These are the materials my oldest son used to pass the Marketing CLEP Marketing Principles Essentials (REA) Standard Deviants School - Marketing Super Pack, Programs 1-3 CLEP Principles of Marketing, 5th Ed. (REA)
CLEP Principles of Marketing I passed this one yesterday with a 61. I reviewed the College Board sample test and skimmed over a marketing textbook for about an hour.This one felt like a lot of common sense. Just being familiar with the terminology and being aware of advertising and how it works would be enough to get most people through this one. Links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marketing http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/business/marketing/marketingmixrev2.shtml
I took home a 78 on this in June 2008. With the qualification that it always depends on how well you know the material I would rank Marketing as harder than CLEP Management, but easier than CLEP Business Law. I would not recommend it as a first CLEP unless you have prior subject knowledge. I've been in business for most of my working life but not in a marketing role. Prep for any CLEP begins with the latest official exam outline, however, these were some topics I remember from my version of the test: 1. Basic international topics that overlap other intro-level business exams: quotas, tariffs. 2. The marketing mix 4Ps. No coverage of newer models with extra Ps or other letters. 3. Markups. Simple calcs can be done in your head. 4. Discretionary income - defined and calculated. 5. No names of important people, unlike many other CLEPs. 6. Segments: demographic, psychological, etc; know the concept and its application. 7. Industrial (b2b) vs consumer type markets and buyers. 8. Marketing Strategy -- basic steps in developing it. The connection of marketing to overall strategy wasn't tested, but it's important to know if you're a business major. 9. Market Research -- basic methods. 10. Product Mix. 11. Promotion Mix. 12. Diffusion (product adoption); product lifecycle. 13. The Acts and government agencies created in connection w/fair trade. 14. Distribution channels. No surprises in the test other than a couple questions worded in a way that I had to think about them for a while. 2 or 3 pure guesses -- mostly on advertising strategy, which I hadn't covered very thoroughly. 'A manager would do ______ in such & such-a-market' sorts of thing. I finished with enough time to review my marked questions and decide I was tired of messing with it with about :20 to spare. All the InstantCert topics were there to one degree or another, except no dogs or stars, no assorting or accumulating. [During this phase of my degree I found InstantCert very helpful as a study aid, but later on I reached a point where I enjoyed working w/o it.] I used IC (went through questions 3 times, taking notes on the ones I miss or have trouble with, then read about the whole topic the question deals with, using other sources), plus Barrons Marketing and this excellent professor site -- and this site's marvelous quizzes. Peterson tests are indispensable for CLEP IMHO. Barrons has all the info needed to pass the CLEP, but I found it a bit dull to read and felt like I wasn't "getting it", so with about a week to go before the exam I sought something with a little more true-life detail -- Philip Kotler's Marketing Management -- from the public library. It's more suited to an upper-level class or even MBA, but if I had it to do over I would have got that book first thing. It really helps cement the concepts with examples of how to think like a marketer. I think I spent at most 35 hours preparing, plus a bit more for 'admin' tasks like planning and reviewing practice quiz results. Phillip
I used the Barron's book, and some sort of practice test-- can't remember which. One of the less difficult exams I've taken.
