Key Exam Information

How the CLEP Program Works

The College Board’s College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) has been the most widely trusted credit-by-exam program for over 50 years, accepted by 2,900 colleges and universities and administered in more than 2,000 test centers. This rigorous program allows students from a wide range of ages and backgrounds to demonstrate their mastery of introductory college-level material and earn college credit. Students can earn credit for what they already know by getting qualifying scores on any of the 34 exams.

While CLEP is sponsored by the College Board, only colleges may grant credit toward a degree. A college often grants the same amount of credit to a student who earns satisfactory scores on a CLEP exam as it does for a student who successfully completes the related course.

Overview of the Exams

Most CLEP exams are designed to correspond to one-semester courses, although some tests correspond to full-year or two-year courses.

The format of most questions is multiple choice. World language exams include listening sections. The College Composition and Spanish with Writing exams require test takers to write two essays.