CLEP Tests: Earn Credit For What You Already Know

Want to know how I used what I already know to quickly earn core credits, save money, focus on major classes towards my degree, and graduate sooner?Thousands of students across the United Adult and distance learners are usually most concerned about two things: time and money. They want to earn college-level credit quickly while avoiding student loan debt. But did you know there is a way of earning enough credit to skip the first two years of college without taking a single class, and at a fraction of the cost?Shhhhh ... distance learning's best kept secret is called CLEP, or College Level Examination Program. Long used by military service members and college students to rack up quick and cheap credit, the CLEP is available to anyone. The CLEP is meant to test your current knowledge and give you college credit for what you already know, but many distance learning students now study and cram for the CLEP. In fact, there are numerous books and web sites dedicated to preparing students for CLEP exams.There are 34 different CLEP exams, all covering material one would normally encounter in the first two years of a four-year college program. The tests are all worth lower-level college credit. Nearly 3,000 colleges grant credit based upon CLEP exam scores, but their policies can vary. Some schools limit the amount of CLEP credit they will accept, while others have no limits on credit-by-exam. Excelsior College, Thomas Edison State College, and Charter Oak State College are colleges which will allow students to earn a college degree entirely through testing. Also, not all schools award the same amount of credit for each CLEP exam. Be sure to check your college's policy on CLEP before registering for any exam.Not only do these exams offer a time savings, but they will save you plenty of tuition money as well. The cost of taking each exam is $60, plus an administrative fee which runs about $15 to $20 dollars. If you take a subject exam, that's a little more than $25 per credit hour. Not bad when you consider the average cost of just tuition at a private four-year college is $22,218. For the 2006-07 school year, the average tuition at four-year public colleges and universities is $5,836.For example, if a student were to begin a degree program at a college or university where the tuition is $150 per credit hour, the cost of taking the first 30 credits hours, or the first year of the program, would be $4,500. If the same student were to take and pass the five CLEP general exams for the same 30 credits, the cost would be $400, including the administrative fees.