Are you interested in learning more about a program through which your student can begin earning college-credit while still in High School? If so, take a quick read at our overview of CLEP, or the College-Level Examination Program.
CLEP is a program created by the College Board (creators of the SAT) that allows students to take exams on a wide range of topics that cover introductory college course material. If the student passes the exam in a given subject, they may be given college credit for that course. The tests are taken at CLEP test centers and are multiple choice. They take about 90-120 minutes to complete and more than 2,900 schools across the country accept the scores.
Can and Should I Take a CLEP Exam?
Anybody who is interested in earning college credit, saving on tuition, and minimizing the amount of time it takes them to graduate can take the exam. That being said, you should confirm a few things before deciding to proceed. Does your college accept CLEP exams for credit? Does the CLEP exam you are considering taking fulfill a degree requirement? Are you trying to reduce your tuition bill? Are you trying to reduce the amount of time it takes you to graduate? Do you have other obligations that would benefit from you having a lighter course load? If the answer to some of these questions was yes, you should consider taking one or more of the exams.
What Subjects are Offered, Where Do I Sign Up, and How Do I Prepare?
At the following link, https://clep.collegeboard.org/register, you will find a list of all the subjects that are offered and a way to register for the exam.
There are various tools you can use to prepare for the exam. https://modernstates.org/ is the website of a non-profit that offers free study courses for many of the CLEP exams. This is an incredible resource for students who want to save money and score well on the exam.
The College Board offers an official study guide that provides practice questions for all the exams – it is a physical book that costs $24.99. They also offer individual study guides in a digital PDF format for each subject, priced at $10 each.
Lastly, you make look to contract a private tutor/agency that specializes in preparing students for the CLEP exams.
At American College Counselors, we’ll help your student figure out every aspect of CLEP and more. Is the exam right for them? Which of the schools on their college list accept the exam? When should they take it? How will they prepare? If you decide to contract private tutoring, where should you go? Are there better ways for you to earn college credit?
Please contact us at [email protected] or via text/WhatsApp at (+1)954-593-6230 if you are interested in learning more about our services. We are happy to set up a free introductory call to discuss your student how we can help.
Stay safe and have a great rest of the week!
The American College Counselors Team