With rising college costs a constant concern, a University of Arkansas expert recommends that your student skip a few classes. But not in the way you'd expect.
CLEP, The College-Level Examination Program(r), is perhaps the best secret weapon for saving time and money in college while obtaining college credit without attending class. CLEP is a $50, 90-minute exam that awards credit for knowledge a person already has about a particular subject regardless of how the individual acquired it-through high school courses, independent study, noncredit adult courses, or professional development.
"Time is the most valuable commodity we have," said Yassaman Mirdamadi, director of Testing Services at the University of Arkansas. "Students today are busy working and they have a life. Some are married and have children. They have other responsibilities in life. We can reduce the number of courses they need to graduate by offering them CLEP."
The 34 CLEP exams, administered continuously throughout the year at more than 1,400 locations nationwide, are primarily multiple-choice questions, with the exception of the English composition essay. The exams cover material taught in core courses students are generally required to take during their first two years of college.
Satisfactory scores on the CLEP usually earn students the same amount of credit they would have received had they taken and passed the courses during a semester. For example, the University of Arkansas grants credit for 26 of the 34 CLEP exams available. A student enrolled in a bachelor of arts program in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences could easily earn 40 core course credits by testing out of English composition, biology, college algebra, calculus, chemistry, history, psychology, sociology and Western civilization I and II. The student both accelerated his education by one year and saved more than $9,000 in tuition, fees, books and room and board.
CLEP tests are very attractive to many students-high school, college, international and non-traditional, Mirdamadi said. The tests are inexpensive and don't take much time. They do, however, require some studying to brush up on the subjects.
" Whenever someone comes to me about CLEP," Mirdamadi said, " I like to use the example of the international student. They are very motivated to come to college and to study. They have no knowledge of subjects like Western civilization or history of the United States, yet they work hard and they study, day and night. Many international students come from overseas where their money is worth nothing. CLEP is their way of shortening their path to get their degree."
Studying for CLEP tests is easy but it takes some dedication. The CLEP PREP CENTER on the College Board web site offers students the opportunity to buy the 2002 edition of the Official Study Guide. It gives useful tips on preparing for CLEP exams and has a free downloadable CLEP Sampler -- An Introduction to Taking CLEP on Computer. Mirdamadi also recommends looking at the textbook being used in the course and studying from it.
Prior to July 1, 2001, CLEP exams were administered with paper and pencil, and a student had to wait several weeks to find out their results. Now, CLEP exams are strictly computer based, allowing instantaneous scoring and credit granting, except for English with the essay exam, which takes four weeks to score. When the testing candidate finishes the exam, the candidate can designate to which college or university the score should be sent. Additionally, the score is sent to Education Testing Services (ETS) where it is kept on file for 20 years, thereby allowing the candidate to "bank" college credit if the candidate is not yet enrolled in college. Later, for a small fee, the candidate can send the CLEP scores to a college when the candidate decides to enroll.
"A person can take two tests at the same time," Mirdamadi said, "and they test all over the state."
CLEP candidates can find out more about CLEP, the location of test centers, registering for CLEP tests and test scheduling by contacting their high school counselors, visiting their local college, or accessing the College Board Web site at http://www.collegeboard.com/clep.
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