CLEP college algebra?

Discussion in 'CLEP, DANTES, and Other Exams for Credit' started by visiting, May 1, 2009.

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  1. visiting

    visiting New Member

    Who has passed the CLEP for college algebra and what are the best resources to use for that?
     
  2. jaer57

    jaer57 New Member

    I passed that CLEP about 4 years ago, and I used the textbook from my local community college's college algebra class to prepare. I just went to the sample questions for each chapter, did them, and if I did well I went to the next chapter. If I didn't, I read through the chapter and tried again. Didn't cost a dime because I was able to get an earlier edition textbook from my local library, luckily.

    I've heard of some people using ALEKS (http://www.aleks.com) to prepare for the college algebra CLEP. ALEKS is $19.95/month. Thinkwell (http://www.thinkwell.com/) is another online math tutor, but I believe it is more expensive. Good luck!
     
  3. JanusthePhoenix

    JanusthePhoenix New Member

    I took college algebra relatively 'cold', and passed by one point. If you did well in Algebra 2 or PreCal in high school and actually remember the stuff now, you will do fine. If you need a refresher, pick up the Collegeboard CLEP study guide. It's well worth it, especially if you plan on taking any more CLEPs.

    Also, I suggest taking College Math instead. It doesn't appear to be any more difficult, and it's 6 credits instead of 3.

    Edit: ALEKS is a good resource if you are sufficiently dedicated and motivated to learn on your own. I hacked away at their PreCalculus course for a little over a month before I gave up and decided to just take a real course instead.
     
  4. Griffin

    Griffin Crazy About Psychology

    I recommend the book "Algebra the Easy Way" by Douglas Downing. It's available at a lot of libraries or you can get it fairly inexpensively new.

    The resources that helped the most, oddly enough, were the little laminated equation guides. Something like BarCharts or SparkNotes, but I managed to find a couple of good ones that were pocket-sized.

    Also, if you are scoring towards the low end on the Algebra CLEP, try testing for the College Mathematics CLEP if it will fill the requirement. Another resource is Straighterline, which is $99 (+$30) but you can take an entire month to complete the course. This is handy if your college won't accept the College Algebra CLEP or if you need an actual grade for it.
     
  5. Havensdad

    Havensdad New Member

    Doesn't Straighterline courses cost more than they actually say for credit? I mean isn't their additional costs from the "partner colleges" to actually grant the credit? I think it ends up costing more than 129 bucks for a 3 credit Algebra class.
     
  6. Griffin

    Griffin Crazy About Psychology

    Nope. The $30 is what I paid to Fort Hays to apply, and they'll charge me $5 for a transcript when I've got every SL class that I want taken. I'm comparing it to my B&M community college's ~$500 for the same class.

    I'm not the best at Algebra, but I managed to pass with a 72%. I plan to retake it for a higher grade during a break (I bombed my first two tests). But mostly I'm just happy I was able to pass it. :D

    EDIT: With me, my biggest concern was that I wouldn't be able to pass the CLEP, and funds limited me to taking either one CLEP or one course through SL.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 7, 2009
  7. visiting

    visiting New Member

    That's interesting about being able to get regional accreditation for a course through Straighterline. http://www.straighterline.com/howitworks/earncredit/

    Griffin, is this right - via Straighterline you apply to Thomas Edison, etc., and get credit first from them and then Fort Hays accepts the TE credit?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 5, 2018
  8. Havensdad

    Havensdad New Member

    Hmmm. I wonder if the English Composition 101 from Fort Hays would satisfy the writing requirement from Excelsior. That would save me 100 bucks.

    Do the tests and quizzes require proctoring?(if not, the 10 dollar proctor fees would not be worth it)
     
  9. Griffin

    Griffin Crazy About Psychology

    For Algebra and English Composition I, I know the tests are unproctored. I'm not sure about Accounting or Economics though.
     
  10. Griffin

    Griffin Crazy About Psychology

    For some reason this doesn't show up here, but it popped into my email inbox today:

    Actually, Fort Hays accepts Straighterline courses directly (not Econ II or Acct II) and awards credit for them. You can then transfer them anywhere. Fort Hays gets a cut of the straighterline fees for every class you take with them via straighterline (which is how they consider it).
     
  11. visiting

    visiting New Member

    Griffin, if you don't mind another question, why did you pick Fort Hays over Thomas Edison, etc.?
     
  12. Griffin

    Griffin Crazy About Psychology

    No problemo.

    Well, I don't know if it's the case now, but when I signed up for straighterline TESC wasn't an option to recieve credit. Fort Hays seemed to have the easiest & cheapest process, which is why I chose them. Plus, no minimum or maximum number of credits.

    I may take other classes with Fort Hays, as their process seems pretty straightforward and fairly inexpensive. But I'd mostly be taking upper-division courses to finish off my degree, so these are probably the only lower-division courses that I will take with them.

    Hope this helps!
     

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