Online Education

Many high school students are enrolled in advanced-level courses in hopes of gaining acceptance into a quality university. Many of these advanced courses require as much effort and study time as a college-level course.

So, why study so hard for high school credit alone? In fact, high school students could be getting twice the reward for the same amount of effort. They simply need to find out about an ingenious tool called the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP).

Using CLEP, high school students can take college-level equivalency exams in as many as 33 subjects, such as Introduction to Educational Psychology and College Algebra. They can earn college credit that is accepted at nearly 3,000 colleges and universities.

Most of these CLEP tests cover material that a student would cover during his first two years of college. Each exam is about 90 minutes long, and most of the exams are multiple choice. Of course, some CLEP exams, such as the new College Composition exam, contain essay questions as well.

A high school student who is already covering advanced material in her high school classes may not need to put in much extra study time in order to do well on a CLEP exam. However, other high school students may need to really focus on studying for CLEP exams. Such a student may choose to purchase a college textbook and study alone or in a group or she may decide to enroll in a test prep program. Many test prep programs, which focus specifically on helping students prepare for exams such as CLEP, are even available online. Thus, the high school student can simply log on to her computer after school and commence studying for her CLEP test.

Of course, there are many advantages to earning CLEP credit while in high school. For one, taking a CLEP test is a far less expensive way to earn college credit compared to paying tuition for the equivalent college course. In addition to tuition expense, traditional college courses require the purchase of an expensive assortment of textbooks. On the other hand, CLEP exams allow students to customize their study program with the materials of their choice.

In addition, CLEP saves the student much time. Studying after school as well as during the summer, a high school student can CLEP out of many hours of college credit. Thus, the student has the potential to enter college with semesters of coursework behind him. This puts the college student on the fast track to graduation, a goal desired by students and parents alike.

So, where does the high school student begin the CLEP test process? First, the student should make sure that his potential college accepts CLEP credit. The student can access this information by calling her college advising office or by checking The CollegeBoard’s website (http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/about.html). Next, the student should browse the CLEP course descriptions on The CollegeBoard’s website and determine which tests he wishes to take. Then, the student should register for a CLEP exam and start studying!

The high school student’s hard work should pay off with lots of college credit and savings of both time and money!

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