Did you know that you can get college credits without taking a class?

Many people have interests and life experiences that have allowed them to learn many of the things that they could have learned in a classroom. It should not be necessary to take classes where you are not learning anything new. Instead of taking the class, there should be a way to take a test to prove that you already know what is taught in the class. A CLEP test is the solution. CLEP stands for College Level Examination Program. Many people know something well enough to pass a clep test. Anyone who doesn’t know enough to pass a test can study from the practice tests and study guides that are available at https://clep.collegeboard.org/exam. [2]

The number of credits you can receive from a CLEP is different depending on the subject and the college that the test results will be sent to. Most tests will give 3 credits, although some tests can give more. Each college structures their credits differently, so a CLEP test may count for 5 credits in one college and 6 credits in another college. The CLEP website allows you to lookup how many credits each test is worth for the college that you are looking to transfer the credits to. Sometimes a CLEP test can count for as much as 12 [3] or 15 [4] credits. The tests that give the most credit are usually testing for knowledge that would normally come from multiple semesters of classes. The foreign language tests usually give the most credit. The number of credits you can receive for these tests depends on how well you do on the test. “Most colleges that award credit for the Spanish Language exam award either two or four semesters of credit, depending on the candidate’s test scores.” [3] “ACE recommends 6 semester hours of credit for mastery of Level 1 content (a score of 50) and 9 semester hours of credit for mastery of both Levels 1 and 2 (a score of 63).” [5]

Some people may need to spend a lot of time studying to be able to pass a CLEP test. A CLEP test has many questions that make sure that you understand the subject well. It can take a lot of work to pass a CLEP test, but the effort is worth it. A CLEP test allows you to study at your own speed and costs a lot less than a class. Although many people like this idea, it is not for everyone. Some people may learn more easily in a structured classroom environment, and some people may rather learn in a classroom for other reasons. It’s not always easy to be motivated to learn something by yourself.

CLEP credits are sent to your college and appear on your transcript in the same way that credits appear when you transfer credits from one college to another. Most colleges have a limit on the number of credits that can be transferred in from other colleges. If you are thinking of taking a lot of CLEP tests, you should check how many credits your college accepts first.

CLEP tests are taken at designated testing centers which are usually colleges. The CLEP test is not available at all colleges, so you may need to find another college where you can take it. The CLEP test is developed by the “College Board” which is the same company that created the SAT.

If you are in the military or if you are a veteran, you may be able to take the CLEP test for free. [6]

Most of the subjects offered are either introductory classes or general education requirements. That means that the classes are only meant to substitute classes that would normally be taken in the first one or two years of college. The best time to start taking CLEP tests is before you start your first semester of college. If you are going to start college soon, or you are in your first few years of college, you may want to consider taking a CLEP test.

Most people have never heard of the CLEP test. That may be partly because when you take a CLEP test, you are not paying for the college’s class. I believe that more people should know about the CLEP test. It is a great tool to help students to pay less for their education and to graduate sooner.

You can learn more about the CLEP test on the CLEP test website.

https://clep.collegeboard.org

Here is a full list of all 33 currently available CLEP tests.

American Government American Literature Analyzing and Interpreting Literature Biology Calculus Chemistry College Algebra College Composition College Composition Modular College Mathematics English Literature Financial Accounting French Language German Language History of the United States I History of the United States II Human Growth and Development Humanities Information Systems Introduction to Educational Psychology Introductory Business Law Introductory Psychology Introductory Sociology Natural Sciences Precalculus Principles of Macroeconomics Principles of Management Principles of Marketing Principles of Microeconomics Social Sciences and History Spanish Language Western Civilization I Western Civilization II

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