CLEP Testing Centers: Where to Take CLEP Tests
CLEP, or College Level Examination Program, tests have lots of great advantages for students, but figuring out where to take them can present a little bit of a challenge. These tests aren’t, like the SAT, GRE, and similar tests, administered in centralized locations. Instead, you actually need to take CLEP tests on a college campus that has CLEP testing centers. These testing centers are tied to the university, and you might even be able to get a discount on the tests if you’re already admitted to the university.
Advantage of Taking CLEP Tests
Why seek out colleges and universities that have CLEP testing centers? There are many reasons. One of them is that these universities are seeking to draw in high-achieving students like you!
Since CLEP tests work with recent high school graduates on college-level material, they assume that you’re achieving at a high level for your age and grade. When you can prove to a college in more than one way – through SATs, grades, and CLEP tests – that you’re a high achiever, you may be able to get extra scholarships and academic support just for high achievers.
Another advantage to seeking out colleges that have CLEP testing centers is that you can actually save a ton of money on college by taking CLEP tests. Just think about it this way. Most colleges will accept between three and twelve hours of credit based on CLEP tests, which cost $75 each to take. Your average college course costs between $700 and $2,600, depending on where you go to college. Even at the low end of things, you’re saving $600 per CLEP test you pass and your college accepts!
Put this into a bigger scale, and you can see how much CLEP tests can really save you. Twelve credit hours, usually four classes, is a full-time load at almost all colleges and universities. If you can take just four CLEP tests, you’ll pay only $300. But that’s a semester’s worth of classes, and if you’re paying in-state tuition at a public university, you would have paid $2,900 for those same classes! At a private university, bump that figure up to $11,100. And that’s just what you’re saving on tuition. If you use CLEP tests to shave a semester off of your college career, you’ll also save on books and room and board!
Even if you don’t use CLEP tests to get out of an entire semester of school – and the attendant fees – you can still save time by graduating on time even with a double major. You can also jump right into more advanced classes that are more interesting for you, whizzing right by some of the lower-level prerequisite classes you’re already proficient at.
Clearly, taking CLEP tests is a great idea, but the thing is, you have to figure out where to take them.
Finding CLEP Testing Centers
Before you jump right into finding CLEP testing centers, there’s one thing you should know: most colleges that will accept CLEP credit will also have an on-campus CLEP testing center. If you’re interested in CLEP tests and think you’ll do well on them, it’s worth your while to check out schools that accept and offer CLEP testing before you apply. Getting into a school like this can save you time, money, and hassle in all the ways listed above!
CLEP testing centers are easy to find. You need to go to the College Board website, where you can enter the name of a specific school or your state and city. If you’re looking for schools within your area, you can also do a radius search by zip code. That way, you’ll know what your options are for taking CLEP tests.
Before you leave the College Board website, you should check out a list of available examinations. The best route is to take only as many as your university of choice will allow you to use for credit or prerequisite exams. Look at the list before you head to any CLEP testing centers to see what you might be able to pass. Taking entry-level courses in your major is always a good option, as well, since it can let you jump right into courses in which you’re much more interested – which is why you’re majoring in them!