The College-Level Examination Program® (CLEP)

Find out how to receive college credit for courses you already know.

What is CLEP?

The College Board’s CLEP program gives students the opportunity to receive college credit by taking qualifying examinations. It does not matter how you learned the subject. Whether by self-study, high school course work, on-the-job training, professional development or any other means, if you know the subject you can “test out of it” in college.

The CLEP program gives college students the opportunity to save time and money. It helps many accomplish the increasingly difficult tack of graduation on time. Students can skip introductory courses and move directly into more interesting and challenging course work.

There are more than 30 CLEP examinations:

Composition and Literature

• American Literature
• Analyzing and Interpreting Literature
• College Composition and College Composition Modular
• English Literature
• Humanities

World Languages

• French Language (Levels 1 and 2)
• German Language (Levels 1 and 2)
• Spanish Language (Levels 1 and 2)

History and Social Sciences

• American Government
• Human Growth and Development
• Introduction to Educational Psychology
• Introductory Psychology
• Introductory Sociology
• Principles of Macroeconomics
• Principles of Microeconomics
• Social Sciences and History
• History of the United States I: Early Colonization to 1877
• History of the United States II: 1865 to the Present
• Western Civilization I: Ancient Near East to 1648
• Western Civilization II: 1648 to the Present

Science and Mathematics

• Biology
• Calculus
• Chemistry
• College Algebra
• College Mathematics
• Natural Sciences
• Precalculus

Business

• Financial Accounting
• Introductory Business Law
• Information Systems and Computer Applications
• Principles of Management
• Principles of Marketing

Help Preparing for CLEP Examinations

There are many resources available to help students prepare for CLEP examinations. Students should acquire a copy of the latest CLEP Official Study Guide. College textbooks provide helpful references, and for decades, Schaum’s Outlines have proven to be excellent self-study guides. Students can also purchase Instructional CD’s

And finally, there are many excellent online tutorials. One of the best sites is the Khan Academy, with more than 2,000 tutorials primarily in the areas of math and science. College instructors are even incorporating Khan Academy videos into their courses.

How to Get Started

The first step is to see if your college awards CLEP credit. Use the College Board’s CLEP College Serach engine and find out. When in doubt, talk to a counselor or academic advisor. Colleges may accept some but not all CLEP examinations.

© 2011 Paul A. Hummel, Ed.D.

August 21, 2011