Overwhelmed by Biology CLEP, what do I do??

[philippians4:8]

Please help, I am attempting to study for the Biology CLEP and I have several questions. Hopefully you lovely people can offer some insight.

First off this is the very first CLEP I've ever studied for. I will only be receiving credit for three hours, even though this CLEP is worth 6 credit hours. So my first question, to those who have taken it - is it worth it?? I am studying for it during my free hours this summer and then I'll probably continue studying for it into my first semester of college until I feel confident enough to take it.

I had biology two years ago in high school, I'm homeschooled and the lady teaching the course taught a tough course hoping that by the end of it we could pass the biology CLEP, I didn't take the CLEP after that though because I wasn't sure if my college would even accept it, but I was at the top of the class and worked really hard even though science is not really my thing. I say all that to say that I've lost a lot of the info that I learned two years ago so I am trying to refresh what I remember and start from the ground up on what I don't remember. So I'm currently focused on remembering the basics of biology and then I will start learning CLEP specific info, any suggestions on good resources to accomplish this? Is this the route I should be taking or should I just focus my efforts on learning CLEP specific concepts?

I have read through the entire forum related to this CLEP, bookmarked all the sites that were talked about, made a list of all the resources other testers used, dowloaded the study guides to my computer, and compiled a list of all of the different ways people prepared for the test. Currently I am just using the study guides that were posted and the InstantCert flash cards to study, but it's very overwhelming, is this the best way to go about preparing or not?? How do I narrow down exactly what I need to know so I'm not wasting my time?

Next question, I am trying to spend a minimal amount of money on study materials, at this point I have only spent money on my InsantCert account, however I've heard about the official CLEP study guide that's $10, Peterson tests which are $20, and REA which is also in the $20 range. I am willing to invest more money into it I am just not sure where to start, should I get all three or is one better than the other? Are there other resources that I've missed?

Last question, any suggestions on how long I should give myself to study before I take it? I tend to over study and push off tests because I'm worried I'm not ready, so from those of you that have taken it before, how long did you give yourself to study for it? And based on how long ago I had biology what is your opinion on how long I should give myself to study (specifics on how many weeks/months, hours a day, etc. would be awesome!)?

Sorry for such a ridiculously long post, I'm just extremely overwhelmed and don't want to waste my time. I would appreciate any feedback I can get! Y'all are amazing thank you in advance!

[cookderosa]

Do you still have your biology books? I will tell you that either Apologia, Bob Jones, and DIVE will all absolutely prepare you for the CLEP exam. Go back through and then get the CLEP guide from the library. The bio exam hasn't changed since 2001 so you don't need to buy it. It only has 1 practice test in it anyway. For my money, I like Petersons and REA, either or both are good.

That said, since it is a 6 hour test, it covers 1 year of college biology, so technically speaking, it will be a harder test in terms of bulk as opposed the the exams that start out being worth 3.

My suggestion is if this bio exam knocks out your entire science requirement for this degree, then do it. (and if they'll award credit for a 50- double check that) If you're going to have to take additional science anyway, I'd be more inclined to take the science in a classroom since you said you weren't very sciency. ONE semester of science will give you 3-4 credits, and if you need 2 semesters of science, trying to come into Bio 2 after everyone else already took Bio 1 together could be a mess. I opted to do classes in my BA and then also for the MANY other sciences I needed later for grad school admission. I did that because I'm not a great tester, and testing out of sciences was too hard for me (many here do it- it just wasn't happening for me) so I did the classes with labs and earned strong grades. It's really your call.

[dfrecore]

I personally would not take the Bio CLEP if it was only worth 3cr. It is a VERY broad test, covering a lot of material, and if you're not already familiar with it all, it will take a lot of studying. Not worth it to me, as a non-sciency person.

I would just take a course at college (they may have something you like better).

[clep3705]

You've already had the coursework to prepare you. Stop overthinking this. Toss the books. This is all you need: http://www.degreeforum.net/general-educa...ology.html

[bjcheung77]

If you have some time, or would want to, you can actually take the free course materials at other MOOC or at Saylor.
For practice exams and other things, you can go to your local library and get some books/study guides/exams, etc.

[keepsingin]

In my experience, Saylor's Intro to Molecular Biology is MUCH, much easier than the Biology CLEP...it's not as broad and random lol. My sister took the CLEP and I took the Saylor; we both used the same study material--mostly Apologia, some Khan Academy, some Saylor videos, some IC flashcards... My sister studied much longer and reviewed way more material than I did, and she got a 49 on the CLEP while I got a 76 on the Saylor exam. I'd been out of school for 4 years, so I had quite a bit of brushing up to do; my sister had just completed the Apologia Biology, so she was much more brushed up on her Bio...the CLEP test is just that much more difficult than the Saylor, period. I found the Saylor practice test to be very close to the actual proctored exam, also.

With the CLEP being downgraded to 3 credits, it's def not worth the extra study; I would strongly recommend Saylor over CLEP on this one!

[Mavrikceo]

I just passed the Biology CLEP today with a 66. I studied for 6 days - 8+ hours/day. I test very well so don't do what I did.

I used:
1) CliffsNotes Biology Quick Review Second Edition (Amazon) - $9.47 - no fluff (250 pages) More detail.
2) REA Biology Super Review (Amazon) - $6.88 - no fluff (277 pages)
3) Khan Academy Biology Crash Course (https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-cont...io-ecology)
4) Campbell Biology (9th Edition) - Rented this from Amazon for $17, 1200 pages, read the first 2 chapters and never opened it again. Too much fluff.
5) InstaCert - Paid $20 for a month of access. Didn't like the format, but I'm sure some people would benefit from it.
The CliffNotes book is better and comes with free online tests for each section. The Khan videos are entertaining, informative and to the point for each topic. They average about 10-11 minute per video.

Don't do what I did - I took two 6 credit exams (Bio and Social Science & History) in 2 weeks because I needed them to graduate in August, but you don't need a whole semester either. A good 2-4 weeks is more than enough. If you're pretty smart - 2-3 weeks.

I personally wouldn't do it for just 3 credits. Way too much information and way too broad for just 3 credits. Here is a list of the CLEP exams based on difficulty - Clep Difficulty List - Free-Clep-Prep.com. Take something easy and be done with it.

Good luck!

[philippians4:8]

Wow! Thank you guys for so much helpful info!

Here are my thoughts after reading your suggestions and getting a few more days of studying under my belt:

I'm still going to attempt to take the biology CLEP even though it's only worth three credits, my reasoning is because I honestly don't want to have to have another course to worry about my grade in, and testing out of this class and a few more will allow me to have a lighter load pretty much every semester and ensure that I will finish my credit requirements in two years. And passing this CLEP will also knock out my science requirement for my degree.
I am also going to borrow a friend's Apologia Biology textbook to study.
I am definitely using the amazing compilation of Wikipedia links, thank you clep3705, you have made my life a bazillion times easier.
I have started watching the Crash Course videos.
I'm looking into purchasing a CliffsNotes biology book (can't decide between the Quick Review and the AP book).
Also looking into an REA biology book too, either the super review or the CLEP specific book.
I will eventually buy the Petersons tests too.
And I have a full-access account to InstantCert and am using the flash cards, but mostly I'm using the biology specific thread.
Again, thank y'all for the helpful info! If you have any more suggestions I'm totally open to hearing because I'm still a little overwhelmed.

[NAP]

My thought is to seriously consider taking this exam before your college classes start in 5-6 weeks. If you don't pass, then you can continue to study for this as planned and take the test again 3 months later. I'm assuming that you have more time and ability to focus on this goal now and that your classes will be a lot of distraction to be adding to the situation.

[SNC]

Was the Biology CLEP recently downgraded to 3 credits (I just read someone say)? Anyone know when if that was the case? I was told by my school that I would get 6 credits for it but maybe they thought that before it changed to 3?
Is it possible that while CLEP says 3, my school will give me 6?
Yes I know I should ask my school this question but I always get the run around and waste a bunch of time. I already paid for the test and will take it anyway.
Thanks