Understand Scores
Find out what your CLEP exam scores mean, how scores are computed, and if your score will earn you college credit.
What Your Score Means
The total score on your score report is based on two calculations:
- Your "raw score" is the number of questions you answered correctly. Your raw score increases by one point for each question answered correctly.
- Your raw score is then converted to a scaled score that ranges from 20 to 80, and this is the score that appears on your score report. The American Council on Education (ACE) recommends that colleges grant credit for a score of 50 or higher, but individual institutions can set their own CLEP credit policies.
Credit-Granting Scores
Most colleges publish the required scores for earning CLEP credit on their websites or in a course catalog. The required score for earning CLEP credit may vary from exam to exam. Contact your institution to find out the minimum qualifying score for each exam.
How Exams Are Scored
- Multiple choice: These tests are scored by a computer.
- College Composition and Spanish with Writing exam essays: These are graded by two or more college professors. The essay grade is combined with the multiple-choice score, and the result is reported as a scaled score.
How Scores Are Computed
On CLEP exams, you receive one point for each correct answer. Points aren't deducted for wrong or skipped answers. This means that you should do your best to answer each question on a CLEP exam.