Online Degrees and CLEP and DSST Exam Prep Discussion
Just starting - Help with CLEP please - Printable Version

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Just starting - Help with CLEP please - starr - 02-04-2010

Hello - I am just beginning this long process at Excelsior, and would appreciate some help with the CLEP tests I need to take. I am entering the Bach of Business program there, and I am wondering - should I begin with the 90-minute "General" CLEP tests (Humanities, Social Sciences and History, ect.)? I understand that passing these qualify for 6 credits each, but exactly which classes do they replace? I notice that Excelsior no longer accepts the English Comp CLEP (you need to take their ECE for that) - do the rest of the "General" CLEP tests still qualify? I don't see any of the General tests listed on their Business Program list. If they do qualify - are the "General" tests the best way to begin? Thanks for any help!

Stephen Blackburn

Just starting - Help with CLEP please - TMW2010 - 02-04-2010

starr Wrote:Hello - I am just beginning this long process at Excelsior, and would appreciate some help with the CLEP tests I need to take. I am entering the Bach of Business program there, and I am wondering - should I begin with the 90-minute "General" CLEP tests (Humanities, Social Sciences and History, ect.)? I understand that passing these qualify for 6 credits each, but exactly which classes do they replace? I notice that Excelsior no longer accepts the English Comp CLEP (you need to take their ECE for that) - do the rest of the "General" CLEP tests still qualify? I don't see any of the General tests listed on their Business Program list. If they do qualify - are the "General" tests the best way to begin? Thanks for any help!

Stephen Blackburn

The general cleps still qualify. If you look in the catalog for the degree breakdown, you'll see that there's different areas. Humanities, Social Science and History, Natural Science and Math, and so on.. The credits earned from the CLEPs will plug into those (and if you have more credits than you need, they'll roll over to the Arts & Sciences Electives or to Free Electives.)

You can take the Uexcel College Writing test now to complete the Written English Requirement. It uses the same artificial intelligence essay grading engine that they use for the ECE, consists of 2 essays, and only costs $85 and is worth 3 credits.

My advice is to pick which CLEPs and DSSTs that you need by lining them up with the requirements for your degree, and figure out which areas that you're strongest down to weakest in, and put the tests in that order, Strongest first and so on, so that you have more time to study for the areas that you're week in.

Just starting - Help with CLEP please - starr - 02-05-2010

Thanks for the advice! It was good to learn about the Uexcel exam, and this is probably the way I will go. Is that exam just the two essays, or does it have some other questions, also?

Stephen Blackburn

Just starting - Help with CLEP please - TMW2010 - 02-05-2010

starr Wrote:Thanks for the advice! It was good to learn about the Uexcel exam, and this is probably the way I will go. Is that exam just the two essays, or does it have some other questions, also?

Stephen Blackburn
Just the two essays. And the informational pdf that covers the test gives examples of the two types of essay questions on the test.

My only problem with the Uexcel setup isn't the test itself, its the vendor, Pearson Vue... But there's a thread about that in the Off Topic section.

Just starting - Help with CLEP please - PonyGirl93 - 02-05-2010

If I'm reading right, page 26 of this pdf has the requirements you need: https://www.excelsior.edu/Excelsior_College/Publications/Business_Catalog.pdf

Here's the core requirements :]

English Comp - 3

Humanities - 9

Social Sciences & History - 15
has to include:
--Microeconomics
--Macroeconomics

Natural Sci/Math - 6
has to include:
--math course at Precal level or higher
--Statistics

Just starting - Help with CLEP please - TMW2010 - 02-05-2010

Those are only the general requirements.

Depending on which Business Degree (concentrations) you choose there are Business Component core classes that you'll need.

For example, the BSBA -General Business (pg 37) requires
  • Financial Accounting - CLEP Financial Accounting & DSST Principles of Financial Accounting available, Also available through Straighterline.
  • Managerial Accounting - No CLEP or DSST available, but you can take it through Straighterline
  • Intro to Business Law - CLEP available
  • A computer course - CLEP Information Systems and Computer Applications & DSST Introduction to Computing available
  • Principles of Management - CLEP Principles of Management available
  • Principles of Marketing - CLEP Principles of Marketing avaliable
  • Financial Management@ - DSST Principles of Finance available (I don't think they'll accept DSST Personal Finance, but I could be wrong)
  • Production/Operations Management - No CLEP or DSST available for this - Class is required, do a forum search for a cheaper alternative than taking it at EC.
  • Business Policy@ - The only Business Policy class they'll accept is BUS495-Business Strategy through Excelsior.
  • Organizational Behavior - DSST Organizational Behavior available
  • Ethics@ - DSST Business Ethics and Society available

Requirements marked with a @ are Upper Level credit classes or tests BUT all the required core classes (both general and business) will count as Lower Level credit. (Per the Business catalog)

You can also take Econ I & II (Micro and Macro) through Straighterline or there are CLEPs available for each of those.
You can take the Precalcus CLEP (or Calc if you're that bold) for the Math Requirement & DSST Principles of Statistics for the Stats requirement, or you can take them both at your own pace with ALEKs. (Do a search on the forums for A LOT more info on ALEKs, there's threads all over the place.)

For the 12 UL credits you need for the degree, you can use the following DSSTs: Management Information Systems, Money and Banking, & Business Law II. You'll need to find a class to give you 3 more UL Business credits as well.

And you'll need 27 more arts and sciences credits and 15 more credits beyond that in Arts and Sciences OR Business credit classes to fill out the degree. This part is the easy part because you can pretty much clep out of these 43 credits quickly depending on the tests you choose.

The good news is that Instacert has cards for just about everything that's CLEP or DSST'able on the list. And if they don't have the cards for it, there's specific exam feedback which is a goldmine of information on the tests.

Just starting - Help with CLEP please - PonyGirl93 - 02-06-2010

TMW2010 Wrote:Those are only the general requirements.

:iagree: I guess my definition of "core" is off cuz that's what I thought it meant :confused:

Just starting - Help with CLEP please - starr - 02-06-2010

Thanks for all the help! It is quite a chore to get all this figured out.

Just starting - Help with CLEP please - TMW2010 - 02-06-2010

PonyGirl93 Wrote::iagree: I guess my definition of "core" is off cuz that's what I thought it meant :confused:

Hehe.. For the Liberal Arts degree, you're spot on, but the business degree introduces the 'Business Core'.. <Grin> They're sneaky like that.

Just starting - Help with CLEP please - PonyGirl93 - 02-08-2010

TMW2010 Wrote:Hehe.. For the Liberal Arts degree, you're spot on, but the business degree introduces the 'Business Core'.. <Grin> They're sneaky like that.

Shame on them for introducing more complications for helpless, overwhelmed students... hilarious