If you’re interested in earning college credit while saving time and money, CLEP exams may be right for you. Everyone is welcome to take a CLEP exam at any CLEP test center, including high school students, college students, adult learners, military service members and veterans, and professionals seeking continuing education credits.
A qualifying test score can earn a student anywhere from one to 12 college credits, depending on the college's policy. Passing a CLEP test allows students to save money on tuition, skip unnecessary courses, and speed up graduation.
The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) is a program that enables students to earn college credit for introductory-level courses by achieving satisfactory scores on subject-specific tests.
CLEP offers 38 different multiple-choice exams ranging from 90-120 minutes for topics such as business to languages, math, and science. Unlike the AP exam, CLEP does not come with an accompanying high school course and can be taken by adults returning to school.
Even with added costs, such as $10 study guides, the CLEP remains a bargain. These exams can also help you to get a degree faster. While a college undergraduate degree can often take students four to six years, CLEP exams can cut that time substantially to as little as one year.
CLEP Students Outperform Their Peers in CollegeCLEP students tend to have higher GPAs.CLEP students perform as well or better in subsequent courses than their peers who take the introductory course.CLEP students who score 50 or higher on an exam have higher rates of transfer from two-year to four-year colleges.
So what happens to your old score if you retake the exam? If you fail, the College Board will keep your failed score until you retake the test. The next time you attempt the test, they will replace your old score with your new score. After that, the College Board won't have any trace of your first failed score.
How many credits are CLEP tests worth? This is ultimately up to the university you transfer them to, but a passing score on a CLEP exam is generally worth between 3 and 6 credit hours.
CLEP exams have no effect on your grade point average—all they do is allow you to receive course credit. That means any passing grade on a CLEP test earns you the same amount of college credit—no matter if you get a “C” or an “A” on the exam.
Many CLEP exams are designed to correspond to one- semester courses. Some, however, correspond to one to two years of study. At most colleges, students earn three credits for a one-semester course and six credits for a full-year course. Exams are approximately 90 minutes and consist mainly of multiple-choice questions.
Generally, only 50 out of 80 is needed to pass a CLEP exam, which comes out to a grade of 63%. The catch is that a CLEP test will appear as a “P” for “pass” on your transcript whether you get a 50 or an 80. Since CLEP exams cover such a broad range of concepts, you are not expected to pass with flying colors.
9 Easiest CLEP Exams RankedAnalyzing and Interpreting Literature.College Composition / College Composition Modular. ... Spanish, French, or German. ... Information Systems and Computer Applications. ... Introductory Sociology. ... College Mathematics. ... Social Studies and History. ... Principles of Marketing. ... More items...
Most schools won't allow you to clep out of any course previously attempted, meaning you have to retake the course.
20 yearsCLEP scores are not comparable to SAT® scores or other test scores. Test scores are kept on file for 20 years. During this period, score reports may be sent to an institution, but only at the request of the candidate.
Overview of the Exams Most CLEP exams are designed to correspond to one-semester courses, although some tests correspond to full-year or two-year courses. The format of most questions is multiple choice.
$89Explore each CLEP exam topic before you register to make sure you're taking the appropriate exam. Each exam costs $89. Keep in mind that test centers or remote-proctored exams may include additional fees. If you're a military service member, your exam may be free.
CLEP exams cost $89 each, payable to the College Board. You also have to pay a proctoring fee to your test center. That’s usually around $20 or $25, but it varies across test centers. So each CLEP exam will usually cost a little over $100, not counting any study materials.
Full time financial aid. Most courses are 3 credit hours, but courses that are 6 credit hours or more aren’t uncommon. Remember, those amounts aren’t universal so contact the financial aid office at your university to find their exact policies.
Having some self control with how you spend your financial aid will really pay off. Student loans typically start accruing interest around 6-9 months after graduation. Don’t pay interest. Interest sucks.
If you’re going to an expensive college, financial aid or scholarships are unlikely to cover all of your costs, anyway. In that case, take as many CLEP and other competency exams as possible so you pay less tuition out of pocket. (Assuming those exams will transfer to your college)
CLEP exams are free for eligible service members. The only exception is retaking a CLEP you’ve previously failed. The test center fee can also be waived if you go to a fully funded test center. Fully funded simply means the test center doesn’t charge service members the proctoring fee.
The College Board’s College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) has been the most widely trusted credit-by-exam program for over 50 years, accepted by 2,900 colleges and universities and administered in more than 2,000 test centers.
Most CLEP exams are designed to correspond to one-semester courses, although some tests correspond to full-year or two-year courses.
These include playing sports, being in a school play, or writing for the school newspaper, as well as any volunteer work and part-time jobs. FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) A form completed by all applicants for federal student aid.
Also known as college admission tests, these are tests designed to measure students' skills and help colleges evaluate how ready students are for college-level work. The ACT and the College Board’s SAT are ...
Community college. A publicly funded two-year college, usually offering associate degrees, certificates, or vocational training. Community colleges typically offer open admission and low tuition.
There are 38 AP subjects, each with a corresponding AP Exam. Most colleges award students with qualifying AP Exam scores college credit, the opportunity to skip intro-level courses in the subject, or both. AP Capstone.
Money given or loaned to students to help pay for college. Financial aid comes in the form of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study opportunities. Financial aid award letter. The document you receive from a college that explains the terms of the financial aid that the college is offering you.
Every student gets four free score sends, and eligible low-income students receive unlimited free score sends. Selective colleges. A college’s selectivity is measured by the percentage of students it admits out of all who apply. A highly selective school generally admits less than 33% of applicants.
Class rank. A measurement of how a student’s academic achievement compares with that of other students in their grade at their high school. This number is usually determined by using a weighted GPA that considers both the student’s grades and the difficulty of the courses they’ve taken. Coalition Application.
Key Takeaways. CLEP stands for the College Level Examination Program, a program that enables students to earn college credit for introductory-level courses by achieving satisfactory scores on subject-specific tests. Administered by College Board, the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) is accepted by nearly 3,000 colleges ...
Most exams are 90-minutes to 120-minutes long and consist of multiple-choice questions, taken on a computer. Students should check with their university's policy on granting credit for specific CLEP exams before registering for, studying for, or taking any exams.
Advanced Placement (AP) exam s are also designed to help students test out of college-level coursework, however, they are different than CLEP tests in that AP exams are accompanied by a high school course. For example, a student would typically take an AP Calculus BC class for a school year, before registering to take the AP Calc BC examination. CLEP is less well-known than AP exams and classes (as they are not advertised within high school classes), and is also not exclusively designed for high school students. Anyone who is motivated and has the ability to self-study for the test can take CLEP. In fact, though high school students are eligible, those who take CLEP exams include adults going back to school, military members, international students, master's degree candidates, and other professionals. In addition, whereas AP exams only take place in May, CLEP exams are offered throughout the year.
Administered by College Board, the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) is accepted by nearly 3,000 colleges and can reward anywhere between one and 12 credits for a passing score. CLEP offers 38 different multiple-choice exams ranging from 90-120 minutes for topics such as business to languages, math, and science.
She is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College (A.B., history) and has an MFA in creative nonfiction from Bennington College. Learn about our editorial policies. Julia Kagan. Updated Aug 17, 2020.
Nearly 3,000 colleges accept the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), and universities and exams are given in more than 1,800 test centers. A qualifying test score can earn a student anywhere from one to 12 college credits, depending on the college's policy.
CLEP is less well-known than AP exams and classes (as they are not advertised within high school classes), and is also not exclusively designed for high school students.