Does anyone know? Some guy at ETS told me that it was once every 6 months. If I do poorly do I have to wait 6 months before I can retake it? I'm trying for the general Biology clep at Syracuse and they require a score of 70.
Any suggestions appreciated.

Thanks,
Chris

You can retake an exam every 6 months. I do not know if tehre is a max. number of times you can take a single exam though.

What score on the practice test do you think I should get before I do the real deal?

Chris

Are you sure your school requires a 70? That seems pretty high considering a perfect score is an 80. In regards to tips for the test I passed using IC, Wikipedia, and the Peterson practice tests. As for the practice score...for a Peterson's I normally aim for the sixties, but that is to get a 50 (most school's passing score). Oh, and be sure to check out the Specific Feedback Section! Good Luck.

__________________
BSBA Marketing Thomas Edison State College-63/120

College Math-66, College Algebra-64, Analyzing & Interpreting Literature-67, U.S. History I-66, U.S. History II-61, Information Systems & Computer Applications-59, Biology-61, DSST Introduction to Business-61, Introductory Sociology-65, Introductory Psychology-52, Principles of Microeconomics-54, Principles of Macroeconomics-47, Principles of Marketing-68, Financial Accounting-47, Introductory Business Law-62, Principles of Management-70, DSST Principles of Supervision-64, DSST Organizational Behavior-68, English Literature-61

Atomsplitter,
The answer to your questions depends on your school's policies. Schools vary on the scores needed to get credit for CLEPs, how many times you can retake if you fail, and max amount of transfer credits they allow etc...etc!

The number of times you can take a CLEP test varies by school - some schools will only let you take it once and if you fail they require you to sign up for their equivalent class. Other schools will let you retake the same CLEP as long as you wait the required 6 months between tests.

While the college board's passing score is frequently defined as 50 (for online tests), schools can change this requirement for some or all of the CLEPs they accept.

Re scores on practice tests - IMO I think that's a questions of personal preference and experience. If it is a subject in my core (business) then I need to get a good score, so I'll keep at it until I score between 80-85 on Peterson's/REA. If it is humanities and I only need a 50 to pass, then I do fine with a score of 60-65 on Peterson's exams and do 2 max. I usually test slightly higher on the actual exam than on most Peterson's - but this is not always true because some Peterson's are easier and some are harder than the CLEPs.

You need to ask Syracuse if you can retake the exam if you fail so you know what the stakes are before sitting the test. Ensuring that you score a 70 on a CLEP out of the gate means you really have to know your stuff very well before taking the test as you won't have much wiggle room. I think it is doable, it just means you can't wing it too much as some of us are prone to do from time to time when we get bored with a subject or fed up with studying! It's still much quicker and cheaper than a class!

__________________
CLEPS/DANTES ATTEMPTED/PASSED -21 Classes credited:
- Human/Cultural Geography (SOC300) 69/Nov 08
- Intro to Business Law (LEG100) 73/Nov 08
- Astronomy (HUM300) 68/Nov 08
- Human Resource Management (BUS310) 73/Jul 08
- Money and Banking (ECO320) 64/Jun 08
- Principles of Finance (FIN100) 67/May 08
- Principles of Macroeconomics (ECO100) 75/Apr 08
- Principles of Marketing 74/Apr 08
- Introduction to World Religions (HUM400) 78/Apr 08
- Analyzing & Interpreting Lit 69/Mar 08 (6 credits)
- Introductory Psychology 74/Feb 08
- Introductory Sociology 73/Jan 08
- Principles of Mgmt 75/Dec 05
- English Comp (cold) 59/Sep 05 (6 credits)
- Information Systems & Computer Apps 72/Sep 05
- College French Language 75/Jun 05 (12 credits)

+Traditional Credits Earned 2005-2008: 17 classes - last 3 traditional classes completed Oct/08

(all done!) took last exam Nov 08 for my degree in BS in Business Administration, minor in Management.

Yeah, that does seem rather high, 70. It's by all means achievable, but to guarantee this score you'd really need to know your stuff (this means that you would be aiming for something like a 75).

Does your college take CLEP Natural Sciences? If you can use it, might be easier to prepare for (and more likely to get a high score).

I had scored exactly 70 on both exams, but I remember studying for Biology was a pain for me. Some have it easy and get good scores on Bio with minimal prep, let's hope you're one of them. In the end it's not a bad exam given that most people get a total of 12 credits when they bundle it with NS.

I haven't heard of a limit on the number of retakes, just the 6-months waiting period. Some colleges do not allow their students to re-take the exam more than once (after the six months period of course), as in the following example:
Saint Xavier University - CLEP

Edit:
I just noticed after submitting my reply that knucyt had already posted one with a more accurate response.

__________________
Excelsior BS - MIS (107 credits in the bank)

Courses in progress:
Penn Foster English Composition, Financial Management

WOW, i just looked on their website and yes they do require a 70. You are really going to have to know your stuff buddy.

__________________
AAT, Electromechanics, Excelsior College 2007
BS, Political Science, Excelsior College 2008
MSSL, Strategic Leadership, Mountain State (currently enrolled) 2009

I looked it up as well. It's interesting that you can either get 6 credits as Bio 200 or if you can document lab experience, you can end up with 8 credits in Natural Sciences and Mathematics!

__________________
Excelsior BS - MIS (107 credits in the bank)

Courses in progress:
Penn Foster English Composition, Financial Management