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Hi all,
Back to degree planning after a lengthy hiatus... now working on daughter's degree instead of my own. I have SO.MANY.QUESTIONS.
Do people still take CLEPs and DSSTs or should I be looking more at filling DD's degree plan with classes like Sophia or Straighterline? Do those offer Upper Level? How are people getting their UL credits these days? How long are people taking to finish a class on average? It's been so long since I took my Straighterline class I can barely remember it!
Just wondering how much things have changed and what I should be doing differently to help DD get her degree. I'm still working on trying to even figure out the degree plan for her since my skills at degree plan creation are obsolete. I would welcome any tips or advice that you have to get started with the new landscape (new to me) where "testing out" is no longer the main thing. (OR is it??)
I really appreciate any and all help or comments. Thanks in advance.
SC
Regis University, ITESO, Global MBA with a focus in Emerging Markets 4.0 GPA, Dual-university degree (Spanish/English)
ISSA Certified Nutritionist
COSC BS, Business Admin
My BS Credits:
Spanish 80 | Humanities 67 | A & I Lit 72 | Sub Abuse 452 | Bus Ethics 445 | Tech Writ 62 | Math 53 | HTYH 454 | Am. Govt 65 | Env & Humanity 64 | Marketing 65 | Micro 61| Mgmt 63| Org Behavior 65| MIS 446|Computing 432 | BL II 61 | M&B 50 | Finance 411 | Supervision 437| Intro Bus. 439| Law Enforcement 63| SL: Accounting I B | Accounting II C+| Macro A | ECE: Labor Relations A | Capstone: A| FEMA PDS Cert
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There are still lots of people who do CLEPs since they’re free through Modern States. Some colleges only accept CLEPs and DSSTs, so there is always going to be a big market for them.
Some people can finish a course in a day, while others take a week or more. It depends on the person and the course. I didn’t go to PUG, but I finished a PHP credit-for-exam course in just a few hours in one day, which at the time counted for 6 courses at PUG. Some people complete Google certificates in a few days to a week, which might count for 4 courses.
There are various providers of credit. Study.com started offering unlimited courses for a monthly fee of $99. They have over 200 courses, and the nice thing is that you can sample the courses before committing to one. Study.com is a primary place where people get upper-level credits.
Study.com – Get 10% Off: https://altcredit.click/study10
Degrees: BA Comp Sci; BS Business Admin (CIS); AS Nat Sci & Math — TESU (4.0 GPA)
Certs: Google (IT Support, Digital Marketing, Proj Mgmt); W3Schools PHP
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I'm a little surprised that people don't still largely prefer CLEP and DSST when they're available for a subject. Especially if one has a lot of general knowledge, many of them can be passed with just an hour or two of study, if that. That's faster and less annoying than even the easiest course, and most people aren't that far from a testing center.
BS, Information Systems concentration, Charter Oak State College
MA in Educational Technology Leadership, George Washington University
EdD in Professional Studies, Thomas Edison State University, in progress
Let's connect! https://linkedin.com/in/stevefoerster
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Thanks for the info. Glad to know that Study.com is a good source of UL credits. I am trying to soak up all knowledge now so this is good info!
Regis University, ITESO, Global MBA with a focus in Emerging Markets 4.0 GPA, Dual-university degree (Spanish/English)
ISSA Certified Nutritionist
COSC BS, Business Admin
My BS Credits:
Spanish 80 | Humanities 67 | A & I Lit 72 | Sub Abuse 452 | Bus Ethics 445 | Tech Writ 62 | Math 53 | HTYH 454 | Am. Govt 65 | Env & Humanity 64 | Marketing 65 | Micro 61| Mgmt 63| Org Behavior 65| MIS 446|Computing 432 | BL II 61 | M&B 50 | Finance 411 | Supervision 437| Intro Bus. 439| Law Enforcement 63| SL: Accounting I B | Accounting II C+| Macro A | ECE: Labor Relations A | Capstone: A| FEMA PDS Cert
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(04-15-2026, 08:33 AM)SteveFoerster Wrote: I'm a little surprised that people don't still largely prefer CLEP and DSST when they're available for a subject. Especially if one has a lot of general knowledge, many of them can be passed with just an hour or two of study, if that. That's faster and less annoying than even the easiest course, and most people aren't that far from a testing center.
Many of us don't live anywhere near a testing site. DSST is about $100 a test. That's a month on Sophia where I can complete multiple courses. Many colleges are selective in which CLEP and DSST they accept. Online proctoring can be a nightmare. I had bad experiences with online proctoring at both WGU and LSU. I'll never forget the brainiac who wanted me to turn a clear glass of water upside down so they could see inside the glass. There were so many issues at LSU. It was ridiculous and one of the reasons I left.
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Tbh for my COSC degree, it took a total of 9 months from beginning to end including capstone and most of my CLEP and DSST took a couple of weeks of study, with a couple of exceptions, so I'm not sure how I would feel about them now. I do happen do be one of the lucky "good" test takers, so all things being equal, I still would prefer testing. Not to mention the crazy rush you get when you finish a CLEP test.. kind of addictive. But I don't know about a few hours of study time. I found a lot more than a few hours of study necessary to pass them.
TBD for what DD will prefer....
Regis University, ITESO, Global MBA with a focus in Emerging Markets 4.0 GPA, Dual-university degree (Spanish/English)
ISSA Certified Nutritionist
COSC BS, Business Admin
My BS Credits:
Spanish 80 | Humanities 67 | A & I Lit 72 | Sub Abuse 452 | Bus Ethics 445 | Tech Writ 62 | Math 53 | HTYH 454 | Am. Govt 65 | Env & Humanity 64 | Marketing 65 | Micro 61| Mgmt 63| Org Behavior 65| MIS 446|Computing 432 | BL II 61 | M&B 50 | Finance 411 | Supervision 437| Intro Bus. 439| Law Enforcement 63| SL: Accounting I B | Accounting II C+| Macro A | ECE: Labor Relations A | Capstone: A| FEMA PDS Cert
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04-18-2026, 02:06 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-18-2026, 02:06 PM by Duneranger.)
Testing is not preferred here because you actually have to know the material. Much easier to just click through Sophia credits and get a semester's worth of "college" credit done in a week.
I have done online proctoring many times over the years, 0 issues other than having to face a mirror down, disconnect my second monitor and adjust my camera a few degrees...
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04-18-2026, 02:43 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-18-2026, 02:43 PM by NotJoeBiden.)
(04-18-2026, 02:06 PM)Duneranger Wrote: Testing is not preferred here because you actually have to know the material. Much easier to just click through Sophia credits and get a semester's worth of "college" credit done in a week.
I have done online proctoring many times over the years, 0 issues other than having to face a mirror down, disconnect my second monitor and adjust my camera a few degrees...
Have you done CLEP or DSST?
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(04-15-2026, 08:33 AM)SteveFoerster Wrote: I'm a little surprised that people don't still largely prefer CLEP and DSST when they're available for a subject. Especially if one has a lot of general knowledge, many of them can be passed with just an hour or two of study, if that. That's faster and less annoying than even the easiest course, and most people aren't that far from a testing center.
Last I checked, you could do online proctored exams for CLEP, eliminating the test center issue. And if you don't mind working through the Modrn States materials, they still pay for exam and proctor costs.
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(04-18-2026, 02:43 PM)NotJoeBiden Wrote: (04-18-2026, 02:06 PM)Duneranger Wrote: Testing is not preferred here because you actually have to know the material. Much easier to just click through Sophia credits and get a semester's worth of "college" credit done in a week.
I have done online proctoring many times over the years, 0 issues other than having to face a mirror down, disconnect my second monitor and adjust my camera a few degrees...
Have you done CLEP or DSST?
Yes, for funsies (Western Civ 1/2, US history, Biology). Is CLEP/DSST Sophia? No
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