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- How do I contact CLEP customer service?
- How do I know if my college grants credit for CLEP exams?
- How do I know which CLEP exam to take?
- How much college credit can I earn by taking a CLEP exam?
- Where can I take a CLEP exam?
- I live outside the United States and there are no testing centers in my area. Where can I go to take a CLEP exam?
- How do I register to take a CLEP exam?
- How much does a CLEP exam cost?
- What forms of payment may I use to pay my CLEP exam fee?
- If I am an active military service member, do I have to pay the exam fee to take a CLEP exam?
- If I am a DANTES-funded CLEP test-taker, will I be charged an administration fee by the test center?
- Does DANTES fund the exam fee for veterans? And if not, is the exam and/or administration fee reimbursable?
- On the multiple choice section, is there a penalty for guessing an answer?
- What is an optional essay and does my institution require it?
- Will I receive my score report immediately after taking a CLEP exam?
- I just took the College Composition exam. How long does my institution have to wait for my score report?
- What is the difference between College Composition and College Composition Modular?
- Who do I contact if my institution has not received my score report or transcript?
- How do I interpret my score?
- I just took a CLEP exam and received my score. How do I know if I will receive college credit for my class?
- Is there a waiting period for retaking a CLEP exam?
- What study resources are available to prepare for a CLEP exam?
- What information do I need to bring with me to the test center on exam day? What items are not permitted in the testing room?
- Who do I contact if I had a problem during the administration of my exam or if I had a problem with a test question?
- How do I request a transcript?
- What are "open" test centers?
- What are "fully-funded" test centers?
- What are "limited" test centers?
- What are "on-base" test centers?
How do I contact CLEP customer service?
Phone: 800-257-9558 (8 a.m.–6 p.m. ET, Monday–Friday)
Fax: 610-628-3726
Email: clep@info.collegeboard.org (please include your name, address and telephone number)
How do I know if my college grants credit for CLEP exams?
Each college sets its own policy regarding which CLEP exams it will grant credit for and how many credits it will award. Contact your admission officer or academic adviser to learn more about the CLEP policy at your institution. If you are not yet enrolled at a college when you take your CLEP exam, you can send your scores to your college when you enroll. For a list of colleges that grant credit for CLEP, visit http://clep.collegeboard.org/search/colleges.
How do I know which CLEP exam to take?
Consult your admission officer or academic advisor to determine which CLEP exam(s) to take. Detailed descriptions of all 33 exams are available at http://clep.collegeboard.org/exam.
How much college credit can I earn by taking a CLEP exam?
Contact your admission officer or academic adviser at your institution directly to obtain your institution's credit-granting policy.
Where can I take a CLEP exam?
CLEP exams are administered throughout the year at more than 1,700 colleges and universities in the United States and abroad. Visit http://clep.collegeboard.org/search/test-centers to search the most up-to-date listing of test centers.
I live outside the United States and there are no testing centers in my area. Where can I go to take a CLEP exam?
If you are outside the United States and there is currently no testing center in your area, consider taking your CLEP exam(s) upon arriving in the United States at the college or university where you will begin your course work. Ask your admission officer or international student adviser about the college’s CLEP policy.
How do I register to take a CLEP exam?
Once you have identified a test center convenient for you, contact the site directly for information about registration, scheduling and fees. To obtain contact information for your local test center, go to http://clep.collegeboard.org/search/test-centers.
How much does a CLEP exam cost?
CLEP charges a $80 exam fee. In addition, most test centers charge a nonrefundable administration fee, directly payable to the institution. Contact the test center of your choice to find out the cost of its nonrefundable administration fee.
What forms of payment may I use to pay my CLEP exam fee?
You may pay the CLEP exam fee with a check, money order, debit or credit card (MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover or JCB). Cash is not accepted.
If I am an active military service member, do I have to pay the exam fee to take a CLEP exam?
DANTES (Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support) pays your $80 exam fee for the first attempt per test title. When you register and arrive at the test center, inform the test center administrator that your exam fee is funded by DANTES. Please remember to bring your military ID. Read more about CLEP for Military.
If you do not know whether your exam fee is funded by DANTES, contact DANTES at 850-452-1063 regarding your eligibility.
If I am a DANTES-funded CLEP test-taker, will I be charged an administration fee by the test center?
If you test on a military base or at a college test center sponsored by a nearby military base, you will not be charged an administrative fee. If the test center of your choice is not sponsored by a local military base, you will be responsible for paying the administrative fee to the test center. If you are unsure whether the test center charges an administrative fee, contact the test center directly and let the test center administrator know that your exam fee is funded by DANTES. http://clep.collegeboard.org/search/test-centers
Does DANTES fund the exam fee for veterans? And if not, is the exam and/or administration fee reimbursable?
DANTES does not fund the $80 exam fee for veterans. Depending on their benefits election, some veterans can claim full reimbursement for CLEP exams and exam administration fees under provisions of the Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-454), which enhances the education benefits of the Montgomery GI Bill. For more information, please visit http://clep.collegeboard.org/military/veterans.
On the multiple choice section, is there a penalty for guessing an answer?
No, the multiple choice portions of the CLEP exams use rights-only scoring. There are no penalties for wrong answers.
What is an optional essay and does my institution require it?
The American Literature, Analyzing and Interpreting Literature, College Composition Modular and English Literature exams have optional essays that may be required by some colleges and universities. These essays are scored by faculty at the colleges and universities that require them. If you are taking any of the above exams and have questions about whether you need to take the optional essay, you must contact the institution that will receive your scores. If you do not select an institution to receive your optional essay on exam day, CLEP will retain your essay for 18 months.
Will I receive my score report immediately after taking a CLEP exam?
You will receive an immediate score report for CLEP exams, except exams with essays, such as College Composition. For exams where there is an optional essay required by your institution, you will receive your score for the multiple-choice section, but you will not receive scores for your essays until after your institution scores them. Find out more information about your score.
I just took the College Composition exam. How long does my institution have to wait for my score report?
Once you take the College Composition exam, your exam is scored by trained college faculty. Your institution will receive your score report 3–4 weeks after your test date.
What is the difference between College Composition and College Composition Modular?
College Composition | College Composition Modular | |
| Timing | 120 minutes (multiple choice, 50 minutes; essays, 70 minutes) | 90 minutes (multiple-choice only) |
| Multiple choice | Yes | Yes |
| Essays | Mandatory: Two typed essays, topics created by CLEP | Optional: Two essays, topics created by CLEP OR a writing assessment created by your institution OR no essay |
| Essay scoring | Essays are scored twice a month by college English faculty. Students receive score within 4–5 weeks. | College scores the writing assessment |
Who do I contact if my institution has not received my score report or transcript?
If your institution has not received your score report or transcript within 7-10 business days after you have taken your exam, contact CLEP customer service at 800-257-9558.
If you are a current or former military service member and your institution has not received your transcript within 10 business days after you have made your request, call 877-471-9860 (toll-free) or 651-603-3012.
How do I interpret my score?
After taking your exam, you will receive an unofficial score report (except for College Composition) and a copy of What Your Score Means. Please visit http://clep.collegeboard.org/about/score for additional information.
I just took a CLEP exam and received my score. How do I know if I will receive college credit for my class?
Contact your admission officer or adviser directly or refer to your institution’s credit-granting policy at http://clep.collegeboard.org/search/colleges.
Is there a waiting period for retaking a CLEP exam?
Yes, the waiting period is six months. You may not repeat an exam of the same title within six months of the initial testing date. If you retake the exam within the six-month period, your administration will be considered invalid, your score will be canceled and any test fees will be forfeited.
DANTES-funded military examinees: Effective Dec. 11, 2010, DANTES will not fund retesting on previously funded CLEP exams. However, service members may personally fund a retest after waiting six months.
What study resources are available to prepare for a CLEP exam?
The CLEP Official Study Guide is the official study resource for all 33 CLEP exams. It includes practice questions for all exams, exam descriptions, information on getting credit for CLEP and test-taking tips and strategies.
If you plan to take just one or two CLEP exams, you may want to purchase the individual CLEP exam guides
If you are a DANTES-funded military candidate, you can obtain free study materials through your base education center.
For other study resources and tips, visit our Test Preparation Web page at http://clep.collegeboard.org/test-preparation.
What information do I need to bring with me to the test center on exam day? What items are not permitted in the testing room?
Read the Information for Candidates (.pdf/1.5MB) bulletin for detailed information.
Who do I contact if I had a problem during the administration of my exam or if I had a problem with a test question?
If you experienced an issue during your testing session or had a problem with a test question, contact CLEP Services at 800-257-9558 and provide the following information:
- Exam title and test center
- Test date
- Number of the test question (if applicable)
- Detailed description of your experience
How do I request a transcript?
If you are a civilian test-taker, find information online about how to obtain CLEP transcripts, or call 800-257-9558 (8 a.m.-6 p.m., ET, Monday-Friday) if ordering with a credit card (American Express, MasterCard or Visa only).
If you are a military service member or were in the military when you tested, find more information online about CLEP for Military or call 877-471-9860 (toll-free) or 651-603-3012 to order a military transcript.
What are "open" test centers?
Open test centers will test any student who registers properly and pays the administration fee, including military personnel.
What are "fully-funded" test centers?
Fully funded test centers are college and university test centers that have agreed to waive their administrative fee for eligible service members and civilians whose exam fee is funded by DANTES.
What are "limited" test centers?
Limited test centers will test only those students admitted to or enrolled at the institution.
What are "on-base" test centers?
On-base test centers provide testing to eligible service members and civilians who are authorized to enter a military installation.
Practice Test
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