CLEP scoring

[DressageQueen]

I was wondering exactly how the tests are scored. Is the score a 50 if you get 50 questions right? Or is it a 50 if you get 50% of the questions right? I have heard it both ways and I am trying to figure out how to score some practice tests I have taken.
Thanks!

[cooperalex2004]

The answer to your question is neither. They are each scored differently.

CLEP exams (and DSST exams with passing scores that are not at 400) use a "norm-referenced standard setting" system.

Basically they give the exam to hundreds of students who have taken the actual course at their college and based on their exam results are able to set the score of 50 (or whatever other passing score in the case of DSST) to a number of questions correct. Basically it is a secret and you're not going to have an easy time figuring out how each CLEP is specially scored other than to know this is the process used. It is not based on a percent, it is different on each exam.

This publication (http://getcollegecredit.com/assets/pdf/D...coring.pdf) by Prometric explains both this method and the method they use to score the "refreshed exams" which have a 400 passing score. On those they have a table on the second page which actually gives you a percentage needed to pass

Prometric (DSST exams) also has this (http://www.getcollegecredit.com/images/u...100108.pdf) which shows how they calculated each of their exams and shows you how many people were used as a sample. You'll also notice different versions of the same test are shown. Kind of interesting...

[DressageQueen]

Ok thanks! But how do I score the practice tests I have at home so I can know if I am ready to take the test or not? Thanks!

[cooperalex2004]

You'll have to take the advise of others on each test individually. Some same getting half right on the practice exams is good and others say you should get more. I'd say once you feel comfortable with the material you should take the test. Some tests are harder than others so it really depends.

Ok thanks! But how do I score the practice tests I have at home so I can know if I am ready to take the test or not? Thanks!

[Prloko]

I was wondering exactly how the tests are scored. Is the score a 50 if you get 50 questions right? Or is it a 50 if you get 50% of the questions right? I have heard it both ways and I am trying to figure out how to score some practice tests I have taken.
Thanks!

If you are using Peterson's pratice tests (which are usually much harder than the actual exams), getting 50-60% right is normally a good indicator that you are ready, but of course there is no guarantee.

I personally don't use instantcert to prep for the tests. I read a college textbook and view any opencourseware (if available). This ensures that I can both pass the multiple choice test and actually learn the material.

[ShotoJuku]

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Something Else To Know

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FACT: The lowest possible score is a 20. The highest possible is an 80.

FACT: Approx. 1/2 the questions on the test must be successfully answered to get a 50, or a pass.


THE HYPOTHESIS: In a 100 question test, such as Sociology and many others, there are only 60 possible points (between 20-80) for 100 questions.

60 points divided by 100 questions = .6pts

If each questions is worth .6 points, 50 correct questions = 50q X .6pts = 30pts

You must add 20 since 0 correct questions = 20pts.

30 points + 20 points = 50 points, or a pass.

Now: If each point in a 100 question test is worth .6 points, 100 questions X .6 points = 60; 60 + 20 = 80.

By this formula, answering 75 questions correctly would translate to a score of 65.

[BGSU_Alum_86]

ShotoJuku, the only flaw with your statistical method is it does not take into account the questions that are built into every exam which are not scored. You don't know which ones they are, but there are usually 10-15. The scaled score takes into account only the correct answers of the official questions on the exam (not the ones that are still considered in the "pretesting phase"). Every "50" is different if you strictly look at the percentage of official questions answered correctly, with percentages ranging from the high 40s to the mid 60s. So, yes, in MOST cases, if you are able to answer 50% of the OFFICIAL questions with the correct response you should receive at 50 or higher. Please remember that the passing score for all of these exams is supposed to reflect the work of a 'C' student.

[cooperalex2004]

I have to agree with that. There is no formula to generically calculate the scores. The scoring is based on studies of actual students so the calculation of the scores varies on every exam.

ShotoJuku, the only flaw with your statistical method is it does not take into account the questions that are built into every exam which are not scored. You don't know which ones they are, but there are usually 10-15. The scaled score takes into account only the correct answers of the official questions on the exam (not the ones that are still considered in the "pretesting phase"). Every "50" is different if you strictly look at the percentage of official questions answered correctly, with percentages ranging from the high 40s to the mid 60s. So, yes, in MOST cases, if you are able to answer 50% of the OFFICIAL questions with the correct response you should receive at 50 or higher. Please remember that the passing score for all of these exams is supposed to reflect the work of a 'C' student.

[Publius]

ShotoJuku, the only flaw with your statistical method is it does not take into account the questions that are built into every exam which are not scored. You don't know which ones they are, but there are usually 10-15. The scaled score takes into account only the correct answers of the official questions on the exam (not the ones that are still considered in the "pretesting phase"). Every "50" is different if you strictly look at the percentage of official questions answered correctly, with percentages ranging from the high 40s to the mid 60s. So, yes, in MOST cases, if you are able to answer 50% of the OFFICIAL questions with the correct response you should receive at 50 or higher. Please remember that the passing score for all of these exams is supposed to reflect the work of a 'C' student.

I will agree that that method is flawed, at least for all the CLEPs and some of the DSSTs. However it's the closest algorithm that we can come up with. CLEP still operates their scoring on a "Norm Referenced Standard" and we know for a fact that not all the questions are weighted equally with the "test taker questions" thrown in (questions that have no effect on your score). Take a hypothetical example and lets say there are 10 "test taker questions" and say you answered all 10 of those questions correctly. On a test with 100 questions that's 10% of the questions, but they do not effect your score. This is the reason there is no one answer for your question.

Now, with the revised DSSTs, it's a different story. All their questions are weighted equally and a percentage score can be applied. See this PDF for further details: getcollegecredit.com/assets/pdf/DSST_Exam_Scoring.pdf

[Prloko]

My test officer gave me a copy of the Prin of Management Clep guide which clearly spells out score equivalents and statistical methodology. (i.e. to get a 50 you need 52-54 right, to get a "B" which is a scaled score of 63, you need 67-69, to get an 80 you need 90 right).