CLEP- intro to psychology 1101-please give an honest advice

[Jowi]

I have never taken any clep test before but would like to take intro to psych 1101. I have the book, and I just purchased a subscription to instant cert. I have read first chapter of the textbook and must say that the flashcards don't cover material from the book. Even more , there are names and definitions on the flashcards that are not in the book at all. Should I believe that I be tested on things that are not in the textbook. For example IC has question about structuralism and Edward Titchener but my textbook does not mention nothing about him or structuralism...
Can somebody say what to think about this? I'll be very thankful.

[Tasman]

Welcome to the world of IC.
You do realize that now you have a subscription to IC, you are also privileged to access the Specific exam feedback. There you can check out what everybody thinks of the exams they took and what they think one needs to pass an exam. ie what they studied etc.
(As you have said, you have only read the 'first' chapter of the textbook)

[Jowi]

Ok,I understand that on the actual Clep can be things that are not in the school textbook, is that right??

[Lindagerr]

The CLEP study guide will tell you to use a textbook, it does not say every question will be in any one textbook. Each school can use a different textbook and delve more or less into certain subjects. You also should never use just one source to study.

Many people on this site have been successful with just one source and most use Instantcert to some degree, you have to find what works best for you.

Reading a textbook from cover to cover would put me to sleep and I would not learn much, the flashcards and practice test work well for me, so find what works for you but do not expect to know the answers to every question and do not expect to cover every area.

[MISin08]

Psychology is (at the Intro level) very generic and so let's say there are 1000 textbooks on it. Pick any 10 at random and the overlap between them will be pretty high. That's what the CLEP will cover most, so knowing that will get you through. It's also what is covered by IC, Cliffs, and the Idiot's Guide, all of which are excellent resources for this exam.

As for the Structuralism question, what IC is trying to do is teach you just enough about the history of psych that you can handle by elimination and intelligent guessing the very few questions the CLEP will have on history. If you want to know this area better, or you might be taking more social science, a bit of history helps you understand why the science is the way it is, and this helps tie your other study together -- but it is not covered deeply on the CLEP. The bring-it-on strategy: if your text has a chapter on history you can read it and make a study outline (list of terms, names and movements or ideas in chronological order would be good, and one page should do it) or your own flashcards. For less work, read the Wikipedia articles on:

Social Science
History of the Social Sciences
History of Psychology

to develop background awareness and refer back to them if needed as you study, and as you review your Peterson's practice test results. The Peterson is very helpful for this CLEP.

Phillip

[sanantone]

The Intro to Psychology test is easy. I just used IC, AllPsych.com, and watched Annenberg videos, which was probably overkill.

[Storyteller]

"Easy" is relative to each person. I didn't find the test easy. After 2 weeks study, I felt confident going into the test and while taking the test and I expected to have a high score, I didn't - I got 63, which is well above passing, but not what I was expecting based on the questions and the multiple choice answers.
Unless you are very familiar with psychology, use IC and augment with REA Psychology, Peterson's, Specific Feedback and the info at free-prep-clep.
Good luck.
p.s. I tried reading textbooks and couldn't retain the information and it took entirely too long! That's why these other sources are so good!!!!!

[ShotoJuku]

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Shoto-Advice:

:iagree:

[SIZE="3"]"[/SIZE]EC[SIZE="3"]"[/SIZE]
"CCU"
"Prayer"
"A Pass is a Pass"
"Slow and Steady - Wins the Race"
[B][I]“Sometimes The Easy Way Is Not Always The Best Way”
"Passing a Petersons = Conquering a CLEP -or- Defeating a DSST"
"The 5 R's of Study: Repetition - Re-Enforces - Recognition - Recall - Retention"[/B][/I]
"Always be Ready to Release Your Mind & Incorporate the Advice of Others into Your Plans."
"Studying is much like Boiling Water, if it is not Heated Constantly it will Once Again Become Cold Water."


Other Sources of CLEP & DSST Study Material
[SIZE="3"]REA Books, Comex Books, Pass Your Class Guides, Standard Deviants DVD's, Petersons Practice Exams, [COLOR="Gold"]Dummies Books, Idiot's Guides [/COLOR]. [/SIZE]

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[SIZE="3"]Study Time: How I Did It…[/SIZE]

Pre-Study-Prep: Obtain or set up whatever materials I will need to study (IC Flashcards, REA Books, Standard Deviants Videos, Pass-Your-Class Guides, and Petersons Practice Exams.

Week One: Begin to read books, review flashcards, watch videos. Call your test center and make an appointment in advance as they sometimes require a few weeks advance notice)

Week Two: Re-read books, review flashcards, watch videos Take 1-2 practice exams

Week Three: Continue to review all materials, take additional/final practice exams. You should be passing these with room to spare. Take real exam at end of the week and PASS.

Note you should have at this point already acquired pre-study-prep materials for your next exam so as not to waste time.[/COLOR]


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Something Else To Know

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FACT: The lowest possible score is a 20. The highest possible is an 80.

FACT: Approx. 1/2 the questions on the test must be successfully answered to get a 50, or a pass.


THE HYPOTHESIS: In a 100 question test, such as Sociology and many others, there are only 60 possible points (between 20-80) for 100 questions.

60 points divided by 100 questions = .6pts

If each questions is worth .6 points, 50 correct questions = 50q X .6pts = 30pts

You must add 20 since 0 correct questions = 20pts.

30 points + 20 points = 50 points, or a pass.

Now:If each point in a 100 question test is worth .6 points, 100 questions X .6 points = 60; 60 + 20 = 80.

By this formula, answering 75 questions correctly would translate to a score of 65.