Human Growth and Development Help

[AllBusinessJoe]

Anyone with experience with this exam? The specific feedback area of the forum has not been updated in a long time. I think many people are skipping this exam because of the degree of difficulty.

I'm having a heck of a time preparing for this exam because of the virtually unlimited W-I-D-E array of subjects, topics, theories, studies, psychologists, body parts, learning methods, etc. involved.

I've been preparing for this exam for a couple weeks and am not really not improving at all. Anyone have any advice for this exam?

[rmroberts]

It's been months since I took this one, so I don't remember a whole lot. Specific Exam Feedback is probably still relevant. Have you taken any other psych cleps? There is a lot of overlap between the three (HG&D, Intro Psych, Edu. Psych). I think I used mainly REA for this one (I wasn't aware of IC yet). But I think IC would get you through. You may also want to check out this site if you haven't already.

[creative]

I agree with rmroberts that 'Specific Exam Feedback' is probably still relevant. I took this test many months ago. I used REA book, a used Intro Psych textbook, a used Human Development textbook, IC flashcards, Sparknotes.com (they have a Psych section with human dev), and most importantly are the free Peterson Practice tests!! The Peterson's is what REALLY helped me get an idea of what to focus on and to get used to questions that are worded to test critical thinking. I think Peterson's is your BEST bet along with Specific Exam Feedback. What you score on Peterson's is a pretty good indicator of what you will probably score on the clep. Use the link that rmroberts provided and it will show you where to get these tests free. Peterson's are a great study tool!!

[Boomshadow]

I took this yesterday along with the Intro. to Educational Psychology - passed both. The specific forum was a big help. I only used IC and the 3 Peterson Practice Exams.

If you're only taking HG&D, I think the forum with IC cards and Peterson's test is more than enough to pass.

[Maniac Craniac]

The test isn't difficult. I studied for about 4 hours and passed easily. I skimmed through the chapter summaries of an HG&D textbook from the library (I really wish I hadn't crunched my exam schedule so tightly, I wanted to read that book so bad!), memorized the names of a few theorists and perspectives, then memorized the glossary.

All in all, its just a simple multiple choice test where the most important thing is to carefully read each question. This test was very different from every other CLEP I have taken. Most of the questions were very long to read, containing scenarios that were full paragraphs. By the end of the exam, I didn't have time to do my normal review routine, and in fact, I really didn't even feel like looking at the screen anymore, so I only did a quick look over my marked answers before time ran out and my fate was sealed.

[AllBusinessJoe]

The test isn't difficult. I studied for about 4 hours and passed easily. I skimmed through the chapter summaries of an HG&D textbook from the library (I really wish I hadn't crunched my exam schedule so tightly, I wanted to read that book so bad!), memorized the names of a few theorists and perspectives, then memorized the glossary.

All in all, its just a simple multiple choice test where the most important thing is to carefully read each question. This test was very different from every other CLEP I have taken. Most of the questions were very long to read, containing scenarios that were full paragraphs. By the end of the exam, I didn't have time to do my normal review routine, and in fact, I really didn't even feel like looking at the screen anymore, so I only did a quick look over my marked answers before time ran out and my fate was sealed.

Congrats, but I'm really surprised to read your post. I also recently read that this exam only has a 22% pass rate.

Because of the ultra wide spectrum of topics included in this exam, I'm having a heck of a time studying. It seems in order to pass one would have to be a medical doctor, a psychologist, and a college professor all rolled into one. I really don't see how it is possible to pass this exam without somehow memorizing whole volumes of medical encyclopedias. I don't consider myself subpar mentally, but I cannot memorize several books at a time. I have been studying for over two weeks; roughly 2 hours a day. (I have passed 3 previous CLEP exams on my first attempt with no problem.)

But I have taken several practice exams and have not been able to get over 60% in any of them. I am especially having a difficult time deciphering between the semantics and nuances of the wording in the multiple choice answers.

I take the exam next week. I'll post my findings.

[marianne202]

I highly recommend the IC flashcards and specific feedback for this one. I did well on this exam, but I have some medical background, but not much psych. I wish I had done my psych exams along with this one as it would have been easier. I think you are being too hard on yourself. This exam is one of the easier ones. I'm not sure where you got your pass rate, because around here it is much higher than that.

If you follow the specific exam feedback suggestions and review the flashcards several times you should be fine. I also did used the Sparknotes and the Peterson's practice exams.

You will probably do much better than you think.

Good luck!

[Maniac Craniac]

Congrats, but I'm really surprised to read your post. I also recently read that this exam only has a 22% pass rate.

Because of the ultra wide spectrum of topics included in this exam, I'm having a heck of a time studying. It seems in order to pass one would have to be a medical doctor, a psychologist, and a college professor all rolled into one. I really don't see how it is possible to pass this exam without somehow memorizing whole volumes of medical encyclopedias. I don't consider myself subpar mentally, but I cannot memorize several books at a time. I have been studying for over two weeks; roughly 2 hours a day. (I have passed 3 previous CLEP exams on my first attempt with no problem.)

But I have taken several practice exams and have not been able to get over 60% in any of them. I am especially having a difficult time deciphering between the semantics and nuances of the wording in the multiple choice answers.

I take the exam next week. I'll post my findings.

CLEP doesn't make public the actual pass rate. If you did find one, it was likely the military pass rate. Since service men and women can take these exams for free, many will take several without studying, hence the dreadful statistics. You, however, have studied well. I would be surprised if you had too much trouble. The best advice I can give you is to read the questions carefully and make sure you understand what is being asked.

[creative]

The test isn't difficult. I studied for about 4 hours and passed easily.

AllBusinessJoe- In my humble opinion I have found it wise not to compare myself to everything that other people post on this forum. When I first starting coming to this forum and reading about people studying for a test in a few hours and then passing it -- I was expecting to finish my bachelor's in a matter of a few weeks!! Well... I soon learned that everyone is very different and there are SO many variables that play into how fast people study. There is NO way on this planet that I could study for 4 hours and pass one of these tests. So take heart my friend.... find what works best for you and stick with that. It took me a long time to study for HG&D because I had not been in a Psychology class in over 20 yrs. So I was essentially starting from scratch learning the background of the major theories, terms, etc. And I agree, the test questions are usually worded in a way that makes you have to think what is the best answer-- because there might be two answers that are true-- but they want you to decide which one is BEST. So that takes getting use to how the test makers want you to think. I would recommend going through 'Specific Exam Feedback' again and make a list of the different things that people recommend to focus on with this test. It is true that you can't know every little thing for this test or any test. So try to make a list of the major points and focus on them! I have found that helps me from being overwhelmed.

My guess is that there are many, many, people on this forum that need to study more than 4 hours for a test. So, don't compare yourself Study at the pace that you need to understand the material and when you start doing more of these tests you will definitely get more efficient at studying. Please let us know how you do next week!!

[Maniac Craniac]

AllBusinessJoe- In my humble opinion I have found it wise not to compare myself to everything that other people post on this forum.

Well said- your entire comment.

FYI, I would never encourage anyone to only study for a few hours. It's money, and I wouldn't suggest anyone haphazardly spend it on a test that they weren't ready for.

Also, I really feel like I cheated both the system and myself. A few hours shouldn't equal a few credits, yet that's exactly what I did. I'm not happy that my overzeal in exam booking caused me to miss out on a great learning opportunity. Maybe my mistake shall serve as a lesson to others