A total newb's experience with CLEP/DSST

[gcalvin]

I reviewed my scores on all the exams I took, trying to recall how I studied for each, and see if I could identify a pattern between preparation and results. In the end, there doesn't seem to be much of a pattern there, and I think it's because each exam stands on its own, has its own preparation requirements, and its own grading curve.

I took 16 CLEPs, and I always used the Official Guide practice exam as the indicator that I was ready for the real exam. For several of the exams, that was my only preparation. I was only going for a pass (50) in each case, but my scores ranged from 68 to 79. The 68 was on the Microeconomics exam, which is indeed the one I felt least prepared for. But I scored 79s on A&I Lit and Humanities, for which I really didn't prepare at all. Humanities was the first CLEP I took, so I did take the practice exam in the Princeton Review book, reviewed all the explanations for all the right and wrong answers, brushed up on the web a bit, and then took the Official Guide practice exam.

I took eight DSSTs, and my scores ranged from 61 to 69. All of my scores were good enough for As at Excelsior. Typically I felt like I worked harder in preparation for DSSTs, as I didn't have as much faith in the practice exam materials I had access to, and I wanted high scores for my GPA. And yet I was unable to crack 70 on any of them. The exams didn't feel any harder than the CLEPs while I was taking them, which makes me suspect that the shape of the grading curve is different, although I don't have any hard evidence of that.

I took nine ECEs, earning six As and three Bs. My cumulative scores (taking the sum of score x weight for each section) ranged from 73% in Statistics to 85% in Human Resource Management, World Population, and Research Methods in Psychology. The 73% in Statistics was enough for an A, while the 85% in HRM only earned me a B -- clearly the grading curves for each exam are very different. My preparation for ECEs was similar to DSSTs. I used the Excelsior practice exams whenever they were available, and found them to be the best resource.

I used InstantCert flash cards for many of these exams, and found them helpful and on point every time. But I don't think I ever used them as my sole preparation resource.

So I don't know what's to be learned from all that. I think there's a great deal of wisdom in Michael's post. Take each individual exam as its own challenge, read the specific exam feedback threads, determine whether you want to score high or just barely pass, and prepare accordingly -- and still, Your Mileage May Vary.

-Gary-