Finding testing locations for clep

[dfrecore]

There used to be a lot more CLEP testing open centers but it seems like they're becoming harder to find everywhere. I live in in a huge metro area (San Francisco, CA) and most of the local CLEP test centers are now gone, or closed to the public (at schools who only offer them only to their own students). In this area, the only open CLEP testing centers are now an hour or more drive away (much more with traffic).

CLEPs are hard to use in the SF Bay Area CC/state colleges. UC don't take them at all. CSU will take them sometimes to meet their local GE requirements. Some CC might let you use it on their local AA/AS GE requirements. But you can't use it on IGETC. Unfortunately, the best use for CLEPs is when a junior transfer student fails a class or two and and doesn't have the 60 credits anymore. To avoid being rescinded, they grab a CLEP or two to get regain the 60 credits.

Just to clarify this - ALL CA CC's and CSU's will take CLEP to satisfy some of their courses.  It's required at the state level, and written into the docs, mostly because people were having such a hard time graduating from CSU's in 4 years that they had to do something to try to fix that.  Enter CLEP.  

Since the IGETC is for UC's, then no, they won't accept CLEP's since no UC's take CLEP exams.  The IGETC is a document that shows how you can guarantee your credits transfer to the UC system.  But the CSU Advising guides do show how CLEP's will transfer to CSU's.  You need to know ahead of time whether you're going to a UC or CSU to decide which guide to use, and whether or not CLEP's will work for you.

Many CC's (maybe all, I don't know) will also take DSST exams - none of which would be accepted at either UC or CSU.  But if you wanted a quick way to meet some requirements for an AA/AS/AAS, you could easily take a few DSST's.  No, they wouldn't transfer; but they will still count towards your CC degree, and since you don't need an AA/AS/AAS to transfer (you just need 60cr), you can get your remaining credits in other ways.  I would only do it as an easy add-on to your transfer requirements, if it wasn't going to hold up your transfer itself.