High School Testing - Are CLEP Exams Graded?

Lee,

I read with interest your article on CLEP exams and have a question. How does taking the exams affect your GPA in college? I understand that in some instances you can get college credit for passing the exams, but are you assigned a grade that factors into your GPA?
Thank you, Maureen

Hi Maureen,

I'm glad you found the article useful to you! Every college has its own unique policy about CLEP exams, and some colleges give a grade that affects GPA and other's give credit but not grade, and others don't give credit but do give placement into upper level classes. 3 of the schools we applied for provided CLEP credits, but none of them gave a grade, so our GPA was not affected. I haven't read about many college giving an actual GRADE for a CLEP exams.// ![DATA[
D(["mb","\u003c/p\>\n\n\n\n\u003cp style\u003d\"text-align:justify\"\>In contrast, AP exams usually do have a grade that\nis applied.\u003cspan\> Generally for\u003c/span\> an AP exam, a score of 5\n(perfect) is an A, 4 is B, 3 is C, and less is not given college credit.\u003cspan\> \u003c/span\>I do know one homeschool student who took\nan AP exam and scored a respectable 4. She was disappointed, though, because that was the only "B" for her entire\ncollege career.You might want to check\nthe colleges your student might apply for, and see what they have for their own\nunique policy.\u003c/p\>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp style\u003d\"text-align:justify\"\>I wish I could give you a more direct answer to\nyour question, but each college makes up their own rules.\u003cspan\> \u003c/span\>I can suggest a website that provides some\nfree lessons plans for CLEP study available online: \u003ca href\u003d\"http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t\u003dno8svccab.0.t6jh4ccab.t665w6bab.1&ts\u003dS0267&p\u003dhttp%3A%2F%2Fclepprep.tripod.com%2Fcleplessonplans%2F\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>clepprep.tripod.com.\u003c/a\>\u003cspan\> \u003c/span\>I hope that helps! \u003cbr\>\u003c/p\>\n\n\n\n\u003cp style\u003d\"text-align:justify\"\>Blessings,\u003cbr\>Lee\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold\"\>\u003cbr\>\u003c/span\>\u003c/p\>\n\n\u003cp style\u003d\"text-align:justify\"\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight:bold\"\>If you are interested in asking Lee a question,\njust send an email to Lee@HomeHighSchoolHelp.com with the subject line "Ask the HomeScholar." You may see your\nquestion and the answer in a future edition of The HomeScholar Record. \u003c/span\> \u003c/p\>\n\n\u003c/font\>\u003c/td\>\n\t\t\u003c/tr\>\n\t\t\u003c/table\>\u003ca name\u003d\"114214cfcd4cf911_LETTER.BLOCK17\"\>\u003ctable style\u003d\"margin-bottom:6px\" border\u003d\"0\" width\u003d\"100%\" cellpadding\u003d\"5\" cellspacing\u003d\"0\"\>\n\t\t\u003ctr\>\n\t\t\t\u003ctd style\u003d\"background-color:#336699;padding:2px 2px 2px 6px;color:#f6e8b1;font-family:Trebuchet MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-decoration:none;font-size:10pt\" height\u003d\"20\" bgcolor\u003d\"#336699\" width\u003d\"100%\" rowspan\u003d\"1\" colspan\u003d\"1\"\>\u003cfont color\u003d\"#f6e8b1\" size\u003d\"2\" face\u003d\"Trebuchet MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif\" style\u003d\"color:#f6e8b1;font-family:Trebuchet MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:10pt\"\>",1] );
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In contrast, AP exams usually do have a grade that is applied. Generally for an AP exam, a score of 5 (perfect) is an A, 4 is B, 3 is C, and less is not given college credit. I do know one homeschool student who took an AP exam and scored a respectable 4. She was disappointed, though, because that was the only "B" for her entire college career.You might want to check the colleges your student might apply for, and see what they have for their own unique policy.

I wish I could give you a more direct answer to your question, but each college makes up their own rules. I can suggest a website that provides some free lessons plans for CLEP study available online: clepprep.tripod.com. I hope that helps!

Blessings,
Lee