I'm planning on taking the clep for American Literature. Does anybody have any advice/comments on this one? Thanks, Maria
As recommended by some reviewers at the Amazon.com site, I purchased The Complete Idiot's Guide to American Literature. Reading the book provided sufficient knowledge for me to pass the CLEP with no real level of discomfort. Of course, I'd be hard pressed to discuss Fitzgerald or Hemingway intelligently with a true scholar, but that wasn't exactly my goal either. Maybe some day.
the expensive route just in case you are interested in the expensive route, my only prep for the Am. Lit. Clep were the Teachco tapes, I think the website is just www.teachco.com. Arnold Weinstein's lectures were so connected up with the Clep that it was UNCANNY. Even the various select passages he chose to discuss were on the test, OFTEN. So if you want a guaranteed pass, and you can sport the $$ (I think teachco has a sale on) definitely just buy the tapes. It's also the quickest way. Listen in your car. While you eat. While you sleep (okay, just kidding). Chris
Christopher, Thanks for the info. Guess what? I already have the Teachco tapes. I think you had mentioned that you used them in a previous post. The tapes are good, but there are so many of them. I was starting to think that maybe using the tapes was overkill, but i think I'll give them a shot. Although the tapes were on sale, they were still pricey. Maybe I'll sell them on ebay after I'm done. I am also using the Idiot's guide to American Literature. Thanks, Maria
no problem maria~~~ i tell you. if you listen to all of those tapes YOU WILL PASS. i would just put them in your car (it's winter, no warping) and listen to them when you are driving; whatever works for you! I'm taking the English Lit. CLEP next week, and I'm just listening to the "great authors of the western lit. tradition." i'll let you know how it goes. Chris
Chris... You just mention the tapes. What about the extensive (I presume) lecture notes? Did you use them for pre-exam study? Did you annotate them? Or did you just 'listen.?' (I used both teachco tapes, a textbook, and the lecture notes to prep for the DANTES exam on Soviet history. All were a pleasure, but annotating the lecture notes were essential for getting it all to 'gel,' for me to feel confident enough to sit the exam.) --Orson
sorry i didn't reply on this... thanks Orson, Sorry I didn't reply on this one. I just found it. Honestly, I didn't use the notes. When I listened to the tapes I was traveling across the country, from Illinois to CA. Since I knew I would be spending a lot of time in the car, I purchased the American Lit. tapes and listened to all of them on the trip (all but the seventh tape "book"). For some reason, when it comes to the American Lit. Clep, listening to the tapes was all it took. I ended up scoring in the 97th percentile, and pretty much didnt' have any knowledge of much American Lit. before listening to the tapes. Chris
