How early to start working on college credits?

[AJ_Atlanta]

The age isn't an issue, really, unless they are under 13. If they are, then you'll need to consider an additional step of completing a waiver that allows them to participate.

The primary generic readiness issue is reading level. CLEP and other college level exams are written for those capable of understanding 100 and 200 level college textbooks. For a student reading on grade level, they may understand the content well enough but be overwhelmed by the complexity of language used during an exam. So, the short answer, is that they should be reading at LEAST at the 11th or 12th grade level by any measure. I have a friend whose 9 year old passed a CLEP exam. She is exceptional obviously. I know ADULTS in real life who do not read at that level, so again, it's not necessarily a question of age the number.

Thank you, and I am beginning to agree with you. My initial thoughts were a teen should start near the end of their senior year, but I think that some may be fine starting in their Junior year. As you said, it really depends - but after graduation feels a little too late to me