Unixman's CLEP Oddysey :)

Heheh - yeah - nice way for them to make an extra $12. The only thing is has on it of use is the square root function, which should be on the on-screen calculator, I guess. Hey, at least they give you the formulas on the ECE exam ...

 

Just got back from taking the Excelsior (ECE) Statistics exam - couldn't believe it, but I scored an "A". 3 more credits to the pot.

I was absolutely shocked that I got an "A". I figured I would get a "C", perhaps.

Things to know:

• The basics. The basics. The basics. Know the basics of statistics, and you will pass. Mean, median, mode, range, basic probability, etc. If you want to create a buffer of comfort, keep reading for tips on picking up some other questions:
• Know z-scores.
• Know t-scores.
• Know p-values.
• Know linear regression analysis (line formula, etc.)
• Know chi-square test for good fit.

If you know the basics (first bullet), and then guess at the rest (like I did), statistically (lol) you will do fine.

One HUGE difference between the ECE Statistics and DANTES Statistics exams, is that the DANTES is untimed, and on paper. The ECE exam is timed at 3 hours, and is computer-based. Further, the ECE exam provides you with the formulas. The DANTES does not.

Next up for me will probably be the DANTES Principles of Finance exam ...

BTW, does anyone know how to move ECE credit to TESC? The testing center gave me a notarized score sheet, so maybe I can just send that to TESC? Or do I have to wait to hear back from Excelsior?

Cheers.

 

Awesome result!

BTW, check my board for the answer to the score request bit...

Cheers,
Mark

 

Just got word from one of the mentors for one of my PLA/portfolio courses at TESC (Web Page Development) - another pass, and 3 more credits to the pot.

Timing is everything now. I have one more outstanding portfolio (Managerial Communications)- waiting to hear back on it. Otherwise, this is all I have left to finish up my BS in Business:

• DANTES Principles of Finance exam
• Pre-Calculus for Business (course via TESC)
• TECEP Business in Society
• Business Policy (course via TESC)

I take the DANTES exam in a few weeks, and I start the Pre-Calculus course on May 1st. The TECEP I will take as soon as I can prep a bit for it, and the Business Policy course I will likely start in June.

If all goes well, I should finish up my degree requirements by September 1st, 2 days before my 36th birthday, and a little less than 2 years since I started testing with CLEPs and working via TESC.

Cheers.

 

Any reason why you're not just taking the Business Policy TECEP? As the Wheelen book is recommended, you could probably get by by studying the "Essentials of Strategic Management" book which is 1/2 the price and a relative lightweight at 191 pages. I used this for the ECE version and got an "A".

Cheers,
Mark

 

Actually, its funny you mention that, Mark. I was teetering between taking the course and taking the TECEP, and have decided to take the TECEP instead (since Excelsior no longer offers the ECE exam for Biz Policy).

So, if all goes well, I may be able to finish up in time to walk at the commencement in October (gotta find out when the cutoff is).

Cheers.

 

Just to Clep principle of marketing

I just want to say thank to all esp Unixman. I just took the clep principle of marketing based on ya'll success. I had ~ 2 hours total study time for this exam (the day of the exam). I studied using the REA guide. It was just as ya'll said. I made a 59!!!! I'm totally happy with that score.

Wow, what a easy way to get 3 credits.

Which course do you recommend next? Business Law or the economics (Macro and Micro). I'm saving accounting for the very last thing on my list.

I plan the take the test with only on this webcourse as a resource.

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072237409/student_view0/

Thanks for showing me the enlighten path.

 

Re: Just to Clep principle of marketing

Business Law can be taken either before or after the 2 econs. But I would definitely recommend taking it before any sort of Business Ethics/Business in Society or Business Policy courses.

I would recommend taking macro before micro, although some folks find it better to do it in the reverse. I find that having an understanding of the "big picture" (macro) helps to get a better understanding of the "little picture" (micro) later on.

Definitely save Accounting for last, but do it before you take any courses in Finance - it will serve as a foundation.

Cheers, and good luck!

 

Re: Just to Clep principle of marketing

My thoughts here are that you will likely find both Economics exams to be considerably harder than the Marketing CLEP (at least I did).

If you have a few $ to spend, I'd recommend getting the Slavin book in addition to reviewing the web site - it's an easy read and handy to have should you pursue other studies down the road that involve economics (as well as reviewing for any business policy exam).

Do you already have the Official CLEP Guide published by College Board? If you don't you have sample exams that you can use to test your knowledge...maybe study the website first and then take the sample exam for both macro and micro. If you're not on target with your desired score you can pony up some cash to purchase the Slavin book in iprinted form.

Cheers,
Mark

 

Ok, fellas. There comes a time in a man's life where he must suck it all up, reach down deep inside, and throw the hail mary 75 yards down the field, and hope a friendly jersey catches it.

I've decided to throw the "bomb". I'm scheduled to start TESC's Precalculus for Business course on May 1. However, I've decided to take the CLEP College Algebra/Trig exam prior to that course starting. It's a total shot in the dark. I have been brushing up on my algebra, and am beginning to cram on the college algebra/trig topics. I figure if I can go nail a 50%-ish score on the CLEP exam, it will save me 3 months of agony.

More importantly, it will allow me to focus in on the few courses I have remaining in my degree plan (DANTES Finance, TECEP Business Policy and TECEP Business in Society). I would like nothing more than to finish my undergraduate work before the end of this summer - so watch out, here comes my deep ball!

Cheers.

 

Take the DSST

I took both after alot of studying. It was my last needed credits
for graduation.

DSST No time limit, Use the deviants Videos and know them, definately know regression stuff from the cliff notes book

ECE they lost my answer sheet and check!! gotta love USPS (took it on a military base) MUCH more difficult time limit a killer in my mind but I will never know how I did !!

Graduated with a BS in Psychology from Excelsior Cum Laude
started with 19 credit hours finished with 145 1 year 3 weeks later Also did my student teaching and now have a state license
to teach K-8

Never thought I would get through stats !

Gmund

 

Just an update:

TESC finally credited me with my 3 credits for the ECE Statistics exam. It took them almost a month after receiving it from Excelsior lol.

Also, I dropped the TESC Precalculus course because my wife and I are in the process of moving to our new home, so I knew my time would be a commodity over the next few months. Nevertheless, I had already received the 16 video tapes for the course, and I'm almost done going through them (on my own time).

Great tip for some of you: I have gotten into the habit of burning the video tapes (via video capture) to my laptop, and then taking the laptop down to my local Starbuck's. There, I can grab some joe, plop down in a comfy spot, and use my headphones to listen/watch the videos on my laptop. Nice way to study

I hope to take the CLEP College Algebra/Trig (Pre-calculus) exam at some point in the next 4-6 weeks. Will post more then.

Cheers.

 

Re: Take the DSST

My Navy College office admin ALWAYS sent exam sheets certified mail. NAS JAX has one of the highest testing volume in the conus. I don't know why it wouldn't be sent any other way. I'm active, so I didn't pay for anything. If you were paying for it, I would have brought in my own envelope (probably UPS/FedEx ground). I used as USPS overnight envelope for the TECEP that I took at a local library (trackable, overnight, and took NO chances)

Congrats on the ECE statistics. What made you take the ECE vs the DSST version?

 

Re: Re: Take the DSST

Well, I figured I would use one as my fallback method, should the primary one fail. Since the ECE was computer based (immediate scoring after the test), and they gave you all the formulas on a printed cheat sheet, I figured I would use that one first, and save myself the wait by the mailbox for the DSST score.

I should also mention that I also watch the Standard Deviants tapes on my laptop as well ...

Cheers.

 

I just received confirmation that my TESC mentor has approved my efforts and posted credit for my PLA (portfolio) attempt at Managerial Communications. Cha-ching - 3 more credits to the pot. That leaves me with only 4 classes remaining now, all of which I am almost ready to attempt!

I'm 90% there ...

Up next: CLEP College Algebra & Trig exam ... cringe! I'm sitting for this one next week, so I'll post my thoughts afterwards.

Cheers.

 

Why Algebra with Trig instead of the plain Algebra one?

I just took the Algebra one last week. I had really studied hard for it, but was worried about speed since as you know, Clep's are timed exams. But I managed to get through. Best of luck.

 

Sadly, because my BSBA degree at TESC has a pre-calculus requirement, and the regular College Algebra CLEP alone won't be accepted - it has to have a trig component to it.

Cheers.

 

You can always take straight Trigonometry....

You can always take trigonometry by itself. I'm glad I took these in class, and got "A"s so I didn't have to worry about these.

 

True, and that is my backup plan, but I figured taking out two birds with one stone is always a good first option.

Plus, consider this. There are 65 questions (or so) on both the individual exams, as well as the combined exam. On the combined exam, half of those are trig questions, and the other half are college algebra.

So, you can either suffer through 65 questions on trig, or 32.5.

Also, I believe there is another statistical strategy involved here, which I will be posting about soon (assuming I pass the thing). Lol ...

Cheers.

 

This post is going to run a bit long - apologies in advance.

Today I finally took the CLEP College Algebra & Trigonometry exam. I scored a 61 out of a scaled score of 80, adding three new additions to my ever-burdgeoning pot o'credits. I am now officially approaching the finish line for my BS in Business from TESC. Just 9 measly little credits remaining!

I know a lot of you are in the same boat as me. You have to take this miserable exam (or a similar course) in order to meet your degree requirements. So, I want to share with you the background on this exam, and then give you arguably the single biggest tip you can use to pass this exam. Read on!

The math requirement for TESC's BS in Business is a course in "Pre-Calculus", or any advanced math course that covers BOTH "college algebra" and "trigonometry". The combined CLEP College Algebra & Trig exam fits the bill nicely, and while it may be considerably easier than taking a full-fledged course in the subject, it will most likely still require some serious study for most folks. Like so many adult learners, I last dabbled with algebra back in high school. I was pretty good at it! But that was 20 years ago.

Perhaps a harder course of action would be to take and pass the two individual CLEP exams for College Algebra and Trigonometry (rather than the single combined CLEP exam). Of course, if you choose this path, you will end up doing twice as much math, and twice as much studying! However, it is an option as far as TESC is concerned (as well as for possibly other schools). Also, the two separate exams could serve as a "fallback" plan, should you not do well on the combined one, as you wouldn't have to wait six months to take the separate ones!

At any rate, I started brushing up on my algebra about a year or so ago. I grabbed the "Algebra for Dummies" book and breezed through it. So much of it came back to me it was frightening. Nevertheless, there is a marked difference between high school algebra and college algebra. So I knew that some additional study was required.

I fumbled around trying to learn the key topics on my own, but I got the feeling that I was in a bit over my head. So, I signed up for the "Precalculus for Business" course at TESC (this course covers both college algebra and trig). Just days before the course began, I had to drop out, due to some unexpected life events. Nevertheless, I found myself in possession of the textbook and video tape lectures for the TESC course. After a few weeks went by, I decided to start going through the tapes on my own, with the CLEP now being the target at the end.

Ok, now obviously I used the tapes, the textbook, and a few other tools (Standard Deviants tapes), but it would be remiss of me not to pass on this huge tip. This saved my ass on this exam, and if you are about to take it, it could save yours too.

The combined CLEP exam for College Algebra and Trigonometry is broken down roughly as follows:

• Section 1: 30 algebra questions, 45 minutes (on-screen calculator is provided)
• Section 2: 13 trig questions, 15 minutes (no on-screen calculator provided)
• Section 3: 20 trig questions, 30 minutes (on-screen calculator is provided)

Consider these data points:

• It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that college-level trig is more difficult to learn than college-level algebra. So we're going to focus on the algebra part of the exam.
• Basically, you have about half the exam (30 questions) covering college algebra, and the other half (33 questions) covering trig.
• On the algebra, you have an average of 1.5 minutes to spend per question
• On trig section 1, you have an average of 1.15 minutes to spend per question
• On trig section 2, you have an average of 1.5 minutes to spend per question
• You can't "bank" extra time for use on other sections - each is timed independently
• To pass a CLEP exam, generally speaking, you need to get approximately half (50%) of the questions right (raw score). This will lead to a scaled score of 50 (on CLEP's scale of 20-80), which is considered a "pass" at most schools.

If you are taking this test, and you are not aiming for a letter grade (i.e. Excelsior), do yourself a favor: STUDY YOUR ASS OFF ON THE ALGEBRA. Knock it out of the ballpark! If you can get 75% of the algebra questions right (the easier part of the exam), you only need 25% of the trig questions in order to get a pass. Obviously, if you can do better than 75% on the algebra, you can take an even heavier beating on the trig, and still pass!

Don't forget, with CLEP, you have a 20% chance of getting a question right by simply guessing. So you may end up stealing another question or two here or there to augment you on the trig. Technically speaking, if you got all 30 algebra questions right, that would give you a raw score of 30/63. Not quite 50%, but if you factor in the fact that you would probably get anywhere from 3-6 trig questions right simply by guessing, that would push you up over the 50% threshhold and nab a passing mark.

The 30 algebra questions that I was given were quite frankly easier than most of the questions that I had been seeing in my study efforts with the textbook and other guides. So keep that in mind. KNOW YOUR ALGEBRA. KNOW IT INSIDE AND OUT. Then study the basics of trig, and don't sweat it.

Also, the first trig section (13 questions, with no calculator) are designed so that you should not need to do lengthy calculations to arrive at the answer. For example, they might ask you something like:

If sine of x equals .886, what is the cosecant of x?

They are expecting that you know that the cosecant is the reciprocal of the sine, so the answer would be 1 over .886 (1/.886). If you have no idea what I am talking about, you will after you watch the standard deviant's tapes, or do some basic trig studying.

This brings me to another quick side item. The people who write the CLEP exams are not out to trick you, and they are not out to make it overly difficult for you to prove what you know. You are not going to get some convoluted questions that take you 20 minutes just to unravel. You either know how to solve the problem, or you don't. Keep that in mind.

As far as studying goes, the CLEP study guide breaks it down pretty well. On the algebra, know the basics of algebraic operations, logarithms, linear graphs, graphs of exponential functions, and function operations in general.

Also, avoid the REA college algebra book (and/or their software that comes with certain editions). The book itself is good as a review tool for algebra, but the exams in the book (and on the software) are riddled with errors.

For trig, here are some helpful links (the first one has the most awesome method of memorizing the basic trig identities):

http://home.comcast.net/~rthamper/html/body_trigtricks.htm
http://www.math.com/tables/trig/identities.htm
http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/java/trig/
http://www.gazinotes.com/ks3-gcse.htm
http://catcode.com/trig/index.html
http://mathforum.org/dr.math/faq/formulas/faq.trig.html (exhaustive list, but you won't need 95% of these)
http://www.rose-hulman.edu/FC/lc/functions/trig/ids.html
http://oakroadsystems.com/twt/index.htm
http://www.ncsu.edu/felder-public/kenny/papers/trig.html

FINAL NOTE: As of June, 2006, the CLEP combined College Algebra/Trigonometry exam will be replaced by a newer CLEP Precalculus exam. The standalone CLEP Trig exam will also be going away. The changes are twofold, from what I can tell. First, instead of 3 separately timed sections (with a total of 63 questions), the newer exam will have one timed section (with a total of 48 questions). Fewer questions means that each one is worth more...reducing the margin of error. Also there are content changes abound. More focus will be applied to analytics, functions/models, etc. The trig component of the new exam will only be 15% of the total exam makeup. Whereas before, it was 52% or so. Irrespective of this, in my opinion, the newer exam will be more difficult. So if you are planning on taking this exam as part of your degree pursuits, I would recommend trying to take this one sooner rather than later. The change doesn't go into effect until a year from now, so you have a bit of time to work with ...

Cheers, and good luck!

Up next: DANTES Principles of Finance