College-Level Exam Program: "CLEP" Your Way to a College Degree!

Are you short on money, time, and energy but still want a way to earn that college degree you are after? Look no further, because the College Board (the same organization that produces the famous and essential SAT and ACT tests) offers a series of tests that allows people to earn college credits for far less money than it would cost in college tuition and in a far quicker amount of time than it would take to earn credits from a traditional university or college.

What is this test series? It is called the College-Level Exam Program (CLEP), and with an investment of as little as a few hours and $65.00 (plus test-center fees, which range between $20.00 and $40.00 in most cases), one can be able to earn anywhere between 3 and 12 college credits. CLEP tests are fantastic for those who are trying to expedite their journey through college, people who are too busy to take a full course load but still want to graduate "on time," and students who want to focus their study efforts on the tougher courses (and "skip" subjects they already know or find easy to learn). CLEP tests are also great for those who have not yet entered college and are trying to ascertain how they would fare with certain college material, and homeschoolers may also find a benefit in getting a leg up in college before actually attending by taking some credit-granting CLEPs early on.

The College Board currently has more than 30 CLEP tests available, covering a wide range of topics. They include English composition, algebra, foreign languages, business studies, science, and the humanities. While not all tests are accepted at all schools, thousands of institutions do accepts several (if not all of) these tests. Furthermore, it is important to realize that not all tests count the same way at those schools which do accept CLEP credit. For instance, while some colleges may grant up to 12 hours for a foreign language test, others may allow only up to 8 credits to be earned. Further still, realize that while some institutions do not accept CLEP tests, the bulk of the post-secondary havens of higher learning do.