Roadmap for New Excelsior College Students

japhy4529 · #11 (**permalink**) 11-29-2007, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yutzyj

Hi All-
When I began this journey with my husband, we were both lost as to which direction to go and what tests to take first. With that in mind, I wanted to list the tests that I took for my Psychology degree and the order in which I took them, in the hope that this will help to guide new students. This is not to say that this is the way that you should travel. It is just to give you an idea of maybe where to begin.

I started when I was 47 years old. It has been a difficult but very rewarding journey. I've made several friends along the way who have helped me, and without them I think I would have taken many tests that I didn't need. At times I was so discouraged I didn't think I would ever be able to accomplish this. One time I packed it all up and said "enough". I just wanted to share this so if you get discouraged, I want you to know that others have also. Just don't quit! Keep trying! You can do this too!

Sociology (CLEP)
Macroeconomics (CLEP)
Microeconomics (CLEP)
US Govt (CLEP)
Psychology (CLEP)
US Hist 1 (CLEP)
US Hist 2 (CLEP)
(I needed all the previous tests to be able to take Social Studies & History. They could be taken in any order, although I would recommend starting with Sociology and then Psychology. As Macro & Micro are harder exams, I would recommend taking them after the two History exams.)
Social Studies & History (CLEP)*
English Composition (ECE)
Statistics (DSST)
College Algebra (CLEP)
Humanities (CLEP)*
Accounting (CLEP)*
Principles of Finance (DSST)
Ethics (DSST)
Ethics (ECE)
College Math (CLEP)*
Analyzing & Interpreting Literature (CLEP)*
Introduction to Computing (DSST)
Info Systems & Computer Application (CLEP)
Operations Management (TECEP)
Principles of Management (CLEP)
Principles of Supervision (DSST)
Human Resources Mgmt (DSST)
Principles of Marketing (CLEP)
Introduction to Business (DSST)
Information Literacy (ECE)
Introduction to Business Law (1) (CLEP)
FEMA (2 credits)
Business Policy (TECEP)
Human Growth & Development (CLEP)
Introduction to Education Psychology (CLEP)
Abnormal Psychology (ECE)
Research Methods (ECE)
Adulthood & Aging (ECE)
Foundations of Gerontoloty (ECE)
Social Psychology (ECE)
Organization Behavior (ECE)

*These exams were worth 6 credits each; all other exams listed were worth 3 credits each. NOTE: the 6 credit CLEP Accounting exam is no longer available and has been replaced by a 3 credit exam that only covers one half of the original exam.

If you are taking College Math, I would highly recommend taking it right after or right before College Algebra. If you need Money and Banking, I would take it right after Macro and Micro (taken in that order). I took Intro to Business AFTER the business courses because it made it very easy to just go over InstantCert. The only reason I saved ECE Organizational Behavior for last was to see what grade I needed for my GPA; however, a good time to take OB would be right after or right before taking the DSST or ECE Human Resources Management exam. The ECE Information Literacy exam can be taken at any time and does provide some valuable information.

I feel it is very important that you obtain a copy of the "Student Guide to Credit by Examination at Excelsior College" assessment catalog. This catalog will clearly show which CLEP, DSST, and ECE exams meet each of the degree requirements and the scores required to pass each exam. This catalog does not include the Thomas Edison exams (TECEP) that can fulfill some of the requirements.

Please note that the requirements for the Excelsior College Psychology degree have changed as of January 1, 2007. You can no longer completely test out of a Psychology degree (please see the Excelsior College School of Liberal Arts catalog for details).

I hope that this will be of some help to those of you just beginning on your journey. Remember that all of our journeys will be different, but hopefully this will give some guidelines to those who need a starting point.

Hello,

Would you please show which exams from the above list counted toward your Psych major?

Thanks,
Tom

japhy4529 · #12 (**permalink**) 11-29-2007, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shadowless

So they take all transfer credits as well then?

How much does it cost to go through the process? Do you have to take the tests through them? If not then do you just transfer all your credits once you make it to the 120 total credits or so that are needed and pretty much pay them to give you the degree?

Yes, Excelsior will accept most transfer credits from regionally accredited colleges or universities (contact them for info on accepting credits from nationally accredited schools). They will not accept transfer credits with a grade of "D" or "F", nor will they accept developmental or remedial courses in transfer.

While you may wait to enroll until you reach 120 credits and just hope for the best, I would suggest submitting an online application (this will run you just $75) and send in your transcripts for an unofficial evaluation. At least you will then know what credits you still need to complete your degree.

If you do not have any (or very few) credits accumulated at this point, just take classes or exams that you know (or are fairly certain) will transfer to Excelsior.

You may register (for free) on the Excelsior website (http://www.excelsior.edu), to download detailed information. Be sure to download the following document (in PDF format): "A student guide to credit by examination at Excelsior College." Also, if you are interested in pursuing a specific major, download the appropriate document that begins with "Guidelines for the major in XXX."

Good luck!
- Tom

steener28 · #13 (**permalink**) 04-17-2008, 01:25 PM

Okay being new and confused I have a question or two. I am in need of testing out of 9 Upper division interdisciplinary studies. The school I am attending is University of Phoenix online to finish up a Bachelor's in Nursing. Of course no one has told me anything about testing out of subjects until the last two weeks of my degree when I am told I still need the 9 hours. So the counselor tells me I can take a DSST and 2 in Excelsior. So my question is that for the Excelsior I have to register for my tests through them and then go test at a Pearson site? I pay money to Excelsior, think this is around $205 a class, and then what about does it cost for the sitting of exam itself? Like I said I am really new at this..... and I am needing to try and test out before May 19, 2008. Crazy I know. Thanks

japhy4529 · #14 (**permalink**) 04-21-2008, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steener28

Okay being new and confused I have a question or two. I am in need of testing out of 9 Upper division interdisciplinary studies. The school I am attending is University of Phoenix online to finish up a Bachelor's in Nursing. Of course no one has told me anything about testing out of subjects until the last two weeks of my degree when I am told I still need the 9 hours. So the counselor tells me I can take a DSST and 2 in Excelsior. So my question is that for the Excelsior I have to register for my tests through them and then go test at a Pearson site? I pay money to Excelsior, think this is around $205 a class, and then what about does it cost for the sitting of exam itself? Like I said I am really new at this..... and I am needing to try and test out before May 19, 2008. Crazy I know. Thanks

I think someone should move this post to another spot on the forum. Anyway, in answer to your question, I would recommend taking one of the Excelsior (ECE) nursing exams. There are a number of 3, 4, 6 and 8 credit exams available. The cost of each exam is around $200. You could take one ECE nursing exam worth 8 credits and one other 3 credit exam. For more info, go to excelsior.edu and register for free. Once you are registered, go to "My EC" and download the appropriate PDF file.

Make sure to check with Phoenix first, before taking any exams, to make sure that they will accept this type of exam and to make sure it does not duplicate a nursing class that you have already taken.

- Tom

gcalvin · #15 (**permalink**) 04-22-2008, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steener28

Okay being new and confused I have a question or two. I am in need of testing out of 9 Upper division interdisciplinary studies. The school I am attending is University of Phoenix online to finish up a Bachelor's in Nursing. Of course no one has told me anything about testing out of subjects until the last two weeks of my degree when I am told I still need the 9 hours. So the counselor tells me I can take a DSST and 2 in Excelsior. So my question is that for the Excelsior I have to register for my tests through them and then go test at a Pearson site? I pay money to Excelsior, think this is around $205 a class, and then what about does it cost for the sitting of exam itself? Like I said I am really new at this..... and I am needing to try and test out before May 19, 2008. Crazy I know. Thanks

You register and pay for the exam on the Excelsior College web site, then you go to the Pearson Vue web site to schedule an appointment to take the exam at one of their testing centers. There is no charge beyond what you pay Excelsior. You may need to wait a couple of days for Pearson Vue to have the registration information from Excelsior. Have two pieces of ID with you the first time you go to a Pearson Vue testing center -- they are very rigorous about confirming your identity and making sure you have nothing with you when you go into the testing room.

tammybroz · #16 (**permalink**) 06-18-2008, 09:10 PM

Hi there to anyone who replies.....

I am about to take my first nursing exam through Excelsior and was wondering if anyone out there had taken it and did they find the questions here very helpful. If not the nursing exam, then how about the other exams Excelsior has...

I am pretty nervous as I am an older student and would love any advice. I have their content outline and have been looking it over and over. It seems familiar (I am an LPN but haven't practiced in over 4 years due to having children).....

Thank you a bunch.
Tammy

barbara2bba · #17 (**permalink**) 06-22-2008, 12:09 PM

I can't help you, but you posted this in an area that will probably not get seen very easily. I would re-ask the question in a new thread.

Good Luck!

silkbutterfly1973 · #18 (**permalink**) 07-14-2008, 06:54 PM

hello I have been working on my associated degree in nursing through excelsior for about 11 months now have completed 7 of the 16 exams i needed ...I have around a year or so to go ...
I highly reccomend using the practice tests for the exams that they have them they are of great help they get you in the right frame of mind to take the test and let you know your weaknesses before you test the real one so you can study harder on those areas .as needed.

donnahames · #19 (**permalink**) 02-12-2009, 03:14 PM

Does a person have to be enrolled with Excelsior College in order to take their tests for credit?-like the social psychology and things like that. If not, where are the tests given?
thanks

lolojapan · #20 (**permalink**) 03-13-2009, 12:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yutzyj

Hi All-
When I began this journey with my husband, we were both lost as to which direction to go and what tests to take first. With that in mind, I wanted to list the tests that I took for my Psychology degree and the order in which I took them, in the hope that this will help to guide new students. This is not to say that this is the way that you should travel. It is just to give you an idea of maybe where to begin.

I started when I was 47 years old. It has been a difficult but very rewarding journey. I've made several friends along the way who have helped me, and without them I think I would have taken many tests that I didn't need. At times I was so discouraged I didn't think I would ever be able to accomplish this. One time I packed it all up and said "enough". I just wanted to share this so if you get discouraged, I want you to know that others have also. Just don't quit! Keep trying! You can do this too!

Sociology (CLEP)
Macroeconomics (CLEP)
Microeconomics (CLEP)
US Govt (CLEP)
Psychology (CLEP)
US Hist 1 (CLEP)
US Hist 2 (CLEP)
(I needed all the previous tests to be able to take Social Studies & History. They could be taken in any order, although I would recommend starting with Sociology and then Psychology. As Macro & Micro are harder exams, I would recommend taking them after the two History exams.)
Social Studies & History (CLEP)*
English Composition (ECE)
Statistics (DSST)
College Algebra (CLEP)
Humanities (CLEP)*
Accounting (CLEP)*
Principles of Finance (DSST)
Ethics (DSST)
Ethics (ECE)
College Math (CLEP)*
Analyzing & Interpreting Literature (CLEP)*
Introduction to Computing (DSST)
Info Systems & Computer Application (CLEP)
Operations Management (TECEP)
Principles of Management (CLEP)
Principles of Supervision (DSST)
Human Resources Mgmt (DSST)
Principles of Marketing (CLEP)
Introduction to Business (DSST)
Information Literacy (ECE)
Introduction to Business Law (1) (CLEP)
FEMA (2 credits)
Business Policy (TECEP)
Human Growth & Development (CLEP)
Introduction to Education Psychology (CLEP)
Abnormal Psychology (ECE)
Research Methods (ECE)
Adulthood & Aging (ECE)
Foundations of Gerontoloty (ECE)
Social Psychology (ECE)
Organization Behavior (ECE)

*These exams were worth 6 credits each; all other exams listed were worth 3 credits each. NOTE: the 6 credit CLEP Accounting exam is no longer available and has been replaced by a 3 credit exam that only covers one half of the original exam.

If you are taking College Math, I would highly recommend taking it right after or right before College Algebra. If you need Money and Banking, I would take it right after Macro and Micro (taken in that order). I took Intro to Business AFTER the business courses because it made it very easy to just go over InstantCert. The only reason I saved ECE Organizational Behavior for last was to see what grade I needed for my GPA; however, a good time to take OB would be right after or right before taking the DSST or ECE Human Resources Management exam. The ECE Information Literacy exam can be taken at any time and does provide some valuable information.

I feel it is very important that you obtain a copy of the "Student Guide to Credit by Examination at Excelsior College" assessment catalog. This catalog will clearly show which CLEP, DSST, and ECE exams meet each of the degree requirements and the scores required to pass each exam. This catalog does not include the Thomas Edison exams (TECEP) that can fulfill some of the requirements.

Please note that the requirements for the Excelsior College Psychology degree have changed as of January 1, 2007. You can no longer completely test out of a Psychology degree (please see the Excelsior College School of Liberal Arts catalog for details).

I hope that this will be of some help to those of you just beginning on your journey. Remember that all of our journeys will be different, but hopefully this will give some guidelines to those who need a starting point.

Good Job! Can't test all the way through Psych anymore at EC. Policy change

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