Use CLEPS To Save Time And Expense Of A Degree

Almost anyone who has to pay for a college degree these days is interested in finding ways to save time and money. CLEP stands for Colleg-Level Examination Program. It’s a series of 34 nationally standardized tests accepted for credit at more than 90% of US colleges and universities. Administered by the College Board (the SAT people) and offered at 1400 test centers around the country. Simply pick a test, find a study guide to help you prepare, and schedule the test at your local test center.

Cost varies, but should be less that $100 for a test, some of which will earn you as many as six college credits. A few things to remember:

1. You cannot earn credit for a topic that you have already taken a class for.

2. The national standard for passing the tests is around 51 percentile. Although some colleges require higher scores, this means that you must get just over half of the questions correct.

3. Credit will show on your transcript as credit only, with no grade, so it will not affect your GPA.

4. Always check first with your school counselor to make sure that the test you want to take will count toward your degree.

Although most colleges accept at least a few CLEPs, almost all of them limit the number of hours you can earn this way, for no good reason that I can see. Also, most college counselors will not encourage you to take CLEPs in lieu of classes, so you will need to be assertive and persistent.

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Sunday, February 15, 2009