I am getting ready to take the Civil War & Reconstruction Dantes. I have had a lot of difficulty with the US History I & II CLEP. Any advice on this Dantes exam? I have watched the Burns series and bought the Spark notes and have been using InstaCert. Is there something I should spend more time studying? Do any of you remember what meterial is covered more on the test? I must pass this exam!!!!
Thanks!!!

Please follow this link:

http://www.instantcertonline.com/for...tion-dsst.html

Here you'll find all the info you can stand about this test and what to study. This test is very popular and with the right amount of preparation, you can pass it. Good luck and please be sure to check out the Specific Exam Feedback section on this forum's home page; there is detailed feedback for about every test out there. Lee

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Associates Degree, Aviation Maintenance Technology, Community College of the Air Force
Bachelors of Science, Liberal Studies Degree, Excelsior
MBA Human Resource Management, California Coast University

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I don't know if this will help you, but here are my thoughts.

This was my only failed exam, and I used a different study approach- which I won't do again. I think my mistake (in addition to not having IC or a good practice test) was spreading myself too thin by using mostly videos. I really spent too much time "enjoying" the information, not enough time "learning" the facts. I watched the Ken Burns series, the 3 on Annenberg, and 6 or 7 more on netflix. At least 50 hours on videos and 5 on facts. Then I used sparksnotes (nice timeline) to cram some facts. My understanding was too general- and hit or miss. I needed to know more substance. I felt like I knew a lot about a few things, but not enough about all things. Example- I watched a bio on Grant and a bio on Johnson both overkill because I needed the "facts" which I lacked. Interesting, but not relevant.

Something I thought about later, is that hearing a word (like from a movie) and seeing the word (like from a study guide) do not yield the same results for my recall. I think to take a written test, it probably is better to see the study material in written form. (maybe to view the video with closed caption turned on would have helped me here).

Oddly enough, I enjoyed my "independent study" of the material. It just didn't yield me 3 college credits. I will have to decide if I want to sit the exam later, or just move on.
If I sit it again, I will focus heavy on 1 thing, and that is every aspect of the top 10 battles. Who, what, where, when, WHY, and how. Inside out- and upside down.

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Jennifer
ALM, Psychology, Harvard University, in progress
AA & BA, Social Sciences, Thomas Edison State College, 2008
AOS, Culinary Arts, Culinary Institute of America, 1990

IC WORKS! http://www.degreeforum.net/general-e...g-members.html

"Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.” Randy Pausch

Jennifer, Thank you. Your description and feedback is well explained. I thought I was scheduled for this test on 7/24, but it turned out I missed it because it was really scheduled for 7/17. Based on your feedback, I feel that I was right to think maybe this was fate's way of telling me that I was not ready. I don't think I knew each battle information inside and out. There are so many. I am sorry that you did not pass. I know that is disappointing. Thank you for helping the rest of us though.

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32 traditional credit hours (in 1990) began again by testing in April 2006. CLEP Am. Gov. - CLEP US Hist I - CLEP Am. Lit. CLEP Human Growth - CLEP US Hist II- CLEP CIS - CLEP English Lit - May '07 Associates Degree - registered at Eastern Illinois University - DSST Drug Abuse - CLEP Bio - CLEP Spanish - (Taking DSST Civil War 7/24)
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Oh my gosh!!!! They wouldn't let you take it anyway? Have you decided if you are you going to take it later? I am glad you found my feedback helpful- I really really was hesitant to write my feedback, so I was careful just to share "my" experience with the test. I have read a few posts where people just said the test wasn't hard at all.
It's my old age

__________________
Jennifer
ALM, Psychology, Harvard University, in progress
AA & BA, Social Sciences, Thomas Edison State College, 2008
AOS, Culinary Arts, Culinary Institute of America, 1990

IC WORKS! http://www.degreeforum.net/general-e...g-members.html

"Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.” Randy Pausch

Moved from Specific Exam Feedback; posted by David H. Wilson on 08/19/07