CLEP versus other Options

[Merlin]

Hi Folks,

I don't know if this has come up before... (maybe even more than once).  


I have taken two DSST tests and passed. I have five more CLEP tests that I'm planning on.  They are:

Micro
Macro
Financial Accounting
Business Law
Intro to Marketing

My question is, all but one of these are offered through straighterline and would transfer to my school.  I have to prep anyway which normally includes buying a book, and spending 25+ hours getting ready and then it's a one shot, hoping i'm prepared enough.

i'm reading that people are routinely finishing the S/L courses in a week or less. Some much less- I could be in S/L for two months and pay for four classes and still be at just under the cost of CLEP tests. (and avoid the hassle of going to a test site and risking not passing.

how realistic is finishing these classes in ~~20 hours of work each?

Anyone else have similar thoughts?

Most courses at Straighterline (or Study.com) take between 40 and 80 hours to complete for someone with no prior experience in the course. There are some exceptions of course, but the majority of people do not complete those courses in less than a week unless it is one of the easier courses and/or they are able to put a lot more than 8 hours a day into the course. I typically budget two weeks for every course and usually complete them before that, but I put in at least 4-6 hours a day into each course, and more when I can.

It is true that some of the SL open-book courses can be completed more quickly by just looking up all the answers in the text as you take each test (until you run out of time), but you generally won't learn the material that way... plus not all courses are open-book. Not to mention many of the questions are not so easy to just look up... some take a synthesis of knowledge to figure out the context. It can be faster, but you are not guaranteed a pass with this approach. However, you can retake a course as many times as you like, you just need to pay for the course again each time.

Personally, I found the CLEP & DSST tests to be easier and faster in many ways than the SL and Straighterline courses. Particularly if you use the available CLEP study guides, flashcard sites like InstantCert, and prep sites like Modern States. As MNomadic mentioned, Modern States also offers free CLEP test vouchers if you use their prep tools (which are also free). If I were you, I'd try to take as many free CLEP tests as possible before bothering with any online courses. If you fail a CLEP, you can get another voucher to try again, and if that fails, then pay to take a course at Straighterline or Study.com. If I had local CLEP testing centers available, that is what I'd be doing.

That is my perspective anyway, others will undoubtedly have their own. Good luck.