How to Earn College Credit In High School with the CLEP & DSST Tests

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Have you ever considered allowing your kids to earn college credit in high school?

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It’s a great way to save both time and money on college! And we all know how expensive college is getting these days.

One easy way to do it is with the CLEP and DSST tests.

What are the CLEP and DSST Exams?

CLEP stands for College-Level Examination Program and is run by the College Board. Just as the name indicates, you can prepare for college and take an exam which tests to see that you are indeed prepared.

The system is simple.

Your teen studies the classes and takes the exam. This is awesome for being able to cover basic courses cheaply at home while still in high school! Each exam is worth 3 or more semester credits.

And you have 33 courses to choose from. The courses are accepted at over 2900 colleges and universities. Keep in mind that each school awards credits individually.

In order to take the test, you’ll need to register through the College Board.

You’ll find more information about CLEP tests here!

The DSST test is the DANTES Subject Standardized Test which was originally developed for the military. But now it’s available to anyone. Like the CLEP test, your high school teenager is able to earn college credit by studying the courses and taking the test.

Tests are available 1200+ locations around the county, usually college campuses. Unlike the CLEP tests, you’ll need to contact each college center individually to register for the test. Nearly 2000 colleges and universities accept the tests. Please keep in mind that each school awards credits individually.

The tests can be either on paper or on the computer and usually take about two hours to complete. And you have over 30 DSST tests to choose from!

You can learn more about the DSST here.

Neither the DSST nor the CLEP tests have a specific curriculum to cover for the test. Which can be a problem.

However, Study.com has the solution for you!

How to Study for the CLEP & DSST Using STUDY.com

Study.com has study guides and tests for all sorts of courses from middle school through college level. This makes it an easy way to teach a subject to your high school teenager when you have no idea how to teach the course.

You can choose courses in history, English, social studies, humanities, foreign languages, science, math, psychology, and business!

Courses such as:

  • General Biology
  • Microbiology
  • Anatomy & Physiology
  • Science of Nutrition
  • General Chemistry
  • Earth Science
  • Principles of Statistics
  • College Algebra
  • Precalculus
  • Western Civilization
  • American History
  • English Literature
  • College Composition
  • Intro to Sociology
  • American Government
  • Human & Cultural Geography
  • Introduction to Philosophy
  • Introduction to Psychology
  • Art of the Western World
  • Introduction to Music
  • Introduction to World Religions
  • and more!

All you need to do is sign up for a membership plan to have access to as many courses as you need!

Your teens may take a year to complete a course or they may whiz through a course quickly. And remember, even if you don’t choose to test and earn college credits in high school, the work still counts on your child’s high school transcript!

earn college credit with the CLEP and DSST exams

Using Study.com

The courses Study.com offers gives you a systematic method of studying for the CLEP and DSST exams. The courses are broken down into different chapters that you work through in order.

Each chapter is broken down into small sections so you’re only absorbing a small amount of information at a time.

This makes it easy to assign your kids one or two sections a day. And the material is taught with videos. Each video includes the transcription so your kids can read along with the video.

Quizzes and practice tests are available for any non-Basic plans!

This means that once the video is finished, your teen completes the quizzes and worksheets (with the quizzes) to check their understanding. Upon completion of each chapter, there’s a chapter exam. And at the end of the course, your child will take a final test covering all the material learned.

You can also set a goal for when to finish each course and receive systematic reminders with these two membership plans. These reminders help your kids stay on track for completing the courses in a timely manner!

When you’ve finished the course, you can take the DSST or CLEP test!

If for some reason your child chooses not to take the DSST or CLEP test, you can still award high school credit on the transcript for the course.

Earn college credit in high school! And you can save time and money on college expenses. Just use the CLEP and DSST tests! #collegecredit #CLEP #DSST #homeschool #highschool #homeschooling

Study.com Memberships

All you need to do is choose and sign up for a membership plan to have access to as many courses as you need!

Basic Edition: Unlimited access to all video lessons and lesson transcripts. Tech support.

Premium Edition: Everything in the basic edition plus the practice exams and tests I mentioned earlier. The ability to track progress, personalized coaching, and access to instructors. You’ll also receive certificates of completion and the ability to create custom courses!

College Accelerator: Earn college credit, take two exams a month, and finish official exams remotely.

So head over to Study.com and see how easy it is to earn college credit in high school for yourself!

Your kids can earn college credit in high school! And you can save time and money on college expenses. Just use the CLEP and DSST tests! #collegecredit #CLEP #DSST #homeschool #highschool #homeschooling