Home educated students often undertake advanced studies during their high school years. Correspondingly, college survey (general education) courses repeat a good deal of the material that a student learns in high school but are more compact and concise and go into greater depth. Taking CLEP exams demonstrates that a student has achieved college-level learning outside the classroom. Accordingly, the student isn’t required to enroll in certain “general education” courses when they pursue a college degree. Anyone can do the math; this is a less expensive way to earn college credit. I’ve known homeschooled students who graduated high school with 30 – 60 college credits, thus whittling 1-2 years (and $10 – 30,000) off their college experience. So, how does one accomplish this feat?

Five CLEPs cover the material typically taught in introductory courses during the first two years of college. English Composition (with or without an essay), Humanities, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences/History. Here are the steps: become familiar with the exams, contact colleges (to see if they will honor CLEP credits), develop a study plan, arrange to take exams with scores being sent to the college, and contact the college to receive credits. The tests are administered on a computer and scored immediately (except for the essays). Janice