Idiots Guides?

[alexo]

OK I'm planning on taking the enlgish literature clep and was wondering if the Idiot's guide was a good source and if it's the only book I need. Thx to all.

[mlwilliamsiv]

Even though some people are able to use just one study source and successfully pass an exam, I do not condone it. I for one believe that it is better to be overprepared than underprepared. Why pay $65 for a CLEP + the administrative fee to fail because you didn't study appropriately. Not only did you just waste the money but you also cost yourself 6 months unnecessarily. That is the length of time you must wait before you can take that exact same exam again.

Unless you are in the military, who can take exams for free (at least the CLEP & DSST) I wouldn't risk it as a civilian. There are too many resources out there in my opinion to not take advantage of them.

That was just a little background info. In your specific case, I do like the Idiot's Guides as well as the Dummies series too. I am not positive if IC has flashcards available for the English Literature CLEP so you'll have to check on that. If not I would say look at the "specific exam feedback" section and see what others used to study for this exam. I would also check out Online Study Guides and Free Homework Help - CliffsNotes, SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study Guides, and Teacher Professional Development and Teacher Resources by Annenberg Media.

I do love IC. I swear by it!!! All I'm saying is that you should use all the resources that are at your disposal. I'd rather fail an exam which I gave my best effort, than fail an exam and be upset because I should have studied more and used additional sources. But whichever you decide, it's your choice ultimately.

Hope you find this info helpful. Be sure to let us know how you do on your exam. We'd love to hear back from you.

From a loyal degree seeker,

Marshall

[PeteDude]

The only test I've taken so far that I could have gotten by on one study source would have been DSST Astronomy. That was with the Idiot's Guide, and I actually used SparkNotes for some pre-test review as well.

As a general rule, though, as others will point out, try to use two or more sources for study if time/budget permit. This not only makes sure you're prepared for the exam, but will also help you learn the subject matter more thoroughly.

Soapbox: Knowing the subject matter is what makes the credit-by-exam path worthwhile and a valid means of verifying educational accomplishment. Just using a test prep package to cram isn't really learning the material, and cheapens the methodology.