Having a hard time and feeling like an idiot...

[blaczkowitz]

So so far I started with Principles of Marketing on IC.  I signed up for Modern States on Marketing, went thru the course, got literally 100% (some required two or three tries, only a handful were true guesses) and then got the 'free clep prep' pay package with audio and a quick prep sheet - i've studied that about 4 hours or so, went back to Instant Cert to check my progress... and...  i'm still an idiot.  The language just feels so CLUNKY on the questions that even if I sorta understand the concept, I never know the exact word they are looking for.  My score starting out is as horrible as before I tried anything.  I feel like I have a decent chunk of the FCP mp3 files literally memorized for definitions, but plugging in the right word in the IC quiz is leaving me shooting blanks over and over.  If the CLEP tests actually look like the InstantCert test I think i'm in trouble. 

I'm aware that apparently the way to memorize this is just to go thru the test over and over I guess until you get used to all the clunkiness..?  Are there premade flashcards with the exact language and questions to help train it in?  I'm starting to feel I could get yet another pay help guide or something and still not be any closer/I feel mentally blocked and don't know why...

[Ideas]

Filling in the blanks is generally harder than typical multiple-choice. CLEP is multiple-choice.

I think that you shouldn't care what you're scoring on IC, but just that going through each card 2-3 times might help you later with multiple-choice. Or you may want to just stop using IC. You could use some other flashcard sets from sites like Quizlet.

[sanantone]

The important stuff is not in the blanks; the important stuff is in the surrounding sentence and explanations. I never bothered with filling in the blanks.

[davewill]

You have to use your own judgement about whether the exact word is important. If you use a truly equivalent wording, you can privately consider your answer correct.

[RANSOMSOUL]

There is solid advice already posted. The IC study 'blanks' plenty of times had their way with me but the resources of IC & Free Clep Prep provided perfect value to secure the knowledge needed to pass the exams. My daughters have used the same resources (teenagers) and have been successful with all attempts. Keep putting in the study time, take some more practice tests and then get those credits locked up!

[clep3705]

At this point, taking the real test might be the most efficient use of your time.

[eriehiker]

I was making the world's best exam sheet yesterday for my money and banking exam. I started to bog down and said, screw it, I'm taking the exam. I took it and scored 70. I think momentum is a big part of this kind of pathway.

[RANSOMSOUL]

In the pass/fail exam task for credits, it requires a different mindset than a traditional student taking on a course looking for the best grade possible. My daughters were both straight-A students (well my younger daughter - older received a B+ and the younger one never lets it drop - they both really struggled with the art of focusing on passing the exam for efficiency over passing the exam for the highest score possible. Early on they would come out of a CLEP/DSST, StraighterLine, Saylor or Study.com exam and even though they passed, they would always complain about not acing it. Once they mastered that middle ground, both started tackling the study prep/exam success/celebration trinity with ease.

[cookderosa]

So so far I started with Principles of Marketing on IC.  I signed up for Modern States on Marketing, went thru the course, got literally 100% (some required two or three tries, only a handful were true guesses) and then got the 'free clep prep' pay package with audio and a quick prep sheet - i've studied that about 4 hours or so, went back to Instant Cert to check my progress... and...  i'm still an idiot.  The language just feels so CLUNKY on the questions that even if I sorta understand the concept, I never know the exact word they are looking for.  My score starting out is as horrible as before I tried anything.  I feel like I have a decent chunk of the FCP mp3 files literally memorized for definitions, but plugging in the right word in the IC quiz is leaving me shooting blanks over and over.  If the CLEP tests actually look like the InstantCert test I think i'm in trouble. 

I'm aware that apparently the way to memorize this is just to go thru the test over and over I guess until you get used to all the clunkiness..?  Are there premade flashcards with the exact language and questions to help train it in?  I'm starting to feel I could get yet another pay help guide or something and still not be any closer/I feel mentally blocked and don't know why...

Your first exam is hard mentally more than anything else. I think peope tend to REALLY overprepare and come out with a super high score, or REALLY under prepare and bomb it. There is a middle ground, and it's hard to explain what that is, but you will eventually get a sense of what it feels like to be ready enough. If you're really really worried, you could take the Peterson's series. It's $20 for 3 online timed exams. They are about as close to the real thing as you can get- but keep in mind that the test bank of the real exam contains about a zillion questions, so on any given day, whether or not you get questions you know is a crap shoot. You can't know EVERYTHING that they'll ask- but there is a foundation of basics, and you need to be solid on the basics. After that, you'll encounter the rule of diminishing returns because it becomes a game of trivial pursuit. You could spend 2 weeks studying hard to hit a 50, a month to get a 60, but it might take you a year to hit a 75. Make sense?
I'm with everyone else- schedule your exam. You'll likely have at least a week before they can get you in due to the holidays. Between now and then you can study more, but you're probably ready.

[dfrecore]

I never found the IC flashcards to be a good prep for me personally. I just don't learn that way. I do much better seeing the whole picture laid out in front of me, instead of looking at bits and pieces like they have it. Nothing wrong with it, and some people do great, but I just don't.

If you are studying and doing well with things like Modern States and additional resources, and feel like you have the knowledge, then you should just take the test. The worst thing that will happen is that you fail, but honestly, it's not terrible - that first test, and understanding what they're looking for, is the hardest. Once you understand how it works, it gets easier.