The College Level Examination Program () consists of standardized tests to evaluate individuals who have not attended a normal class, but have acquired a college level of proficiency in the subject. These students have attained a certain level of knowledge through means such as independent learning, travelling military service, AP classes, or even through work experience. These college students are given a chance to receive valuable college credits by demonstrating their capability to perform at the college level through clep exams.

There are very few limitations on who can take a . Possible candidates include: advanced high school students, military personnel, foreign students, adult learners, as well as traditional college students. Each of these college students has the same goal in mind ? demonstrate proficiency of the subject material on the standardized exam. Since the examination covers the same material as an undergraduate course, clep offers college students the chance to test out of more basic subjects. In order to skip a class, proficiency on the clep exam must be demonstrated.

One of the biggest advantages of clep exams is the considerable savings in time. College students who pass a clep can bypass the hours of boring lectures and study on their own schedule. Also, students who pass clep exams, have the opportunity to move on to more advanced classes rather than wasting valuable time in the lower-level classes.

College Board, the parent company of clep, utilizes an advanced CBT examination system to test students? knowledge of a given subject. The timed exam is made up of questions with multiple choice answers. There are currently over 1,500 clep test centers for general clep exams. To find a clep test center near you, visit the official College Board website. It is important to schedule your clep exam in advance since many of the testing centers are first come first serve.

Most of the test are 90 minutes long and cost $70 each. In addition to the fee, most testing centers charge $15-20 for the use of their computerized testing center and to cover the proctor's salary. However, many military bases have free testing and proctoring for enlisted personnel.

There are currently over 2900 colleges and universities that accept clep exams as college credits. While this is the majority of accredited colleges and universities, it is important to check with the specific learning institution regarding acceptance of clep credits.

The clep exams are developed by the College Board and administered by the Educational Board. Also, most colleges follow the American Council on Education (ACE) guidelines concerning passing clep scores. The scoring system is a complicated system that compares the scores of thousands of test-takers versus students who have actually completed the equivalent college course. Due to the complex grading scale, it is important to finish a clep exam and carefully evaluate each answer even if it does not seem to be going well. A student who has correctly answered over half the questions will typically receive a passing score.