Quality Practice Exams
Taking two or more practice exams from a reputable source is essential to preparing for an official exam. Read through this list to find the best resources. Some are online, others printed, some have a cost while others are free. Use only trusted sources to assess if your student is adequately prepared. My rule of thumb: Try to achieve 60% or higher on at least two practice exams before sitting for the official exam. Here are my recommended resources (including a free pdf!)
1. CLEP Official Study Guide from the makers of CLEP. Though the name suggests it, this is not a study guide, but it is an invaluable book for its price. It contains one practice test for each of the 34 CLEP exams. Each year the author updates the book cover, but the contents has minimal updates unless a test has been added or retired, which is rare. This is a book worth owning. I suggest you purchase the latest edition (Amazon), but there is no need to purchase updates each year.
2. REA CLEP Study Guides Each book title has 2-3 practice exams along with a condensed but complete study of one specific CLEP title (not available for DSST exams). Answers with detailed rationales are provided, making this a great study resource as well. Available new and used at your favorite book seller and at some libraries.
3. Peterson’s Practice Exams Full online practice exams for CLEP and DSST titles. A trusted exam resource. Answers with rationales are included, acting as an additional study resource.
- Your Local Library FREE Access! Check to see if your library subscribes to the online database Learning Express Library , Gale Center’s Test and Education Resource (TERC), or INSPIRE. These include access to full-length practice exams. Once logged in, type CLEP or DSST in the search bar to see a list of all exams. If your local library is not a subscriber, you can always request it, or sometimes a neighboring library system will be a subscriber and you can register your card with them to gain access through their system.
- DOD (Dept of Defense) Free Access to Learning Express Library If you or a family member is connected with the Military (even an extended family member), you qualify for a free subscription. This link was suspended between 2018-2021. It is back as of 2022!
- Petersons.com Available for a monthly subscription fee of $49. There is a free trial option available.
4. DSST Publisher Website Prometric offers both paid and free online practice exams for most DSST exam titles. Free practice exams are approximately 50 questions.
5. Free-CLEP-Prep A well-respected CLEP-advocate has practice exams on his Website as well as study guides. Some subjects have free content, other guides are available for a fee.
6. Official Guide to Mastering DSST Exams by Peterson’s (Vol 1 and II) Each printed book offers a 20-question pre-test, test content review and 60-question post test for featured DSST exams. The exams reviewed are different in Vol I and II. Answers with rationales are provided as an additional study tool. I don’t recommend using these exams as an indicator of test readiness, but they are helpful for those subjects with limited practice test availability. You can order at Amazon. Or download the free pdf version here. Volume 1 Volume 2
7. FREE PDF Exams Use these internet search terms and you may find what I did … free pdfs that include practice exams.
netsolutions pdf clep
netsolutions pdf dsst
8. Digital Services like Hoopladigital. Another way to access REA CLEP Guides and DSST ebooks for FREE is through Hoopladigital.com! Create a free account at hoopladigital.com. Select your local public library from the list, or invite them to join if they aren’t already. Search under ebooks using the terms CLEP and DSST to find the REA guides and DSST ebooks. Like a typical library subscription, these are available to you for 21 days.
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