CLEP and DANTES test recommendation

Hi everyone,

I am going to take CLEP Principal of Accounting, Principles of Management, Principles of Marketing and DANTES Principles of Finance in the next 2 months. I am looking for study material which can get me pass the tests within the limited time frame.

After looking though some of the discussion on this board, I plan to use the CLEP standard study guide. What other materials are need for each of the test? Please share your experience of study material and how long it took you to prepare for.

Thanks,
Keith

 

I barely passed Accounting, with a 50. But then again, I did NOT study all the questions on this one (only about 1/3 the instantcert questions) and I crammed for about 3 days. This test goes by FAST.

I cut a 71 on Principles of Mgmt, which was my highest score I cut on any CLEP exam using instantcert (and in general). Very 'common sense' type of test, like most of the business-related cleps.

Principles of Finance was also a minimum passing score. Instantcert was NOT the greatest for this one alone. BUT, I took this one before I took the accounting clep, and I can say that if you study the accounting materials first, you will be better prepared.

Keep in mind that I really didn't study the material in-depth (i.e. to get a perfect 80). I studied enough to get a good score.

The best advice I can give you is to get the content outline for each of the exams and match it up with the material in the recommended textbook(s). I compiled a list on my website here http://www.123collegedegree.com/booklist.html

Make sure you answer every question before time is up (no penalty for guessing).

Oh, yeah....do NOT cram! Make sure you know the material to the point where you feel confident, then go in and take the exam. For some people, this may be only days. For others, this may take a few weeks or months.

Another good idea is to do a search for CLEP study guides in this forum.

 

Barron's guides are highly recommended, as are the COMEX guides where they are offered.

If you have any management experience, Management and Marketing are both easy, and I'd recommend you take them first while preparing for the other two. Instantcert should prove useful here if you've signed up.

I received high scores on all these exams save Finance where I still received an "A" (but only by 2 points). For Finance and Accounting I recommend the Standard Deviants video series if you are the type of person that likes to mix a bit of silly humor with new concepts. I second most other people's opinion that Instantcert is totally useless for Finance, unless you're looking for a bare pass. There are much better sources out there, including free ones.

I'm not affiliated with any of the above products but do run a specialized forum where there are many free DANTES and CLEP tips.

Cheers,
Mark

 

ybfjax and guitarmark2000, thanks for the kindly reply.

Base on the feedback, InstantCert alone is good enough for CLEP Managment and Marketing? Do I need both Barron's guides and Standard Deviants video for CLEP Accounting and Finance? I am more concern with passing than getting an "A".

Keith

 

instantcert should be enough.....

Since the minimum is what you want, instantcert should do you well. But it's always better to go a little overboard studying than to under-study. The key is to study the right kind of material. And after all, isn't that what we all want?

So for the principles of finance DSST, supplementation may be a good thing, whether it's barrons or a textbook in the related field. I personally say if you really feel weak in any area to get the recommended textbook.

Remember instantcert, like most other study guides, only guarantee that you will PASS (minimum score). This is not to say that you cannot usually get much higher than the minimum.

Even if you "fail", you can wait 6 months to re-take. But we all would prefer to pass the first time. Hence the over-studying method.

What do you think Mark?

 

Re: instantcert should be enough.....

Like anything, it comes down to prior knowledge.

Most people have some supervisory skills by the time they're in their 20's, so management principles are pretty straightforward. Marketing isn't that hard to grasp, at least at a conceptual level - the 4 P's will go a long way. That's why I believe these 2 CLEPs are amongst the easier ones, and therefore just about any material will do.

Personally, I was driven to achieve a 4.0 GPA, and did so probably by taking it up a level - I wasn't content with a bare pass so in quite a few cases I clearly overstudied, especially early on with the easier exams. I bought more than one book for each subject in addition to subscribing to Instantcert.

The recommended texts are OK, especially for upper-level exams, but there's something to be said about the Barron Business Review series and others like it - they compress concepts into a usable form while still giving good examples, diagrams, etc.

The timeframe also is relevant - I believe that non-intuitive concepts like economics, finance and accounting (unless you're using these on a daily basis) need more time to "sink in". In these cases a variety of source material can help, be it video, online or written.

I liked Instantcert as a last-minute cram tool to learn facts, or as one to supplement other options. However, as it is essentially a fill-in-the-blanks slideshow it doesn't walk you through any concepts.

Cheers,
Mark