|
About
the CLEP
Overview
The College-Level Examination
Program* (CLEP) offers you an
opportunity to show a college
admission officer or a prospective
employer what you know in a variety
of subject areas. Many college
admission officers use CLEP scores
to determine where to place college
applicants in their traditional
four-year programs. Students can
earn from 3 to 12 credits toward a
college degree for each CLEP exam,
depending on the individual exam and
the policy of the degree-granting
college or university.
With the
exception of a few tests offering
essay options, each CLEP consists
primarily of multiple-choice
questions. A few tests include
fill-in questions as well. Each test
is 90-minutes long.
The
following subjects are currently
available:
- American Literature
- Analyzing and Interpreting
Literature
- English Composition
- English Literature
- Freshman College Composition
- Humanities
- French Language Levels 1 and
2
- German Language Levels 1 and
2
- Spanish Language Levels 1
and 2
- American Government
- Human Growth and Development
- Introduction to Educational
Psychology
- Precalculus
- Principles of Macroeconomics
- Principles of Microeconomics
- Introductory Psychology
- Introductory Sociology
- Social Sciences and History
- U.S.History I: Early
Colonization to 1877
- U.S.History II: 1865 to the
Present
- Western Civilization I:
Ancient Near East to 1648
- Western Civilization II:
1648 to the Present
- Calculus
- College Algebra
- College Mathematics
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Natural Sciences
- Information Systems and
Computer Applications
- Principles of Management
- Principles of Accounting
- Introductory Business Law
- Principles of Marketing
Scoring
CLEP exams are scored on a scale of
20 to 80. With the exception of
exams including essays, you should
receive your scores immediately at
the testing center. Each school sets
its own minimum standards for
granting CLEP credit. Check with
your school to learn if you qualify.
Need-to-Know Tips &
Strategies for the CLEP
Prepare with a
Practice Test
Practice tests are an ideal way to
begin your preparation. They’re
affordable and will give you instant
results to see how you might score
if the test were today. You’ll
learn your strengths and weakness,
and be able to develop a
personalized study plan. Try
prepping with Peterson’s practice
tests for the CLEP.
Trust your
instincts
If you know the answer just by
reading the question, you're
probably correct. Look for the
choice that is similar to your
mental response and mark it on the
answer sheet.
Trick the "trick"
questions
Look for obvious inconsistencies. A
question may ask you for specific
information, such as the number of
feet in a specific distance. If any
of the answer choices presents
dimensions that are in degrees or
seconds, you'll be able to
immediately rule it out.
Know the
difference between a guess and an
educated guess
There is a penalty for a wrong
answer, but it is still worth your
while to make an educated guess. If
you can eliminate answer choices
that are obviously wrong, then your
odds of selecting the correct answer
will be higher.
Helpful Articles
These additional articles on
Petersons.com will give you even
more advice about preparing for the
CLEP.
Find the Right Approach to Test Prep
Master Standardized Tests
Beat Test Stress |
