The Blueprint for Your Educational Success
We know that as an active duty member, you’ve got no time to waste on prep that doesn’t get you where you want to go→a credit-granting score. With the unique career and life demands of military service, there must be creative and practical solutions to help complete your degree sooner, at a lower cost. If not, how even can you get a college degree while in the military? That’s where CLEP and DSST exams come in. CLEP exam prep is a powerful, time- and money-saving tool for service members. In this post, we’ll provide a strategic, step-by-step 3-month guide to harness your military education benefits and earn college credit. This how-to guide is not about cramming. Instead, it’s about a smart, project-oriented plan to utilize CLEP for military members.
Strategic CLEP Exam Prep Planning Phase
Identify Your Goal and Degree Plan
The first step is not just to take exams, but to take the right exams. Take college credit that will apply to the degree you seek; otherwise, you’re just taking tests to take tests without much reward. Meet with an academic advisor at your chosen institution to understand which CLEP military exams will satisfy your unique degree requirements.
The Military Tuition Assistance Program (TA) is a separate, but complementary, benefit to be used for higher-level courses, not CLEP exams. This program helps active duty service members pay for college courses. Provided by the Department of Defense (DoD), it supports a service member’s professional and personal development goals. Since the TA has a funding cap, the funds can be saved for upper-level classes, while other programs can help with CLEP exam cost coverage.
TA should be used for courses: The Military Tuition Assistance Program is specifically designed to cover the tuition costs of college courses you are enrolled in. It pays a set amount per credit hour, up to an annual cap, to an accredited educational institution. It can not be used to cover the cost of the CLEP exam itself.
Understanding the benefits of TA is a strategic approach to education within the military. Save your valuable Military Tuition Assistance funds for more expensive, upper-level courses that may not have a CLEP equivalent. This allows you to maximize benefits and fast-track your degree in the most cost-effective way possible.
Unlock Your Past Experience with the Joint Services Transcript
The Joint Services Transcript (JST) is a program that translates military schooling, training, and work history into civilian terms, making it easier for colleges and universities to understand the academic value of a service member’s experience for credit.
JST can include:
- Military Courses and Training: The JST lists all military courses and training programs you’ve completed. These are evaluated by the American Council on Education (ACE), which provides college credit recommendations for each.
- Military Occupations: Your military job or specialty (e.g., MOS, rating) is also included, with a description and ACE credit recommendations that correspond to the skills and knowledge you gained in that role.
- College-Level Exams: The JST also serves as a central hub for documenting the results of college-level exams like CLEP and DSST. This is a crucial benefit as it consolidates all your educational achievements in one place.
- Other Academic History: The transcript may also include information about other learning experiences, degrees, or certifications you’ve earned.
The JST is available to active duty, reserve, and veteran members of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard. Air Force personnel use the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) transcript system instead.
Access your Joint Services Transcript to see what college credit you may have already earned from your military training and experience. Joint Service Transcripts can save you from taking unnecessary exams since you may already have experience that translates to credit.
The Study & Prep Phase
Choosing Your Exams:
Focus on 2-3 exams that align with their degree plan and that have a high potential for success based on the DANTES pass rates. Reference CLEP and DSST pass rates as a tool to help choose subjects you are most likely to pass.
Creating an Actionable Study Schedule:
The key is to create a schedule that is both structured and flexible enough to adapt to the unpredictable nature of military life. Here is an example of a weekly study schedule designed for a military member tackling a CLEP exam (e.g., College Mathematics) over three months. The schedule is based on the idea of consistent, focused sessions rather than marathon study periods.
Sample Week: CLEP Exam Prep Schedule (Weeks 1-4)
Goal: Master the core concepts and complete the initial study materials. Aim for about 5-7 hours of study per week.
- Monday: 30 minutes. Review the week’s material and plan your study goals for the week.
- Tuesday: 60 minutes. Watch a video lecture or complete a module from an online CLEP prep course like Peterson’s. Focus on note-taking and understanding new concepts.
- Wednesday: 30 minutes. Review the notes from Tuesday. Try a few practice problems to reinforce the concepts.
- Thursday: 60 minutes. Work through practice problems or a practice quiz from a study guide. Identify areas where you are struggling.
- Friday: 30 minutes. Review your incorrect answers from Thursday’s practice problems. Focus on understanding why you got them wrong.
- Saturday: 1-2 hours. Take a longer practice quiz or a full-length practice exam, like the ones available through Peterson’s. Use this time to simulate the test environment.
- Sunday: Day Off. Take a complete break from studying to prevent burnout. This is essential for long-term retention and mental health.
Adjustments for Later Weeks (Weeks 5-12)
- Mid-Point (Weeks 5-8): As you get deeper into the material, increase the Saturday study session to 2-3 hours to complete more full-length practice exams.
- Final Stretch (Weeks 9-12): Shift your focus from learning new material to intensive review and practice. Use a practice test to help you pinpoint your weaknesses. The final week should be dedicated to final practice exams and reviewing key concepts and formulas.
Tips for Making the Schedule Work for CLEP Exam Prep
- Flexibility is Key: This schedule is a template. If a last-minute duty arises on Tuesday, simply move that study session to another day or shorten it. The goal is to hit the weekly time target, not to adhere rigidly to specific days.
- Use Your “Dead Time”: Military life has periods of waiting. Use your phone or tablet to review flashcards, watch short prep videos, or take practice quizzes during lunch breaks or while waiting for an appointment.
- Communicate with Your Leadership: Let your NCO or supervisor know about your academic goals. While they are not obligated to give you time off for studying, many leaders are supportive of troops pursuing their education and may be flexible when possible.
Peterson’s is the best CLEP prep as it will provide you with practice tests, detailed answer explanations, and tools to help you achieve the score you need to earn credit. A good CLEP exam prep strategy is the key to success and passing a military CLEP test on the first attempt.
Testing & Earning Phase Credit Phase
Registering for Your DANTES-Funded Exam:
Register on the College Board website and select the military CLEP DANTES funding option. Find a test center, both on-base and off-base, that accepts DANTES funding.
Test Day and Beyond:
Arrive plenty early to the test. Know what to bring and what to expect from your test day. Your score will likely be automatically sent to the college you choose and will appear on their Joint Service Transcript (if applicable). Failing scores on a CLEP and DANTES exams have a waiting period before a re-take is possible.
CLEP Exam Prep is the Launchpad for Your Future
This guide will get you from strategic planning to successful testing in just three months, but it’s up to you to follow it. We have confidence that these military education benefits will save you both time and money. With a strategic CLEP for military plan, transitioning to a civilian career and higher education will be more seamless and successful. CLEP, Peterson’s, and you will prove that the question “can you get a college degree while in the military?” is not just possible, but highly achievable.
