About the CLEP
Overview
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The College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) offers you an opportunity to show a college admission officer or a prospective employer what you know in a variety of subject areas. Many college admission officers use CLEP scores to determine where to place college applicants in their traditional four-year programs. Students can earn from 3 to 12 credits toward a college degree for each CLEP exam, depending on the individual exam and the policy of the degree-granting college or university.
Test Dates
Exams are offered periodically throughout the year, depending upon the schedule of your local CLEP testing center. Contact the College Board for more information.
Test Locations
Exams are administered at test centers located on college campuses around the country. Contact the College Board for specific information about a test center in your area.
Test Structure
With the exception of a few tests offering essay options, each CLEP consists primarily of multiple-choice questions. A few tests include fill-in questions as well. Each test is 90-minutes long.
The following subjects are currently available:
American Literature
This exam presents you with 100 questions that task you with analyzing and interpreting American prose and poetry from colonial times through the present. There is also an optional essay.Analyzing and Interpreting Literature
Approximately 80 multiple-choice questions measure your understanding of passages (poetry, drama, fiction and/or non-fiction) taken primarily from American and British literature. You may also elect to complete an optional essay.English Composition
Two options are offered: one that is all multiple-choice, one that contains multiple-choice questions and an essay. Both measure your ability in and understanding of basic college writing skills.English Literature
This test includes 95 questions on British lit from Beowulf to the present. There is also an essay, which is optional. To do well, you must understand common literary terms, themes, and forms.Freshman College Composition
The composition exam presents you with 90 questions that test your writing skills, including language and grammar use, with some analysis of prose and poetry. There's also and optional essay section.Humanities
These 140 questions measure knowledge in a range of topics in the arts and philosophy of all periods, classic to contemporary.French Language Levels 1 and 2
Both exams include 120 questions that measure your reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills - one at the two-semester and one at the four-semester level. There are two listening sections and one reading section.German Language Levels 1 and 2
This test measures your German skills at the one- and two-year level. Each test includes 120 questions divided into two listening sections and one reading section.Spanish Language Levels 1 and 2
120 questions measure your ability in Spanish reading, writing, listening, and speaking at the one- or two-year level. There are two listening sections and one reading section.American Government
Featuring 100 questions about American government, the exam covers topics including federal government, the courts, politics, and the Constitution.Human Growth and Development
90 questions cover introductory developmental psychology, including topics in infancy, childhood, adulthood, and aging.Introduction to Educational Psychology
This 100-question test covers learning and cognition, teaching methods, child development, and the evaluation and assessment of learning.Precalculus
(Replaced the College Algebra-Trigonometry and Trigonometry exams)
This 48-question test will cover algebraic expressions, equations, and inequalities; functions; representations; analytic geometry; and trigonometry.Principles of Macroeconomics
80 questions cover the principles of economics that apply to a total economic system. Topics include important terms, economic performance, international markets, and national income and price determination, with an emphasis on the latter.Principles of Microeconomics
This exam is focused on the principles of economics that apply to individual customers and businesses within an economic system. There are 80 questions.Introductory Psychology
This 95-question test covers a broad range of introductory concepts, including behavior, perception, cognition, emotion, personality, and more.Introductory Sociology
The Sociology test emphasizes basic facts and general theoretical approaches in sociology. There are 100 questions.Social Sciences and History
Covering a broad range of topics in social science and history, this exam features 120 questions on topics in American, European, and world history; anthropology; sociology; psychology; economics; geography; and politics.U.S.History I: Early Colonization to 1877
120 questions emphasize American history from 1790-1877, including politics, social developments, economics, culture, and diplomacy.U.S.History II: 1865 to the Present
This 120-question test measures your knowledge of American history, with the majority covering important events of the 20th century.Western Civilization I: Ancient Near East to 1648
The Western Civilization I test includes 120 questions on ancient civilizations, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Reformation, and early modern Europe.Western Civilization II: 1648 to the Present
120 questions gauge your understanding of European history from the mid-17th century through the post-World War II period.Calculus
This test includes 45 questions. About 60 percent task you with problems on limits and differential calculus; the other 40 percent require you to apply your skills in integral calculus.College Algebra
Of these 60 questions, about half involve solving routine, straightforward algebraic problems. The rest task you with applying algebraic skills and concepts.College Mathematics
These 60 questions cover: sets, logic, the real number system, functions and graphing, probability and statistics, and additional topics from algebra and geometry.Biology
Your ability in molecular and cellular biology, organismal biology, and population biology are measured in this 115-question test.Chemistry
75 questions gauge your understanding of the structure and states of matter, reactions, equations and stoichiometry, equilibrium, kinetics, thermodynamics, descriptive chemistry, and experimental chemistry.Natural Sciences
This test presents you with 120 questions that span a wide range of topics, including both biological and physical sciences.Information Systems and Computer Applications
100 questions cover: hardware, software and programming, data management, information processing, technology applications, and social/ethical implications and issues.Principles of Management
Covering human resources, operational and functional aspects of management, and international management, this test focuses on contemporary issues and includes 100 questions.Financial Accounting
From balance sheets to business ethics, 75 questions test your financial accounting know-how.Introductory Business Law
This 100-question test emphasizes the function of contracts in business law, as well as the legal process, torts, and the history of law in America.Principles of Marketing
From the role of marketing in society and in a firm to target markets and the marketing mix, this 100-question test covers all of the basics.
Scoring
CLEP exams are scored on a scale of 20 to 80. With the exception of exams including essays, you should receive your scores immediately, at the testing center. Each school sets its own minimum standards for granting CLEP credit. Check with your school to learn if you qualify.

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