CLEP'N and Love"N it

Hey guys,
I've now passed three CLEPs and I am very happy to report that I passed all of them. The ones I've taken are;
Intro to Computer...
Natural Sciences
Humanities
For the Intro to Computer and Applications I simply studied the free pdf from CollegeBoard (Was free).
For the Natural Sciences I studied the Peterson’s Guide, Cracking the CLEP, The Online Biology Book (online, excelent and FREE) and The Best Test Prep CLEP.
For the Humanities (I'm very weak in this topic) I studied the Peterson’s Guide, Cracking the CLEP, Instantcert.com and the $6 pdf from Ebay.
Oh ya, I also recommend using the Freeuniv.com site, great info!
The Humanities was by far the hardest for me.
I'm enrolled at Excelsior and have several more CLEPs to go. I'll start studing for SoiSci and His later this month. If I can help anyone please just ask...

-John

 

Congrats Clep'n!
I'm considering the Natural Sciences exam - did you feel that the materials you studied were adequate prep or did you already have a strong background in science? Which one of your test prep books would you say most closely mirrored the difficulty level of the actual exam? I have used REA books for a couple of exams and their practice tests seemed MUCH harder than the actual CLEP.

 

Great job. I took Soc Sciences and HistoryI. For the SS exam, I used a Comex study guide. For the History, I used REA. The books were the ONLY thing I needed to pass.

Good luck.

 

If you know any foreign languages you can get 6 or 12 credits very easily! I received 12 credits for a 1.5 hr multiple choice German language test without any speaking required!! No speaking required!!! It's almost silly.

Brandon

 

BookGirl,
The Natural Science exam focuses on mostly Biology. Here is the link...
http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/BIOBK/BioBookTOC.html
I went through most of the material there and felt very good going in. Quite a few questions regarding Physical Science as well. Lots of formulas, but don't be alrmed you could miss all the formula questions and still do very well. I do enjoy science but no, I do not think of myself as having any formal training beyond highschool, 22 years ago! HaHa
Randell,
I hear the exam isn't too tough. Is that what you thought?
Good luck all!

-John

 

Oh, and the book that most closely mirrored the exam was The Best Test Prep. That will most likely not be enough to pass. The pdf from ebay is supposed be pretty good but I have not used any of those except for Humanities and it was GREAT.
I do prefer the "materal" type resources to the "how may questions can you memorize" type. I'm in the computer field and I take ALOT of certification exams. I was taken aback by the lack of real resources for the CLEPs. It seems that most materal available simply asks questions over and over and over... When taking certification exams I study the area in question, setup a lab, do some testing and configuration then do some question type studing. The hardest part of CLEP'n to me has been gathering the material(s) prior to setting down and studying!!

-John

 

CLEP'N,
How long did u study for the Humanities CLEP? Also how was the guide from ebay... I bought it but I haven't been able to really go through it. Do u remeber some areas I need to study close on? Thanks.. I really need this one my school will give me 7hrs for this CLEP then I can graduate this year.
Thanks again,
tiff

 

In my experience the eBay guide was sufficient to pass, but if you want an additional comfort level I also recommend the Comex Humanities guide.

I also listed some other sources I used on my forum. This was the 2nd CLEP that I took (after French) and I probably overstudied.

Cheers,
Mark

 

ttousant,
I studied for two weeks. The Ebay pdf was right on the money. I forgot to mention I also used SparkNotes.com for the plays mentioned in the pdf. I had alot of questions on autors of poetry, fiction and painting. Alot poetry structure questions.
Guitarmark,
I'm always careful when comparing my study skill(s) with others. I certainly would not want someone not prepairing enough for an exam based on my "opinion". I could not say that, for everyone, the pdf was enough to pass. I agree that additional study sources are a good idea. My 2 cents...

-John

 

ttousant,
I would agree with Mark and John - I used the Ebay guide, the Comex book and reviewed the outlines of Shakespeare's major plays on SparkNotes. Then I used the Cracking the Clep and the Official guide for practice tests. My weakest area was music, but this test is so broad that a weakness in just one area won't hurt you too badly.

clep'n,
Thanks for the reply. I'm also in the midst of Clep'n with Excelsior after more than 20 years out of school. I have taken 6 exams in the last couple of weeks (and Sociology tomorrow!), and I think that the life experience we bring to these tests really helps.

 

Fair enough...as always "your mileage may vary". That's why I stated "in my experience".

Here is the more detailed description from my site:

A lot of people have commented on how "hard" CLEP Humanities is. Here are some tips that will help you pass with ease (I got a 76/80 and I am NOT a humanities expert):

Tip #1 - this is a VERY broad exam, so depth in any particular area isn't required.

Tip #2 - remember it's 50/50 between Fine Arts and Literature.

Tip #3 - much of the study material you need is either free or at low cost. Some low cost sources and how I'd rate them:

a) The COMEX guide (Review for the CLEP General Humanities Examination) - excellent and pretty thorough - $16.95 from Amazon.com

b) Cracking the CLEP (now called Master the CLEP 2004 I believe) - great sample exams - around $14, and a huge value if you are taking other CLEP general exams.

c) Humanities CLEP test preparation study book - useful, but limited - available for $5 from eBay only (search on Humanities CLEP - seller is xenia34). If time is short you can get this PDF e-mailed to you and it should be enough to pass.

d) www.absoluteshakespeare.com - ALL you will need to review Shakespeare. Based upon the questions in the guide(s) above you will know which plays to review. Know the general plot, the characters, which is a tragedy/comedy/etc and who is good and evil. Look at the Study Guides at the right of the site, and then review ONLY the plot summary and characters.

e) www.google.com - seriously, based upon authors and artists you see in the sample exams, just look them up and prepare a basic paper summary.

f) The Official CLEP Study Guide - if you are taking more than one, definitely buy this book as you will find at least 1-2 questions from the sample exam on the actual exam you are taking (seriously). If you can afford to purchase only one book, get this one even though it's not a study guide - you can take the sample exam and then google for what you need.

Tip #4 - know the periods, esp. with regard to painting/art, music and literature, along with who belongs where. A baroque painting looks very different than a modern one...if you can tell via the style, so much the better. Even if you're not sure of the answer you can usually eliminate one or two because it's in the wrong period.

Tip #5 - remember, there are something like 130 questions to answer in 90 minutes. DO NOT spend more than about 30 seconds maximum on each, with the sole exception being questions related to the reading passages (still, be quick with them).

Tip #6 - you DON'T need to read all of the literature, nor do you even need to buy Cliff's guides. Merely knowing the famous works for each major author will suffice...

Tip #7 - DO make generalizations - for example, if you know ANY Robert Frost (e.g. "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"), you will probably know that he writes about New England. Again, as this is a multiple choice exam if you can remember some clues to point you to the right answer it may be enough.

Tip #8 - as with many exams, stick with your first answer as it's probably right. Unless you are so unprepared for the material, just click the first answer that looks right and move on - don't bother marking and reviewing.

Tip #9 - study what you're weakest in, not your strongest area. Remember, it's a GENERAL exam. If you know music already, then skip it entirely and any review you get will be in doing practice exams. Otherwise you'll need 3 months to prepare for what is essentially a Pass/Fail exam. Which leads us into...

Tip #10 - for most institutions, this is a pass/fail exam. Getting a 51 is just as good as getting a 71...6 credits.

 

Mark,
Wow, that is great info. I just checked out your site, nice.
Any advice on the Social Science exam? I won't get a chance to take the exam until the first week of April though.
Thanks

-John

 

I didn't take this one because I took several history exams (CLEP and DANTES) as well as Economics, so I would have had duplicate credit.

However, having said that, I think if you got Cracking the CLEP, the Official Guide and maybe a COMEX book you should have ample study material plus several sample exams to test your knowledge.

Cheers,
Mark

 

All,
Well I took the Social Science and History exam today and PASSED!! Whew, I thought this exam was the hardest I've taken so far. I know, I know, everyone says that the Humanities is exam is tougher but, I had a very hard exam with SS&H. What I used...

The Ebay guide (now $7) --- Was "ok" not great (the psychology one is better than the SS&H)

The Cracking the CLEP --- Great guide

The Best Test Prep for Sociology ---
Not bad

The Best Test Prep General Exams ---
Not bad

I focused on...
American History --- 1600-1965
Psychology --- The early to late thinkers and schools of thought
Sociology --- The early to late thinkers and schools of thought

What I got...
40% History --- More on World History than I would have liked.

60% Psychology/Sociology --- About what I expected

Hope this helps!

Next is Algebra and then Trig. Any pointers would be appreciated!!

-John

 

Do you need both? I used the REA guide for College Algebra and found it to be sufficient. Others go to www.purplemath.com (I used this site as well).

For trig, I saw that REA has a "principles" book that covers it but no CLEP Test Prep book. However, there is a "Trigonometry for Dummies" book that Amazon sells for $13.59. Don't know if it will meet your needs but it may be useful.

BTW - I found what may be a helpful site for you that has sample exams:

http://college.hmco.com/mathematics/aufmann/college_algebra_trig/5e/students/ace/ace.html It has both trig and algebra...

If you are (or were) strong in math neither should present a major challenge. I scored very well in Algebra and haven't taken it in nearly 20 years.

Cheers,
Mark

 

Clep'N, congrats! Check the thread in my signature area for some more helpful hitns on some of the exams ...

Cheers.

 

Mark,
Man, you are great!
Thanks for all the helpful hints and yes, I do have to take both. I need 6 math credits and Excelsior directed me to take the separate exams not the combined. I did purchase the REA "Essential Guide(s)" for both exams. I was strong in math back in high school...20+ years go. HaHa. Thanks again my friend!

Unix,
To be perfectly honest, your "trek" is one of the things that helped me get motivated again and get this done. Thank you so much for being consistent and dedicated to this forum. I just hope that I can be motivational to someone as well.

Thanks all and good luck!

-John

 

Hey gang! I know it's been a while but such is the life a dad with young children.
My last posting stated that I was heading for the CLEP algebra and trig exams, well that all changed once Excelsior decided to accept my credits from DeVry Tech College. It seems that the electronics "diploma" that I received back in '86 is worth over 80 credit hours! Whew, I was surprised to get the re-evaluation back from Excelsior with that news. I had to have DeVry fax them a statement that explained the credits were indeed college level before Excelsior would give me any credit at all. It took nearly 5 months to get it all straitened out between the two of them.
So what do I now need to complete my associates you are asking? Well after taking the Information Lit final exam tonight (I passed) just a simple 3 credit online English class with my local community college. The real question is what I now need to complete to get my undergrad. At this time I have 117 credits in the bank and have submitted my evaluation form to Columbia Southern. I’m looking at the BS in information technology degree.
I’ll continue to post my experiences with both Excelsior and CSU.
BTW, I have a lot of CLEP materials that I’ll be putting on *bay. PM me if your interested.
Thanks again Degreeinfo.com and good luck all

 

Are you an IT guy? I'd really love to hear someone check out Western Governors program at the undergrad level. I would have jumped all over that if I'd have know about it. It might help you finish your bachelors remarkably faster.

 

Sean,
Yes I am an IT guy. I've been in the field for 9 years now. I have...
MCSE NT4-2003
MCSA
MCT
CCNA
N+

I'll have to give WG a look see. One reason I'm considering CSU is the cost.
Thanks for the info.

-John