Questions for those who've taken numerous tests

[sdobis]

I'm a newbie here and would like to know some basic stats.

1. How many tests have you passed?
2. How many tests have you failed?
3. How long do you study before testing?
4. You're easiest test.
5. You're hardest test.
6. Which do you prefer? CLEP or DSST?
7. Favorite study material.

Thanks in advance!!

[clep3705]

Those are all legitimate, good questions.

Everybody is different. Don't confuse passionate and eloquent responses with truth. What is true for one person is not true for another.

The school you ultimately attend, physically or virtually, greatly influences the answers to the questions. Credit is awarded by the institution you attend and different schools have different passing scores, which does change how difficult the test is to pass.

Some of us have passed certain tests without studying. What I passed without studying is different from what others passed without studying. Favorite study material depends on the subject matter. REA books are better for social sciences and history than other subjects. The InstantCert flashcards are better for certain subjects than others and that varies with the person. What subject is easy for one is hard for another and vice-versa. In other words, there is no one, universally true answer.

This is your future and you should invest your time into browsing the posts and using the search feature.

[sanantone]

Yep, a lot of people here like the REA books. I haven't found a use for them. There are books that work just as well that you can check out for free at the library. I also haven't found much of a use for the Specific Exam Feedback forum outside of a few documents that were posted with definitions, but others swear by it. I'm going to answer your questions anyway.

1. 8
2. 0
3. I don't track how long it takes me to study. I usually go through the flashcard sets twice and maybe watch a video series.
4. The one that seemed easiest when I was sitting at the computer was the Intro to Computing DSST.
5. It would either have to be US History I or Analyzing and Interpreting Literature. The questions weren't straight forward for the History CLEP. A&I wasn't necessarily hard, but I'm not a fast reader and ran out of time before I answered all of the questions.
6. I prefer DSSTs for their straight forward questions and answer choices.
7. My favorite study materials are listed in my signature. I haven't used Education Portal yet, so maybe that will be added in the future.

[ShotoJuku]

I'm a newbie here and would like to know some basic stats.

1. How many tests have you passed?
2. How many tests have you failed?
3. How long do you study before testing?
4. You're easiest test.
5. You're hardest test.
6. Which do you prefer? CLEP or DSST?
7. Favorite study material.

Thanks in advance!!

Question: Have you taken any (CLEP/DSST) exams....yet?

[julia12389]

I agree with others that the degree of difficulty will be different for everyone. As an example, most think Principles of Supervision is easy, so I took it as one of my first DSST. What I have found since is that bits of what was on that test was in the study material for some other test, (Principles of Marketing, Labor Relations, Human Resource Management, Intro to Business, Organizational Behavior, etc) so it also has a lot to do with what tests you have previously taken. I can't tell you how many test have a question about Maslow's heirarchy of needs... just keep that in mind and try to group "like subjects together"
I've taken 16 DSST since July ONLY using IC and the test specific study resources. I haven't failed any yet...I don't necessarily think DSST test are easier I think the wording is more straight forward. I also think the IC flashcards for these tests are better. I found Personal Finance to be the easiest followed by Technical Writing.
I've taken 7 CLEP since July and use as much study material as I can find, REA boks, Peterson's practice test, etc. I want to feel prepared for how the question may be presented. IC flashcards are okay for some. Biology flashcards, forget about it..I haven't failed any CLEPs yet either. Personally I found A&I Lit. the most difficult, again others found it easy.
When I first started I was seeing posts that others were taking a couple tests at a time, that doesn't work for me. I only study for one test at a time. You need to find out what works for you, everyone has a different style and comfort level. Just do it!! After the first one everything seems easier..

[sdobis]

I was really just looking for these stats for my own reading enjoyment and for personal insights of others. I don't replace other people's opinions for my own. No, I haven't taken any tests. My son is the one testing. Right now he is working through the FEMA tests, and I am planning out a study schedule for his first CLEP-US History I. As a homeschooling momma and my son's guidance counselor, I want to be as informed as possible to help him in this journey. Thanks!

[clep3705]

Using the search feature, you can find the posts that have the pass rates for CLEP and DSST exams taken by U.S. military personnel. The percentage pass rates on those documents generally agree with the group consensus here on what is easy and what is hard.

This thread http://www.degreeforum.net/general-educa...-list.html can give you a rough idea of what are relatively easy exams for some people to pass.

College Composition, Analyzing and Interpreting Literature, and Technical Writing are exams that some people are able to pass without studying. Those who pass Technical Writing without studying usually have work experience that exposed them to many of the concepts covered on the test.

[seanmathews]

1. How many tests have you passed?
2. How many tests have you failed?
3. How long do you study before testing?
4. You're easiest test.
5. You're hardest test.
6. Which do you prefer? CLEP or DSST?
7. Favorite study material.

1. 18
2. 0
3. 1 week, on average
4. Intro to Computing / College Algebra
5. Financial Accounting
6. Dsst
7. REA Books & Khan Academy , both are my favorite to learn from

[marianne202]

1. How many tests have you passed? 13 Plus ECE's
2. How many tests have you failed? 0
3. How long do you study before testing? A[B]verage of 1-2 wks, some weeks I took 2 exams per day[/B]
4. You're easiest test. Here's to your health / A&I Lit
5. You're hardest test. American Govt - Not good with politics / history
6. Which do you prefer? CLEP or DSST? Ilike DSST exams - I think the questions and answers are clearer.
7. Favorite study material. I used almost exclusively IC Specific Exam feedback and flashcards but did supplement with online resources.


I think you must be careful because most of us on the board are mature adults with lots of life experiences that have educated us which enables us to handle some of these exams much easier than would a teenager or someone just out of high school. My son, who has a ton of IT knowledge, tried taking the CLEP Intro to Computers exam right after HS graduation. He didn't study much because he had been fixing computers and trouble shooting computers for years, as well as he had taken several computer classes and built computers from the ground up. He paniced when placed in the small test room at Strayer to take the CLEP exam. He wasn't able to really relax enough, not to mention the exam had some basic management questions that threw him off. He was expecting just computer questions. Needless to say he failed the exam by a few points. But while his knowledge of content was there the experience was overwhelming. So don't expect your son to have the same results - *actual results may vary! Good luck! My son will again try testing again this summer, but this time with more studying on IC!

[ShotoJuku]

I was really just looking for these stats for my own reading enjoyment and for personal insights of others. I don't replace other people's opinions for my own. No, I haven't taken any tests. My son is the one testing. Right now he is working through the FEMA tests, and I am planning out a study schedule for his first CLEP-US History I. As a homeschooling momma and my son's guidance counselor, I want to be as informed as possible to help him in this journey. Thanks!

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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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[COLOR="Navy"]

[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* (REA, Petersons).

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


* It should be noted that there are many (like me) who feel that the practice exams may be a bit more difficult and as such if you are able to "pass" a practice exam (with room to spare) you should do well when you sit the actual exam.

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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.