Students gain credits by taking standardized tests

By SARA SINGER SCHIFF, Special Advertising Sections Writer

Have you ever dreamed of getting a college degree in half the time and for a fraction of the cost? For many students who take the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams or DANTES (Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support) subject standardized tests, this dream is a reality.

The CLEP, run by the College Board, a nonprofit national organization that helps students with college admission, allows students to gain college credits by taking an exam, without having to attend any classes. Students can take exams in up to 35 subjects, including entry-level Spanish, algebra, history and sociology.

CLEP exams mostly cover large survey courses such as first-year chemistry or commonly taught language courses, while DANTES subject standardized tests, or DSSTs, tend to cover elective and upper-level courses, as well as business courses. Consequently, students often supplement CLEP exams with DSSTs, administered by the Chauncey Group International, a for-profit subsidiary of the Educational Testing Service, a nonprofit organization that provides educational products and services, including developing and administering the SATs and the Advanced Placement Program for high school students.

Widely accepted

CLEP exams are a widely accepted alternative for earning college credits, with 2,900 colleges across the U.S. offering credit for at least one exam. More than 200 California colleges, including all the California State University schools, Pepperdine University and Concordia University, grant CLEP credit. About 2,000 schools, including 124 in California, accept DSSTs.

People take CLEP exams for a variety of reasons, according to Ariel S. Foster, director of the CLEP. Graduating high school students who acquired extra knowledge in a subject might decide they want to get a head start on their college degrees. Or adults who gained college-level knowledge while working might decide to apply it toward a degree. Older people working toward lifelong goals of earning degrees also often take the tests.

While most CLEP applicants are undergraduate students, Foster said numerous graduates also often take the tests to make up credit for master’s programs. For example, the departments of education in many states acknowledge certain CLEP exams for teacher certification programs.

“There is no age limit. The youngest test taker [we’ve had] was 14 and the oldest was 70,” said Foster. “I don’t care who you are – if you feel you have college-level knowledge you can move ahead in your discipline or degree,” she said.

Test centers are located throughout the country, often on college campuses. However, even if a particular college grants credit for a CLEP or DSST exam, it may not offer the test on its campus or it might just offer the exam to its own students. To locate a test center for CLEP, visit the College Board website at www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/about.html. To locate a center to take DSSTs, visit www.getcollegecredit.com/index.htm.

CLEP exams cost $55 each, plus an administration fee set by the testing center. ( The fee ranges from $15 to $25.) DSSTs cost $60 each.

“It’s an absolutely wonderful system for someone who has some knowledge in a field, if [that person] can use the CLEP to prove it instead of [going to school for] a whole semester or year. It’s a lot cheaper, too,” said Valerie Smith, director of developmental education testing and disabilities at La Sierra University in Riverside.

The frequency of testing varies from one center to the next. For example, La Sierra, which is an open testing center, offered up to 11 CLEP exams a week over the summer, with as many as four exams a day.

Louis Altobelli of West Hollywood is an adult student who has taken advantage of the savings in time and money offered by the CLEP. After dropping out of Ventura College in his 20s, Altobelli decided he wanted to complete his degree. So a year and a half ago, at the age of 43, he signed up for a distance-learning program in business administration at Thomas Edison State College in New Jersey, while continuing to work full time.

Then he lost his job, and money became tighter. So when he stumbled upon the CLEP on the Internet, he decided to take a break from his degree program and focus instead on earning credits through CLEP exams.

Altobelli has taken seven CLEP exams at Masters College and Seminary in Santa Clarita, earning a total of 27 credits to date. He has also earned numerous credits through DSSTs.

Because of the experience and knowledge Altobelli gained from his business career, he has found the tests manageable. Among the resources he has used to help him study is a testing website to which he pays a $20 a month and gets CLEP practice tests. He has also ordered educational videos from EBay, which he then resells, thereby breaking even on them.

Studying for exams

A helpful study guide is the “CLEP Official Study Guide,” which contains information on all 35 CLEP exams, including practice questions and exam-taking tips. The book, available through the CLEP website and in bookstores, is recommended by the College Board to help students gauge their level of preparation.

Foster suggested that students find out what textbook the local community college is using for the subject they are studying and then borrow it from the library. Foster noted that in choosing a book to study, it’s a good idea to compare the exam content (found on the College Board website) to the textbook table of contents and make sure the subject matter matches up.

Before taking an exam, make sure that your school of choice grants credit for the CLEP and DANTE exams, since some schools, including the University of California schools, do not. Also check with your college to find out what score is required to pass, as well as the number of credits granted, because this varies from school to school.

For more information on the CLEP, visit www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/about.html or call ( 800) 257-9558. For more information on DANTE, visit www.getcollegecredit.com or call (877) 471-9860.

Sara Singer Schiff is a freelance writer based in Sherman Oaks.

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