Big three Alternatives?

[wb.john]

This whole idea of testing out of an entire degree is pretty ridiculous. These tests have their place, and some of them do exactly what they claim to do, even if most don't. However, I think that a completely multiple-choice degree kills the credibility of what would otherwise be a great service from the Big 3. Knowledge* and education are not synonyms. School isn't about what you know, but about the work that you put into your studies. It disappoints me to see the statement made that passing a CLEP is the equivalent to passing a course. Sure the credits are the same, but do you REALLY gain as much out of clicking a few answers on a single test (a multiple-choice test, where the answer is actually GIVEN to you) as you would by doing dozens of hours of research, writing dozens of pages of papers, or doing hundreds of paper and pencil problems?

*Especially when that knowledge is often completely lost within just a few days of passing an exam.

I'm testing out of my entire degree, or at least that is the plan. I don't see it as ridiculous. I agree that CLEP and DANTES exams don't represent much of a challenge. The minimum scores are, however, based on the scores achieved by students who actually took the course. My degree also requires a foreign language exam (Indonesian) as well as the GRE math subject exam. Neither of these can be crammed overnight and then forgotten the day after.

You asked if one gains as much from taking an exam as they would from completing typical course assignments. Of course one gains nothing from taking an exam, but one can gain just as much studying for said exam. It doesn't really matter much if this is done in the form of self-study or directed study. Not all exams are multiple choice. I think that the UExcel College Writing exam does a good job of evaluating writing ability.

There's also an issue of cost-effectiveness. My entire degree is looking like it will cost around $4,000-$5,000, which is less than what I would have paid in one semester if I attended the local state university. If university offers anything at all, it is just motivation and organization. I'm not willing to pay very much for that.

I do think that the exams we have could be improved and the minimum scores could be increased. That would probably alleviate your concerns.