Bals how long to finish?

[natshar]

Let me just correct one thing - the average person can NOT just take a CLEP exam cold.  That is utter nonsense.  When I earned my degree at TESU, I used a lot of CLEP and DSST because at that time, ACE providers weren't here.  There was no Studycom, Straighterline, Sophia, TEEX, etc.  The ACE guys used now are new kids on the block- the "regulars" from my early days here are mostly long gone, but this board used to consist of 100% CLEP, DSST, and Excelsior testers - that's just the way it was.  Any member here who earned their degree from the big 3 before 2010 likely tested out of the entire thing.  The residency requirement used to be zero, so testing out of a degree was the norm at that time.   This community (and Instantcert flashcards) were created to help each other study for and pass those exams.  That's the purpose of Specific Exam Feedback folder.  Literally.
And I assure you, when you're taking 20+ CLEP/DSST tests, there were plenty of people failing exams.

Sure, you might be able to pass an exam, maybe even 2-3 "cold" (Analyzing and Interpreting Literature is a reading comp test, so that's a slam dunk- foreign language for anyone bilingual is a slam dunk, if you've already learned math, the lower maths are a slam dunk) but "lots of people" are not taking or passing exams without studying.  You need to study and memorize.  Some exams are bigger than others, but if you go into the Specific Exam Feedback, build a study plan and use InstantCert for 2-3 weeks, you can do it.  There is an old thread for posting when you achieved a high score using "only IC" which is to say no outside sources.  It can certainly be done.

You are right. I guess I exaggerated a little bit. But it all depends on the person and your prior knowledge and what skills and knowledge you use at your day job. I was just looking at old posts where I saw people taking multiple cleps in one day and didn't factor in the studying that went into it.

But I still by the fact that if you have extensive prior knowledge on a subject and are near a test center, CLEP could be the fastest and easiest way to get credit.

I'm thinking of my brother who is an amazing test taker. He passed the computer clep with 75 for absolutely no studying and only signed up the test 2 hours before taking it. He wasn't even trying he best, since wasn't enrolled in school so didn't care about his score. I have a feeling he could pass multiple cleps cold, that definitely is not the case for everyone.