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+--- Thread: US History Part I: How well do you need to know the IC cards to pass?? (/Thread-US-History-Part-I-How-well-do-you-need-to-know-the-IC-cards-to-pass)
US History Part I: How well do you need to know the IC cards to pass?? - KJArsenal - 05-31-2012
My son is taking his first CLEP in two weeks: US History Part I. We have been all over these boards (including the test specific boards=awesome!). He is working on the IC cards everyday and is making steady progress. We wondering how well you need to know the cards to pass the test though? Should you be getting 90%+ on each set of cards?? Or will a 75% on the set be sufficient? We are worried he won't have them memorized 100% by the time the test occurs....
Thanks!
KJ
US History Part I: How well do you need to know the IC cards to pass?? - Storyteller - 05-31-2012
100% is not necessary. It's best to concentrate on the cards you (he) missed. It helps to study other sources - ie...REA books, free-clep-prep.com, and I studied an AP u.s. history website (I don't remember the Url) - If you have access to Peterson's study resources, they are extremely helpful.
You can pass with IC alone on this test - the test concentrates on understanding as opposed to remembering dates, etc. so study the flash cards until understanding comes.
p.s. I tended to overstudy for Clep tests, for me, failure was not an opinion, it would have been a big waste of money - ew ick! I couldn't have that...
Good luck!
US History Part I: How well do you need to know the IC cards to pass?? - irnbru - 06-01-2012
Worrying about whether you or someone you know is ready for a test is pretty stressful but it sounds like you're (both!) preparing really well. Do you have a copy of the 2012 'CLEP Official Study Guide'? It has approx ~50 questions for every single test and the questions are the closest to the real thing available. This was the best benchmark I could find for test readiness and once or twice a question in the official study guide was in the real test. It's a fair price for what it does, especially checking the syllabus breakdown.
Good luck!
US History Part I: How well do you need to know the IC cards to pass?? - columbia - 06-01-2012
You don't need 100%, strive to be somewhere in the 90's; but other than that I can't give you an exact number. It depends on if you're going the IC only route. If you (he) just want to test out and move on, go only IC and definitely get in the 90's for each set. Then you can be confident at the test site which helps a lot. If you're pursuing a more leisurely pace with other materials as well, then your IC score doesn't need to be as high.
This clep can be done with IC only. I only used IC and scored 71, but I'm a history buff (or nut, as you prefer). IC is designed to prepare you for the test while other materials may not be (though REA is highly recommended by others on this site). A side note: for most of my tests I supplement by briefly reading one of the officially recommended books that I can get from my library, but some tests IC is all I do. It depends on the exam.
Though the IC scores serve me as guide posts I take tests when I have that sense that I know the material, but that's just me; what works for him could be something different.
If you really want to learn history I recommend just getting the clep over with and studying history on your own as a hobby. You learn more that way.
US History Part I: How well do you need to know the IC cards to pass?? - KJArsenal - 06-04-2012
Thanks everyone! Since he is just in 8th grader, we are probably over studying a bit. We are using IC as our main study tool but also reading/discussing the REA book and watching history videos. We have a timeline going to help him get a good overview of the period and using Quizlet to help memorize tricky vocab we have found in the REA book. We are studying with a group of other students (3) for 3-4 hrs a day and then a bit more on IC at night. Finally, we are using Peterson's to practice the pacing of the test--that might be the biggest challenge. He is not use to timed tests and tends to take too much time on each question. He needs to learn to answer quickly (as best he can) and move on.... Thanks for the feedback!!
US History Part I: How well do you need to know the IC cards to pass?? - Tyrean - 06-06-2012
Hey I'm also studying for this test and am taking it Friday (the 8th) so I'm cramming in as much study time as possible right now. I've gotten about 80-85%+ on each IC Section and consider that enough, then I skim the REA book and now I'm finally watching hippocampus videos which I find a nice change from the IC/REA content, considering you get to learn more background about the events and watch short videos. Here's the link if you're interested HippoCampus U.S. History & American Government - Homework and Study Help - Free help with your US History homework.
I'll let you know how the test went Friday and hopefully can give some pointers.