Rosetta Stone

[JanusthePhoenix]

I had been using Rosetta Stone nearly every day for about 3 or 4 months with the intention of doing the Spanish CLEP for my last 6 arts and sciences. I had the advantage of already being familiar with Spanish, having had 3 years of classes in high school, although most of it I had forgotten.

Some people are just really good with new languages and/or listening comprehension, and I am neither, so take that FWIW but I quit about a third of the way through my practice Spanish test and decided to go with something else. I may have been able to bluff my way through the listening section and make up for it in the written, but I will never know. CLEP Spanish is not something you can just study for and get easy credits.

1. Which kind of Spanish (Latin America or Spain) should I get to pass the CLEP?

The biggest difference between the dialects is the pronunciation, and the use of the 'vosotros' form of verbs. Think of it like the difference between American and British English, though I have heard some Spaniards compare it to the difference between American English and ebonics. :p

2. How many levels (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) do I need to pass the CLEP?

Probably 2, but I can't say for sure. There are only 3 that I know of.

3. Is this program all it claims to be?

It is a good learning tool, but I have been supplementing it with more traditional grammar teaching from free language websites. Makes things much easier, IMO, though not what Rosetta wants you to do. I have heard good things about Pimsleur, but never tried it because Rosetta is what was available to me.