Exam Pass Rate Order

[johnk13]

I sorted a table of exam pass rates for 2008 for both CLEP and DSST. DSST exams with the new scoring had their old counterparts removed. The first number after the exam title is the ACE pass recommendation and the second number is the pass rate percentage. Keep in mind this is for military exam takers only.

I just started down the CLEP/DSST road and I am using this as a rough guide for deciding which test to take next. Also, I am currently waiting for my credits to be evaluated at Columbia Colllege so I don't have a degree plan yet. It takes them 8 weeks and I didn't want to sit around doing nothing so I am just taking the easy exams first and then moving on.

Anyway, I thought some of you may find this useful so here it is.



eCLEP/eDSST ACE Score Pass Rate
TECHNICAL WRITING 46 94
SPANISH LANGUAGE 50 88
INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS 46 81
ANALYZING AND INTERPRETING LIT 50 71
PRINCIPLES OF SUPERVISION 46 69
PRINCIPLES OF MANAGEMENT 50 67
BUSINESS MATHEMATICS 48 66
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 46 65
FRESHMAN COLLEGE COMPOSITION 50 64
GERMAN LANGUAGE 50 64
PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING 50 64
FRENCH LANGUAGE 50 63
INTRODUCTION TO LAW ENFORCEMENT 45 62
ENVIRONMENT AND HUMANITY 46 60
FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATION 46 56
FUNDAMENTALS OF COUNSELING 45 55
WESTERN CIVILIZATION I 50 55
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING 400 53
ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR 48 53
ASTRONOMY 48 52
PRINCIPLES OF PHYSICAL SCIENCE I 47 52
INTRODUCTION TO MODERN MIDDLE EAST 47 49
PRINCIPLES OF STATISTICS 400 49
BUSINESS LAW II 44 48
SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HISTORY 50 47
INTRODUCTORY SOCIOLOGY 50 45
WESTERN CIVILIZATION II 50 44
INTRODUCTORY PSYCHOLOGY 50 42
LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 46 42
HERE'S TO YOUR HEALTH 400 41
COLLEGE MATHEMATICS 50 40
CRIMINAL JUSTICE 49 40
HUMAN CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY 48 40
INFO SYSTEMS AND COMPUTER APPL 50 40
NATURAL SCIENCES 50 40
ENGLISH COMPOSITION WITH ESSAY 50 39
SUBSTANCE ABUSE 400 39
HUMANITIES 50 37
RISE AND FALL OF THE SOVIET UNION 45 37
CRIMINAL JUSTICE 400 35
THE CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION 47 35
WESTERN EUROPE SINCE 1945 45 35
ART OF THE WESTERN WORLD 48 34
ENGLISH LITERATURE 50 33
GENERAL ANTHROPOLOGY 47 33
MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS 400 33
HISTORY OF UNITED STATES II 50 32
BIOLOGY 50 31
ENGLISH COMPOSITION 50 31
HISTORY OF UNITED STATES I 50 31
PERSONAL FINANCE 400 31
ETHICS IN AMERICA 400 30
INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS 400 30
INTRO TO EDUCATIONAL PSYCH 50 29
PRECALCULUS 50 28
A HISTORY OF THE VIETNAM WAR 44 27
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT 50 24
HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT 50 22
PRINCIPLES OF FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING 47 22
PRINCIPLES OF MACROECONOMICS 50 22
INTRODUCTORY BUSINESS LAW 50 21
PRINCIPLES OF MICROECONOMICS 50 20
AMERICAN LITERATURE 50 18
CALCULUS 50 17
COLLEGE ALGEBRA 50 17
MONEY AND BANKING 48 16
FUNDAMENTALS OF COLLEGE ALGEBRA 400 12
PRINCIPLES OF FINANCE 46 11
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING 50 7
CHEMISTRY 50 4
PHYSICAL GEOLOGY 46 2

[Lindagerr]

You have to remember those in the military are more likely to just try an exam with no prior knowledge and so the pass rate is not the same as for the general public.

I have taken 13 of those exams only 3-4 being in the above 50% pass rate. I think the degree of difficulty is very much dependent on your prior knowledge and experience. Also grouping similar test can greatly improve pass rate.

Good luck with your plan I would be interested in how accurate you feel the list is after more testing.

[Maniac Craniac]

INTRODUCTORY SOCIOLOGY 50 45

I don't understand why this is so low. That test was so easy, it was disappointing. I would have thought that the German exam would be much, much lower than Sociology.

PHYSICAL GEOLOGY 46 2

lol, are you serious?!

[Chebasaz]

Agreed - The military pass rates are useful, but I've always approached them with caution. I've been around military testers for the last five years and the number each week that take CLEP and DSST's just because they're looking for something to do is sobering. In their defense, it doesn't cost them anything but time.

These days I try and talk them out of just taking an exam just for kicks. With a little study, they'll have a much better chance of passing and actually getting those credits. Some take my advice, some don't. /shrug

[irnbru]

I would have thought that the German exam would be much, much lower than Sociology.

I agree that these values are not representative of all test takers. In particular, I think our forum should, in general, perform much better given that non-armed forces test takers may be motivated by fees, etc.

Primarily, certain introductory tests, such as sociology, require a minimal understanding of concepts and respond well to repeated revision of shallower material, i.e. Instantcert's flashcards are highly suitable for these tests.

Incidently, the scores for the German CLEP are probably skewed by the number of US forces personel which are based/stationed in Germany and have both the time and impetus to take this test.

It's difficult to draw too many conclusions from the figures provided on the military DSST website without knowing where and when the tests were taken and by how many people. Nonetheless, all information is useful and, as johnk stated, these figures are still helpful for choosing tests.

[NAP]

If the rule is changing for everyone in the military (to only the first try is free), it will be interesting to see how the pass rates are affected.

[johnk13]

Good luck with your plan I would be interested in how accurate you feel the list is after more testing.

Thank you. I plan on taking Technical Writing and Analyzing and Interpreting literature this week. Neither Petersons nor Instant Cert seem to have practice for the Tech Writing but from what I have read it seems like it will be fairly easy.

I have already taken multiple tests that rank below the 50% pass rate on this list so I wouldn't say it is an accurate list. I am just using it as a rough guide and it fits that purpose well.

I would have thought that the German exam would be much, much lower than Sociology.

I am guessing most people that take a language CLEP are already fairly fluent in that language.

[PonyGirl93]

I would have thought that the German exam would be much, much lower than Sociology.

I think people are much less likely to try a language test that they know little about than something where common sense/common knowledge could potentially carry them through.

It also doesn't particularly surprise me that German is higher than French. So many people take French in high school & then 10+ yrs later try the test. Not nearly as many people take German in HS, so they wouldn't be as prone to take the test w/o preparation or already being proficient.

((Why do I spend my time analyzing these things???))

[Maniac Craniac]

I am guessing most people that take a language CLEP are already fairly fluent in that language.

Judging by those pass rates, apparently not.

[marylynh]

What really surprised me was the pass rate of 49% for Introduction to Modern Middle East. Experienced test takers here seem to consistently rate it as the most difficult test taken.

Perhaps the test has been made much more difficult since these results were released?