Preparing With CLEP Study Guides

The CLEP exams are a great way to get ahead in college, by testing out of courses that you already know the material for. Unlike AP exams, which are geared towards high school students, CLEP exams are for anyone to take. Using CLEP study guides can help you achieve your best score, and receive college credit at many universities.

CLEP exams are tests that determine if you have knowledge equivalent to that which is covered in a basic, freshman or sophomore level course. After taking the test, you receive a score. A college that accepts this form of credit will grant you a certain number of units and perhaps an exemption from required courses if you get a high enough score. Each university determines individually what a high enough score for credit is, so check with your school to see if you've attained the minimum requirements.

There are 33 exams administered by the College Board, the same organization responsible for creating and administering the SATs and AP exams. They cover a wide range of subjects, from composition and literature, history, science, and math, to foreign languages and business. All test basic knowledge that would be learned in lower-division college courses with similar titles to the exam. Most are intended to cover material from a one-semester course, though some (such as the languages) can be one or even two years worth of material.

Study guides are a good idea when preparing for any test, and with this type of exam, they are especially important. While CLEP exams mean that you don't have to take the entire course, they also mean that your entire 'grade' comes from one test, instead of a culmination of multiple tests and projects, such as would occur in a class. This means that everything rests on your score in this one exam, so it is important to be prepared.

There are books that can be purchased at any major bookstore if you are the type that learns best from books, but the vast majority of the study material you'll probably want to use is available on the internet. The College Board site for the exams lists what is covered on each exam, and from this, you could easily create your own study guide. Or, there are many prepared ones that you can purchase.

These exams are computerized now, and there is a free download available from the College Board site to familiarize you with the software that will be used, if you are concerned. Exam preparation booklets are available for free from DANTES centers if you are in the military, so be sure to take advantage of that if you are eligible. The public library is also a good place to look for preparatory books.

Choosing the take these tests is not the easy way out. You still have to know everything that you would have learned in a comparable course, and be able to show that knowledge on the exam. Using CLEP study guides is always a good idea, but it's an absolute must if it's been a while since you last studied the material. You don't want to waste your chance.