5 Steps to Earning College Credit with CLEP
Students are getting a jump start on college by taking CLEP and DSST exams in high school. While these exams can be taken at any age, high school is the absolute best time to use your study time to bank college credits. Priced at under $100 per exam, or $33 per credit (most exams = 3 credits), it is a key strategy many students use to help them earn a debt-free college degree. In fact, you might have heard me say that our daughter’s braces cost about the same as her accredited 4-year college degree.
Learning to navigate the world of CLEP can be a bit overwhelming at first. As a homeschool parent, my kids relied on me to be their academic advisor. However, I quickly realized that the time and money are family could save was worth my investment in learning the process.
I hope to simplify the process for you. Once you understand it, the steps are really easy to repeat. And once you guide your students through the process, they may pick it up quickly and even take the lead in planning and preparing their own study plans. So let’s get started!
5 Steps to Earning College Credit with CLEP
1. Review the available exam titles and descriptions
There are two popular nationally-recognized companies that offer credit-by-exam: CLEP and DSST. More than 60% of CLEP test takers report that knowledge gained in high school was sufficient for handling the tested material. Start by choosing an exam based on your student’s interests or one that aligns with a subject already being studied. Students will find that many of the exams overlap in content in their high school-level courses*.
♦ CLEP Clep.CollegeBoard.org
♦ DSST GetCollegeCredit.com
* Notice my carefully chosen words: Students and high school-level courses. Age alone is not a direct indicator of ability. My own students sat for their first exams in middle school. I do recommend students use high school-level materials (vs. middle school) though.
2. Complete your high school-level course with gusto!
Think of CLEP and DSST as a final exam. This is not about teaching to the test, though test-prep is essential. Students should be dedicated to their studies. Since we don’t all study or learn the same way, it is important to find a study method that works best with your student’s individual learning style.
Study exam-specific material alongside your course materials. Students will feel more prepared if they include exam-specific resources into their studies rather than try to cram at the end. These are not core curriculum resources, but can be used alongside your chosen curriculum.
♦ REA Study Guides – Books that provide an overview of specific CLEP subjects and include practice exams. May also be available at your local library. We found the information too condensed for a comprehensive study, but perfect for an add-on. My students would read and take notes from these books before digging deeper using their course curriculum.
♦ ModernStates.org – Free, online, self-paced course. I would consider this a review and use it after completing your rigorous high school course. The bonus is that when you have finished this self-paced review, the organization will send you a test voucher absolutely free! (read my review)
♦ Quizlet.com – flashcards. Whether you like to create them or review someone else’s, this is a popular site for CLEPpers.
3. Take a practice exam
Once your student has finished their course. it’s time to evaluate what you know. Practice exams are your friend! Taking at least one practice test is essential to identify your readiness. This will highlight what your student knows well and which areas they may need to spend more time studying. There are several sites for practice tests and they are not all created equal. Stick with the quality resources I have highlighted.
4. Build knowledge
Review the results of the practice test with your student to identify their weak areas. The best way to build knowledge is to study the right answers to the questions they got wrong. Focus on understanding, not memorization. Students will not see these exact questions on the official exam. Next, take at least one more practice exam and study the answers. If necessary, keep repeating this cycle. Student should try to achieve 60% correct on at least two practice exams before sitting for the official exam. It is helpful to set a schedule of 1-4 weeks and not let this study process drag on.
♦ InstantCert.com Online Flashcards – Enter Code 85513 for $5 discount. ($20/month subscription) These flashcards are test-specific and available for almost every exam. It may not align to everyone’s learning style, but for some, review of these flashcards is very helpful. I would give it a try. TIP: The Subscriber’s Forum associated with this website is where test takers post their study outlines and tips for passing the exam. I found it very valuable to identify resources and topics that helped in test prep.
5. Sit for the exam
Schedule and take the test! Justin (Free-Clep-Prep author) has put together an informative FREE E-book full of test-taking tips: Free-Clep-Prep-Testing-Tips (permission to re-post granted).
Congratulations on your efforts!
While in middle and high school, my three students took CLEP or DSST exams after many of the subjects they were already studying. They appreciated the option of earning college credit while studying at their own pace while using the quality resources I selected for them based on their learning style. They were able to apply over two years of credits earned through credit-by-exam to their degrees.
For more on how to apply this to your family, check out my book: A Parent’s Guide to Credits Before College
Please share this article with friends and introduce them to Credits Before College.
Copyright © 2022 Cheri Frame – All Rights Reserved.
