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Degree Plan – BS Math Major at Excelsior
#19
Biology CLEP

I studied for 4 weeks. It is a lot to learn in that amount of time. I was surprised to get a 77! It was the kind of test where you don't wonder which questions you missed, but which questions you got right! I am always surprised by my score, but this was a little higher than my practice tests and I thought the actual test was harder. The wording of the questions and answers was tricky. Knowing lots of facts and vocabulary does help to narrow down the possibilities. It covers a lot of material and I did not get more than 2 questions on any one topic. I did not have any trouble finishing the practice tests on time, but I did have trouble finishing the real test. I left the multiple question chart problems for last. There were about 15-20 of that type of question and I was not sure I left enough time for that many.

Thank you all for recommending excellent study materials. I used:

REA Biology – These have always been helpful and I love having practice tests.

Biology Smart – This is an awesome book. It makes a lot of topics simple and easy to learn. It is great to use with the REA book.

Amazon.com: Biology Smart (Smart Series) (9780679769088): Deborah Guest: Books

Cliff’s Notes online – I used their glossary and “cheat sheet”.

Tools & Resources: Biology Glossary - CliffsNotes

Tools & Resources: Biology Cheat Sheet - CliffsNotes

Peterson’s practice exams – These were great for preparing for the real test. The third one is extra difficult, but it is worth at least reading through because some of the new material is on the real exam. (There might be AP exams to use for practice also.)

Official CLEP Study Guide - for exam topics and practice questions

I have also read that IC has over 800 flashcards to study for this exam. I did not have time to try them, but I am sure they would be an excellent resource to add.

Since I just started studying for the Natural Science exam, I have found that the REA study guide for General Exams, which includes Natural Science, has a Biology section which would have been a good starting point. It also has several items that would have helped on the test.

Note: Before you go to all of the work of studying for and taking this exam, be sure that your college will accept it for the credit that you need for your major and make sure that any lab requirements can be earned separately.

Natural Sciences CLEP

This was my last test this year! I have earned 33 credits through taking 8 exams in 10 months. I am going to take a break over the holidays and start studying again in January. I hope to finish an associate degree next year before I start to study for the GREs.

I studied for this exam for 4 weeks, but technically I had already been studying for this exam for 5 months, since my last 3 exams were Astronomy, Chemistry, and Biology. Having such a good foundation helped make studying and the test a lot easier; my score was a 73! I still needed to learn about physics, geology, and meteorology for this test, which was still a lot of new material.

As I was studying, I was wondering how you would start this from scratch. It seemed difficult because of having multiple subjects. I think it would be a lot easier to start by studying just one subject – Biology, pass that CLEP, and then add some knowledge and take this CLEP.

I found that many of the questions were straight-forward and fact-based. Also, many were not covered in my study materials, so life-experience and gathering personal knowledge helped or I just made good and bad guesses.

I forgot to look at a periodic table the day of the exam. That would have helped to refresh my memory.

Materials I used:

REA General Review book (with review/teaching material for each subject plus drills)
and SEPARATE REA Preparation book (with 3 practice tests) - http://www.degreeforum.net/general-educa...exams.html
Update: (REA has a book for just the Natural Sciences test available now. I have seen the authors’ (David and Laurie) study materials recommended often for this exam.)

Peterson's CLEP Success free ebook has review/teaching material for each subject and multiple practice tests.

Peterson’s practice tests – The printable test is different than the online tests, so there are a total of 4 tests available. The printable test was similar to the REA tests and the online tests were much harder; however, the material covered was useful for the real exam. I would recommend working through the CLEP Success materials first. That should help with these more difficult practice tests.

CLEP Official Study Guide - Practice test

I struggled with some of the physics and geology questions; I am not sure what resource would have helped. If I had had more time, I would have done more at the Rader's PHYSICS 4 KIDS.COM and related websites.

If this is your first and only science exam, I would recommend some of the resources I used for the previous exams and I don’t know how long it will take to study for this. Biology – REA Biology and Biology Smart, Chemistry – Concepts and Problems and/or CliffNotes, Astronomy – Pass DSST Astronomy, IC, and Sparknotes

Also, be sure to find a very good vocabulary list for each of the subjects.

My best wishes to all taking this exam! It was a great opportunity to add 6 credits to my previous 15 science credits!

More of my feedback on other exams is posted on page 3.
AS in 2010 and BS in 2013 at Excelsior College - Transcripts and Costs
MS Biostatistics in 2019 at Texas A&M University - Graduate School

Sharing Credit-by-Exam*
Resources Used - 20+ Exams Passed & General GRE
Practice Tests - Available for CLEP and DSST

* Link posted with permission from forum admin; thank you!


Messages In This Thread
Degree Plan – BS Math Major at Excelsior - by NAP - 10-21-2009, 03:27 PM
Degree Plan - BS Math Major at Excelsior - by NAP - 03-14-2013, 03:02 PM

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