CLEP exams vs 16 week semester courses

I was kind of the same way when I first heard about CLEP exams/Testing out. Then I began talking to admissions at different colleges who basically frowned upon doing this.

Traditional class settings are what you make of them. Maybe a person shouldn't go to college in the first place if they don't want to learn. If you actually know the material(through self study and not a crash course) and decide to CLEP out, hey that's fine. But how many of these people take a crash course in whatever subject they are about to CLEP out of? I'd say the majority...


I've heard stories about people studying for a few hours, through instacert, and going the next day to pass the exam. College degrees shouldn't be a "check in the box". There was a time when college was about actually learning the material instead of testing out. AP exams are completely different than CLEP exams. AP exams require a student to have taken a course(such as psychology or anatomy)and then passing the AP exam.

When I graduate, It's going to be very sweet indeed. I'll know I actually did the work and never took the easy way out. Out of my 103 hours of traditional course room work, I probably have close to 70-80 papers(or more) that I've written. Easily enough papers to fill a 200-250 page book. 66 Midterms/Finals...probably close to 250 other quizzes and exams. And I figure, 33 classes, at least 300 pages of text for each class, so I've read around 10,000 pages of text(that's a conservative estimate).

Now compare that to people who take crash courses and test out of their degrees...

 

Of course they frowned upon it. They LOSE MONEY when you test out of a course.

Maybe you shouldn't make this huge ignorant assumption that people who test out of courses have no desire to learn. Each person has their own story which is unique to them and no one has the right to judge them.

This is probably the most ignorant thing you've posted in your short time here. Did you conduct a scientific poll on peoples reasons for testing out of courses? If the answer is no then you have absolutely no way of making this sort of assumption.

Yes degrees should be about time invested in learning which I completely agree with you on but again you do not know individual stories and why people test out instead of of going to a B&M University. I have done all but testing out of courses but I am about to take the English Composition CLEP, Social Science & History CLEP, and the Analyzing Literature CLEP. Reviewing the course descriptions it's quite obvious that these are courses I should have learned in high school so if you think that testing out of courses like this somehow hinders me I just don't know how to answer that.

When you come here and tell this forum (if you choose to do so) that you have graduated I will be the first to tell you congratulations. I just do not understand you. It appears that from your last statement you are in a competition with others trying to graduate as well. If that's your motivation for completing your degree then fine, but understand that I have my own reasons for graduating and NONE of them have to do with other people. My reasons are my own and personal.

I've been biting my tongue this entire thread attempting to see what your true motivation is. It seems like you have some chip on your shoulder when it comes to people testing out of courses. I'm not sure why and I won't pretend to understand it but it sure does seem like you are on the attack, but choose to do it in a round about way. Your posts have been passive agressive at best. None of us here have a right judge anyone or their reasons for testing out. The reasons are so different for each person that trying to group people together would be inaccurate. I apologize if I seem upset but I am. I haven't even taken a CLEP yet but I feel compelled to respond when I see someone with an attitude that suggests they are better for having attended B&M classes. For the record these are the only courses that I am taking through testing out.


In conclusion good luck with your ventures but don't act like you (or anyone else) know people on an internet forum or their motivation for completing a degree.

 

I'm not better, I just did the work. People who complete their degrees fast or take the easy way out are forgetting what education is all about in the first place. People use college as a way of landing a career in today's world. I went to college to learn. I have nothing against distance learning. I think it's just as rigorous as taking classes on campus. I just have a problem with people who study for a few hours and CLEP out an entire semester. It defeats the purpose of college.

 

This should have been your post from the beginning. I now know why you posted several times in this thread now. So you are ok with distance learning but do not like testing out? I would have to do some research but aren't most of the CLEPs for lower level general education courses? I completely agree with anyone that suggests upper level courses that apply to a career need to be learned and not simply crammed out of. If you were to test out of upper level law school courses (example that I don't think is possible) and you get asked to write a brief you will have no idea what you are doing. Your employer will kick you to the curb faster that you can even explain why you couldn't complete the task. I just don't see this as a real world possibility. Does anyone know of any upper level courses that can simply be tested out of? You have me very curious now.

 

I don't have a problem with testing out as long as the person knows the material without cramming or using a program like instacert. There's just something very strange about someone studying for a few hours and then passing a CLEP exam.

I know that excelsior accepts some CLEP credits as upper division course work.

FHSU...

Principles of Management

56
Credit for "Principles of Management"
(MGT 301); 3 credit hours.
Principles of Marketing

60
Credit for "Marketing Principles"
(MKT 301); 3 credit hours. (Must have junior or senior standing.)

Looks like those are upper division.

I've taken mostly on campus classes at FHSU...but have taken a few virtual classes.


PS...btw...CCNA exam has nothing to to with medical school. It's an exam through Cisco that you take in order to become CCNA certified(to work on cisco routers)

 

EC does not give upper level credit for either of those, or for any CLEP according to: A Student Guide to Credit By Examination at Excelsior.

See, people who test out (like me) can actually read, learn and apply what they have learned in real life situations. Amazing!

 

Similar situations occur in life over and over again.
Some solve problems in trying to stick with the status quo without questioning it; others ask questions, do their research and find other options for their situation and dare to be different.

In the end it is mostly about how you can sell your story. I got quire a few friends with all kinds of computer certifications like CCNA, but don't need them at all for their daily working routine. But some HR person thought that they have to have them and made them a prerequisite for the job. So it is again all down to selling yourself. If I would apply to a bschool with a mostly tested out BA I would re-frame it as a leadership ability to actually see an opportunity and using it to your advantage. If you can find in a business situation a way to save your company over three years of mostly useless wased time you most certainly will be on the best way for a serious promotion...

 

You call it "daring to be different"? What about the people who question the alternative route and find out it's not as thorough?

 

None of us are OMG tipyng liek dis WTF, so>>


Oh, you crack me up LOL
I actually had a student send me an email 2 terms ago using text slang. I'm sure he thought it was totally acceptable....and he HAD completed English Comp 1.

 

as long as the person knows the material without cramming or using a program like instacert>>


I was with you in your first post. I don't support testing out of whole degree in every instance, but it's highly situational. I hoped you would argue that credit should require a certain number of contact hours (where I teach, it's 49.5 to be exact) and I would have backed you up- but when you said "cramming" is the basis for denying credit- you're making up ethical parameters which have nothing to do with anything.

You argue that credit should only be granted to someone who paced their learning at regular intervals over a 16 weeks time period. Hogwash. Grades are issued using competency based standards. Do the assignment, complete the task, answer the question, take the quiz. End of story.

(Anyone have evidence to support the 16 week semester over any other random number of weeks?)

 

I still don't see how AP exams are different than CLEP exams. Both are exams that test knowledge. If you pass, you get awarded credit. The fact that someone may take a course to go along with the AP exam is besides the point. It is the AP EXAM and NOT the course, which leads to the awarding of credit. The AP exam tests the student's knowledge. The CLEP exam does the same thing. You argue about people cramming the night before a CLEP to pass. How many people do you think cram the night before an AP exam to pass? That's why the sell those AP books.

Your whole argument seems to regard testing out as such a negative thing. When I was an undergrad student (at a traditional B&M university, mind you) the university allowed students to challenge courses. I never did it, but a student could challenge a course by taking exams from the course. If the student passed, he or she could obtain credit for the course. Essentially, that's the same thing the other students had to do, except they went to class. Furthermore, the university also allowed students, upon admission, to take a language exam which could potentially award them credit for a foreign language. These exams, both challenge exams and foreign language exams, would only work for 100 and 200 level courses. Sounds very similar to a CLEP if you ask me.

Earning a degree is about demonstrating that you have knowledge in some particular area. When I earned my BA in History, I took a bunch of history courses. Then I took a course here and there in other subjects. Do I remember everything I learned in them? Of course not. I took those courses because I had to as a part of the general education requirements, not necessarily because I was interested in them. If I could have done an entire BA by simply taking history courses, I would have. However, my university did not allow for that. Regardless of the fact, I know have a BA, and an MS, which are evidence that I have knowledge in both the fields of history and education.

-Matt

 

I never said that. My only problem is people cramming for a few hours and passing a CLEP. It wouldn't surprise me if in a few years CLEP exams are banned all together. There's really no regulation or oversight how the students prepared to take the exam and passed.

Where do you teach?

 

AP exams are more widley accepted and recognized among higher learning. The more selective an institution is, the less likely they will accept CLEP credits which are a much lower level exam. You can't just cram the night before for an AP exam like you can for a CLEP.

You can't even apply for the University of Illinois-Urbana if you have CLEP credits on your transcript...they will deny your application. Yes, these no name online colleges will allow you to take a billion hours of CLEP exams, but they aren't exactly the standard set for higher learning in America.

Bottom line, CLEP exams are FAR easier than AP exams. If a person can cram for a few hours and pass a CLEP exam, what does that tell you?

 

Benefits of exam credit

Then too, there's the way women respond to a guy who can ace what is essentially a cumulative final with a month's study. *sigh* I should have done this two decades ago...

Phillip

 

haha. What if you tell them you only studied for a few hours? I bet they strip right then and there for you!

 

I have typed and backspaced for the past 15 minutes. i think my first thoughts have already been expressed.

But what in the world does it matter how people study for the exam? What kind of regulation or oversight should there be? People have to study for X amount of days/weeks?

 

Actually, it really comes down to clep exams being too easy. If someone can cram for a few hours and pass, obviously the exams aren't very difficult(I've heard of way more than one person doing this, so it obviously has nothing to do with higher intelligence of the individual taking it).

I don't know ANYONE who didn't take some kind of supplemental class in order to pass an AP exam. Most of these people were high school students who took AP classes in high school.

 

How many CLEP exams have you taken? By the way, I am still wondering where you got your undergrad degree and what degree program you were referring to that would not accept an undergrad degree with CLEP's...

Is there a requirement to how many hours a student must study for online classes from a school? How about traditional "ass-in-the-seat" schools?

 

Getting a C or a "Pass" in a lower-level college class isn't very hard either. I have a couple of them. I couldn't afford books 1st time in college and had to do the best I could. A CLEP pass is C level.

OTOH getting a good score on a CLEP is harder than some classes I've been in. It's college, just at your own pace and with your own materials. It's not that CLEP is too easy; college in the US just isn't necessarily that hard. That would be another discussion.

Phillip

 

Excellent point. I work with a recent UConn grad who can't even put a sentence together. But, his butt warmed a seat there for 4 years, he paid his tuition, so UConn gave him a nice piece of paper suitable for framing.