant is a gift). If so, it's about $5500. At TESC, they apply your grant in quartly payments (5500 divided by 4) and any overage is given back to you in cash. This is how I paid for most of my education.

burbuja0512 Wrote:Yes, testing out is probably the most bang for your buck, with a couple of exceptions. This of course will depends on how much you spend on study materials and how much the testing fee is at your particular center.

Overall, I averaged about 57 dollars a credit, including everything I paid for IC, SL, and books. I'm not including the 24 B&M credits that I had from the early 90's because I don't remember what I paid and I'm pretty sure that my parents helped.


Here's how the prices break down excluding study materials:
CLEP/DSST - 35 bucks a credit **for the three credit tests.. cheaper for 6 credit and foreign language CLEPs**
ECE - 86 bucks a credit (but keep in mind that there are many UL ECE's)
ALEKS - 20/month, so perhaps just under 7 bucks a credit if you're quick
SL - 46 bucks a credit if you only do one class in a month, but can be cheaper if you squeeze in more classes in one month.
FEMA/NFA - can be free for TESC students, little bit more for EC/COSC

Edit to add: A few more thoughts.. one of the things that makes testing so cheap is that you can be a lot more flexible on how you learn. You're not required to buy the most recent edition of the text. My Capstone text has to be the latest version because the pages and some of the studies have changed, but if I could test out of the class, I could go buy a version that's 4 years old and costs 10 bucks on eBay. Or.. maybe I wouldn't even buy a text. I've always paid the 20 bucks a month for IC, for the cards, but just as much for the specific feedback. Most of my tests, I've never bought anything more. I've passed from IC, youtube lectures, and study guides that members have posted in the specific feedback area. I've also done a few Peterson's tests that are available for free on free-prep-clep.com, but I didn't discover those until just a few months ago, so didn't use them in the beginning. You really don't need to spend a lot and with all the used books and free internet resources, it's a great way to learn. Also, one other comment about SL. You DO need to buy the book for every SL class you take as their tests are almost totally taken out of the book, but I bought older editions for my classes and had no issues. Don't think I spent more than 15 bucks on any SL text.


One more edit lol: I left out TECEPs because they are so incredibly expensive for non-TESC students, but also a good option if you end up at TESC. I don't remember how much it would have cost me, but I think it was in the neighborhood of 700-800 bucks (not to mention that I couldn't get TESC to call me back to answer questions about it lol). That's a little too much money IMHO for a test, even if it does save time. I believe TESC students pay 250? so about the same price as the ECE.

CollegeStudent7 Wrote:I swear I learn something new everyday. It will probably take a month of me being on here to really clarify where I am going and all the ins and outs.

cookderosa Wrote:But I do think the NYU comes in more languages than just the 3 that CLEP offers.

GoodtoGo Wrote:Your community college is a great bargain and would be a good option too. I pay around $500 for a 3 credit class. There are certain things I just can't learn on my own (math) as much as I try, and need the instructor and classroom time. I have taken a few tests, a few online classes and a few on campus classes. The online classes have been the most difficult by far and have required the most writing assignments. I took CLEPs on subjects I had some prior knowledge of, with the exception of Psychology which I barely passed with a 50.
Your degree plan may include a variety of tests, on campus & online classes depending on how much time you have.

CollegeStudent7 Wrote:I will take your word for it then. I have always liked math, but have never taken anything past college Algebra, if I remember correctly. All college classes are 16 weeks, so perhaps if I just kick butt with studying and dedicate every free hour of mine to the math class I am clepping out of, I can do it in 4-8 weeks. Maybe I am a dreamer. Guess we will find out. A little nervous about teaching myself the higher math.

My community college is a great bargain, but upon doing the math, testing out is about the same and saves me a substantial amount of time. If I can knock out 2 cleps per month, that will help me finish twice as fast. Once I sign up with TESC I have a goal of earning my Bachelors by December 2011. I guarantee I'll get started by mid-may, so I hope 7.5 months will be enough for my to clep out of 60ish credits. Just going to dedicate myself.

cookderosa Wrote:My suggestion would be to use as much CLEP and ALEKS as you can, and then take any of the "classes" at your CC and transfer the whole mess over to TESC. If you have to take a class at TESC, it's up over $160 a credit now.