For the students part 2 - Exams for college credit

[FCAAP_Dan]

I just discovered these this year and I wish I knew about them years ago. Simply study, take the exam for about $100, if you pass you get college credit. Most colleges accept 12 to 16 credits. There's even a few regionally accredited schools that will award an entire degree from exams for credit.

So far I tested out of one class this spring (sociology), and two over winter break (fundamentals of criminal justice and analyzing and interpreting literature). Of course, now I'm all done for what I can test out of. But that's still 9 credits for a whole $300!

REA makes some great books. I used this one to test out of sociology: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0878912762?ie=UTF8&tag=fivzersev-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0878912762 It includes a CD with practice exams.

For criminal justice I used the advice over at http://www.degreeforum.net/ and the InstantCert flashcards http://www.instantcert.com Well worth the $20 for a month of access. They were spot on.

Analyzing and interpreting literature is kind of hard to study for. That test involves reading comprehension and reading a poem or a few paragraphs of a story and making sure you understand what it was about. I read How to Read Literature Like a Professor and that helped me a lot since I don't read any fiction.

CLEP exams: http://www.collegeboard.com
DSST exams: http://www.getcollegecredit.com

Obviously check with your school to see which exams they accept and how many credits. My new school only accepts certain CLEP exams and not all of them.

I also used http://www.aleks.com to earn some math credits (stats). Once you assess at 70% of the course completed it can be put onto an ACE transcript. Which there's a lot of schools out there that accept it. Even if not for credit it's a great learning tool (it's intended purpose).

 

[Durakken]

I don't suggest doing this because you have no idea what might be thrown at you. I had something like "send a page to be printed on the printer in x way" on a test. It was horribly worded, the printer was messed up, the server was messed up, the PC was messed up, unfamiliar software, and what you had to do was not expressed in the right way... so what ended up happening is i turned in an incorrect test answer because several of the factors were just plain screwed up. By the time I realized that what I had turned in was wrong it was too late. And I knew how to do everything in an environment that actually works and is inline with reality.

I've also taken placement tests where it was A, B, C, D multiple choice questions where none of the answers are right on several questions. (Confirmed by other people) There isn't much you can do about the situation save for hope that whatever you answer is whatever the said to be correct answer is on test.

In my opinion...The entire education system is flawed and it's insulting to force people to spend so much on what is more or less a piece of paper that makes a future employer happy to see that you can be tied down due to debt.

Also another bad thing about those tests... if you take them and fail you've increased the amount you have to pay for the class.

 

[FCAAP_Dan]

Thousands of people have taken these exams over the years.

The DSST is was originally done by the Department of Defense.

The CLEP exams are done by the same people that do the AP and SAT.

These aren't fly by night companies or anything.

If you fail, it's because you didn't prepare properly and you don't know enough about the subject. But like all things worth having there is some risk. You risk $100 to save a semester's tuition and books. At my school (I go to a pretty cheap university) that's $555 in tuition.

So far I've managed to save over $1300 and the majority of a semester.


I also don't agree that higher education is only a sign you can put yourself into debt. College is extremely important. Not only do people receive an education, but they also learn how to think.

 

[Durakken]

While some tests are alright, they usually aren't in my experience.


As far as education being important... It is, College however is not. It is a flawed system.

 

[CosmicSpork]

Not only do people receive an education, but they also learn how to think.

It also shows that you can be dedicated to something and see it through