Any Suggestions on Prepping for US History 1?

[jlg]

Does anyone have any suggestions on prepping for the US History I CLEP? I just took it and got a 64 but my college will only accept a score of 65. I'm at a loss for what else I should study... in addition to instant cert, I did the both the College Board CLEP practice and the reviewed a CLEP study guide from Barron's.

[Braylen]

Wow - that's hard to believe. What school are you enrolled in?

A 65 is an A on pretty much any CLEP exam at Excelsior - it makes me wonder if they are using the raw score, instead of the scaled score. According to my REA test prep book a 65 scaled equals a 73 raw score.

I'd challenge them on this - you have nothing to lose.

Optionally, you could get another school to accept the grade (like a Credit bank) and then transfer it in. Excelsior would accept it as an A, and then it would convey as an A or simply a pass, if they don't take a grade on CLEPs, not a 65 or 73 or whatever.

It might sound like a lot of hassle for one class, but if they were that strict on this one, likely they will be on others as well, and it might be best to report them directly to a credit banking agency first.

Optionally, since you only missed by 1, I'd write down whatever questions or topics you can remember from the test - particularly those you were surprised by, and go read up on them now, and review them later. You're in good shape to pass next time, although that six month wait will be a bit annoying.

[kitanis]

Hmmm....

Well I did US History II with nothing but a REA Guide with CD-ROM out of Borders and studied it for a week or two and took the test and eaked out a a 68.

If you have a interest in Early US History.. I would imagine that the REA guide to US History I might be enough to help you. The test questions help you focus on the subject matter and to read the overview provided in the book.

[shawc]

Hi jlg. I took this test about 4 weeks ago. I used IC, U.S. History I (Cliffs Quick Review) and Wiki. Picked it up on Amazon for $9.95. It's an easy read, just a little over 150-160 pages. Studied (a lot) over a 3 day period and got a 71 on the test. Did the same the the next week with U.S. History II (Cliffs Quick Review). Same price, same study time. Got a 69.

Most of my studying focused on IC. The Cliff Notes backfilled some information. I used Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page) to look up people and events/battles that interested me. Hope this helps.

-Shaw