I am a proud veteran of the United States Navy. I was brand new to the military at the ripe age of 18 and one thing I was determined to do was go to college. I was a high school dropout who finally finished school and the Navy provided a way for me to go to college at a discounted rate. I was ALL in.
When I first inquired about pursuing a graduate degree, I quickly was informed about CLEP and DSST. I was absolutely astonished that I could earn college credits towards my degree without stepping foot in a class. With the overwhelm of trying to get my classes sorted, my military duties, and being a mom, I jumped at the chance to obtain credit-by-exam through CLEP or DSST.
I was super excited to do this review because I know just how much DSST and CLEP meant to the military community around me. Fellow sailors who were sent out to sea would print study guides, materials, and were able to challenge the tests upon their return. DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSSTs) were originally designed specifically for military personnel pursuing college degrees, although now they are available to anyone.
Saving time and money was crucial for me, so I am privileged to share this review of what helped me as a young sailor. I had completely forgotten about CLEP and DSST since it had been so long ago that I was able to utilize the tests. Now, as a part of the homeschooling community, I really want to share how homeschoolers can also take advantage of these tests so your family can also save time and money.
Study.com started in 2002, so it wasn’t around when I took my DSST and CLEPs; my exams and study materials were ALL paper-based. I am dating myself here but it is for good reason. Studying for a CLEP or DSST then and studying for it now is like night and day. Study.com makes a way for students to have easy access to education, but they do it by assisting the student along the way.
Study.com helps people earn better grades with short and fun videos, by teachers who help them master subjects and achieve their educational goals in a shorter time period. Study.com makes it easy to reduce college cost with credits that are transferable to schools and provides a wealth of knowledge to narrow down career options.
In this review, I took the DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST) Foundations of Education: Study Guide & Test Prep and the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) Spanish Language – Levels 1 & 2: Study Guide & Test Prep.
You can find the list of all CLEP and DSST courses here:
CLEP: https://study.com/clep/index.html
DSST: https://study.com/dsst/index.html
I wanted to take these courses because, even though I know Spanish, I definitely needed to brush up on my skills and grammar. I wasn’t taught properly, as you can see in my first exam grade below. I took the Foundations of Education course because I have taught in the past and am exploring the idea of teaching online this year.
My favorite Study.com functions:
-Once you begin a course, Study.com shows in what time frame the prep course should be completed by. I work well with deadlines, so it was nice to gauge a time that I should be finished by. It allows homeschooling families to schedule these course deadlines in planners or calendars and track themselves against it. There is also an option to send SMS reminders to keep you on track.
– When you get a test exam result, you are also given information about where your weaknesses are and your strengths. I found this useful because it helped me focus on where to study for the areas that the student is weak in prior to taking the actual exams.
You can also learn how you or your child compared to others taking the same test prep.
– Most of the questions are multiple-choice. Multiple-choice questions really allow for the students to decide which is the best answer and keeps them on their toes to pay attention. Note: Certain CLEP exams contain essay components.
What you need to know about these tests:
- Credit earned from CLEP exams is accepted in more than 2,900 colleges and universities in the U.S.
- Credit earned from DSST exams is accepted in more than 1,900 schools accept DSST credit
Note: Students need to speak with their respective schools or potential schools to discuss if and what DSST or CLEP exams are acceptable there.
- The CLEP is administered by the College Board which covers 33 tests in five subject areas including history and social sciences, literature and composition, science and mathematics, business, and world languages.
- The DSST exams are administered by Prometric which offers 30 exams in six subject areas, including physical science, technology, humanities, business, math, and social science.
- Both the CELP and the DSST is approved by the American Council on Education (ACE) to provide credit through testing.
- Both CLEP and DSST exams include 100 multiple choice questions that test a student understanding of the subject content.
- CLEP exams must be completed in 90 minutes.
- DSST exams must be completed within two hours.
- The DSST Foundations of Education: Study Guide & Test Prep allowed me to take a placement test which allowed me to skip a few lessons. It was great to see that you can skip some lessons in order to finish the test prep even sooner.
The CLEP Spanish Language – Levels 1 & 2: Study Guide & Test Prep did not allow me to take a placement test, which I may have benefited from because of being a Spanish speaker.
- Students must use a certified testing center and pay the appropriate fees before the test date.
- Printable worksheets, lesson transcripts, and CLEP study guides will let you study offline. I live in a country where we pay for internet service as we go. Being able to print a worksheet helped me test myself offline, study from anywhere, and save on internet use.
Head over to Study.com to view the variety of plans available. If you have any questions they are willing to help. Of course, I am a CLEP and DSST fan. These tests helped me early in my career and I hope that it can also help your family take full advantage to save time and money for college.
Study.com provides the following DSST test prep courses:
- DSST Business Mathematics: Study Guide & Test Prep
- DSST General Anthropology: Study Guide & Test Prep
- DSST Fundamentals of College Algebra: Study Guide & Test Prep
- DSST Technical Writing: Study Guide & Test Prep
- DSST Principles of Public Speaking: Study Guide & Test Prep
- DSST Criminal Justice: Study Guide & Test Prep
- DSST A History of the Vietnam War: Study Guide & Test Prep
- DSST Introduction to World Religions: Study Guide & Test Prep
- DSST Human Resource Management: Study Guide & Test Prep
- DSST Principles of Advanced English Composition: Study Guide & Test Prep
- and more…
Study.com provides the following CLEP test prep courses:
- CLEP History of the United States I: Study Guide & Test Prep
- CLEP College Algebra: Study Guide & Test Prep
- CLEP Humanities: Study Guide & Test Prep
- CLEP Calculus: Study Guide & Test Prep
- CLEP Natural Sciences: Study Guide & Test Prep
- CLEP Introductory Sociology: Study Guide & Test Prep
- CLEP Human Growth and Development: Study Guide & Test Prep
- CLEP English Literature: Study Guide & Test Prep
- CLEP Principles of Marketing: Study Guide & Test Prep
- CLEP American Government: Study Guide & Test Prep
- and more…
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Jeannette is a wife, mother and homeschooling mom. She has been mightily, saved by grace and is grateful for God’s sovereignty throughout her life’s journey. She has a Bachelor in English Education and her MBA. Jeannette is bi-lingual and currently lives in the Tongan Islands of the South Pacific. She posts daily freebies for homeschoolers!
