The CLEP Standardized Test

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The CLEP, College-Level Examination Program, offers you the chance to demonstrate to a college what you know in a particular subject area. Colleges often use CLEP to determine where to place potential college students in their program. Colleges can award students 3 to 12 credits toward a degree for each CLEP standardized test passed, depending on the policy of the college.
Except for the essay test, each CLEP test consists mostly of multiple-choice type questions. Some of the tests have fill-in the blank questions also. The CLEP test lasts for 90-minutes.

Scoring the CLEP standardized test

Each CLEP test is scored from 20 to 80. Except for tests that include essays, the standardized tests are scored immediately. Colleges sets their own standards for granting CLEP credit. Check with your college to learn more about their policy's.

Need-to-Know Tips & Strategies for the CLEP

Prepare for the CLEP with a practice test

Practice tests are an great way to prepare for a CLEP test. They are affordable and will give you instant results to see how you might score if the test were today. You'll learn your strengths and weakness, and be able to develop a personalized study plan. Try prepping with Peterson's practice tests for the CLEP.

Trust your instincts

If you know the answer just by reading the question, you're probably correct. Look for the choice which is similar to your mental response and mark it on the answer sheet.

Do not get tricked on the CLEP

Look for obvious inconsistencies. A question may ask you for specific information, such as the number of feet in a specific distance. If any of the answer choices presents dimensions that are in degrees or seconds, you'll be able to immediately rule it out.

Know the key difference between a guess and an educated guess

There is a penalty for a wrong answer, but it is still worth your while to make an educated guess. If you can eliminate answer choices that are obviously wrong, then your odds of selecting the correct answer will be higher.

CLEP Standardized Tests currently available:

American Literature	French Language Levels 1 and 2	Pre calculus
Analyzing and Interpreting Literature	German Language Levels 1 and 2	Principles of Macroeconomics
English Composition	Spanish Language Levels 1 and 2	Principles of Microeconomics
English Literature	American Government	Introductory Psychology
Freshman College Composition	Human Growth and Development	Introductory Sociology
Humanities	Introduction to Educational Psychology	Social Sciences and History
U.S.History I: Early Colonization to 1877	U.S.History II: 1865 to the Present	Calculus
Western Civilization I: Ancient Near East to 1648	Western Civilization II: 1648 to the Present	College Algebra
College Mathematics	Biology	Chemistry
Natural Sciences	Information Systems and Computer Applications	Principles of Management
Principles of Accounting	Introductory Business Law	Principles of Marketing