Have you ever sat down to take a test and felt like you could barely remember what you studied? I’ve been there. Then I learned how to use the brain dump technique. See the video below to learn more:
Tag: Test preparation
FAQ #22
Q: How do I determine parameters for my study, and how do I know when I’ve studied enough?
A: This is a difficult aspect of credit-by-exam testing; however, with each test you take, you have more experience to gauge this for yourself. The three things that helped me know that I was studying relevant information were the test outline from the test creator, pretests, and the Exam Specific threads on DegreeForum.net.
The test outline is the number one source to help you choose the resources you will use because it shows how much emphasis the test will place on individual subject areas. Pretests, especially those from the test creator, will indicate if you are studying the right topics and give you ideas of concepts to review. After you take around three tests, you will learn how your practice test scores translate to actual test scores, and how familiar you need to be with a subject to be comfortable in the test room.
The Exam Specific thread can help you pinpoint how ready you are to test. You’ll find practical suggestions such as: Did you nearly ace Peterson’s practice test? You’re probably ready to test because Peterson’s practice test for this subject is harder than the actual exam. Have you extensively studied topic X? Good, because the test focuses on it.
Product Review: CLEP Official Study Guide
Sometimes the hardest part about taking a credit-by-exam test is finding the right materials to use to prepare. College Board, the creator of CLEP, has made this process easier by offering the CLEP Official Study Guide. This book gives students an overview of each of the 33 CLEP tests and also provides a nearly full-length practice test for each subject. Let’s get into the nitty-gritty details.
Annually updated
The official exam guide is published yearly and updated to match any changes that have been made to each test. Without having a copy of the past year’s edition to compare with the current edition, it can be tough to tell what (if any) changes have been made. Sometimes book reviewers will note changes on bookseller websites like Amazon, or you can check DegreeForum.net for posts related to changes. If you are using an older edition of the book, you can double-check the test description online to be sure nothing has changed (e.g. an online calculator is still part of the test).
If you are only planning to take one or two CLEP tests, you may prefer to buy the individual exam study guides. The individual guides feature the same information as is in the book. You may save a little money if you only need a guide for one test: the book retails for $24.99, while the individual exam guides cost $10.00 each.
Not a study guide?
An important note is that the CLEP Official Study Guide does not provide the material to use for studying. In this book CLEP offers suggestions on which textbooks and other resources to use. This information can also be found for free by selecting a specific exam at https://clep.collegeboard.org/exams. While you’re there, you can download the exam’s resource guide to view a small selection of free practice questions.
Is it worth it?
By now you may be wondering why this guide is worth purchasing. If CLEP offers textbook suggestions and practice questions online for free, why purchase this guide? What this book can give you is a more accurate practice test experience. With the longer practice tests, students can better gauge if they are ready to take the test and get a feeling for taking the actual test. Plus, the test questions are developed by CLEP, so although you won’t find the same questions on an actual test, they will be very similar.
When you’re looking for a handy resource to get you started on learning to take CLEP tests, the CLEP Official Study Guide is a great way to start! The guide is available at bookstores nationwide, Amazon.com, and at the CLEP website.
This is an unsponsored review to share one of my favorite CLEP products. 🙂