Finally finishing a degree

Another one down

Today was DANTES Drug & Alcohol Abuse. It was about 106 questions. I think I did ok, although I had to leave four questions blank, as I didn't have a clue.

I didn't manage to get a copy of the book by Gail Winger (?) that was recommended on this forum. I picked up a book called "Drugs and the Whole Person" at the local used book store for $3. It covered quite a bit of the material, but not all. It was also somewhat dated. I also used some study notes posted on the net (also mentioned on this forum). The only areas were I was weak were drug names (brand and generic) and the biochemical mechanisms of drug action (things like dopamine receptors). Otherwise, the tips mentioned by others were helpful.

This test is definitely no piece of cake. Unless you are a medical professional or a drug user with a scientific bent, you had better study for this one. Having said that, if you can memorize all the needed facts, you will pass. I didn't see anything on my exam that was not factual recall.

And so again, I wait for my score...

 

And another

Today was DANTES Money and Banking. I feel that I passed, but that is about it. We'll see when the score arrives. I have never been very interested in Economics, stocks, etc. Maybe that is why I had a hard time studying for this exam.

One thing I did note about the exam is that the published study guide did not cover several topics that were on the exam. I also noted that the exam was very topical in some areas. I was also surprised to see a few questions that actually required me to make some calculations (no scratch paper was provided). There was a fair amount of analysing cause/effect on this exam.

I know that some people really get into all of this Economics/Financial stuff. I even have a friend that eats/breathes this stuff. However, it just isn't my forte. I'm sure that this exam ruined the run of "A"s that I had. Oh Well.

 

Some scores

Today I received two score reports in the mail. One was DANTES Civil War & Reconstruction that I took on 2 March. I scored 59, which is an "A". The other was DANTES Drug & Alcohol Abuse that I took on 8 March. I scored 67, for another "A".

Even though I got an "A" on the Civil War exam, that 59 is the lowest score I have so far. That is a tough exam. I was surprised to see that I scored so highly on the Drug test. I didn't think I did quite so well when I took it.

At least they managed to get my scores to me within four weeks this time. Much better than the 7.5 weeks for the first DANTES I took.

I am still waiting for my score for DANTES Money & Banking. I am fairly certain that I won't score an "A" on that one. I know it may not be realistic, but I was hoping to be able to score an "A" on every exam that I took (all 16 of them). Oh well.

In the mean time, I am still studying for the DANTES Statistics exam.

 

MoJoe!

Congrats on doing so well on your exams. Tenacity is wonderful when it comes to DANTES or ECE exams.

Since I already possess a BA and an MBA---one of the things I plan to do in Korea is to take at least one exam per month (either CLEP/ECE/DANTES). The last six months I worked nights, so it was hard to find time to study, work-out, and complete my shifts at the hospital (my department worked 12-hour shifts). Also, being a service member, I haven't been extremely diligent with a free service provided to us: SmartForce. It's computer based IT training that can be used for college credits. The material is developed very nicely and covers a pretty full array of IT subjects. I have always been distantly interested in CIS and plan to add a bachelor's degree to my repertoire in either CIS or CS.

My ultimate desire, however, is to finish graduate theological studies (something I started years ago and only completed about 24 of 98 graduate units). Educational pursuits are amazing, aren't they?

I have been excited that my wife, LeAnna, has started on the DANTES/CLEP pathway to finish her degree. She has taken two: 1)DANTES Drug and Alcohol Abuse and 2) DANTES Here's to Your Health. I took Drug and Alcohol Abuse the same day she did since I am a nurse (and it's free for service members). We both passed - but I concur that if you do not have a lot of background knowledge concerning drugs, then you should invest more study into this one. I did not take Here's to Your Health primarily because I do not need it - my wife, who is not a healthcare practicioner, didn't feel that it was difficult, at all.

Keep on, keeping on!
Steven King
The Kingster†

 

Re: Another one down

Just wondering here, as you mentioned this for both a CLEP and DANTES exam...there's no penalty for guessing in either so why leave them blank?

The only exception I can think of is if you're in the military and taking the paper-based CLEPs, but your scores seem to indicate that they're computer based.

From the DSST Candidate Information Bulletin:

"Is there a penalty for guessing on the tests?
There is no penalty for guessing on the DSSTs, so you should mark an answer for each question."

From collegeboard.com's Multiple-Choice Tips under CLEP:
"Make educated guesses. Be sure to answer every question in the exam -- you will not have additional points deducted for questions answered incorrectly. "

I just wanted to ensure that people reading your comments don't misinterpret that if they don't know an answer they should leave it blank - although your scores demonstrated an extra "guess" wouldn't have made a difference in getting an "A" it may mean the difference between pass or fail to another prospective exam taker.

Well done, by the way!

Cheers,
Mark

 

Re: Re: Another one down

At the time I took the exams in question, I couldn't remember whether a wrong answer counted as different than a blank answer. In any case, the ones I left blank were in the category of "haven't got a clue in the world" and would have been pure random guesses.

In the case of all the DANTES that I took (one to go), they were paper-based. I don't know if those are scored differently or not.

I also have six ECE left. How are blank answers handled on those?

 

Re: Re: Re: Another one down

DANTES or DSST exams are all paper-based to my knowledge - no penalty for guessing.

Although I checked Excelsior's Guide I couldn't see any reference to how incorrect answers are scored.

Cheers,
Mark

 

DANTES exams definitely do not take points away for wrong answers. The new paper based CLEPS that most military education centers offer now do not take points away for guesses either, although they used to. I've taken 2 Excelsior exams and the proctor told me both times to "answer all questions/leave nothing blank". They were for World Population and Ethics, Theory & Practice. I didn't study for either and got "A"s on both while answering every question, including ones I wasn't sure of. These factors lead to the near certain conclusion that Excelsior exams do not take points away for wrong answers.

 

Bad news

Boy, was that an understatement. Finally got my score on that one. I didn't even pass. Missed it by one point. Definitely ruined the string of "A's" that I had on my exams. I even studied hard for this one. Well, I knew that this subject wasn't my cup of tea and I certainly proved that point.

Since I don't intend to wait six months to retake this exam, I'll have to figure out what other exam I can take instead. I don't need that particular exam. I just need the credits. The pickings are slim, as I was doing the Money & Banking because I didn't want to take some of the other exams.

The only good point about failing this is that if I had gotten a "C", it would have brought my GPA down. I've gotten it up to a 3.50 so far. (Trying to make myself feel better about failing.)