60 easy credits from testing how what tests?

I have held a clerical position with the local government for 4 yrs. I am ready to move up. I could use more money, and would get a 15,000 dollar raise for 60 credits. Credits can be in anything. Any ideas on test that would take minimal study? What tests are considered "easy"? I would like to finish as soon as possible.
shea

 

Hmmmm....well there is the BA in 4 weeks website...but I don't think they have an AA or AS option on their page.

 

Seems to me like you are thinking of applying for a law enfrocement job since you are just asking about 60 college credits and not speaking about any form of degrees..........

well, for starters you can check out the DSST pass rate here

http://www.dantes.doded.mil/dantes_web/examinations/dssts-text.htm

Will give you an idea of what exams are the most popular and you can launch off from there. Also, if you speak spanish, french and i believe german (not sure here) can help you earn up to 12 cc (i got 12 by passing a spanish test).

here are the pass rates for the excelsior college exams

http://www.dantes.doded.mil/dantes_web/examinations/ece2-text.htm


As you know "easy" can be very subjective. The question is, what are YOUR interest? i found that exams that were in my area of interest i were very easy to prepare for even if they had a low pass rate.

Good luck.

 

Have you taken any CLEP tests before?

I think you may find many of them surprisingly easy.

I've taken 10 tests so far, and the only one I really had to study for was Humanities.

The easiest so far:

Principles of Management
Social Sciences and History <-- 6 Credits

Also passable without study:

Information Systems and Computer Applications
Introductory Sociology
Natural Sciences (If you have a high school science background in Bio and Chem) <-- 6 Credits
Principles of Macroeconomics

Harder:
Principles of Accounting
Introductory Psychology
Principles of Microeconomics

Avoid:
Humanities

 

You could get 60 units of undergraduate credit from Excelsior College if you were to pass two GRE subject examinations with a sufficient score. It is certainly not an easy way to do it, but it is potentially the quickest.

 

First, I would follow twicehalflife's advice. I went with the exams with the highest passing rate that I knew something about. I earned 51 credits in 6 weeks (3 more a few weeks later)

August
08-14-2002 DANTES Intro to Criminal Justice
08-14-2002 DANTES Intro to Law Enforcement

September
09-04-2002 DANTES Intro to Computing
09-04-2002 DANTES Organizational Behav
09-04-2002 DANTES Envir and Humanity
09-09-2002 DANTES – HR Management
09-09-2002 DANTES Tech Writing
09-09-2002 DANTES Intro to Business
09-12-2002 DANTES Here’s to you Health
09-17-2002 CLEP History and Social Science
09-19-2002 ECE Labor relations
09-22-2002 DANTES Ethics
09-22-2002 DANTES MIS
09-26-2002 ECE Production/Operation Mgt
09-30-2002 CLEP English w/essay

November
11-11-2002 ECE Research Methods in Psy - I had to schedule the exam.

I did have to study for a few Research Methods in Psy and History and Social Science. I also took the General Math and Analyzing and Interp. Lit for 6 credits each.

Here is the link to the BA in 4 weeks- http://bain4weeks.com/
You can do this - 60 credits in two months.

 

Study for and sit the CLEP general exams first:

English
Mathematics
Social Science and History
Natural Sciences
Humanities

each worth 6 hours for a total 1/2 of what you are targeting.

CLEP Analysing and Interpreting Literature for another 6.

Foreign Language skills can be worth as much as 12 hours if you've got the ability already. Alot of people forget this one...

IMHO - looking for the "easy way" is a bad habit. Instead, set your goal (60 credits) and then find the "best way" to achieve it.

60 hours of "easy tests" not be the "best way" later if you want a BA/BSc -- it may be that the best way is to think about the future use of that credit too...

 

So where would you bank these credits to get a degree?

 

Pick one of the Big Three and register for an AA/AS program.

An AA/ASc is a good intermediate goal and the Excelsior ASc liberal arts requirements aren't overly restrictive at all.

Nothing says you actually have to complete the ASc -- you just want to have a bunch of credit transcripted...

I suggest the liberal arts ASc only because the degree requirements are very open to all sort of courses/exams. The 5 CLEP generals very nicely fill the whole first half of that degree...

 

Don't even need to go that far...Excelsior has a credit bank service for $250. If the only requirement is to have 60 credits transcripted I'd go for this option first (especially as there is an immediate payoff of a $15k raise).

As far as tests go to get the 60 credits...ones with a * are ones I personally took, ** are ones I took and found easy, *** are ones that I found almost absurdly easy:

1) Dantes Here's To Your Health (3 credits)***
2) CLEP Analyzing and Interpreting Literature (6 credits)***
3) CLEP Introduction to Sociology (3 credits)
4) DANTES Intro to Business (3 credits)
5) CLEP General Humanities (6 credits)**
6) CLEP General Natural Science (6 credits)*
7) CLEP General Social Science/History (6 credits)
8) CLEP Information Systems and Computer Applications (3 credits)***
9) DANTES Intro to Law Enforcement (3 credits)**
10) DANTES Intro to Criminal Justice (3 credits)** [note: study for this with Law Enforcement...there is some overlap]
11) CLEP Principles of Management (3 credits)***
12) CLEP Principles of Marketing (3 credits)**
13) DANTES Organizational Behavior (3 credits)**
14) DANTES Principles of Supervision (3 credits)***
15) DANTES Personal Finance (3 credits)
16) DANTES Drug and Alcohol Abuse (3 credits)** [note: this provides upper-level credit, but I didn't find it difficult...your mileage may vary]

I echo CoachTurner about the CLEP Language exam - I took French and got 12 credits. If you know French, Spanish or German well-enough to speak and read, it's not too hard to get either 6 or 12 credits. I didn't include it in the list above as not everyone has language ability. If this exam appeals to you, you can deduct a couple of the above.

I disagree with Vincey on a couple of things: "avoid Humanities" - this exam is most definitely passable if you have any interest in fine arts and literature at all, and do some study beforehand. It was my first CLEP after CLEP French and I did very well (and probably overstudied). Here's an example of what was hard to one person is easy to another - a good reason to look at the exam descriptions and some sample problems before taking them!

I also don't think that Macroeconomics will be passable by everyone without study, unless you already know the core concepts behind suppy and demand. However, Macro isn't that hard - definitely passable with some study.

Cheers,
Mark

 

Save the $250! Just have your scores sent to your local community college. They will accept the credits and then you can request the transcripts when you are done (5-10 bucks). So schools do have an application fee, maybe 20 bucks.

The CC might require you to fill out an application first. My experience tells me that you can most likely print an application off of the internet and then fax it (once completed) to the school.

Take the following DSST exams, if I was able to pass them with only a small amount of study .... you should don just fine!:

Prin Supervision
Fund of Counceling
Law enforcement
CJ
Etc... If you spend some time on this website you'll know which one to take!

Good Luck and keep us posted!

 

The FASTEST way to 60 credits would be the five CLEP general subject exams, mentioned earlier in this thread. Pass those for 30 credits. Then take a GRE, perhaps in psychology for another 30 credits. Bank the credits at Excelsior for a couple of hundred bucks.

That's six tests for 60 credits. If you are good at cramming and testing, it can be done in a reasonably short amount of time. Those tests will also fit in with most degree plans, should you decide to pursue one at a later time.

 

Why not Graduate level credits?

I wish that we could get Graduate level credits that way.

 

Re: Why not Graduate level credits?

Hopefully one day grasshopper, hopefully one day........

 

Check with them first. Many will limit credit by CLEP to 30 (or even 15) semester hours and won't post those they won't accept.

I still contend that

if, you have to collect 60 hours
and
if, 60 hours is the req. for an Associate of Science degree
then: you should go ahead and get an ASc whle you're at this.

 

I agree - at least there's something tangible at the end of it that can be built on for a Bachelor's...

 

I also agree. I do some academic counseling (primarily for high school and college distance learning students) and I almost always recommend the associate's degree as an intermediate step.

Why? Life intervenes. Stuff happens. Would you rather have 60 units or 60 units and an associate's degree? An AS/AA you can put on a resume.

Also, at some schools, there is an advantage to submitting a completed associate's degree that you do not have when submitting only the units.



Tom Nixon

 

tcnixon:

I agree and did just that. I felt I could relax a bit after earning it.