Month 1 - Selection, Enrollment, and Start Testing.....
So you've made your decision on which college to attend (if you're smart, you'd probably be enrolled in 2 or 3 simultaneously, especially under the military option). You've requested to have sent in all official transcripts of all previous coursework. You've sent in your military transcript if applicable (SMART or equivilant). Any licenses or special training that you've received in the civilian world worth credits have been properly reported and documented. Now you are waiting on your official review and acceptance, which for the "big 3" can take up to 10 weeks or longer (after all official transcripts have been received), depending on the time of year. What do you do in the mean time? Start putting the checks in the block.

Do you want to diversify where you obtain your degrees? I.e. get an associate from COSC and then a BA from Excelsior? Then a Master's from Thomas Edison? Not a bad idea to make your resumé look more well-rounded. Or perhaps you prefer to stay at one school for all of your studies, which is perfectly acceptable as well. Especially since many will give you a discount for re-enrolling for the follow-on degree within a certain time period, say 6 months..
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Yes folks, it's really that easy!
Excelsior's ASB - Associate in Science in Business

Believe it or not, credit-by-examination is not as difficult as you may think. You only have to get appoximately 1/2 of the questions correct to pass. If you haven't already, I strongly encourage that you obtain an instantcert and/or iStudySmart membership to help with your studies. I will also list the recommended textbooks w/ISBNs when appropriate. These exams are standardized, multiple choice test, and as such, in addition to studying, there will be additional tricks of the trade to help you ace the test.

Myths, facts, and tips on taking multiple choice tests:

1) Process of Elimination, PoE is the single most important thing you can do. There is only one BEST answer. All the rest of the choices are referred to as distractors. The reason why multiple choice tests work is because the other answers are made to look like the correct answer. On a 4 answer multiple choice question, you randomly have a 1 in 4 or 25% chance of getting the correct answer. If you can eliminate at least 1 incorrect choice, you've just increased your chances to 1/3 or 33%. Eliminate 2 and it 50/50!

2) Read the question and understand what the question is asking. Often times the answer is right there in the question. Often incorrect answers are chosen because the person did not properly understand what the question was asking.
Week 1

Take ECE English Composition - 6 s.h. (semester hours)

I actually took the CLEP version of English Composition with essay, which surprisingly, I failed. I got a 46 on it. I already had satisfied the Written English Requirement (WER) with an English Composition class taken @ Georgia State University. I was only taking this one for filler credit in humanities. To this day I cannot figure out for the life of me how I failed that exam. I guess the essay was too short or something. I think I did fine on the multiple-choice part. But I guess it's one of those things you'll just never be able to fully explain.

The best advice I can give for this test is for the multiple choice part, know basic english grammar rules correct tense, subject/verb agreement, passive/active voice, singular/plural. Remember, for the re-word or re-phrase parts, the most grammatically concise answer is usually the correct answer. For the essay part, there will be a brief topic and woul will be asked to elaborate on it. Mine was on how computers have affected the way we work today vs 100 years ago.

Make sure there is an Introduction with a thesis (one paragraph), a sufficient body (3 paragraphs), and a conclusion (one paragraph). All the grammar rules that apply in the multiple choice section still apply. For those that type faster than write, this may be a good option for you. Whatever you do, write something. Do NOT leave the essay block blank! Keep track of the time to ensure you finish. Don't try to write a book. Write an essay. Make it simple at first and then, as time permits, elaborate more. I think that's where I went wrong: I wrote a simple 3 paragraph essay and finished early, with 25 minutes to spare.
Total credits so far: 30 s.h., lower level.

Overview of core requirements completed, weeks 1-4:
- Written English Requirement, WER 3 credits satisfied
- 6 additional credits credits in humanities
- 6 additional credits in social sciences/history
- 3 credits in math precalculus or above
- 12 additional arts/science credits
Total applicable credits: 30 s.h.

Recommended Booklist
- Cracking the Clep, Princton Review, ISBN 0375761519, $20 Amazon.com | Barnes and Noble
- Humanities Instantcert study guide. $20/month

[update January 17, 2005]
- Official Clep Study Guide 16th ed. ISBN 0874477093,  $25 Amazon.com | Barnes&Noble (note:  not included in the current total of costs).

[update January 17, 2005]
- Master booklist and study guides for all exams now available > >

Expenses for month 1
- Enrolled in Excelsior Associate Degree plan = $875/$575 for military or $75 for military option with 6 credit residency.
- $75 per clep x 4 cleps + $280 x 1 ECE = $580**
- Textbooks and study material = $40
- additional traveling/misc expenses = $100

Total: $875* + 580 + 40 + 100 = $1595.00
Total applicable military discount: $300 - $1305** depending on enrollment option and if you take the exams at your base Navy College Office or branch equivilant.

* If you're wondering why I used the higher price, I'm looking at it from the 'worst case senario' view.

** Remember, military and certain gov't funded civilians take CLEP, DSST, ECE for free on base test centers. Currently, only CLEP is still also funded out in town.
Week 3

CLEP College Algebra & (w/trig) - 6 s.h

I purposely placed College Algebra and Humanities towards the end of this month so that for those of you who never took a CLEP before, you can kind of get your feet wet. Your hopefully passing scores on the other exams should give you the confidence to continue on here with some of the more difficult subjects. I never took this one, because I already had both College Algebra and Precalculus transferred in from GSU. The Cracking the Clep covers College Mathmatics general clep, which does not satisfy the math requirement for the business degree. The instantcert guide covers College Math, but also covers some trigonometry topics. iStudySmart does have a trigonometry guide as well. Remember to answer every question to maximize you chances of passing.

Sometimes it is best to take the harder one (w/trig). This way if you decide later to choose a different major which has a harder minimum math requirement, you may already be ahead of the game. (So this is actually 2 seperate CLEPS, but I mistakenly calculated it as one for budgeting purposes. just add another $75 to your total. Also, for the Business degree, you only need one exam) 
11) If taking multiple tests on the same day, try to take ones with similar subjects. A good example of this would be CLEP Introductory Psychology and CLEP Educational Psychology. Or CLEP Principles of Management and DSST Principles of Supervison or Organizational Behavior. Or CLEP Computer Applications and Info Systems and DSST Management Information Systems.

12) Try to score significantly higher than just the minimum score. Some colleges set their own minimums above the ACE recommended score. Excelsior, for example, assigns letter grades to most of the CLEPs and DSSTs. So it would actually hurt your GPA to just barely pass all your exams.

13) Remember that these are college level exams. Some people mistakenly believe that taking a CLEP is easier than taking the traditional counterpart, only to walk out of the exam room mad that they failed. These exams are designed to cover a much as 4 semesters of college work (GRE subject exams can cover up to 10 for Excelsior). Study for them the same way that you would study for traditional professor's exam. That means take these exams just as seriously as you would any college class!
8) Attempt every question. This is true especially if there is no penalty for guessing. If the test is timed, it is best to fill in a circle for what you think is the best choice.  Mark the question so that  if there is time, you can return to that question.

Caution:  Difficulty is relative to the person who took the test.  What is "easy" to one person is not necessarily easy for the next.

9) If the test outline has study references, use them! Because it is a standardized test, they have to be fair to everybody.  So in order for the test to be valid, it must accurately measure acheivement of the topics that particular exam set out to test.  In other words, all of those questions relate to at least one of the references listed on that outline.  The same is true for military and many job examinations.

10) Take the sample tests/questions, if given. Many times the exam outline will include sample questions to give you an idea of what will be on the actual exam.  When studying, think about how the test maker would phrase a question around that topic.
CLEP Social Sciences and History - 6 s.h.

Very basic, high school level psychology, sociology, and US history. I took this AFTER taking various sociology and psychology exams already. I scored a 58 on this one, with no studying whatsoever. The general CLEP exams, except humanities, are relatively easy if you can recall some of the basics covered in the respective high school courses. But for those that need that brushup, again Cracking the Clep is the cheapest, yet effective alternative.

One of the tricks to the general cleps especially is to ensure that you answer every question. Remember, the tests are designed for you to only get half of the questions right to pass. Part of the test-taking strategy is that it's a number's game: you win some and lose some. 

Week 2

CLEP Natural Sciences - 6 s.h.

Again, very basic, high school topics covered: chemestry, physics, biology, earth science. The Cracking the Clep can probably put you over the top on what you need to know to pass. I scored a 61 easy on this one with little study. Make sure you answer every question.
Week 4

CLEP Humanities - 6 s.h.

The hardest for last. Instantcert has an excellent cram guide for this test. But foolish me: I didn't take the time to study and failed with a 47. Not bad for guessing almost all the way through. I did finish with about 4 minutes to spare and a made sure I answered every question. I assumed it would be as easy as the other general clep exams. A tremendous amount of recall is required to be able to identify different pictures, design patterns, phrases, and, most of all, important names, events, and places in music and film. Cracking the Clep, I've been told, also covers the Humanities material fairly well.

Information Literacy

Starting January, 2004, all new Excelsior enrollees must take an information literacy course. It is a one credit online course. I did mine in about 12 hours on a dial-up connection. You will need this to graduate with ANY undergrad degree from Excelsior. It is offered @ Excelsior, but I bring it up here to make sure you are aware of it and remember to sign up for it. We'll do that next month. I believe COSC has this requirement too, as one of their GenEds.
Military option enrollment

You do not HAVE to take the 6 credits (12 for the BA) right away. But if you were to do so, it would be wise to do so early so that you can graduate on schedule. Also keep in mind that you can always switch to the regular enrollment if you have satisfied all other degree requirements. You only have to pay the difference in fees. So if you're not sure what you want to do, it is wise to start off with the military enrollment option.

Remember, if you do fail one or more of these exams, there is usually another exam that you can take to make up for it. The other option is to wait 180 days and retake it. (60 days for first time ECE failure, 90 days for TECEP). This is another good point about taking the tests as early as possible. If you are on a time schedule and you fail one early, you can just re-take it in 6 months. Or, if you prefer not to wait, be advised that in some cases you may be able to take a different 'brand name' or substitue of the same test. A good example of this is if you failed the DSST statistics, you could take the ECE statistics to make up for it.

So common sense would dictate that if a certain exam fulfills a core requirement and there is no acceptable substitute for that exam, then it would not be wise to cram or just flat out not study for that particular exam and risk failure; take your time and study until you are comfortable enough that you will at least pass. The good news is that for the General CLEPs, only pass/fail grades are assigned (Excelsior and most schools). You can therefore focus more on just passing.
The ECE English Comp is just essay (no multiple choice component). You are given three senarios and then are asked a few questions on which you must elaborate. Many times people assume that an essay test will be more difficult than the multiple-choice one. But I've come to find out that the essay test is usually easier. As long as you know basic english comp (which, after graudating from high school you should), you can usually "bluff" your way though most of the essay. The main points to keep in mind is to do your best to answer the question that you are asked. Don't be afraid to look back at the senario amd question several times to make sure you are covering all points. Do not ever leave an answer blank. Even if you don't have a clue what the answer is, partial credit is better than no credit!

You really shouldn't need a book for this if you are currently in or just came out of high school, otherwise, the Cracking the Clep by Princton Review should suffice. It should be noted that AP English also satisfies the Written English Requirement.
In the paragraphs and chapters that follow, I will outline what tests to take for each respective degree and how to tips on how to study for them. I will be using Excelsior College for all degree planning and roadmap purposes. Much of the core requirements information was taken directly from the Business Degrees Catalog .pdf file published by Excelsior.  If you choose to attend a different college or university, simply substitue the appropriate exams and/or courses to meet degree requirements.

The roadmap listed is by no means intended to be all-encompasing or "set in stone!" Add or subtract more time as needed to fit your individual goals and objectives! This is NOT a race. How quickly and efficiently you finish degree requirements will depend totally on you: motivation, dedication, courage, time management, academic acheivement of concepts, etc. Make sure you budget time and schedule test dates well in advance.
3) Look for similar questions later on in the same test. Usually questions on important topics or subject areas will be asked over and over several times throughout the test. They will be reworded differently, but you will be able to tell that it deals with the same or similar concept. By correctly answering one question, you can go back to another question and perhaps guess the correct answer or eliminate the incorrect answers.

4) Watch for keywords such as ALWAYS, NEVER, NOT, EXCEPT, USUALLY etc. Whether they are in the question or answer, they usually hint to the correct answer just by the very nature of the word. (Think: is this answer ALWAYS true?)

5) Your first guess is usually correct. Don't change the answer you put down first, unless you know or feel strongly that it was really wrong.

6) Don't count the letters. Some people assume that, say for a 100-question multiple choice test, there must be 25 As, 25 Bs, 25 Cs, and 25 Ds. This is NOT necessarily true. There could be 50 As, 10 Bs 35Cs, and 5 Ds. There's also some rumor that 'when in doubt, choose letter C'. Of course that's certainly not true. Focus more on selecting the correct answer.

7) When in doubt, choose the longest answer? I've been told by several test developers that it is true in some cases. But again, focus more on selecting the correct answer.
Now lets get on with completing core requirements....

Note: Some of the exams listed here I did NOT take personally. That is because I had either taken another exam, or had other courses/military credits that satisfied the requirement.

Test's taken this month:
- CLEP English Comp w/ Essay or Excelsior's English Comp
- CLEP Humanities
- CLEP Natural Sciences
- CLEP Social Sciences and History
- CLEP College Algebra (or CLEP Algebra w/ Trig)
- Enroll in Excelsior College's Information Literacy Course
- For military option, enroll in 6 s.h. (2 courses).
Study for the exams:
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