There is no denying that college is expensive, and every year the cost of tuition goes up. To make matters worse, many students end up taking five or even Waec expo six years to complete an undergraduate degree because there are just too many credits to get through. Often CLEP can be the solution to this problem.
CLEP exams are given by the College Board and designed to determine a persons level of knowledge on a given subject. For example, the CLEP test on introductory biology would test to see if the taker already has the knowledge that would be taken in an introductory biology course. When a student passes a CLEP test, he or she is rewarded with college credit, anywhere from 3 to 12 credits, in relation to that topic.
It is easy to see how CLEP exams could be beneficial to today’s students. Instead of paying thousands of dollars in tuition and hundreds of dollars in books, the student pays for a single, $72 CLEP exams, proves that he or she already possesses the knowledge that would be taught in a class, and earns the credit. Each passed CLEP exam can save a student hundreds of dollars. In the current economy, that can make the difference between completing college and dropping out or between beginning your career in confident freedom or beneath a mountain of student loans.
CLEP not only saves money, however, it saves time as well. Many schools suggest students study three hours for every one hour of class. If the class meets twice a week, over the course of a semester this comes to about 90 hours of study time, not counting the time spent actually attending class. In contrast CLEP exams take 90 minutes to complete. You can save yourself nearly a hundred hours of work with every CLEP exam you take. That amount can quickly add up, giving you the time for a job, internship, or second major without straining your schedule.
CLEP covers a wide range of topics for students about to enter college. The college board offers 34 different CLEP tests, representing over a hundred potential credit hours. The time spent studying for CLEP could save you a semester or more of time in college.
CLEP can also give students a chance to pursue their interests rather than sitting through boring courses that won’t be able to teach them anything new. The standard university offers an incredible array of courses for the students to take advantage of. Even if it is not furthering to their career or major, students who have made use of CLEP can gain knowledge that they would find no where else in their elective courses. Testing knowledge with CLEP gives students a greater chance to explore their areas of interest and really hone what they want their future career to be.
