Int'l Student- New to CLEP, DSST, STRAIGHTERLINE etc- & can't decide

[EI2HCB]

Hi LaterBloomer

Thanks for commenting on my post.

I actually knew about this forum from Instant Cert. I was considering that option of 20 USD a month- as it is definitely a great deal- but i had two concerns, one is that i "assumed" that there might be additional hidden cost in the form of study materials that have to be bought separately; and the second was based on reading some comments from Excelsior college website that there is no other party affiliated to offer there courses- so i wasn't sure about the quality of Instantcert. But as you have tried and suggest it - i will give it a go and start for couple of months to find out whether it's helping me prepare for these exams.

Excelsior has this statement on their website for sure! There are a number of organizations who make a large profit from selling inferior goods, InstantCert isn't one of them as in the product they offer is genuine and many can testify here that it works. You may need additional material but you purchase it on advice or recommendations from others and InstantCert doesn't get a profit from that. Working alongside some of the more knowledgeable members of this forum will greatly benefit you. I've had instantCert and cancelled my membership to prove they are a reputable company as it was a concern of mine also particularly when I recommend it to people on my education blog.

[yaserhu]

Yaser

Welcome to the forum, seems nobody addressed the "International" end of your question. First thing is where are you? If you live in Canada that's great, government grants will pay towards what we call here 'the big three" If you live outside the United States or Canada different rules apply although there are test centers in other countries too. One of our stalwarts here visits the U.S and does his exams and is gaining credit that way.
Have you found a location to take CLEP exams?
Have you found a location to take DSSST exams?

Have you decided on a major at college, Do you want to continue on after a BA degree, do you need a letter grade alongside a GPA for graduate school.
Do you have any college credits from countries outside of Canada and the U.S these can be transferred into many colleges.
That's a start. InstantCert is awesome but costs begin to rise if you have to travel too far to take the test. It still may be cost effective to fly in and take six tests over a week and gain 18 credits as opposed to paying $340 per credit hour. College admissions are based on nationality and or national residence for the big three. Canadian Citizenship is equal to U.S citizenship even if its naturalized so these are things that adjust the price for certain colleges. Keep asking questions we'll all be delighted to help out or give advice.

Hi EI2HCB

Thank you for your two posts on my questions.

To start, yes i do have a Canadian Highschool but that was obtained outside Canada in Dubai- so i don't live in Canada but rather in Dubai. I would have to pay myself for all those tests and credits i take, and will not rely on any grants or loans. So saving (without compromising quality) is very important for me. There are many Prometric and Pearson VUE centers here- and most of them don't require additional center fees- as these centers cater many students who study different things (A+, Oracle etc...)

My intended major would be Bachelor of Business Administration (preferably in Marketing). I am 37 years old now; and i do have some college credits, but i am unsure it's the same or not. I can give it a try later on. To explain, I am enrolled with Heriot Watt University- Edinburgh Business School; where you have the option to take standalone subjects that can be later used to contribute to a qualification such as Excecutive Certificate or Diploma in Management; or even to an MBA. So the subjects are (Postgrad) level but they do start from scratch. So the modules that i am likely to have soon and some of them achieved already are Org.Behaviour, Strategic Planning, Leadership, Marketing and Economics.

So what i was thinking and i am not sure whether it will work out or not is start with the modules that i haven't covered recently (after High School) like College Math, Calculus etc..
And then in some time submit my above mentioned courses completed- but i won't be sure whether Economics i have studied with Heriot Watt (which covers Micro and Macro) at Postgrad level would be accepted by the college as Micro and Macro economics. Anyways i think the college has an admission office to finally decide on this.

Because i am not used to the credits by examination system as i don't live in the USA-
My main question that is partially unanswered is if my college will accept Algebra whether from CLEP, DSST, TECEP or Exelcior- then which one shall i choose ? Any hint on this? If it depends on resources like Instant Cert- then Instant Cert has excellent coverage for all? Or it would have stronger coverage to a certain product as with respect to the others?

Also anyone tried Straighterline (99 USD a month) and each unit is USD 45- which seems cost effective, but i am cautious as there are no exam centers involved, everything is done at home, so i feel it doesn't hold the same value may be as the other tests??

Overall, it's great to be in this forum, i have received a lot of insights and i am more confident to start planning my progress.

Thank you all

[EI2HCB]

Yasser,

Theres a lot of questions in your post. Lets start with availability to take CLEP tests which are different than Pearson. If you can call the college board in the United States they'll be able to tell you who to contact in Dubai or UAE so you can take the test, their number is 1800-257-9558 if you cannot connect to a U.S 1800 number from UAE I'll arrange a conference call through my Skype so you can discuss this at some future time. DSST exams shouldn't be an issue as you'll be able to do them in Dubai at the Pearson centers. CLEP are sometimes available in U.S Military installations to some people. The Naval base in Yemen might be worth looking into although with current tensions there non U.S nationals may not have access.

transferring your CLEP results usually uses a U.S social security number although I know some folks from Japan have been able to do those tests. If the middle east doesn't have a CLEP center there's a private school in Switzerland that acts as a testing center that isn't connected to the U.S military.

Are you planning to graduate with a BA in the States then your English education will count significantly towards this. However your CLEP/DSST or Excelsior credits won't transfer to the U.K only classes actually taken at an American College. I'll discuss this later as the policy for Excelsior is due to change in a few weeks regarding international students. You will have to submit your foreign courses to a U.S college at the beginning so they can then examine them and grant you credit this takes about three months work to do.
So you have a choice continue with your British Education (sorry Alba ) or move it to a totally American Education. I know in the middle east British used to be considered better than American but you'll have to decided on that one.

Alba TV has transferred in Scottish education and gotten a good amount of credit in exchange so you'll be both similar cases. Although I think he lives in the U.S like I do.
Straighterline and other options attain credit through what is known as the ACE system which works well for many American students or foreign students but it also isn't transferrable to outside of the United States. Credit by exam (CBE) in this way is beneficial if you want to gain an American Education ending in a BA which is then transferable for an MBA or further education. CBE its not beneficial for foreign students who wish to add to their foreign education as it has legality only in the United States and certain schools in Canada. Straigherline use a proctor which means you give access to your computer and someone watches you as you complete your exams so they also hold ACE value while transferring directly into Excelsior and some others too.

[AlbaTiVo]

Come on Desmond! British education? You mean Scottish, right?

yaserhu, you are taking classes at Heriot-Watt University but I am assuming you now think you will be better off with a US bachelors degree instead of the Executive Certificate or Diploma in Management? If you do decide to apply to a US college then unlike Desmond and myself with our Irish and Scottish high school classes, none of your Canadian high school classes will transfer. I forget whom it was, but another member confirmed this.

I used World Education Services to evaluate my Scottish qualifications and you simply ask them to forward the transcript they create to the US school(s) you wish to apply to. There are others out there though, like Educational Credential Evaluators. In your case the classes you have taken at Heriot-Watt University will be evaluated for their US equivalency and then it is up to the accepting university to decide what they will apply these classes as. The evaluation is not cheap - I paid around $300 but I did have over 100 credits to transfer, although the cost is the same no matter how many classes they evaluate.

You should look at the wiki to start familiarizing yourself with some degree plans and the different ways of getting there. In fact, mbruz just posted a first attempt at a BSBA in Marketing plan yesterday.

You had concerns about Straighterline not holding the same value as other tests but they are taken online using your webcam and a proctor, so they have the same value as any other test. I see there is a CLEP test center in Dubai and several DSST sites too, so you should be good to go with either of those.

[clep3705]

transferring your CLEP results usually uses a U.S social security number although I know some folks from Japan have been able to do those tests.

I recommend never providing SSNs unless there is absolutely no choice whatsoever. I've taken my CLEPs and had the many hours of credit properly granted to me without providing them my SSN.

[publius2k4]

Hi, i don't live in the USA- but i came to know about Excelsior & TESC Degrees recently- and about CLEP, DSST, Uexcel, Excelsior and TECEP tests.
I've also came to know more about Straighterline yesterday.
As an adult learner with lot of experience and life background- this is really very good for me as i can complete my degree much faster and at a pace suitable for me. However after researching more about the above- it got more complicated...

To start with i want to accomplish a Bachelor degree in Business or preferably Marketing. Like anyone else my prime objectives are 1- to prioritize a college degree (where i did feel that Excelsior or TESC are the closest options); and more importantly- 2- to save on College cost and time as much as i can. In other words- get the most from tests before taking a small proportion of credit

So I don't know know what to take for a those subjects i should study- say the General ones or the specialized ones- shall i take CLEP? DSST or Straighterline?

Another issue i faced- is that when reviewing study material for any of the above- there is inconsistent student reviews on Amazon on the study resources or guides. Some say they aren't enough- some say they are just enough to pass. On other extremes- Uexcel test perp or Exceslior prep- are very expensive; and whatever has been saved in taking these tests is been utilized for textbooks.
So- going back to the study guide reviews what if i don't like to be at the thin line between passing and failing- what if i want to review the topic more not just practicing the exam.

I cannot set a study plan, based on study materials, estimated cost and time for myself as i don't know who to study with- which exams and the best way to do it.

Or shall i may be first apply to these colleges then work out my way- but still i wouldn't know which Algebra is better - CLEP or DSST or TECEP or Exceslsior?!

Thanks
Yaser

Another option you could do is attending Charter Oak State College. They are the lesser known of the Big 3, but they are equally as credible....And they are the only one of the Big 3 that still awards credit for the GRE subject exams. You can take a subject GRE examination and receive a considerable amount of credits (up to 24 per test). I did a search on the GRE website, and found that there are 2 GRE test centers in UAE.

[EI2HCB]

I recommend never providing SSNs unless there is absolutely no choice whatsoever. I've taken my CLEPs and had the many hours of credit properly granted to me without providing them my SSN.

Thanks for the input, how was your data trackable do they give you a special CLEP no. Other non nationals on here must have some way of doing this so that it can be back tracked. Were you already enrolled in a College did you use your college student number. Your help in this is appreciated as I'm sure Yasser doesn't want to study for a month and pay a thousand dollars to fly to Switzerland and take a CLEP if they need a specific tracking number such as a Social Security Number.

[EI2HCB]

Scottish! By the way my Irish High school and my FETAC level 5 courses did not transfer in as any credit. a year wasted?

[yaserhu]

Yasser,

Theres a lot of questions in your post. Lets start with availability to take CLEP tests which are different than Pearson. If you can call the college board in the United States they'll be able to tell you who to contact in Dubai or UAE so you can take the test, their number is 1800-257-9558 if you cannot connect to a U.S 1800 number from UAE I'll arrange a conference call through my Skype so you can discuss this at some future time. DSST exams shouldn't be an issue as you'll be able to do them in Dubai at the Pearson centers. CLEP are sometimes available in U.S Military installations to some people. The Naval base in Yemen might be worth looking into although with current tensions there non U.S nationals may not have access.

transferring your CLEP results usually uses a U.S social security number although I know some folks from Japan have been able to do those tests. If the middle east doesn't have a CLEP center there's a private school in Switzerland that acts as a testing center that isn't connected to the U.S military.

Are you planning to graduate with a BA in the States then your English education will count significantly towards this. However your CLEP/DSST or Excelsior credits won't transfer to the U.K only classes actually taken at an American College. I'll discuss this later as the policy for Excelsior is due to change in a few weeks regarding international students. You will have to submit your foreign courses to a U.S college at the beginning so they can then examine them and grant you credit this takes about three months work to do.
So you have a choice continue with your British Education (sorry Alba ) or move it to a totally American Education. I know in the middle east British used to be considered better than American but you'll have to decided on that one.

Alba TV has transferred in Scottish education and gotten a good amount of credit in exchange so you'll be both similar cases. Although I think he lives in the U.S like I do.
Straighterline and other options attain credit through what is known as the ACE system which works well for many American students or foreign students but it also isn't transferrable to outside of the United States. Credit by exam (CBE) in this way is beneficial if you want to gain an American Education ending in a BA which is then transferable for an MBA or further education. CBE its not beneficial for foreign students who wish to add to their foreign education as it has legality only in the United States and certain schools in Canada. Straigherline use a proctor which means you give access to your computer and someone watches you as you complete your exams so they also hold ACE value while transferring directly into Excelsior and some others too.

Thanks. There are quite a lot of centers around in Dubai, so i have many options to choose from, and i believe i don't need a US security number as i will register with CLEP as an International student.

Actually my plan is to obtain my Bachelor degree through credit mostly transferrable to college- and then complete the rest of units to obtain my UK (Scottish) Master from University of Heriot Watt. So i will require credit transfer to Excelsior or TESC or Charter Oak. If the procedure is lenghty and costs more than taking the course itself; then i might as well take the course. It is going to be easier because i do already have the knowledge

Thanks for the clarification of Straighterline

[yaserhu]

Thanks Publius- i will look into that option