First time Clep - Whole future depends on it!

[AsheRayne]

I don't mean to be melodramatic, but due to circumstance and a terrible setup by the largest University in the nation by enrollment (I wont name any names), I'm 32 years old, 55k in student debt for a degree I do not yet have. I, however, am a single course away from my BS in Criminal Justice, am out of funding, and am taking the Clep for it on this coming Tuesday. It's College Algebra, and is by far my weakest subject. I've been cramming for two months now, using mathhelp.com and thattutorguy. I have a sub for IC and SpeedyPrep. I haven't started using them but plan on starting this evening. I am absolutely terrified because never in my life has so much rested on a single exam. So I guess I'm here for a little moral support and any extra help I can get before Tuesday.

[mednat]

Hang in there!

I know it seems like a huge deal, but there is definitely more than one way to obtain a degree! Regardless of how you do on the CLEP, you will have more options -- no matter how it may seem right now.

Welcome and good luck!

[AsheRayne]

Well, I suppose I'll go into TLDR territory here, but I'm in my seventh year for a four year degree. I was a traditional student up until my senior year, and then I had a family member have a medical issue. I left the state to take care of her, knowing the final course I needed to graduate was offered online. They then added a pre-req course that is NOT offered online. 3 years later and still fighting, they've finally agreed to let me clep (before that my only alternative was to move back to the state I came from and take the pre-req course). I looked at my other options, and up here, I got accepted to GSU, but they'll be requiring me to take another 34 credit hours for my degree if I did it here, and I have no funding/student loans left. So the clep seems like my best and only option. It's just the principle of being 65k in debt for a single CJ degree that I currently don't know what I'm going to do with it that has taken me 7 years to attain. Don't take me as sounding mopey, I don't mean to! I'm just worried, even after I pass, I then need to begin the job hunt for my field. I've spent the last ten years in customer service jobs and now have a (hopefully) bachelor's in Criminal Justice. I'm not in the best of health so anything beyond a desk job is currently out of the question - though I WAS considering going for a master's or a second bachelor's, I would (I think) need more student loans for that. Enough to pay for my rent and the like, plus classes. I dunno, just at a crossroads here, I know I'm not the first and certainly wont be the last in this situation.

[Lindagerr]

My IC membership has expired but if I remember correctly there is a lot of specific exam feedback on the college algebra exam. Don't forget to check there The specific exam feedback makes IC membership twice as useful.

[bamafan98]

Read all the specific exam feedback here. Take the Official CLEP practice test. Take additional practice tests on sites like free-clep-prep.com, etc. I think most people say time is the issue so make sure you time yourself on these practice tests. I also had someone suggest using your scratch paper when you get in there - before you start the time / test - to write down all the formulas / rules / facts etc you memorized so that when you start the test you don't get stressed and forget them. Good luck!

[Prloko]

Many member of this forum use ALEKS.com to complete their college algebra requirement. Your school may or may not accept ALEKS. Ask. If they do, completing ALEKS cost only $20 a month. If by chance your school does NOT accept it, you can still use the ALEKS site to study for the CLEP exam.

[mednat]

Well, I suppose I'll go into TLDR territory here, but I'm in my seventh year for a four year degree. I was a traditional student up until my senior year, and then I had a family member have a medical issue. I left the state to take care of her, knowing the final course I needed to graduate was offered online. They then added a pre-req course that is NOT offered online. 3 years later and still fighting, they've finally agreed to let me clep (before that my only alternative was to move back to the state I came from and take the pre-req course). I looked at my other options, and up here, I got accepted to GSU, but they'll be requiring me to take another 34 credit hours for my degree if I did it here, and I have no funding/student loans left. So the clep seems like my best and only option. It's just the principle of being 65k in debt for a single CJ degree that I currently don't know what I'm going to do with it that has taken me 7 years to attain. Don't take me as sounding mopey, I don't mean to! I'm just worried, even after I pass, I then need to begin the job hunt for my field. I've spent the last ten years in customer service jobs and now have a (hopefully) bachelor's in Criminal Justice. I'm not in the best of health so anything beyond a desk job is currently out of the question - though I WAS considering going for a master's or a second bachelor's, I would (I think) need more student loans for that. Enough to pay for my rent and the like, plus classes. I dunno, just at a crossroads here, I know I'm not the first and certainly wont be the last in this situation.

That definitely sounds frustrating. I think you'll find plenty of people here who warn of the dangers of these type of schools. Personally, I think the federal subsidy for education loans is a double edged sword. I do think it's important to educate students on the options available and the true cost of education and/or the potential ability to pay back the loan.

More than likely you will have the option to take the class elsewhere and transfer it in. I know you don't want to badmouth the specific school, but it may help if you list it so we can review their transfer policies.

What type of job are you wanting to do? If you consider a masters program, I would definitely ask the folks around here for advice. Their years of expierence have saved me tons of money in mistakes I would have made and have directed me to many of the masters programs I'm considering.

[BGSU_Alum_86]

bamafan98, please do not pass along the suggestion to candidates to write information down on scratch paper before the exam even begins. I can tell you as a test center administrator this is NOT ALLOWED. Any writing needs to take place once the official timer for the exam begins (I tell my testing candidates they must see the first question on the screen before they can start writing). This has not happened very often, but I have interrupted candidates who begin writing when they are not in their actual test (this is a rule for ALL computerized testing!). The scratch paper is replaced and they move on.

[LaterBloomer]

Take a deep breath. Good luck with the exam. Seriously consider if a masters degree will help you, or put you further in debt. When you've dug yourself into a (financial) hole, consider if stopping the digging isn't the better way to go.

[Prloko]

bamafan98, please do not pass along the suggestion to candidates to write information down on scratch paper before the exam even begins. I can tell you as a test center administrator this is NOT ALLOWED. Any writing needs to take place once the official timer for the exam begins (I tell my testing candidates they must see the first question on the screen before they can start writing). This has not happened very often, but I have interrupted candidates who begin writing when they are not in their actual test (this is a rule for ALL computerized testing!). The scratch paper is replaced and they move on.

As a test administrator, you definitely know more than I do on the subject, but where is this rule written down?