I passed 8 CLEPs in 8 Weeks - Some Thoughts
I'm not typically one to post, but I gained a lot from other people's insight, so I hope maybe I can help.
My exams counted for a total of 30 credits. Below I summarized each one, what my initial comprehension level in the subject was, what I did to study, how long I studied for, how the exam went, and my score. If you have questions, I will do my best to answer them.
For ALL of them I purchased their corresponding study guides with practice questions from College Board. I found that even getting 50% of those right meant I would be fine. AS LONG as I reviewed after.
1.) Analyzing and Interpreting Literature - mainly covers poetry, short stories, etc.
- I am very good at english. It's not hard for me to break down text quickly and figure out the answer. My comprehension has always been pretty good with minimal effort.
- I used modern states and skimmed only the video transcripts to brush up on the terms. Took the final exam, got an 89, and didn't study any more than that. Total study time: 2 hrs
- During the exam, I felt good about my answers, but I did use every second. The material is dense; there really is a lot of reading. Definitely reading the question first and search the text. Learn how not to be misled by those "this passage evokes a sense of: 'excitement and anticipation' or 'anxiety and urgency'" questions. They can get confusing. Tear down the poem or text to what it is at its most plain & boring. Remove the fluff and that's where the answers are.
- Score: 68
2.) Natural Sciences - Covers broadly physics, environment, chem, bio, astronomy, geology. Basically everything ever.
- I am not strong in science. I have good memorization skills but the various equations and processes involved are confusing for me. Science doesn't have just one vibe to it and you have to be good at multiple things at once to comprehend it well, which, with nothing but love & light to myself, I am not.
- I studied a lot for this exam by my standards. A couple hours a few nights each week for like 2 weeks. I went chunk by chunk back into each topic, spending the most time on chem and bio. Environmental science is so boring but it was good to study quite a bit.
- The exam was hard, I thought. It was just so broad. One minute you're on plate tectonics, the next you are on valence electrons. I remember wishing that I practiced more of the chemical equations.
- Score: 57
3.) History of United States I - Covers everything from the pilgrims to 1877
- I am good at memorizing facts, however, I have almost no interest in the history of our government and the colonists and that does add a layer of complexity when committing those things to memory
- I studied on and off for a week after work for this. I memorized the presidents up to 1877, and then did some massive quizlet until I could answer all 450 terms on it perfectly. The modern states lectures are SO bad. Don't use them for this.
- During the exam I remember wishing I had a more comprehensive understanding of supreme court cases, anything involving dividing up territories, and more knowledge on the antebellum south.
- Score: 55
4.) Introductory Sociology
- I have never studies Sociology before, so this was all new to me. But again, I am good at memorization and I think I have some pretty good pattern recognition. If you've got that, you're fine.
- I studied for maybe a day for this. Memorized a quizlet. Learned the named of notable sociologists and what their theories and outlooks were.
- Most of this exam felt like basic logic to me. Some things you did have to study to know, but a LOT of it I think anybody with good critical thinking could get right. I wonder if I could've passed without studying honestly. And that's not cause I think I'M special, it's cause I think the exam is NOT.
- Score: 67
5.) Western Civilization I
- Like I said, I'm good at facts, can't be bothered about political structures in societies that don't exist anymore.
- I studied for a week for this. It covers soooo much time and a lot of concepts. I used modern states, crash course, and quizlet. The night before, I did NOT feel confident about the exam at all. There were just so many conflicts and concepts to grasp.
- During the exam, I thought I failed. I was unsure about a lot of my answers. But I would give my best shot, go with my gut, and not turn back. Trucked through. Hit complete.
- Score: 59
6.) English Literature - Covers basically every poem and poet ever. Not just in England, either, they throw in Americans!
- I had the baseline of being good at analyzing, so I knew I didn't need to worry about that. But I had to LOCK in and learn a lot of poets and authors, a lot of literary ages, etc. I used modern states just enough to get the voucher. Quizlet, lectures on youtube, and then had chatgpt quiz me on recognizing works by different authors and poets. This helped SO much. You'll want to know Yeats. Milton, Blake, Whitman, Eliot... I don't know why I'm listing them, it is literally everyone ever.
- The exam was not so bad. I took it right after Western Civilization. I felt like I had plenty of gas to complete it and finished it with about a half hour to spare.
- Score: 62
7.) Humanities - The test is on everything, ever, and that isn't an exaggeration.
- I had the advantage of taking 6 CLEPs prior to this one. So, if you are taking multiple, take this one last. It was essentially a conglomeration of everything I took, plus about 70 insane questions you'd never guess. I have a good baseline knowledge of art and music theory. That helped immensely.
- I studied for a week. One day 1, and listened to all the modern states lectures and took the exam and got a 98. Then I studied all week. I took the first REA exam and got a 47. Studied, retook it, and got a 100. Took the second REA and got like a 55 or something. Studied, retook it, and got a 100. I focused hard on ballet, theater, and composers, since I didn't know those super well.
- The exam was dumbfounding. Some of those questions were so insane I don't know how they think any civilian would ever know the answer to them. But I basically just gaslit myself into believing I was right the whole time and I think that actually helped me make better choices. I would look at the ballet questions and be like "hmmmmmm yeah of course I always put my feet in the 4th position, yes." I don't know, dude, it was crazy.
- Score: 58
8.) College Mathematics - Basic algebra, financial math, probability, subsets, logic
- I am extremely bad at math. Never even got as far as Precalc in high school. I struggle with even the most basic algebraic concepts and simple order of operations.
- I studied for two weeks. Used all the modern states lectures. Took REA practice exams. Had AI feed me practice problems. Forced my poor best friend to tutor almost every day for those two weeks. The day before I felt really good taking it but scored a 47 on the REA practice exam and so I figured it would be a tossup.
- The test did not feel hard, granted, I studied a lot because I knew this was my weakest subject. I marked about 10 questions and then finished with 15 minutes to go back to those and ended up using every second. I knew that anything could happen because I am so bad at math that sometimes I think I got a 100 and will get a 33. But I felt good.
- Score: 60 ( I am really proud of this one)
I hope some of this helps. You can do it. People say things are hard, and they can be. But you can do hard things and tests are as scary as you let them be. Good luck!