CLEP exams award inexpensive credit
Some tests more ‘challenging’ than others
A solution to the high costs of
college — according to one stu
dent — is to challenge courses
offered by the University and
thereby cut expenses in tuition
and books.
Of course, it is necessary to get
a passing score before receiving
credit for a course challenged, but
Evelyn Rowe, head of the testing
program for the College Level Ex
amination Program (CLEP) and
By CHERI O’NEIL
Of the Emerald
University Credit by Exam, agrees
it's a “pretty good bargain for stu
dents."
Some University students have
challenged as many as 45 credit
houre by examination, Rowe said,
which amounts to an entire year of
college. Students who have taken
tests in the program advocate
them as a good way to take care of
general requirements in a short
time.
Even though testing attempts
don’t always produce successful
results, Rowe said the general
pass ratio is 72 to 75 per cent. The
majority of the classes challenged
are general examinations which
measure factual information and
understanding of material in broad
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areas of social sciences, natural
sciences and humanities.
Of the two types of college test
ing available, CLEP is a national
testing program that is given the
third week of every month at the
University Counseling Center,
Room 150, Susan Campbell Hall.
Registration must be completed
one month before the testing date.
Fees are $20 for one test, $30 for
two tests and $40 for three to five
tests.
CLEP subject examinations are
supposedly comparable to the
final exams in undergraduate
courses and are designed to
cover the content of a typical
course in that subject.
The exams are available to
anyone — whether enrolled in
school or not — but the University
grants passing credtt only after the
candkfate is registered at the Uni
versity.
University Credit by Exam gives
students a choice of receiving a
grade or pass on their records
after successfully challenging a
course, If student fail any exam, it
doesn’t show on their records.
These exams can be taken on
the third floor of Susan Campbel
Hall for a fee of $15 per course.
Students are restricted from tak
ing an exam if it is more elemen
tary than courses for which credit
has already been given, if they
have attempted the test before, if
they aren't registered as full or
part-time students or if they are
currently enrolled in a higher level
course.
Donald Leon Taylor, an ac
counting major, passed 36 hours
of CLEP and 15 hours of Engftsh
by advanced placement while at
South Eugene High School.
Taylor says he wouldn't con
sider himself a particularly good
student but adds he didn’t have
trouble with the tests. He cites a
good test-taking ability as the
passing factor in these exams.
“Anybody who takes multiple
choice tests wet should have no
problem,” Taylor says. “Some
can do ft; some can’t”
Students may petition to chal
lenge courses that aren’t standar
ds ed by the testing center. Peti
tions are available at the petitions
window of the registrar's office.
The petition should then be
taken to a qualified faculty
member to prepare the disired
test Arrangements to take the
exam are made by the particular
department and test results are
sent to the registrar.
Most student course challen
gers agree that CLEP tests are
difficult to study tor. Junior senior
Dan McGinnis says he relied on
his high school educational back
ground and prior reading to pass
his 27 hours by CLEP. But “you
have to think” in taking some of
the tests, he says.
Another student commented
that the testing concepts were
very general and no preparation
was needed before challenging
exams. However, some students
valued the sample questions and
study guidelines for standardized
exams available at the testing
center.
A descriptive CLEP brochure
says candidates often perform
successfully on the general ex
aminations with no formal course
work in the subject if they use
background sources in basic read
ing, films and educational televi
sion.
Taylor suggests a basic know
ledge of current events and a
“sense of what’s going on.” He
points out that some study was
helpful in the American history
test, of which he passed nine
courses of CLEP by exam. He
studied a college-level text one
month before taking the test and
strongly encourages others to do
the same before challenging his
tory courses.
Taylor says the exams are simi
tar in design to American College
Testing and Scholastic Aptitude
Tests taken before admittance to
the University.
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