I am getting ready to take the A&I Exam in a couple of weeks and wanted to get some opinions. I have done numerous searches through pasts threads, and read a lot of good feedback. I have a question for those of you who have taken the exam. Should I purchase the REA book for A&I to prepare?

Most of what I have read in past threads say to google search literary terms, and take some practice exams. I have the CLEP Prep Guide, and just wanted to find out if a combination of individual research (Google, Wikipedia, etc.) and the CLEP Prep Guide would be sufficient. I will order the REA Book if it will be beneficial.

Thanks in advance...

I believe that the Petersons practice tests are more than sufficient to prepare you for it.

There were 80 questions on the exam, when I took it, and 4-6 questions were assigned to a particular reading passage. You really NEED to watch your time. I honestly thought it was tough, not because the questions were hard, but because there wasn't enough time to full analyze each question.

But the passages are all numbered, so you can skip right to the important parts if need be.

A basic knowledge of basic literary terms helps (metaphor, third person, flat character, etc)

I haven't actually recieved my score on this exam yet, but I left with a good feeling.

hope this helps

Cheers!

__________________
Traditional Credits: 35
FEMA Credits: 7
NFA Credits: 2
DANTES Credits: 12
CLEP Credits: 15

EC BS in Psychology: 71/120

You haven't received your score? Is this one not computer based?

No I haven't. My base testing center is still in the stone age, and computer-based testing isn't an option for me.

There are two local colleges offer tests that are CBT, but if the exams, are on the base, Uncle Sam isn't going to pay for it. I am Enlisted Air Force, and don't have a lot of funds to throw around, so I take what I can that is free.

Cheers

__________________
Traditional Credits: 35
FEMA Credits: 7
NFA Credits: 2
DANTES Credits: 12
CLEP Credits: 15

EC BS in Psychology: 71/120

I wouldn't buy a guide - I didn't think there were that many terms to trip you up, or the ones they had were pretty much common sense. Maybe a couple at most.

I'd use the Peterson's practice exam - unlike other tests where Peterson's is criticized for being harder than the actual and possibly covering many things that aren't applicable (I didn't notice this, but others who have tested far more have), the advantage of this is showing you *what* this test is like. It's very different in that you have to read these long obscure if not difficult to parse packages. Just getting the practice of doing that would be very helpful - and if you're getting a 50 or better there, you should be in good shape.

I took one of the sample exams, got a 65, and then took it one day randomly (I had shown up for a DSST, but they couldn't find it) so took this on a whim - got a 71, so it was an easy A. Excelsior confurs a grade for this one, and a 60 or greater gets you that A. 53 is a B and a 50 is a C.

Good luck!

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My preparation consisted of a quick run through IC Humanities Literature section which contained most of the literary terms, the REA book borrowed from the library and the Official CLEP Study guide.

One thing to note, I found some of the readings quite difficult to comprehend and flat out guessed.

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I found the REA book to be a good start coupled with as many practice exams as you can take in order to get into the groove. I also rented "Dead Poets Society" from blockbuster just to get into the spirit of the task itself. Oh Captain - My Captain it worked!!

Good Luck!!

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Always be ready to release your mind and be willing to listen to the advice of others. Remain flexible. - Gichin Funakoshi

Thanks for all of the input. I will definitely check out the Humanities Literature section. Hoping to gain 6 more credits. I have to have 60 credits to get into my Bachelor's program, so this will definitely help.

I took this test today and got a 64. I did absolutely no study before as this is kind of a hard test to study for. I would agree that the test was tightly timed, but with proper test taking skills (like dont sit on any questions to long) you should be fine. Every correct answer is worth the same value so its not worth it to spend extra time on any question. I found 2-3 of the passages quite hard and some I had to read a few times to actually know what in the world it was talking about. Most of the passages were more middle range where an aggressive reading should give you a clear understanding. Then there were the few easier passages which were nice and smooth. I would assume it to be very difficult to study for this test and the best help would be to focus on your test taking skills to make sure you answer all the questions in the proper time. Good Luck
Avi

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US history 1 - 53 Computer applications-54
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English comp 53
business law II, statistics, intro to business, principles of finance, money and banking, HRM, organizational behavior, business math and MIS - Pending

I agree. This test is not an easy one to study for however I wish I would have become more familiar with some terms. This was the very first CLEP I did and I took it cold with this subject being my abosolute weakest. I passed with a 55. Just enough for a B. I always want the "A" but I am glad this one is over with. As I said, this subject is not something I am good at so don't let my struggle persuade you.