Unixman's CLEP Oddysey :)

I stopped by the admin office at my school last night, just before class. He was very hesitant, but I wasn't going anywhere. He looked at my ID and compared it to what he was supposed to have. I am now studying for Macro/Micro Econ. It is pretty cool.

Most schools get free textbooks from publishers to try out. They usually put these in the school library somewhere (if they are not used by the instructors). So, there were about 6 different, recent, econ textbooks. I just picked one up and it is laid out fairly well. Unit 1 is basic econ, Units 5-7 cover Macro, and Units 2-4 cover Micro.

I tell you, considering course numbers and textbooks layouts, it is awefully suggestive to do Micro before Macro, but nowhere else is the specific taught before the broad. It seems either silly, or ridiculous. Just depends if that is their intent or they are not paying attention.

So, Macro first, then Micro. Then I hope to do the DSST Principles of Finance, and I will be done with ECON until I hit my MBA/JD.

 

Have any of you had experience with the Excelsior exams? My school only accepts the Statistics exam for them, and not the DSST or CLEP. Multiple-choice math rocks

 

I must admit, I find this incredibly strange ... CLEP and DSST (DANTES) have been around longer, and are more widely accepted than th ECE exams.

Any idea why they don't accept CLEP/DSST for Statistics? Do they accept other CLEP/DSST exams, but just not the DSST Statistics? What about TECEPS?

Curious - which school is this?

Cheers.

 

They accept plenty of other CLEP/DSST exams. Just not this one. They accept no TECEPS. This is the University of Indianapolis. It is a standard brick 'n' mortar private school. I do not think they accept any other Excelsior exams.

 

Very little difference between them

I've had plenty. In a nutshell, there all the same, with a different colored answer sheets and 'brand names' attatched to them. The content will be very similar. But the ECE version is timed (3 hours) and can have up to 160 questions. The DSST version is not timed. I have found that, in my experience, as long as you know your stuff, the ECE is no more or less difficult than the DSST or CLEP equivilant. An exception to this would be English Composition, because the ECE version is all essay vs CLEP which is 1/2 multiple choice and 1/2 essay.

In fact, the ECE version is a bit easier because they actually direct you to only 1 or 2 recommended textbooks and their content outlines are VERY specific on telling you what to study to pass. You can download the content guides from the excelsior website. (you'll need a login, which is free).

While it is strange, remember that it is ultimately up to the individual school to determine which cleps/dssts or any transfer credit they will accept towards any of their degree plans.

In fact, they can choose not to accept ANY at all, only some of them, and even raise the minimum acceptable score. I know the local college that I went to take many of my cleps from http://www.fccj.edu , they set the minimum score for many of the cleps and dssts way higher....i.e. upper 50s and one test (human growth and development) you had to cut a 67 for it to be accepted. Again, this is not just limited to just credit exams, but any transferrable credit.

Keep this in mind with any school that you attend.

 

Hi gang - I know its been a while since my last post. Not much news - just wanted to let everyone know that I have 2 PLAs (portfolios) going on at TESC (Managerial Communications and Web Page Development). On top of that, I am busy studying for the DANTES Statistics exam. Will post my thoughts on it as soon as I take it, and see how I do...

Cheers.

 

Another quick update. I just compared the (military) pass rates for the Excelsior (ECE) Statistics exam to the pass rates for the DANTES Statistics exam.

Consider:

ECE Statistics, pass rate: 94%
DANTES Statistics, pass rate: 29%

Guess which one I'm gonna take? I figure with numbers like that, I will take the ECE first, then the DANTES as a fallback.

Cheers.

 

Take the DSST version.....

unixman

If you want to save your money, I strongly suggest you take the DSST version first, with the ECE version as the fallback. I had almost NO prior knowledge of statistics, and as soon as the instantcert guide came out (I begged Steve to develop that one), I crammed for 3 days straight prior to taking it. Ended up with a 61 on it, which is VERY good. And that was after working the graveyard shift and being up for an extra 4 hours running errands before I went to take the exam

Up to you, though.

 

Hi there, Josh - I hear what you are saying, but you don't offer any explanation for your approach ... are you saying that the ECE is considered harder than the DANTES?

Just curious - obviously, I want to take the path of least resistance.

 

Re: Take the DSST version.....

I concur, take the DANTES first unless it's more of a hassle than taking the ECE version. I ended up with a 71 (to be fair to Josh I put in a LOT more study - as both were 'A' grades he's the smart one in maximizing utility with minimal effort ).

I had originally signed up for the ECE but ended up crediting the $$$ to another "must have" exam like HR and spending a lot less on the DANTES version.

Cheers,
Mark

 

Hi there, Mark - long time no chat.

Either test is hassle free for me, and paying for them is not a problem. I'm still curious as to why you both feel the DSST is better for the first shot?

 

Having not taken the ECE version it's hard to say, but I hate that damned screen flicker!

Usually I'm a big fan of instant gratification but stats is one exam where I appreciated having a paper and pencil version. Also, only 4 choices for multiple choice, not 5

Cheers,
Mark

 

Doh. Yes, this is definitely something to consider. Using my wondrous knowledge of basic statistics, I'll take 25% over 20% on the guessing any day ....

Cheers.

 

On the other hand, its my understanding that you get a copy of all the formulas for the ECE exam ... not sure about DSST - can you advise?

 

Well OKAY, take the ECE one then....

Well, if cost is not an issue, then by all means, go for the ECE version.

But remember, the DSST version has less questions, and is probably more familiar (test format) and is untimed. I spent 3.5 hours on that test (not because it was hard, because I was tired from working all night before...I spend extra time on each question to make sure I didn't miss anything).

Why not take BOTH and report back how they were? From my experience with other exams of the same subject area but different 'brand names', even on different levels upper and lower (i.e. human resource management, organizational behavior, etc.) the material covered is very similar if not the EXACT SAME.

STOP WORRYING and just take the damn thing already

Mark, just read your reply right before submitting mine. ECE's should have 4 answer choices for each question. CLEPS have 5 answer choices.

 

There were only about 4 or 5 formulas that you needed to memorize for the DSST. Instantcert's guide included all of the need-to-know stuff.

Do a search in the forums for statistics and also check out my roadmap, specifically http://www.123collegedegree.com/bsmonth2.html

Remember, the calculations will be simple. 1/2 the time, you are applying the concept itself to arrive at the answer. For example, there will be about 2-3 questions with a scattergram (bunch of dots on a graph forming a line) and they will ask "which of the following shows positive correlation?" or "which of the following has a correlation of -0.75?" You would have to know what correlation is in order to answer what you will find out to be very basic questions (for statistics, anyway).

 

Good info, guys. Ok, screw it - I've been studying for this one for a while now. Time to put this bastard to bed already. I'm gonna take this as soon as I can, and get back to everyone on my experience.

Cheers.

 

Re: Well OKAY, take the ECE one then....

I stand corrected then...

 

Well, tomorrow afternoon I am scheduled to take the ECE for Statistics ... will post back afterwards. Wish me luck, mates

On a related note, I ordered the "official Excelsior College calculator", thinking that if it had any statistical abilities, that would be a plus - unfortunately, it arrived all busted up - so I have to send it back - will be using the on-screen calculator instead.

Cheers.

 

I bought it as well - never used it...it's basically a $2 solar calculator with an Excelsior logo. I don't think you're missing anything...

FYI, should you need it (but I doubt it), the Dantes version allows you a non-programmable calculator. Note that many "stats" calculators are non-programmable and therefore acceptable!

Good luck! I'm sure you'll do well.

Cheers,
Mark