Yes, a student may take an AP exam without enrolling in an AP course. This is to allow home-schooled and independent study students the opportunity to take the exams. The student can arrange to take the exams at a participating school. However, since AP exams are only administered once a year in May, you have to contact an AP coordinator soon to take a test this year. In fact, the time to schedule may have already passed.

AP exams are harder in my opinion. Most CLEPs are exclusively multiple-choice. An AP exam will consist partly of multiple-choice and part short answer. For example, the biology AP exam consists of an 80-minute, 100 question multiple-choice section, a 10 minute reading period, and a 90-minute four question free-response section. Total of 3 hours, twice as long as the all multiple-choice biology CLEP.

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BS in Accounting(General) from Excelsior College
Enrolled in MBA program at Upper Iowa University.