Do exams take away crucial knowledge needed....

[cookderosa]

So I have a degree plan set up, This summer I will be attending Franklin University I will be getting a BS in computer science. But meanwhile with my 70ish CC credits in general classes I will be going to try and get my BSBA CIS from TESC but I was hoping to be able to test out of some classes at Franklin (they call it a FUPE) but do you ever feel if taking an exam will take away from what you should be learning?

I think it depends on what you consider learning to mean. If you mean writing, yes - for sure. There is no writing in CLEP (except for the English exam). So, you won't be getting writing practice. I wonder though, how you can avoid learning AND STILL pass the exam? That's a puzzle.

In my life, I'll tell you that I'm a rock star student in classroom. It comes from years of being a teacher- and I'm always going to earn a top grade. (why?) I'm not smart, I'm clever. I'm good at reading people, and I always connect with my teachers. I know how teachers think. This is the case with all "good grade students" and it has nothing to do with learning the material. I read a syllabus, I know exactly where to put my effort, and I write well enough to meet the expectations of my teachers. I never miss an assignment and I never turn them in late. You'll notice I didn't say anything about LEARNING THE SUBJECT. Schools don't necessarily measure learning the subject. Think about it for a moment. Really, how is learning a subject measured?

So, in many ways, there is a learning skill that you learn by testing that you DON'T learn in a classroom, and that's relevant to independent study. Self-driven quest for knowledge is not the same as being lectured/talked at. I've done both, and I've been a talker-teacher too. In no way do I have any idea of who is learning anything. I know who does homework. I know who comes to class. I know who can pass a test. Learning is what happens in your mind, it's personal. What you take away is on you. It's not necessary for a grade, and I've yet to encounter any evaluation situation where the teacher actually cared or measured what I LEARNED.

You asked if the exam takes away from what you SHOULD BE LEARNING. The fact is, the CLEP exams boil away all the B/S and get right to the target of what you SHOULD be learning in one quick swoop. No politics, no bias, no teacher opinion, just the facts (more or less) as agreed upon by dozens of experts in the subject matter. If 100% of them say you need to know X, then it's on the test! Individual teachers, generally, are crappy test writers and FULL OF THEMSELVES. (lol, she said) They love to talk, they love to see if students were paying attention, they love to look smart and right. Tests are written accordingly. Have you never had a teacher grade "easy" or grade "hard" in class? Do certain students get favor? Do absences count against a grade you otherwise would have earned?

Frankly, the CLEP does exactly what you fear you're missing. Grades are never about learning, they're about compliance.