The no-class-required test that gives students immediate college credit

Prospective college students should know that there are simple, affordable tests available that can allow them to test out of many basic college courses.

The College-Level Examination Program (CLEP exam) lets students prove their mastery of introductory academic material via a test. The idea is simple: prospective college students who already know the material shouldn’t waste time and money in simplistic classes. They can use the CLEP exam to test out of basic college courses, saving hundreds of dollars and working hours in the process.

The CLEP exam, launched in 1967 by the College Board, has high levels of national institutional trust. Thousands of colleges accept passing CLEP exams in lieu of introductory coursework. (For example, the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities campus accepts CLEP credits for College Mathematics, Microeconomics, and Macroeconomics.)

CLEP isn’t the only way for prospective students to gain college credit. Many high schools offer Advanced Placement (AP) courses, which are also administered through the nonprofit College Board. At the end of the yearlong course, teachers proctor a final exam. If students score well enough, their AP scores may qualify them to skip introductory college courses.

While an AP course is an excellent opportunity for many high schoolers, the CLEP exam offers far more flexibility. CLEP exams are offered to students of any age, at any time throughout the year, and allow for unlimited retakes. The exams, usually around two hours, are comprised solely of multiple-choice questions and cost $97. With 34 exams to choose from, enterprising students could knock out thousands of dollars worth of basic college credits and focus their time in college on major-specific coursework.

Accessibility and flexibility are significant strengths of the CLEP exam, but this pathway to college credit has challenges. Unlike AP exams, which are taken at the end of a yearlong course, CLEP exams have no required course attached to them. The exams (which are rigorous enough to be considered stand-ins for college credit) can be an excellent choice for autodidacts and self-motivated learners. However, the majority of learners need high-structure courses to retain information.

Thankfully, there are completely free online courses designed to prepare students for the CLEP test, offered through the nonprofit Modern States Education Alliance. Since the program launched in 2017, 800,000 students have taken free courses through Modern States in preparation for CLEP exams. Modern States also provides a test cost voucher for all students who pass a Modern States course.

Depending on the academic strength of a student, test preparation might not be necessary.(On an anecdotal level, I passed several CLEP tests in high school without any previous studying.) Especially for adult students seeking a degree for the first time, CLEP might be an easy way to earn credit for knowledge they’ve already won through workplace and life experience.

From CLEP, PSEO, and AP options, Minnesota’s prospective college students have many robust opportunities to gain college credit. Parents and students should be aware that high school effort towards a CLEP test could translate to thousands of saved dollars, semesters of freed college schedules, and maybe even the ability to add an extra major or minor.