College Students, Your Academic Advisor Can Help You Determine If CLEP Exams Are Right For You

Academic advisors play an integral role in each college student’s success. Academic advisors can help college students determine which classes they need to take, and in what order to take those classes, in order to meet the requirements of their specific degree. Most students meet with their academic advisors one to two times per semester for guidance and direction in selecting their college courses. Many college students have seen firsthand how a quick meeting with their personal academic advisor can save time, money, and effort as they work toward their desired degree. At certain colleges and universities, students have the option of meeting degree course requirements in ways other than attending traditional courses. For instance, CLEP, College Level Examination Program, is a program that allows students to demonstrate college-level proficiency on an exam in a variety of subjects, such as mathematics, history, and English, in order to gain credits. CLEP exams cover material taught in courses that students typically take in the first two years of college. CLEP tests, which are primarily multiple choice, computerized, and each cost less than $100 to take, can provide the student with substantial time and money savings when compared with taking traditional courses.

Any college student interested in taking CLEP tests in order to meet their degree requirements should first speak with the academic advisor to better understand the college or universities CLEP test policies. The academic advisor can provide the student direction on preparation methods, help the student determine which CLEP exams best fit their degree requirements, and assist with setting realistic goals based on the scores required by that particular learning institution.

Students interested in taking CLEP exams should know that there are many different CLEP test preparation methods available. Some of the available methods include the following: college textbooks, CLEP preparation books, CLEP preparation software, practice CLEP exams, and online study resources that prepare college students for CLEP exams. Since an academic advisor is familiar with a student’s particular situation, he or she can often offer assistance with the best method for a student to prepare for a CLEP test. Because each student has unique learning needs and learning style and has different background knowledge of a subject, no one method of preparation will work best for every student.

In addition to wondering how to best prepare for an exam, many students are interested to learn how their college will award credits based on their CLEP test score. Most learning institutions in the USA follow the guideline set by the American Council of Education (ACE) for determining if a student will receive credit for the CLEP test.  Academic advisors can thoroughly review CLEP test score requirements with students and give insight into how a certain score might affect the college student’s grade point average (GPA). In addition, academic advisors can often help the student schedule the CLEP test. Since most learning institutions do not charge currently enrolled students a testing fee, scheduling CLEP exams with the college or university a student attends can save money. Also, having a CLEP test scheduled for a specific date often motivates college students to study more diligently and allocate adequate time to study for their CLEP.

Passing CLEP tests can help many college students to save time and money, lighten semester course loads, move on to exciting upper level courses, and even graduate sooner!  Meetings with an academic advisor can help college students to work toward their desired degree in the most time and cost effective manners. Remember, academic advisors are a free resource available to almost all college students and enjoy helping students achieve their academic goals!