A History Major's Journey

[Westerner]

CLEP Western Civilization I

Test date: November 2011
Score: 63
Length of study: ~2.5 weeks
Resources: online flashcards, REA, Petersons PTs, OCSG, online quizzes
PT scores: REA—60%, 71%; Petersons—67.5%; OCSG—79%
Observations:

—I underestimated this one; it had more on the culture, feelings and society of the times than I was expecting. Google helps you find interactive, colorful timelines, but it's a good idea to also make your own.

—Definitely focus more on the Middle Ages/Renaissance; some Q’s dealt more with the society back then than I was expecting. Also get a very good feel for how Ancient Greece and Rome were and know the big names.

—There were some Roman Literature questions that threw me for a loop

—I had a foundation through the Bob Jones World History high school textbook (for the high school course I'd done about two years earlier!) I used the LN (put it on Random and it's great for drilling the terms) and the REA (which I thought was terrific for an overview of the subject). But I do think the critical thing with the History tests is that you have a textbook. It just helps put everything in perspective and does a great job of explaining important people, places, and things in relation to everything, which is something that flashcards just can't do. Flashcards help with memorization but a book with help you understand the "whys"—something that's especially critical for this test. WC 1 is more about the social aspects of things than I was expecting. So, you could even go to the library and look for a comprehensive book or textbook on this time period—it'll greatly help.

—I don’t usually take my own notes but for this test I had to actually write out my own timeline to make sure I understood and could remember everything. That definitely helped. Just put in major time periods (Ancient—>Greek—>Roman...) and then add wars, people and whatever else you want! Overlapping the civilizations also helps because sometimes they existed at the same time as others.

Online timelines are EXTREMELY useful, especially if they’re interactive or colorful Only if there’s a lot of info, it can seem overwhelming and you might just get confused. Take your time with them Here are a few:
pretty basic
doesn’t go very far; good for Roman time period
interactive—really good!
this is the one I used as a primary resource for this test—IT IS AWESOME!!!!!

Also, here’s another great list I found online:
• Ancient Near East
• Egypt and Mesopotamia at a Glance
• Egyptian Political History
• Law of Babylon
• Ancient Greece and Hellenistic Civilization
• Dark Ages of Greek
• Religion during the Dark Ages
• Politics during the Dark Ages
• Law during Dark Ages
• Social and Economic Life in Dark Ages
• Evolution of Athens
• Politics in Early Athens
• Agriculture in Athens
• Early Reforms
• Greek Philosophy and Science
• Greek Wars
• Ancient Rome
• Early Republic
• Punic Wars
• Rome in Third Century
• Trade in Third Century
• German Invasion
• Medieval history
• Byzantium and Islam
• Byzantine
• Factors responsible for the stability of the Byzantine Empire
• Architecture during Byzantine civilization
• Islam
• The growth of Islam, Islamic civilization and culture
• Islamic religion
• Islamic philosophy
• Islamic art and architecture
• Islamic technology
• Early Medieval Politics and Culture through Charlemagne
• The Reign of Charlemagne (768 To 814)
• After The Decline of Charlemagne
• Economic & Social Condition of W. Europe in the Early Med. Period
• Feudal and Manorial Institutions
• The Agriculture Revolution
• Modern agriculture tools
• Manorial regime
• Growth in trade and urban revolution
• Rise of towns and changing economic forms
• Cause for the medieval urban revolution
• Social and economic organization of the town
• Medieval thought and culture
• Education during the higher medieval period
• Literature during the high medieval period
• Architecture during the high medieval period
• The medieval Church
• Political power of the Church
• Renaissance and Reformation
• Renaissance in Italy
• Renaissance of Thought and Literature
• Renaissance art
• Renaissance architecture
• The decline of renaissance in Italy
• The Renaissance outside Italy
• Renaissance literature in northern Europe
• Decline of Christian humanism
• Renaissance poetry in northern Europe
• Renaissance architecture in northern Europe
• Renaissance paintings in northern Europe
• Protestantism and Catholicism reformed and reorganized
• Protestant reformation (early 1500 and 16th century)
• The result of protestant reformation
• Catholic reformation
• Result of catholic reformation
• Early Modern Europe, 1560-1648
• The opening of the Atlantic
• The Commercial Revolution
• Dynastic and religious conflicts
• Thoughts and culture
• Peasantry
• Growth of town and urbanization
• Education
• Culture


CLEP Western Civilization II

--I passed this test with 69 after 2 weeks of study in January 2012.

--Resources: online flashcards, REA, Petersons PTs, OCSG, online quizzes, timelines!!

--Use timelines. Study up on obscure wars too. Know how countries related to each other.

--I was sorta nervous about this test because it was said to be harder that WC1 (on which I got 63) so I studied extra hard. Though there were some questions on economics and women's rights and roles (especially dates) that I wasn't too sure about the answers to.

--For practice tests, I got 73% and 68% on two Petersons, 84% (65 according to the computer and 80 according to the book :confused on an REA and 60% on the OCSG. With the other practice test scores being what they were, I was hoping to score score higher in the OCSG, so I was worried enough to postpone my test for a day and do more study--these Annenberg videos—Resource: The Western Tradition—were great!

And here’s a great list of “gotta-know” topics I found online:

• Absolutionism and Constitutianalism, 1648-1715
• The “Westernization” of Russia
• Competition for Enpire and Economic Expansion
• Global Economy of the 18th Century
• Europe After Utrecht, 1713-1740
• Demographic Change in the 18th Century
• The Scientic View of the World
• Major Figures of the Scientific Revolution
• New Knowledge of Man and Society
• Political Theory
• Period of Enlightenment
• Enlightenment Thought
• Enlightened Despotism
• Partition of Poland
• Revolution and Napoleonic Europe
• The Revolution in France
• The Revolution and Europe
• The French Empire
• Congress of Vienna
• The Industrial Revolution
• Agricultural and Industrial Revolution
• Causes of Revolution
• Economic and Social Impact of the Working and Middle Class
• British Reform Movement
• Political and cultural developments 1815-1848
• Liberalism
• Conservatism
• Nationalism
• Socialism
• The Revolutions of 1830 and 1848
• Politics and Diplomacy in the Age of Nationalism, 1850-1914
• Unification of Italy and Germany
• Austria-Hungary
• Russia
• France
• Socialism and Labor Unions
• European Diplomacy, 1871-1900
• Economy, Culture and Imperialism
• World Economy of the 19th Century
• Imperialism in African and Asia
• The First World War and the Russian Revolution
• The Causes of the First World War
• The Economic and Social Impact of the War
• The Peace Settlements
• The Revolution of 1917 and its Effects
• Europe Between the Wars
• The Great Depression
• International Politics, 1919-1939
• Stallin’s Five Year Plans and Purges
• Italy and Germany Between the Wars
• The Second World War and Contemporary Europe
• The Causes and the Course of the Second World War
• Postwar Europe
• Science, Philosophy, the Arts and Religion
• Social and Political Developments

[Westerner]

CLEP Natural Sciences

For my Science requirements, I wanted to do Chemistry since I’d done well on the DIVE Chem course I did in high school, but after studying for a month and getting ok scores on REA and Peterson PTs...I took the OCSG and failed it. So...I decided to play it safe and went with Natural Sciences instead. I think it’s really a pretty easy test, because the online resources are really good, and you don’t have to know a LOT of any one subject—especially, depending on what science you might’ve studied before, you might not need to study too hard on something.

*I studied for about 2 weeks for Natural Sciences and took it in March 2012.

*The only book I used was the Comex book, which has a PT. It was a great overview!!

*Basically I had to learn a lot of Biology. See below for the KA videos that were most helpful. There’re also a lot of helpful links on here: Free Clep Prep’s Biology write up.

*Didn’t need anymore Chem study ;-) (BTW, Periodic Table of Videos is great for a non-boring Chem overview).

*Didn’t do much of Physics in high school but didn’t study it much at all (& that was fine!). There was very little Physics on the test. Rader's PHYSICS 4 KIDS.COM is great for this section.

*Astronomy was the most fun thing, but sadly I couldn’t spend too much time on it This site is good for that part: Sixty Symbols.

*There was more Earth Science on the test than I was expecting but most of it was pretty straightforward. The few Geology questions weren't bad either.

*SpeedyPrep is really good for this test

*Khan Academy!

I'd done a not-very-thorough Bio course a couple of years before taking this Clep. But the Bio is super important to know, because it's about 1/2 of the test, so I was kinda panicking. Thankfully, Khan Academy came to my rescue I didn't watch all of his Biology playlist, just the following ones:

—some of the Evolution videos to get familiar with what they say (as a side note, there was very little, if any, Evol. on the Clep)
—most of the “Cell Division" playlist (these were SUPER-helpful)
—first 4 of the “Heredity & Genes” section
—first 5 of “Tree of life”
—most of “Cellular Respiration”
—"ATP,” “Photosynthesis,” “Light Reactions 1,” and “Calvin Cycle”
—ones on the major systems & organs in the body (you don’t have to go deep into the Neurons stuff)
—first 2 of “Immunology” + “Inflammatory Response”

*The KA sections "Orbitals and Electrons," "Periodic table, trends, and bonding,” "Chemical reactions (stoichiometry),” and "States of matter“ cover most of the Chemistry on the test.

*On the Petersons tests I took, my scores stayed around 50% And I passed the real thing with 64. The most accurate and helpful PT is always the Official Clep SG's. Take that (usually near the end of your studying) to gauge your knowledge. Study it to pick up on topics that'll come up on the CLEP.

Enjoy learning about the world God created!!! :coolgleam:


CLEP History of the United States I

I passed this Clep in March 2012.

Things to know:

-Columbian Exchange
-how the roles & situation of slaves changed
-how women helped in the American Revolution
-Spanish introductions to the New World and how they divided land
-indentured servants vs. slaves
-my test had more on the American Revolution than on the Civil War (in the way of the actual war)
-Saratoga
-Jay Treaty
-basics of literature (especially slaves' and women's)
-some quotes to match with the author
-Thomas Paine & his writings
-colonies' major exports
-Northern vs. Southern interests
-why Emancipation Proclamation was issued
-Reconstruction policies and who wanted what (Lincoln, Radicals, etc...)
-women workers in factories in the 1800's
-Indians--the basics and some famous ones
-powers the Articles of Confederation gave the government
-political parties of the 1800's--how they started, changed, etc...
-1800's inventions
-major results of the Mexican War
-some graphs and maps
-of course, the liberal slant in regards to religion, women, etc...
-the rest I felt was well covered in the practice tests (especially if you read the explanations to the questions)

Practice test scores: REA--71%, 75%, 81%
Petersons--68%, 70%
OSCG--94%
CLEP score: 76

And here's another great list I found online for this test:

•Columbus and Early Explorers
•Colonization
•The First English Colony - Jamestown
•Bacon’s Rebellion
•The Plymouth Company
•The Puritans – Massachusetts Bay Company
•The Rhode Island Colony
•The Connecticut Colony
•The Maine and New Hampshire Colonies
•The New York and New Jersey Colonies
•The Pennsylvania Colony
•The Maryland Colony
•The North and South Carolina Colonies
•The Georgia Colony
•Life in the Colonies
•The Salem Witch Trials
•The Beginning of Slavery
•The Age of Enlightenment
•The Great Awakening
•Manifest Destiny
•Mercantile System
•English Acts to Regain Control
•The French and Indian War
•1763 TO 1789 The Saga of Independence Struggle
•Samuel Adams
•The Boston Tea Party
•The Revolution Begins
•Common Sense and Independence
•Defeats and Victories
•Franco-American Alliance
•The British Move South
•Victory and Independence
•The Significance of the American Revolution
•Creating a Government
•Fledgling American Democracy (1789-1850)
•Introduction to the Court Opinion on the Dred Scott Case
•Dred Scott V. Sandford (1857)
•Slavery, Fight for Equality, Civil War and Reunification
•The American Civil War
•Political Institutions, Political Developments, Behavior and Public Policy
•The Social Canvas
•The Immigrants
•The Louisiana Purchase
•The Economic Fabric
•Education
•Arts & Music
•Sculpture
•Literature (especially Anne Bradstreet and Phyllis Wheatly)
•The Content of the Constitution
•The Ten Original Amendments (December 15, 1791)
•How to Make Amendments to the Constitution
•Black Slavery, Agrarianism and Abolitionism
•Important Legal Acts passed during 1770 To 1887 A.D.
•Founding Fathers
•John Calhoun
•George Washington’s Farewell Address
•Monroe Doctrine


CLEP History of the Unites States II

I passed this test in May 2012.

Score: 69
Practice test scores: Petersons—52%, 62%; REA—74%, 82.5%; OCSG—87%
Length of study: 3 weeks
Resources: LN, REA, Petersons PTs, Abeka "Heritage of Freedom" 11th grade textbook! OCSG
Tips: a high school textbook is very helpful to see the big picture and cause-effect. Study the Liberal take on everything--wars, Progressivism, social issues, civil rights, women's issues, minorities, world peace, Literature...

REA PTs are too easy, and the OCSG's PT is the closest to the real thing. Something I found helpful is to take the OCSG,and then to go over and REALLY study the questions again. Those are the topics that will be tested on, so you want to know as much about them as possible. Look at things from different angles, understand more aspects of the question than just what was asked about on the PT, and study up on people, organizations and events mentioned on the PT that you didn't recognize.

A good list I found online for this test:

• Political Institutions, Behavior and Public Policy
• The Causes And Impacts Of Major Wars In American History
• The Development Of American Political Parties
• The Emergence Of Regulatory And Welfare State Legislation
• The Contents Of Constitutional Amendments And Their Interpretations By The Supreme Court
• The Motivations And Character Of American Expansionism
• The Intellectual And Political Expressions Of Liberalism, Conservatism And Other Such Movements
• Long Term Demographic Trends
• The Changing Occupational Structure, Nature Of Work, And Labor Organization
• Immigration And The History Of Racial And Ethnic Minorities
• Urbanization And Industrialization
• Economic Developments
• The Changing Nature Of Agricultural Life
• The Process Of Economic Growth And Development
• Cultural and Intellectual Developments
• Trends In The History Of Women And The Family
• Major Movements And Individual Figures In The History Of American Arts And Literature
• Diplomacy and International Relations

As you can tell, there's a lot on "change"!

[Westerner]

CLEP Introductory Sociology

Passed this test with 68 after 2 weeks of study in June 2012. Here are a few tips.

1. The REA and SpeedyPrep are terrific for learning terms. And I had a lot of Q's about terms. Also, look up major theorists/theories (online kids encyclopedias are great).
2.Make educated guesses. If I didn't know the answer, I could still pretty easily eliminate some choices.
3. Of course, take lots of practice tests. It makes you familiar with lots of different question types. Several questions on the real CLEP were VERY similar to PT questions.
4. The Official Clep Study Guide's PT. Take and review it.
5. Pray!

This was a fun test!

& my PT scores: REA—65% & 79%, Petersons—73% & 73%, OCSG—78%, real CLEP—68.


CLEP American Government

I passed this test in July 2012

Score: 69
Length of study: ~3 weeks
Resources: online flashcards, REA, Petersons PTs, AP US Government PTs, OCSG,
Tips: the OCSG is must-have!

Here are my practice test scores (in the order I took them):
Petersons AP Government & Politics—45% (don't know what happened there)
Barrons AP Government & Politics—70%
Petersons 1—70%
REA 1—78%
Petersons 3–76%
Petersons 2–78%
REA 2–80%
OCSG—83%

One note: the second REA test is sorta wierd. Heavy on the media...lots of obscure things, terms and acts...some questions even seemed like they belonged in Intro Sociology or US History 2! Anyhow...I didn't do too bad on it, and the more practice, the better!

I'd taken US History 1 & 2 and Intro Sociology—that really helped in my studying.

I'm really grateful for this opportunity to study our nation's government—it's fascinating!

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.
Psalm 33:12

Righteousness exalts a nation,
But sin is a reproach to any people.
Proverbs 14:34

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves,
and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways,
then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
2 Chrionicles 7:14


CLEP Social Sciences and History

I passed this Clep in July 2012

*Score: 71
*Length of study: under 2 weeks
*Resources: REA, Petersons PTs, Princeton's Cracking the Clep, OCSG

*Tips: I took Western Civ 1&2, US History 1&2, American Government, and Intro Sociology before taking this one. Those are the major areas, so review them well; the other smaller topics are pretty basic (except there's some Economics, but it wasn't too bad, and I would say it's not essential to have taken the MacroEcon and MicroEcon Cleps).

*Previous tests taken:
Western Civ 1&2
US History 1&2
Intro Sociology
American Government
(in that order)

*Practice test scores:
REA—69%, 74&
Petersons—63%, 68% (I didn’t take the 3rd Petersons, but just studied it)
Cracking the Clep—81%
OCSG—81% (TAKE AND REVIEW THIS!!!!! There was a CLEP question that I would’ve had NO IDEA about if I hadn’t taken this test. Because I did, I knew the answer in a snap!)

*Observations:

Yes, the test is arranged by section!

My test had about 40 Q’s on US History, with chunks of government thrown in (I took these tests most recently & was most comfortable with this section)
~20 Q’s on Western Civ/World History (took WC 1&2 early this year, so it was a little more fuzzy, but this section of the test was not too bad)
~20 Q’s on Economics (some was not too hard to get, made some educated guesses, and just flat-out guessed for others)
~10-12 Q’s on Geography/Anthropology (not hard)
~30 Q’s on Sociology with a little Psychology (for me, the Sociology was very easy & basic)


CLEP College Composition

Passed this test with 61 in August 2012. Whew! I got 84%, 72% and 88% on the 3 Petersons tests (multiple-choice sections). Those were accurate to the real test. Then I practiced writing essays that were 5 paragraphs and over 300 words in length.

Here's how I did my essays (for the 30 minute prompt).

1. Introduction: Start with an attention-getting sentence. Question, quote, or jarring statement is best Present the problem, maybe mention some pros and cons, and end with why a certain option is best (your thesis statement). You really don't have to use "I," just say your thesis statement like it's a fact. The testers already know they're going to be hearing your point of view, so put it right out there!

Body paragraphs:
2. Point 1: Present a point for your side. Use stats, quotes, whatever—to back it up.

3. Point 2: Another point for your side.

4. Point 3: Last point for your side.
OR
Point 3: Present some cons against your argument and debunk them.

5. Conclusion: Wrap everything up. Summarize each of your 3 paragraphs in a sentence. Restate your thesis statement. Finish with a strong clincher or quote, and you're done!

Some other things to consider:
--You can arrange your 3 points from most important to least, or least important to most. Depends on your prompt and personal preference.
--Don't forget the topic and clincher sentences for each paragraph.
--For some topics, like a compare-contrast essay, you'd take the topic, discuss 2 opposing issues related to the subject in each paragraph and state the best one. Like for, "are fish or birds better pets?" you could look at costs in the first body paragraph, effort required in the second, and enjoyability in the third. So you'd discuss pros and cons in each paragraph, but don't forget to sum up what you decided in a topic sentence.
--Outlines help some people. I only used them for when I was just starting to practice essay writing, and then I didn't need them.
--Don't worry!! With practice you'll get better!

The Petersons practice tests have a section on the 40 minute essay, where they give you those 2 sources—that was pretty much all I used to prep for that section, and it worked.

On the test, you do the 30-minute essay first. Then you can get a little break before advancing to the 40-minute-with-sources one. On your computer, you'll have "cut" and "paste" buttons, but no "copy."

On the Clep, my first essay topic was a broad one and I had to pick a specific thing to write about (which was so much easier than all the practice essay topics I had ). My second essay topic was on changes in schools. I was given a pro argument and a con argument. Make sure you use BOTH sources in your essay!

[Westerner]

CLEP Principles of Marketing

I passed this test in September 2012.

Score: 70
Length of study: 2.5-3 weeks
Resources: SpeedyPrep, REA, Petersons PTs, Official Clep Study Guide (OCSG)
Tips: SP and REA are TERRIFIC for terms, which my test was heavy on.

Observations:
~Not a lot of math on this one...a couple were pretty easy, 1 I couldn’t quite remember the calculation (but I guessed and I’m pretty sure I got it right) and 1 was totally unfamiliar—just didn’t know how to do it
~The topics in the OSCG are tremendously accurate as to what’ll be on the Clep
~knowing US history helped a little—tariffs, trade agreements, trusts
~the e-Marketing was the easiest part for me because I have 2 blogs, attended a day-long seminar on affiliate marketing and have read up on the subject quite a bit
~BusinessDictionary.com - Online Business Dictionary is an awesome resource to plug terms into for definitions...short and to the point!

Though this test wasn’t as easy for me as it was for others, it was fun, I did learn a lot and thank God for a good score


CLEP Principles of Management

I passed this Clep in October 2012.

Observations:
~ I primarily used the REA book and PTs, Petersons PTs, Cliffs Notes, and the OCSG
~ online flashcards & REA were great for learning the terms
~ there were more "business scenario" questions than I was expecting, and those were sorta hard
~ I was surprised at the handful of Q's I could answer by remembering stuff I'd learned in the US History, Sociology, and Marketing Cleps
~ some OCSG questions were on the real Clep
~ Cliffs Notes Principles of Management and http://www.BusinessDictionary.com were AWESOME resources!

Scores:
Petersons: 73%, 71%,
REA: 71%
OCSG: 71%
Real Clep: 66

~ It was the first time I’d tested at any time other than mid-morning, and I learned I DO NOT test well in the evening. I like studying best in the afternoon/evening, but testing then...no. Anyways.

Overall, this is not a hard test. God bless!


CLEP Introductory Psychology

Psychology 101: Intro to Psychology Course - Free Online Video Lessons | Education Portal and the Official Clep Study Guide were ALL I used to pass this test with 67, with under a week's study in November 2012 The videos are entertaining and memorable, narrators keep your interest; there's even a transcript with bolded terms--very helpful for me when I wasn't able to actually watch the videos. Quizzes and a final test are on the site as well.


DSST Principles of Supervision

I passed this test with 453 in November 2012, with not much more study than 2 Petersons PTs (82% and 76%) and skimming the corresponding sections of a couple DSST PDFs. I'd taken CLEP Management a few weeks before and this test was super easy because of that :-D


DSST Technical Writing

I used Lady Grace's resources (posted below) to pass this test in November 2012. I took this test an hour after DSST Supervision (my first double-decker testing experience) so I was getting tired during the test, but still passed with 61. One of the easiest DSSTs I've taken.

1. The Official Technical Writing DSST Fact Sheet.

2. Peterson's free practice exams.

3. This free short practice test.

This study guide and practice test. VERY helpful!! There was some info on here that I did not find anywhere else that I needed to know on the test.


DSST Introduction to Computing

I passed this test with 427 in November 2012.

--Definitely not a hard test; I put less than 2 weeks of very sporadic study into it.

--I used the Petersons DSST Guide, got 75% on the pretest and 78% on the post-test. This was my primary resource and it was excellent!

--Wish I'd studied more: expert systems, OOP, spreadsheets and databases.

--If you've ever used Microsoft Word, you already know a lot of what you need.

--The Qs on the Internet were really easy.

--Didn't get to use it much, but this site is really good for this test.

[Westerner]

DSST Introduction to the Modern Middle East

Passed this bear in February 2013 with 65! PRAISE GOD!!!!!

>>My main resources were the AWESOME
1. Free Clep Prep study guide and practice test
2. IC's Specific Exam Feedback
3. Snazzlefrag's notes (great summary of the IC cards)
4. CLEP101's notes
5. Lyanne's notes
Those last 3 are fantastic!!! They were perfect for me to study from on the go.

>>I really didn't use the IC cards much. Did once through getting almost all wrong, then again getting about half wrong. However, the SEF is worth its weight in gold

>>I got a couple interesting-looking books from the library but actually spent most of my time Googling and Wikipedia-ing the stuff on the SEF.

>>Wish I'd studied more about EGYPT, AUSTRIA, SYRIA, and SAUDI ARABIA (just an overview of their histories, a timeline, something like that).

>>Timelines of rulers, to see where they fit together and who succeeded who, would've been helpful

>>Arab Nationalization, Modernization, Socialism, and Feminism...just Google those topics and read up on them

>>Study how Austria, Germany, France, Russia, Britain and the USA related to the Middle East (especially those last 4)

>>The Free Clep Prep practice test. Register (for free). Take it. Take it again. And again. As many times as you need to really understand and possibly even memorize the questions. I took it 3 times:
1st time: 69% (didn't study it)
2nd time: 78% (studied it)
3rd time: 91% (and studied it)
Again, about 20 questions were similar to FCP ones

>>Knowing the geography of the region helps

>>I didn't get as many Qs on the Ottoman Empire as others did

>>Helpful timeline

>>I studied a month, about 1-4 hours a day (on the 3 days/week I work, it was like 1—1.5 hours/day)

>>Here's a list of topics you should know:

Ibn Sa’ud
Faisal 1
Ottoman Empire — trade, what religious $ was used for, reforms,
Janissaries & their history
Coup d’etat of 1941 (Anglo-Iraqi War)
Yemen Civil War
Ba’th Party
Pan-Arabism
Sufis
Saaljuq Empire
Sa’d Zaghlul
Yom Kippur War
Wafdist Party
Aswan High Dam
Suez Canal
United Arab Republic
Young Turks & revolution
Free Officers
Gamal ‘abd al-Nasser
Midhat Pasha
Abdulhamid II
Russo/Turk War
Kingdom of Saud & alliances
Greater Syria
Millet System
Intifada
Zionist Movement
Camp David Accords
1967 Arab-Israeli War
Histadrut
Reza (Khan) Shah
Sharif Husayn
Capitulations
Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk
Balfour Declaration
Sykes-Picot Agreement
Islamic Modernist
Nationalist / Nationalism movement
Baghdad Pact
Ottoman Empire architecture
Middle Eastern feminism
Ayatollah Khomeini
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
Muhammad Mossadegh
Huda Shaarwi
Soviet Influence in the Middle East
Marxism in the Middle East
Arab Socialism
Mandates—what European country controlled what ME area
1919 revolution & outcomes
Agriculture in Egypt (& reforms)
Tanzimat
Anglo-Otto trade agreement
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk
Kemalism
Copts
Armenia
Primary language of Islam
Peel Commission
1936-39 Arab revolts
Definition of Modern Middle East
Modern Middle East city planning
European Influence
1001 Arabian Nights
Madrid Conference
Malmuks
Muhammed al-Abduh
Nori al-Sa'id
Isman I-someone... (forgot the last name)
3 major religions timeline
How oil changed ME
Women's Ed.
Turkish language change
Wahhabis
Wuqt?
Enver Pasha
Greco-Turkish War
Zionism & history
Secular and religious Jews
1951 Iranian revolution
Muhammed Ali
Mosul
Camp David Accords
Sultanate of Women
Jordan River
Safavid Empire
CUP (Committee of Union and Progress)
Feminism in different countries
Hosni Mubaruk
Baktashi
Bazargan
Marxism in the Middle East
Ataturk & Reza Shah


DSST Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union

Well, I passed this test in March 2013 with 65, by God's grace! Same score I got on the Modern Middle East, but I felt this test was harder, probably because it covers only 1 country and therefore can go into more detail. However, it's helpful to have only ~100 years of a country to focus studying on.

Length of study: ~3 weeks

Resources: second half of "Russia: A Brief History" by Abraham Ascher—the part that covers Nicholas II to Putin, IC, SEF, JWill's study guide (awesome!!!), Snazzlefrag's notes (great review of IC—I ran thru it the morning of the test), Official fact sheet & PT questions

Tips: I want to emphasize the importance of getting and reading a book about the history of the USSR...it just helps so much to have an overview and big picture. Plus, it'll explain more about more important people, places, and events. I didn't get any of the recommended books, just one I picked up at the library, but it was terrific!

For this test, IC alone is not enough; however, I went through it twice and it is great for drilling the facts. IC and the SEF alone are not enough; however by going through the SEF and researching everything mentioned on it, several questions will be "gimmes"
The essential thing is using several sources. There are things mentioned by one source and not mentioned in another. Different things are given more or less importance, depending on the source. And the more you know, the better
Here's a list of "gotta know" topics I wrote up:

Know Lenin's biography
Stalin's goals and policies—domestic & foreign
Socialist Realism
Yugoslavia
Titoism
Women in USSR workforce
Malenkov
Rykov
Kaganovitch
Kamenev
Molotov
Bukharin
Tomsky
How Beria was greatly feared
How NEP was different from War Communism
Kerensky...what he did, how he was perceived
Kosygin
Zinovev
Bulganin (on the test I blanked on him)
Lysenko affair
When Yeltsin became popular
1991 coup
Georgia
Post-Lenin maneuvering for power
Post-Stalin maneuvering for power
Wars with Finland
Soviet-China relations
Alexander III
Lithuania/Latvia/Estonia
Rapallo treaty
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Battles of Moscow, Stalingrad and Leningrad—how they were related/influenced each other
Wars and conflicts (w/ Germany mostly) over Poland
Warsaw Pact
Operation Barbarossa
Maxim Gorky
Sergei Eisenstein
What armies Trotsky led
Lenin's "What is to be done?"
Lenin's Testament
Tomsky
Bolsheviks vs. Mensheviks
Zhdanovism
Chernobyl
Soviet response to the Spanish Civil War
Sergei Kirov
Soviet constitution - Article 6 that was changed
Politics — Left and Right, especially during Lenin's and Stalin's time
Names of the Soviet secret police
Meyerhold - theater
Sakharov - physicist
Solzhenitsyn
Land that changed hands
CIS & who did and didn't join
Stalin's Great Purges
Great Terror
Victor Chernov
Social Democrats
What USSR had to do w/ the reunification of Germany
Kellogg-Briand Pact
Nazi-Soviet agreement
The rich in Communist society
Stolpyin & his reforms - what did he do?
What kind of economic reforms Stolpyin carried out
"Red Cavalry" book
Nobel Prize winners from the USSR
Soviet—German relationships
Gorbachev's policies, feelings, goals
Perestroika (which was only economic reforms)
Glasnost
Gosplan
Marshall Plan
When the USSR started to fall apart
USSR & Egypt
Afghanistan War - disastrous for USSR
How USSR brought about the Korean War
Nicholas II
1905-1917 — the revolutions and wars
Khrushchev & his fights
"Whites" in the Russian Civil War
Total war casualties in WW1, WW2 and the Russian Civil War
Sergei Witte
Alexei Stankhanov
George Gapon
Svetlana Alliluyeva
Results of treaties and land transfers
Dates of each person's rule
General Secretary, Premier, Chairman...all those titles. Know who was what. Yeah, it's confusing :?
Central Committee
Know how the Soviet government and Communist Party were set up (titles too)
Council of People's Deputies
Nationalism and unrest in Soviet countries outside Russia
Hotspots in the 1980s-1990s
Rasputin
Gulags
USSR's interactions with other great world leaders
Doctor's Plot
USSR in WW2 - interactions, changing sides
Who Stalin deported
Jews in USSR
"April Theses"
USSR's different constitutions...and anything remarkable about any of them
Russian Orthodox Church

This is a chronological order of USSR leaders and their political helpers or enemies. I would read a short biography on the bolded ones. I didn't for all of them, but I wish I had; it helps keep things straight on all those politicians!

Kerensky
Lenin vs. Martov
Rykov
Stalin (+Zinovev, Kamenev) + (Bukharin, Rykov, Tomsky) vs. Trotsky
Malenkov
Molotov, Beria, Malenkov vs. Khrushchev,
Bulganin
Khrushchev vs. Kaganovich, Molotov, Malenkov, Bulganin
Brezhnev (+Kosygin, Podgorny, Suslov)
Andropov
Chernenko
Gorbachev (+Ligachev, Rhyzkov)
Yeltsin
Putin

[Westerner]

ECE World Conflicts Since 1900

Passed this test in April 2013 with an "A"! I was so nervous and totally did not expect that score. God is so good!!!

I spent about a month studying, 2 weeks to read the 3 recommended books for the first time and 2-2.5 weeks to review the books, go over IC's SEF tips, do the PTs, and research online.

I read Zeigler's "War, Peace and International Politics," Nye's "Understanding Global Conflicts and Cooperation," and Stoessinger's "Why Nations Go To War," in that order. For each book, I got not the most recent edition, but the one before that, all bought used on Amazon. They weren't too expensive that way. The books are arranged below in the order I liked them and thought them useful. But I do think all 3 are essential for a good score on the test. I didn't get the EC book of essays, but from the PTs, books and SEF, I got familiar with the other theories and theorists mentioned there.
—Zeigler's book was a great introduction, not written like a stuffy textbook and covers everything you need to know very well.
—Nye's book was heavy on international relations, which is crucial for the test, and it also explained things very well.
—Stoessinger's book is pretty much written from only his perspective and contains his opinions, not a well-rounded look at everything like the other 2. But it does a great job of explaining the conflicts in vivid detail.
—I also got the "Idiot's Guide to World Conflicts" and it was the first book I read, while waiting for the other 3. It only covers contemporary conflicts, but it's good for that.
—I watched some of Khan Academy's History videos, which I really like.

--Practice tests: I got 83% on the 24 questions in the Official Study Guide/Fact Sheet, so I bought the 2 practice tests and took the first one—58%. I review some more and took the second—66%. By then I was getting nervous, wondering if they'd refreshed the test and if the SEF tips weren't relevant anymore.
--In the hours before the test, I reread Nye's book and the first half of Stoessinger's, and reviewed both the fact sheet and the 2 PTs. I was hoping for at least a "B" but I had lots of family and friends praying for me and God miraculously enabled me to get the "A"!
--My percentages on the 3 sections were: Case Studies—92%, Theories: Competing Views—85%, Contemporary Sources of Conflict—72%.
--I found the fact sheet Qs to be more straightforward and the PT Qs to be more ambiguous. But there were some questions on the test of both formats. Test Qs ranged from basic ("Identify this person" or "The following describes what term?") to a few questions that were so subjective. If you don't know when the test was written, how do you know what they consider "today"? Well, you had to know, or guess, to answer something like, "If bunnies eat carrots, what impact does that have on Farmer Brown's garden today?" Silly question but you get the idea. (Thankfully there weren't many of that type!) Anyway. Bottom line: I would recommend buying the $25 PTs to be safe and get as high a score as possible

—Study up lots on nuclear weapons (when tests were done, treaties, timelines, MAD...)
—NGOs, non-state actors
—Realism (a lot), Liberalism, Conservatism, Marxism, Constructivism, Nationalism
—WW1—causes, alliances, leaders (Nicky-Willy telegrams)
—WW2—important people (Hitler & motives, beliefs), strategies
—Korean War—not too much on it, but know causes & outcomes
—Vietnam War—leaders, casualties,
—Communism & how the US & the world dealt with it
—India, Pakistan & Bangladesh—formation, wars, Kashmir, nuclear action
—USSR and how it was involved in wars
—Arab–Israel wars
—Wars of Arabs against each other
—Rwanda, how UN didn't intervene
—Breakup of Yugoslavia, Milosevic
—Somalia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro (+ Dayton Accords)
—Drugs, diamonds, oil & water, and the conflicts over them
—Sierra Leone (causes, diamonds, outcome)
—Huntington, Waltz (& their theories)
—Terrorism—definitions, important cases
—Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan
—Definitions of "detente," "domino theory," "self-determination"
—the UN, its makeup & what it's done
—Iran-Iraq War & what the US did
—Iraq & Kuwait—motives, US involvement
—Globalization and technology (impacts)
—Country A/Country B scenarios
—Don't neglect the early years of the 20th century—Austria, Germany, Russia and Japan were fighting wars then that you'll need to know about
—IC's SEF contains lots of other great tips

A fun break while studying is to watch movies related to the subject. Movies about World Conflicts really helped me to visualize, get the main ideas really stuck in my head, understand the issues and get a good feel for that time in history My parents checked these movies out, though, and edited them. Be aware that things can and do get pretty violent here and use caution!
World War 1—Sergeant York, War Horse
World War 2—Sound of Music, Scarlet and the Black, One Against the Wind, The Hiding Place, The Great Escape, 55 Days at Peking, Guns of Navarrone, The Longest Day,
Korean War—Battle Hymn
Vietnam War—Green Berets
China—China Cry
Israel—The Exodus, "Against All Odds" TV series
India & Pakistan—Gandhi
Rwanda—Hotel Rwanda
Somalia—Behind Enemy Lines, Black Hawk Down
Drugs—various TV movies and shows

It was a good thing I took the Modern Middle East and Soviet Union DSSTs before this test—that helped a lot with several questions! It would've been good to take the Vietnam War DSST before too, but it's next on my list.

Definitely a level up from a History DSST, but extremely interesting to study for! (Except all the one-world-government stuff was kinda annoying.) So study hard for this one and have fun with it! God bless!


CollegePlus ACE-approved course "Social Justice From A Biblical Perspective"

Finished the course in approx. 3 weeks in December 2012. Loved it and learned so much!

The course is self-paced. There are 8 modules, each supposed to take a week, but, obviously, you can go faster than that. Each module consists of reading articles, watching lectures, and taking quizzes. You have about 24 video lectures to watch. You are given links to about 15 articles and readings online. The 2 books you'll buy and read a few selected chapters from are "Money, Greed and God" and "Restorers of Hope." There are quizzes after each lecture, and also 8 "Module" quizzes. There is a proctored Midterm and a proctored Final; you'll need a webcam, photo ID, and a quiet room with no books or papers in sight.

This is how I'd do it:
Read articles/chapters
Watch lecture
Do quiz(zes)

Here are some tips:

As another CP student suggested:
"I guess the best advice is to take good notes and review them really well. They will definitely prove helpful on the exam!"
THAT HELPED SO MUCH! I'm not a big note taker but for the tests for this course it was essential!!!

There are lots of definitions and one of the important things is to understand everyone's views on what the definitions of things should be.

A few tips for the midterm: Review Novak & Hayak and Kay Hymowitz's article (stats). Know authors and other people mentioned in lectures & their basic thoughts. Understand Ryan Messmore's thoughts too.

(How to prepare for the Final)
You might want to re-watch the lectures and skim the readings. If you took notes during the lectures and on the readings, review them well. I re-watched the older lectures so they were fresh in my head. And yes, the readings are long, but sometimes there are important nuggets buried in them. Reread, for sure, the Hayek one. If you know the author and can sum up in a couple sentences the article's main idea and maybe some important sentences/phrases, then that's good. And don't neglect the "Seeking Social Justice" videos. They might seem like just interviews and stories, but questions come up on those too.

(To: "Which is easier, the Midterm or the Final?")
Well, there's this feeling of nervousness and not knowing what to expect when you take the Midterm. When you get to the Final, that has pretty much worn off because you've had more experience with the course. For me, anyways I was definitely surprised at the Midterm, but I didn't find this course too hard. Just make sure you understand the different theories and everyone's views on the topics that come up. That could be one of the hard parts, but there aren't too many people However, be sure you know not only the people in the readings, but also the ones mentioned in the Lectures. (Quotes and stuff like that that he puts up on the screen—take note of those and who said them.) Also, stats are more important for the Midterm than for the Final. Make sure to review the Midterm if you can; I've gotten conflicting reports of whether you can do that anymore or not, but I could when I took the course. It's definitely helpful! So, I would say the Final is easier, but really about half of it is stuff you've already been tested on in the Midterm, so you (hopefully!) know that. Don't neglect re-watching most or all of the videos if you need to—they aren't that long. Go over ALL the quizzes one last time before taking the Final. And have fun—I learned a lot with this course and it was a definite refresher after all those liberal CLEPs!

My scores: Midterm 78%, Final 86%, Final Course Grade 84% (B)

Enjoy this course!

[Westerner]

DSST History of the Vietnam War

~Test date: May 2013
~ Score: 74
~ Length of study: 3 relaxed weeks
~ Resources used: InstantCert, SEF, especially a study guide posted there, Wikipedia's "Vietnam War" page, Official DSST fact sheet and practice Qs, Free-Clep-Prep practice test, Sparknotes & its PT, Snazzlefrag's notes
~ Tips: I only used online resources for this test, which was definitely enough Would've liked to watch the PBS documentary too, but didn't get around to it.
-IC was AWESOME! This the first test for which I've relied on it heavily and that was totally fine...it covered everything you need to know
-IC's Specific Exam Feedback--a gem, as always. There is a study guide posted there that was TREMENDOUSLY helpful in reminding you of the "little" important things!
-The FCP PT was too easy, but it's good way to get some details not covered in the other resources. My scores on that were 78% and 87%.
-The Official DSST fact sheet was very detailed and thorough
-Sparknotes was terrific as well, as was its ending quiz (I got 84% on that) Somehow, bolded terms just make the subject so easy to understand!!
-Snazzlefrag's notes were perfect to review from on the go.
-Here is a list that the awesome Snazzlefrag of DegreeForum compiled and I modified. Know everything on here—it's all important.

Bao Dai
Eisenhower
Ho Chi Minh
Le Duan
Le Duc Tho
Pham Van Dong
Vo Nguyen Giap
Duong Van Minh
Ky
Thieu
Ngo Dinh Diem
Ngo Dinh Nhu
Madame Nhu
Nguyen Khanh
Dulles
Fulbright
Harkins
JFK
RFK
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Muhammed Ali
Johnson
Rusk
McNamara
Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.
McGeorge Bundy
Nixon
Kissinger
Truman
Acheson
Westmoreland
King Sianouk
Lon Nol
Pol Pot
Gerald Ford
Jimmy Carter
Champa
First Indochina War
Laos
Cambodia
Versailles Peace Conference
Paris Peace Accords
Hmong people
Dien Bien Phu
Geneva Accords
Ap Bac
Gulf of Tonkin
1964 US Election
Pleiku
Flaming Dart
Rolling Thunder
Ho Chi Minh Trail
Ia Drang
Operation Cedar Falls
Central Office of South Vietnam (COSVN)
Phoenix Program
Khe Sanh
Tet Offensive
Saigon
My Lai Massacre
Kent State
Agroville
Strategic Hamlet Program
Spring Offensive (Easter offensive)
Quang tri
An Loc
Paris Peace Accords
The Killing Fields
Democratic National Convention in Chicago (1968)
Vietnamese Nationalist Party (VNQDD)
Viet Minh
Khmer Rouge
National Liberation Front
Pathet Lao
Students for a Democratic Society
Vietnam Veterans Against the War
Foreign Assistance Act
Self-immolation by Buddhist Monks
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Great Society
War on Poverty
Guns & Butter
Americanization
Escalation
Vietnamization
Containment
Domino Theory
War of Attrition
Peace with Honor
Pentagon Papers
Fulbright (Senate & opposition to war)
Moratoria
Detente
War Powers Act


DSST Civil War and Reconstruction

I passed in June 2013 with 68, praise God! I spent about 2 weeks studying.

Resources: Instantcert, SEF and study guides posted there, DANTES Test Prep Study Guide, Sparknotes, Snazzelfrag's notes, http://www.basicversity.com PTs

Tips: online resources are all you need, though a textbook would be helpful.
—I barely got through IC once
—the SEF is invaluable, as always. There's a neat list of battles, generals and outcomes posted there. The tips are spot-on.
—I copied and pasted the Civil War and the Reconstruction Sparknotes into a document that I made into a PDF, to read when I didn't have Internet. Those were great! The Reconstruction SN is especially helpful for that part of the test. There are also 50-question quizzes for both the "Civil War" and "Reconstruction" sections. Take those!! I got 82% on the CW one and 74% on the Reconst. one.
—the DANTES Test Prep Study Guide was amazing!! Despite poor grammar, it was so helpful. You can download it for free. It also has a 50-question practice test, on which I got 88%.
—Snazzlefrag's notes are a neat, condensed version of all the important facts from the IC cards
—I didn't get to watch the Ken Burns documentary, though I would've liked to! It's free online, just so you know
—Civil War and Reconstruction Flashcards––very thorough.
—List of BasicVersity tests on the subject of Dsst has several short PTs which I took the night before my test. They're too easy (except the one on Names) but a good way to make sure you know what you need to know! There were 1 or 2 things I learned here that I wasn't able to find elsewhere.
—a "gotta know" list I wrote up:

McClellan's faults
Sherman waged total and psychological war
Copperheads, their leader (Valladingham) and their motto
Wirz of Andersonville POW camp was only CSA soldier executed by US
Carpetbaggers—some were politicians, some wanted to help
Clara Barton helped on the battlefield but hadn't yet founded the Red Cross
Women helped a lot though the US Sanitary Commission
Women helping with Confederate war effort
There were ~620,000 casualties
Antietam was the bloodiest day
Antietam gave Lincoln the chance to issue the Emancipation Proclamation
Emancipation Proclamation—how Lincoln justified it, and what kind of document it was
Custer's role in the Union army
Custer seized CSA supplies at Appomattox Court House
Lee planned to join Johnston at Davis
Rivers in the East and those in the West
Speaker Pro Tempore Wade would've become pres after Johnson
What Johnson's Reconstruction plans entailed
The 7 original CSA states
4 more states seceded after Lincoln called for troops
Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri—border states
Kentucky was neutral but soon joined the Union
Webster favored the Compromise of 1850
Minie balls and rifles were used in the war
Confederates escaped to Mexico after the war
Especially important battles: anything that stood out, strategies of winner, why loser lost, plans of Lee and opposing Union general,
-Chancellorsville
-Fredericksburg
-Shiloh
-Vicksburg (cut Confederacy in 2)
-Antietam
-1st and 2nd Bull Run
-Atlanta
-Savannah
-Chickamauga
Lincoln's reelection plans
How Lincoln felt about the war in 1861
Lincoln's primary goal was to save the Union
Buford held an important position and bought time for the Union at Gettysburg
Shenandoah Valley—USA Sheridan vs. CSA Jeb Early
Jeb Early's threatening of Washington DC
Ft. Sumter started the war
Secession wasn't mentioned in either the USA or CSA Constitutions
What Jefferson Davis' CSA Conscription Act said
Blacks serving in armies of both sides
Lincoln told Horace Greeley he wanted to preserve the Union above all
William Lloyd Garrison founded "The Liberator"
McClellan's peace platform in the 1864 elections
There were TWO CSA Johnstons!! AS Johnston who died at Shiloh and Joseph Johnston in the East first, then Atlanta against USA's Sherman
How Johnson and Congress felt about the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments
Kansas-Nebraska Act's impact
John Fremont was the Republican nominee in 1856
Freeman's Bureau and all it did for the blacks and poor whites
Compromise of 1877 included Republicans pulling troops out of the South
What happened to abandoned land in the South—who got control of it and who it was given to
Dred Scott decision—if it was referenced
Lee's invasion of the North ended poorly at Gettysburg
Some pro-slavery arguments tried to use the Bible for justification
Lee surrounded Hooker at Chancellorsville
John Brown killed 5 people in Kansas before Harper's Ferry
Command of Army Act said all orders to the military had to come through Grant
Meade was the Union General at Gettysburg
What the Compromise of 1850 said
The new Fugitive Slave Law was the South's favorite part of the 1850 Compromise
Terms of surrender given by Grant to Lee were lenient
Johnson's "swing around the circle" speeches had the opposite effect of what he'd hoped and put Republicans in power
California's statehood was in the Compromise of 1850
Lee's win in the Peninsular Campaign was ironic because if it hadn't happened the war would've ended with much less devastation of the South and slavery would've survived
War Democrats vs. Peace Democrats
Britain & USA almost went to war over the "Trent" affair
Definition of "Paper blockade"
Most soldiers on both sides were volunteers
CSA paid for war mostly by printing money
USA Grant, Sherman & Buell vs. CSA Johnston at Shiloh
Wilmot Proviso proposed outlawing slavery in territory won in the Mexican War
Bread Riot in Richmond was the worst
Lincoln's assassination was a conspiracy by John Wilkes Booth
Harriet Beecher Stowe had some firsthand experience with slavery when she wrote "Uncle Tom's Cabin"
Sherman was pretty harsh with the South on his March to the Sea
Relationship between Lincoln and McClellan
McClellan was fired after the Peninsular Campaign
Union General Pope was surprised at his loss to Lee at 2nd Bull Run
Hampton Roads Peace Conference
Chesapeake Bay—location and any significance
Jefferson Davis fled after Lee surrendered
Grant and Lee first met at Wilderness
Lincoln stressed that Vicksburg was "the key"
Grant was promoted as a result of his Vicksburg victory
How siege/fall of Petersburg affected siege/fall of Richmond
Start of the Republican party and their position on slavery
Chickamauga was the last Confederate victory in the West
Grant regretted the Battle of Cold Harbor the most
Tennessee was the first Confederate state to be readmitted to the Union
After the war and Lincoln's assassination, Louisiana's constitution was rejected by the Radical Republicans because it was drafted under Lincoln's lenient Ten-Percent Plan

—more than a passing knowledge or interest is needed to pass this one; they do go into some obscure details. But have no fear; study up on the above mentioned resources and you'll be well on your way to victory! Have fun!

[dewisant]

Very nice indeed!

[LaceyLady]

Great work! Nice compilation of exam reviews!

[Westerner]

Very nice indeed!

Great work! Nice compilation of exam reviews!

Thank you both! I'm 3 weeks into my courses and already missing testing