Study Guides - CLEP & DSST
(but also AP/SAT/ACT)
Alright, I promised myself I wouldn't be the "Get Off My Lawn!" Old Dude....but I'm sorry--- you guys have it too easy these days. I promise. See the "books" off to the right? In the old days, you had to get this GIANT 1,000 page book, then read each section, create your answer sheets (on paper), take the practice tests in the back of the book, then grade it by hand. The first book I had was the Barron's CLEP Gen Ed edition (which covered 5 subjects), College Math, Natural Science, Social Sciences/History, Humanities, and Composition. If you passed one (such as Composition), many schools would give you credit for TWO classes: Comp 101 & Comp 102!
A BUNCH OF COLLEGES STILL DO!
Anyway---it was a NO JOKE. It was a serious time commitment. As I might have mentioned earlier, I took about 20 of these (remember, I was in the Marines and they were free). Unfortunately, after I got done with these 5, there wasn't much in the form of study guides for individual subjects like Microeconomics, Psychology, Sociology, Human Resource Management etc... YOU GET THE POINT. Well, we had to get the overview/outline for the exam, and it would break down the percentages of each topic within that "Subject". Then you'd have to go and find another "Book" with those topics. Ex. Human Resources had like: 10% Hiring, 20% Laws, 10% Performance Appraisals, 20% HR Responsibilities etc... THAT WAS IT. Good luck to ya.
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NOW---you have Professional Test Prep Sites AND THEY HAVE ALL SUBJECT EXAMS (CLEP, DSST or Both). In most cases they have 3-4 Practice exams, Chapter Quizzes, Flash Cards, and VIDEOS on each of those topics like I listed above for Human Resouces. It is legitimately A LAY DOWN on 60% of the tests if you prepare.
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If you want to pass, the info is there. As mentioned in the CLEP-DSST section, you typically only have to get
60-70% of the questions right for CLEPs, and 50-60% correct on DSSTs. If it were me---I would pick my target, SIGN UP 10 DAYS OUT, and spend 3-4 hours studying a day over 4-5 days---then test. One College Class Down! Take a few days off, then get on to the next one. It is not Brain Science or Rocket Surgery!
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Below you will find 3 Sites that CollegeDawg prepped with recently. Each have their Pro's and Con's, but I am certain someone spending the time we laid out above would pass ANY test with an established pass rate from 40% up, using any of these (Excluding things like, Higher-Level Math's & Sciences, or Foreign Languages you never took). For the most part it's concepts, definitions, important people, and the history of the target subject. So yeah, basically---it's short-term memory cramming.
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So here are the 3: Modern States, Study.com, & Peterson's. What did we think of each?
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Look--these guys will give you a coupon for a Free CLEP (and not just one). Thanks a bunch MS! All you have to do is complete EVERY quiz successfully for that subject. They only work with CLEPs, but seem to do a good job prepping you. Beyond that, the amount of info & resources they provide seems pretty decent, but less than the next two options. We would not recommend you prep with this alone, as the others SEEM more "geared toward the exams" with a bit more info.
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Has TONS of info on each subject and was very professionally done with many Videos, Tests, Quizzes, Flashcards etc... They offer test prep on CLEPs, DSSTs, APs, SATs, ACTs and about 20 more areas. Very thorough for sure and claim really high student success rates. Note: The volume of info per subject is great for those willing to review it---but for others it can be a bit much. However, the "practice exam" section is really good though...
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Like Study.com they also offer prep for CLEPs, DSSTs, APs, SATs & ACTs. Their appearance isn't quite as pretty as Study.com & they are lacking some of its functionality, however, we found they were pretty "on point" regarding actual test questions (variations). Overall, they had solid chapter quizzes, flashcards, videos, and decent practice exams, plus the more condensed version may be better for some.
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Regardless, they are all good. You're the only one that can mess this up! If you follow the "rough" study plan we laid out---you'll likely pass 80-90% of those you take. Take a look and get moving. You could EARN your first College credit in the next 10 days----then it becomes ADDICTIVE!
