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Questions for those who've taken numerous tests
#11
CLEP passing percentages were published online (no longer online) and some of us were able to see the actual percentages and conversion to scaled scores. The data does not support the theory that getting 50% correct equals a pass. Depending on the test, you may need more than 50% correct to pass or less than 50% on others.
63 CLEP Sociology
75 CLEP U.S. History II
63 CLEP College Algebra
70 CLEP Analyzing and Interpreting Literature
68 DSST Technical Writing
72 CLEP U.S. History I
77 CLEP College Mathematics
470 DSST Statistics
53 CLEP College Composition
73 CLEP Biology
54 CLEP Chemistry
77 CLEP Information Systems and Computer Applications
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#12
1. How many tests have you passed? 7 (not as many as most on the forum)
2. How many tests have you failed? 0
3. How long do you study before testing? varied from no study to a month of focused effort
4. You're easiest test. Tie between English Comp with Essay and Intro to Marketing
5. You're hardest test. Industrial Psychology (TESC ePack) or American Government (CLEP)
6. Which do you prefer? CLEP or DSST? DSST, though that could be biased because I took that last and had a comfort level for CBE by then
7. Favorite study material. IC, wiki, textbooks (cheap used)

To echo marianne's comments, until I started down the road of CBE and fast-track degree completion, I never really realized how much adults pick up through daily life and work (it doesn't feel like it, at least to me), but it does provide a significant advantage to any college-level credit source, and CBE for certain. Life experience provides us with a lot of reference to identify important topics from fluff as we study, and that reference trims down the volume of material and length of study needed. My nephews have been studying for a test each to try to get some college credit under their belts, and their results (based on pre-tests) are dramatically different from mine. For example, I found IC very helpful and was able to connect the dots between the flashcard content to get a "big picture" overview from IC alone, where the boys only get memorization snippets but need a text or something more comprehensive to connect memorized facts with application and purpose. They are smart boys - much smarter than me - so I think the main difference is life application to bridge gaps between resources. If you're homeschooling, you're likely already planning for that, but wanted to repeat that most degreeforum posters' timeframes and experiences are likely not going to be a good baseline to use for a student in their teens.
BSBA, HR / Organizational Mgmt - Thomas Edison State College, December 2012
- TESC Chapter of Sigma Beta Delta International Honor Society for Business, Management and Administration
- Arnold Fletcher Award

AAS, Environmental, Safety, & Security Technologies - Thomas Edison State College, December 2012
AS, Business Administration - Thomas Edison State College, March 2012
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#13
1. How many tests have you passed? 15 CLEPs (Took 1 twice), 7 DSSTs
2. How many tests have you failed? 2 CLEPs, 0 DSSTs
3. How long do you study before testing? Anywhere from 2 days to 2 months. Usually around 2 weeks.
4. You're easiest test. ** The College Math CLEP or The Statistics DSST
5. You're hardest test. ** Biology or Macroeconomics
6. Which do you prefer? CLEP or DSST? DSST
7. Favorite study material. Specific Exam feedback!! Then, whatever was recommend from there.

You may want to check out these polls I had started a little while ago cause I was interested in the same type of questions...
[URL="http:// http://www.degreeforum.net/off-topic/174...-dsst.html"]
[/URL]
[url=http:// http://www.degreeforum.net/off-topic/174...-dsst.html[/url]
http://www.degreeforum.net/off-topic/166...exams.html


**It can be kind of hard to rack and stack which one was easiest or hardest. I always say the hardest one is the one you're about to take. Anywho, here's a quick breakdown of the exams I've taken my personal opinion to their difficulty.

CLEPs
Analyzing and Interpreting Literature - Easy
College Mathematics - Easy
College Algebra -Easy
History of the United States I - Moderate
History of the United States II- Moderate
American Government- Hard
Western Civilization I - Moderate
Western Civilization II - Moderate
Social Sciences and History - Easy (but took previous 5 tests before this one, otherwise it would of been much tougher)
College Composition - Moderate
Principles of Marketing - Easy
Biology - Hard
Intro Biz Law - Hard
Principles of Management - Easy (if you study... this is the one I failed, mainly due cause I didn't study for it)

DSSTs
Introduction to Business - Easy
Introduction to World Religions - Easy
Introduction to Computing - Easy
Principles of Supervision - Easy
Human Resource Management - Easy/Moderate (especially if you've taken other Biz exams)
Principles of Statistics- Easy
Business Ethics and Society - Easy

Also have taken 4 StraighterLine courses - (Mostly Moderate Difficulty), 1 ALEKs course - (very easy!), 1 TESC course - (Moderate), 2 TECEPs - (Harder), and working on (same) 2 TECEPs and LSU courses currently.
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#14
Thanks for all the feedback. I enjoy hearing about other people's experience. When I sign up for IC, I look forward to reading the specific exam feedback section.

I do realize that my son is learning a lot of the material for the first time. I stated in another post that his school schedule is Algebra (preparing for future Aleks classes), Spanish (hoping for a CLEP pass in a few years), Bible for personal growth, and intense study on one subject for CBE. I'm planning on 2 months of study for many subjects. He's only 14, so I'm not in a rush by any means. He's passing about 1 FEMA course per day, so he'll be ready for CLEP studying in about 2 weeks.
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#15
1. How many tests have you passed? 22 - 17 CLEP, 5 DSST
2. How many tests have you failed? 0
3. How long do you study before testing? Usually 2-3 weeks
4. You're easiest test. CLEP - A&IL. DSST - Supervision
5. You're hardest test. DSST Soviet Union
6. Which do you prefer? CLEP or DSST? I can't pick, I like 'em both Big Grin CLEPs I'm more familiar with, having taken more, but I like having only 4 options on DSSTs Wink
7. Favorite study material. REA books & PTs, Petersons PTs, CollegePlus's Learning Network (a version of SpeedyPrep), Free Clep Prep & its PTs, Comex books, Khan Academy, Annenberg Lectures, Education Portal, Periodic Videos, 60 Symbols, IC, SEF, books from the local library, online PTs/quizzes, random online resources & websites, Mr. Google Wink
BA History 2014 - TESC

The Lord is my shepherd. Psalm 23

"I'm going on an adventure!' ~AUJ
"It is our fight." ~DoS
"I am not alone." ~BotFA
"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that's given to us." ~FotR
"There is still hope." ~TTT
"Courage..." "This day, we fight!" ~RotK

CLEP: A&I Lit 74 ~ Am Lit 73 ~ Eng Lit 72 ~ Humanities 75 ~ College Math 77 ~ Western Civ I 63 ~ Western Civ II 69 ~ Natural Sci 64 ~ US History I 76 ~ US History II 69 ~ Sociology 68 ~ Am Gov 69 ~ Social Sci & Hist 71 ~ College Comp 61 ~ Marketing 70 ~ Management 66 ~ Psychology 67

DSST: Supervision 453 ~ Tech Writing 61 ~ Computing 427 ~ Middle East 65 ~ Soviet Union 65 ~ Vietnam War 74 ~[COLOR="#0099cc"] Civil War 68

[/COLOR]Other: College+ Biblical Social Justice B ~ ECE World Conflicts Since 1900 A

TESC courses: Capstone A ~ Leaders in History A ~ Photography 101 A- ~ Games People Play A ~ International Relations A- ~ Mass Communications I A

$5 off IC - 59690
My hair jewelry business
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#16
Quote:1. How many tests have you passed?
6

Quote:2. How many tests have you failed?
0

Quote:3. How long do you study before testing?
French -> 0
A&I Lit -> 0
Social Sci and History -> about 10 hours
College Math -> 0

American Lit -> 15 hours
English Lit -> 15 hours

Quote:4. Your easiest test.
A&I Lit

Quote:5. Your hardest test.
American Literature

Quote:6. Which do you prefer? CLEP or DSST?
CLEP, definitely prefer the 6 credits.

Quote:7. Favorite study material.
"Idiot's guide to..."
Goal - BA Mathematics Major at TESC
Plan: International AP Calculus Teacher

COMPLETED: [B]123/B]
B&M (Philosophy, Psychology, Calculus I/II, Physics I/II, Discrete Structures I/II, Comp Sci, Astronomy, Ethics)*42 credits
Athabasca (Nutrition, Globalization)*6 credits
ALEKS (Stats, Precalculus)*6 credits
CLEPS (College Math 73, A&I Lit 73, French 63, Social Sciences and History 59, American Lit 57, English Lit 59)*42 credits
TECEP (English Composition I, II)*6 credits
TESC Courses (MAT 270 Discrete Math A, MAT 321 Linear Algebra B, MAT 331 Calculus III B+, MAT 332 Calculus IV B-,
MAT 361 College Geometry B+, MAT 401 Mathematical Logic B, LIB-495 Capstone B)*21 credits
DSST (MIS, Intro to Computing)*6 credits*(not using)
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#17
1. How many tests have you passed? 14
2. How many tests have you failed? 0
3. How long do you study before testing? As little as one week (for tests where I'm already familiar with the content I'm studying, such as A&I Literature and College Composition) to as long as two months (when I've been busy with conventional classes or needed a lot of study time with a relatively technical subject like Accounting).
4. Your easiest test. I found the Marketing CLEP to be quite easy. A&I Literature was also pretty simple.
5. Your hardest test. The College Algebra CLEP was surprisingly difficult.
6. Which do you prefer? CLEP or DSST? I've only taken CLEPs, so I can't make a fair judgment here.
7. Favorite study material. Free college textbooks, high school textbooks, encyclopedias, and assorted Internet resources. Instantcert is also highly recommended, although I didn't learn about it until late in my CLEP-ing career.
Course clear! You got a card.

Analyzing & Interpreting Literature 72|American Government 71|Introductory Sociology 63|Humanities 70|College Composition 60|U.S. History II 67|Principles of Marketing 73|Principles of Macroeconomics 67|Principles of Microeconomics 66|U.S. History I 74|College Mathematics 68|Information Systems & Computer Applications 68|College Algebra 56|Biology 63|Financial Accounting 65

B.A.S. IT Management, Class of 2015
MBA, Class of 2017
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#18
If I were you I'd take some tests myself. That is the best way to learn what it is all about. Why not take the US History I CLEP prior to him taking it?

sdobis Wrote: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!
BSBA CIS from TESC, BA Natural Science/Math from TESC
MBA Applied Computer Science from NCU
Enrolled at NCU in the PhD Applied Computer Science
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#19
As other have mentioned, it depends very much on the person, but I will answer the questions anyway.

1. How many tests have you passed? 25 (15 CLEP, 10 DSST) and 1 TECEP
2. How many tests have you failed? 1 (DSST)
3. How long do you study before testing? 2 weeks to 3 months (less for each exam if taking two similar overlapping exams together) average around 1 month
4. You're easiest test. Macroeconomics, Financial Accounting, or Personal Finance *
5. You're hardest test. English Composition (not good at timed essays) or Chemistry *
6. Which do you prefer? CLEP or DSST? Either, depending on subject - DSST have only 4 answer options, CLEP are lower level and therefore tend to be easier (the DSST I've taken are mostly upper level business) and some CLEP are 6 credits
7. Favorite study material. REA Study Guides, textbook/study guides (cheap or from library), Free CLEP Prep, and practice tests

* I agree with Publius, it is difficult to determine the easiest and hardest exams. Here is my rating of the exams I have taken:

CLEP
English Literature - easy
Chemistry - hard
Microeconomics - easy
Macroeconomics - easy
U.S. History I - easy
U.S. History II - easy
U.S. Government - moderate
Humanities - moderate
College Algebra - moderate
English Composition - hard (essay, multiple choice portion - easy)
Financial Accounting - easy (had already taken Accounting II)
Principles of Management - easy
Introductory Business Law - hard
Principles of Marketing - easy
Information Systems & Computer Applications - easy

DSST
Introduction to Business - easy
Human/Cultural Geography - easy
Business Math - moderate/hard (failed)
Personal Finance - easy
Principles of Supervision - easy
Organizational Behavior - easy
Human Resource Management - easy
Business Ethics & Society - moderate
Principles of Finance - moderate
Management Information Systems - moderate
Money and Banking - easy

I have also taken:

Straighterline Business Communication - moderate
TECEP Financial Institutions & Markets - easy/moderate

Also, I am a (relatively) recent homeschool graduate, so the older adult life experience does not apply to me (likewise for Publius, Westerner, and others).
[SIZE="1"]BSBA in Accounting at TESC - Done! :hurray:
Started June 2009 with zero credits, now have 133!

CLEP:
English Literature - 67, Chemistry - 60, Microeconomics - 69, Macroeconomics - 77, U.S. History I - 68, U.S. History II - 64, American Government - 64, Humanities - 68, College Algebra - 64, English Composition - 56, Financial Accounting - 80 Smile, Principles of Management - 74, Intro. Business Law - 73, Principles of Marketing - 79, Info. Systems & Computer Applications - 77

DSST:
Introduction to Business - 446, Human/Cultural Geography - 69, Personal Finance - 463, Principles of Supervision - 443, Organizational Behavior - 76, Human Resource Management - 77, Business Ethics and Society - 468, Principles of Finance - 471, Management Information Systems - 447, Money and Banking - 73

TECEP:
Financial Institutions and Markets, Federal Income Taxation, Strategic Management

Straighterline Course:
Business Communication
[/SIZE]
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#20
sdobis Wrote:Thanks for all the feedback. I enjoy hearing about other people's experience. When I sign up for IC, I look forward to reading the specific exam feedback section.

I do realize that my son is learning a lot of the material for the first time. I stated in another post that his school schedule is Algebra (preparing for future Aleks classes), Spanish (hoping for a CLEP pass in a few years), Bible for personal growth, and intense study on one subject for CBE. I'm planning on 2 months of study for many subjects. He's only 14, so I'm not in a rush by any means. He's passing about 1 FEMA course per day, so he'll be ready for CLEP studying in about 2 weeks.

Solid plan!
You can use ALEKS for math all the way through. When he gets to algebra (if he isn't already) he can do beginning algebra, intermediate algebra (credit), geometry (no credit), college algebra (credit), trig/precal (credit), business math (elective/no credit) and statistics (credit). Pay by the year and you'll save $.
What are you looking at for Spanish? Rosetta Stone has all the levels and 14 isn't too young. Also, if he tests with CLEP, he won't have to speak for the exam!
I'd hold back on the psych/sociology until he's more mature, but you can hit the histories now and should be ready for govt after.
This sounds like it's not a lot, but using it like you are, in addition to his bible and extra stuff (drivers ed will be here before you know it, and maybe a part time job) this will be a nice full schedule.
I think you're on the right track, way to go Mom!

For curriculum, if you did your semesters in half, so you had 4 quarters plus 1 summer per year, you could plan 5 tests per year. (that's very fast in my opinion, but you could shoot for it). Free online classes like those offered at Saylor, Harvard, Yale, and MIT are excellent full quarter "classes" that you can fine tune with study books like REA. (I don't think REA is enough for curriculum, but to each his own).

(I've taken 20, failed 1, my easiest was human growth and development because I'm a 40ish year old mom, and my hardest was civil war- the one I failed. I have no brand preference, really the same to me. Study guides vary, but always use the specific exam feedback)
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