CultusThe abbreviation of College Level Examination Program or CLEP is a program of exams offered by the College Board, a not-for-profit Examination Board in the United States, formed back in the nineteenth century. The College Board manages standardized tests, such as the SAT, PSAT/NMSQT, CLEP, ACCUPLACER, and the subject-specific SAT Subject Tests and Advanced Placement tests.
CLEP offers the opportunities to the students of any age to demonstrate the college-level achievements in a series of tests. There are approximately 2,900 colleges and universities that grant college credits and/or advanced standing for CLEP tests or exams. A credit is a unit that gives weighting to the value, level or time requirements of an academic course.
CLEP tests facilitate the US students in high schools or universities to earn credits for the successful completion of each course, for each academic term. The state or the institution sets a minimum number of credits required to graduate.
You have to be aware that there are various patterns of credits, which include one per course, one per hour/week in class, one per hour/week devoted to the course (including homework), etc.
The CLEP tests are usually 90 minutes long and cost from USD 50 upwards. The CLEP exams usually correspond to a one or two semester introductory course on the topic one wants to choose. These tests are organized at testing centers on college and university campuses, as well as military installations where the centers charge an administrative or registration fee per student or per test, which may vary from the college rate.
CLEP tests are free to military service members, and the ones whose members are eligible for CLEP tests include Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, Army Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Navy Reserve, Coast Guard Reserve, Army and Air National Guard.
CLEP tests are multiple-choice tests, offering scores on a scale from 20 to 80. The credit for a score of 50 or higher is granted by most of schools, but passing scores vary from school to school. The score of the foreign language CLEP tests determines the amount of credit granted – for instance, one university grants 8 credits for a score of 50, 12 credits for a score of 62 and 18 credits for a score of 73.
The CLEP tests help students avoid paying for one or two semesters to complete a course and can save thousands of dollars that they put in college tuition costs and hundreds of hours of classroom time, with every CLEP test.
The cost of higher education has risen much faster than the rate of inflation in US, where many students graduate with tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. When you consider that the typical college course costs around $700, compared to around $80 for the typical CLEP exam, it’s not too complicated to see how valuable this program is.
CLEP is only for high school students. People from every walk of life can benefit from the program as it is a terrific way to earn your college degree quicker, and to save money on the cost of your education, regardless where you plan to procede, at an online education or at a traditional one.
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