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+--- Thread: ModernStates Update + Passed my first CLEP! (/Thread-ModernStates-Update-Passed-my-first-CLEP)
RE: ModernStates Update + Passed my first CLEP! - cookderosa - 06-22-2019
(06-21-2019, 01:18 PM)SCYankee Wrote: According to what I read on this forum and on the Modern States website, they reimburse you for purchasing the CLEP (after you complete their course and after you actually take the exam). However, I just went through the MS Principles of Management course and submitted for the voucher. Moder States emailed me a voucher code in one day, which I used to purchase the CLEP on College Board's website. When I applied the voucher code, it showed a charge of $0, so I never had to pay anything except the $30 sitting fee that the college charges.
...
That's the first thing. Secondly, I just took the Management CLEP and passed with 70! This is my first modern CLEP. The previous three were taken with pencil and paper, and they were scored in the hundreds (420).
By the way, my printout says the score is "70" and the ACE scroe is "50". What does that mean? I did pass, right? And is there a corresponding grade score (I know the school doesn't record it, but my kids are asking me the grade. Is it just a very low "C" like it would be on any normal test?)
Thanks.
Congratulations!!! You KILLED IT!!!! 70 is a very high score!!
(06-21-2019, 04:48 PM)SCYankee Wrote:(06-21-2019, 02:59 PM)dfrecore Wrote: Just an FYI from back in the day, for the Marketing CLEP, a score of 65 is equivalent to a B. So I'm guessing you got a B+?
Yeah, I figured it's just a matter of dividing 70 (my score) by 80 (total), which equals 87.5%. So that feels good. Thanks.
....not exactly.
It's a very complex formula that has a range from 20-80. To score a 50 (passing) you would have had to get the number correct that was equal to the number correct when attempted by students who earned a C in a classroom course in this subject (that number is confidential).
So, 50 doesn't mean 50% or half - it simply means that the number reflects the passing score in their "experiment" of students, and could actually be a much higher number. It's essentially a sophisticated way of grading on a curve. If the average grade of those "C" students was 75% correct, then in THIS EXAM 75% correct would = scaled score of 50.
If, on the other hand, those "C" students bombed the test and only scored 20% of the questions correct, then 20% correct would = 50. Since they won't release their numbers, you can't know the actual percentage correct or letter grade that would match up to your score.
There is a point of diminishing returns as well. You might be able to study and pass with a 50 in just about 3 weeks. It might take you 3 months to hit a 60 and 9 months to hit a 70... you could spend 2 years learning everything you can and still never get a perfect score! They also don't grade every question in your test (some questions are being tested) and the question bank they pull from is HUGE. Versions are randomized as well, so your version won't be the same as mine. So an element of luck is there as well.
In short, you passed, earned a high score and kicked butt. Celebrate that and get ready for your next! The numbers will make you crazy.
RE: ModernStates Update + Passed my first CLEP! - td3zabel - 06-22-2019
What did you use to study besides MS? My son will take it on Wednesday. TIA.
RE: ModernStates Update + Passed my first CLEP! - SCYankee - 06-22-2019
(06-22-2019, 12:59 PM)dfrecore Wrote:(06-22-2019, 11:38 AM)Mom23boys Wrote: Congrats! My son passed his first CLEP yesterday as well (Biology, got a 53) and also went through Modern States for the voucher. Modern States alone was not nearly enough to pass the Biology CLEP, but the voucher was certainly appreciated.
I don't think Modern States was intended to be a complete course to learn a subject from scratch. I consider it a CLEP-prep course, and tell anyone I suggest it to, that they should only use it after already knowing the material (which they may know, or need to find another way to learn it).
To me that's contradictory. I assume everybody here is using it as a CLEP prep course. Otherwise, they would use SDC or SL and get credit for the course instead of risking it all on the exam. That's what we're using CLEP prep courses for--to learn subjects from scratch, and then test out of them. Some people know more than others about Principles of Management specifically, but hasn't everybody here has used CLEP prep resources to test out of subjects in which they had no previous experience?
Not trying to argue with you or anything. That's just my take. A lot of it was very technical: "this guy formulated that theory which said this, this, and this in the case of that..."
If anybody knew that stuff without already taking a course in it (in which case they would have already earned the required credits), I'd be surprised. I've read my share of business books and probably never came across 90% of those details.
RE: ModernStates Update + Passed my first CLEP! - MNomadic - 06-22-2019
(06-22-2019, 02:26 PM)SCYankee Wrote:(06-22-2019, 12:59 PM)dfrecore Wrote:(06-22-2019, 11:38 AM)Mom23boys Wrote: Congrats! My son passed his first CLEP yesterday as well (Biology, got a 53) and also went through Modern States for the voucher. Modern States alone was not nearly enough to pass the Biology CLEP, but the voucher was certainly appreciated.
I don't think Modern States was intended to be a complete course to learn a subject from scratch. I consider it a CLEP-prep course, and tell anyone I suggest it to, that they should only use it after already knowing the material (which they may know, or need to find another way to learn it).
To me that's contradictory. I assume everybody here is using it as a CLEP prep course. Otherwise, they would use SDC or SL and get credit for the course instead of risking it all on the exam. That's what we're using CLEP prep courses for--to learn subjects from scratch, and then test out of them. Some people know more than others about Principles of Management specifically, but hasn't everybody here has used CLEP prep resources to test out of subjects in which they had no previous experience?
Not trying to argue with you or anything. That's just my take. A lot of it was very technical: "this guy formulated that theory which said this, this, and this in the case of that..."
If anybody knew that stuff without already taking a course in it (in which case they would have already earned the required credits), I'd be surprised. I've read my share of business books and probably never came across 90% of those details.
It really just depends on the specific CLEP. The Biology CLEP covers 2 semesters of relatively challenging material and the MS course probably doesn't cover nearly enough but can serve as an excellent review to help you with the last leg of your preparation before the test. Other CLEPs like analyzing and interpreting literature or marketing might be significantly more common knowledge and intuitive to certain people so just using basic review courses like MS might be more than enough.
I've taken 3 CLEPs so far and I always used 3 or more separate sources to ensure I was adequately prepared. With all that being said, one thing that is rarely mentioned is that the MS courses usually include reading materials from a full length text book which would be comparable to what you'd use in an actual class. If people read the full text, they'd probably be much more prepared for the test than if they just watch the videos. Though everyone's learning preferences, abilities and time commitments vary, so textbook based learning isn't necessarily ideal or desirable for many people here.
RE: ModernStates Update + Passed my first CLEP! - SCYankee - 06-22-2019
Good point about the PDF. I read a couple hundred pages of the book at first, but then quit. I just can't stand reading an entire book on a computer screen. I do remember seeing stuff that wasn't covered in the videos.
It's too bad MS doesn't offer videos courses for the DSST. I don't see an equivalent resource for DSST anywhere--just books and guides (and my wise owl Principles of Supervision guide is significantly shorter than my CLEP Principles of Management guide).
RE: ModernStates Update + Passed my first CLEP! - Ac123 - 07-13-2019
(06-21-2019, 04:48 PM)SCYankee Wrote:(06-21-2019, 02:59 PM)dfrecore Wrote: Just an FYI from back in the day, for the Marketing CLEP, a score of 65 is equivalent to a B. So I'm guessing you got a B+?
Yeah, I figured it's just a matter of dividing 70 (my score) by 80 (total), which equals 87.5%. So that feels good. Thanks.
Not necessarily, as the lowest score you can get is a 20. I read somewhere that 50-59 is a C, 60-69 is a B, and 70-80 is an A.
RE: ModernStates Update + Passed my first CLEP! - dfrecore - 07-13-2019
(07-13-2019, 05:03 PM)Ac123 Wrote:(06-21-2019, 04:48 PM)SCYankee Wrote:(06-21-2019, 02:59 PM)dfrecore Wrote: Just an FYI from back in the day, for the Marketing CLEP, a score of 65 is equivalent to a B. So I'm guessing you got a B+?
Yeah, I figured it's just a matter of dividing 70 (my score) by 80 (total), which equals 87.5%. So that feels good. Thanks.
Not necessarily, as the lowest score you can get is a 20. I read somewhere that 50-59 is a C, 60-69 is a B, and 70-80 is an A.
It's actually a different threshold depending on the exam. With Management for example, a 63 is considered a B.
DSST also used to have cutoffs for grades, with 400 as a C, and 434 as a B - but I only know those for my 2 exams, they could differ just like CLEP does.
Since there's no published grades any longer, it doesn't matter. The only time it will matter is if your particular college requires higher than a 50 for the CLEP/400 for the DSST. That can happen.
RE: ModernStates Update + Passed my first CLEP! - SCYankee - 07-13-2019
Well, yeah, it doesn't matter for GPA. However, it's nice to be able to gauge my performance. From the sound of it, I'm getting A's on CLEP and DSST. I've been wondering about the DSST grading, so thanks for shedding some light on that.
For all of the time and money that we save on these alternative degree methods, we give up a little satisfaction that would come from a good grade. In fact, we give up the satisfaction of even receiving a grade at all. I suppose it's a small trade-off.
RE: ModernStates Update + Passed my first CLEP! - dfrecore - 07-14-2019
(07-13-2019, 11:19 PM)SCYankee Wrote: Well, yeah, it doesn't matter for GPA. However, it's nice to be able to gauge my performance. From the sound of it, I'm getting A's on CLEP and DSST. I've been wondering about the DSST grading, so thanks for shedding some light on that.
For all of the time and money that we save on these alternative degree methods, we give up a little satisfaction that would come from a good grade. In fact, we give up the satisfaction of even receiving a grade at all. I suppose it's a small trade-off.
As someone who has a degree already, the satisfaction I got from completing that FAR outweighed any satisfaction I might have gotten from any individual grade.
Also, the satisfaction I got from paying a fraction of the cost, and at a fraction of the time my friends spent getting a degree did the same.
Any satisfaction you may get from a single course will be minimal compared to the big deal a degree is.
RE: ModernStates Update + Passed my first CLEP! - Ideas - 07-14-2019
Submit the receipt and you can still get the $30 check. Helps you pay for another course, such as a Study.com course
