How to Cash in on CLEP in High School

College seems to be one of those things many parents try to plan for yet invetabley life sets in. Suddenly the kids are in high school and the college years are rapidly closing. We've all seen the statistics. People with a Bachelor's degree can make about 60% more than the ones that have just a high school diploma. A high school graduate is nearly twice as likely to be unemployed as a college graduate. There is just no readily employable skill level that can actually pay a living wage. Besides, who wants their kids to flip burgers all their life?

What can be done? One option is CLEP- College Level Examination Program. This is the most accepted program recognized by over 2900 colleges. Tests are given by the College Board and can tremendously cut the cost of college and the amount of time needed to achieve a degree. Students can earn between three to twelve credits for each exam taken. If you pass with the equivalent of a "C" , you are granted college level credits for that course just as if you had sat through the whole class for a semester.

One of the trends of the past few years is that a Bachelor's degree is taking five years. many students don't carry a full class schedule nor attend college in the summer. Many students have to work to meet there financial needs thereby limiting the amount of hours they can get in any given semester. Why not try CLEP during high school? CLEP is given in over 1300 locations nationwide. Use that study hall time or after school to do independent study for a specific course. When the student is ready, go to a local college and take a computerized exam. It costs sixty-five dollars for the test plus a fee of ten to fifteen dollars for administration at the testing site.

Most states don't have a minimum age requirement to take the CLEP. Exams are available from everything from English composition and Business to Calculus and Chemistry. There are many study guides such as DANTES available to help make study time more efficient. Study. Take a practice test. Go over the ones that were wrong. Do it again until you are comfortable with the material.

Let's face it. The first two years of college are essentially a repeat of high school. Make the time in High School work for you in college. CLEP out of the core subjects like History and Algebra and get on with your major or take some courses you may not had had the time or money for otherwise. Polices vary by college, but you may be able to earn up to sixty college credits. However, take into account that a lot of scholarship money is only initially offered to Freshmen and in most cases, that is less than thirty hours of cumulative credit. Check with your college for details.

CLEP is a great alternative for bi-lingual students and those people taking advantage of these courses in High School. French, German and Spanish exams are currently offered at this time.

For some reason, CLEP is not widely utilized. It appears that these tests are not really pushed at the high school level. Advanced Placement or AP tests, require heavy documentation for college where as a CLEP test is carried on its own merits. Pass the test and get the college credits.

Home schoolers can really .benefit from CLEP. Study for these courses can be documented for both high school and college credit. Any traditional college that recognizes CLEP will know your student can handle college level work . It also allows for advancement to other subjects through independent study.

An underutilized resource, CLEP can launch a college career quickly, especially if it's benefit is fully realized in high school. Its cheap. It does require some effort. So does sitting in a class you've already had three years earlier that was also probably a lot less expensive. Take advantage of online resources and practice tests. Make CLEP work for you and your checkbook.