10th grade is a great time to plan a CLEP if you have a teen who studies well and retains information. While I consider 11th and 12th grades to be the “sweet spot” to homeschool for the most college credit, CLEP exams can be taken in any grade and at any age – and these two exams fit perfectly in almost every homeschool in 10th grade.
Which exams?
(1) U.S. History 1
(2) U.S. History 2
Why? By the end of 10th grade, most high school students have studied United States History. Since the content is fresh, it’s a natural choice! A solid college-prep high school history course covers the content tested in these two exams.
About The U.S. History 1 CLEP
Covers the first “half” of United States History- colonization through the Civil War.
It’s worth 3 college credits in introductory history / social science.
Since this is a liberal arts credit, the likelihood of it filling a general education requirement is very high.
The exam contains 120 multiple-choice questions to be answered on a computer in 90 minutes. CLEP tests offer five choices per question.
Cost: Normally $95, but currently for free when you earn a Modern States voucher that pays for the entire cost.
About The U.S. History 2 CLEP
Covers the second “half” of United States History- the Civil War to the present day.
It’s worth 3 college credits in introductory history / social science.
Since this is a liberal arts credit, the likelihood of it filling a general education requirement is very high.
The exam contains 120 multiple-choice questions to be answered on a computer in 90 minutes. CLEP tests offer five choices per question.
Cost: Normally $95, but currently for free when you earn a Modern States voucher that pays the entire cost.
Test Strategies
- If your teen is still learning U.S. History, it’s a good idea to take the U.S. History 1 CLEP test after studying about the Civil War. This allows a mental “break” in content and checks the box before proceeding into the U.S. History 2 content.
- If you’ve already studied U.S. History, pick up a test prep guide to help fill in any gaps.
- The College Board’s Official Guide
- REA Guides U.S. History 1 or 2 (used ones are fine!)
- Peterson’s subscription to prep and practice tests.
- If your teen qualifies for testing accommodations, be sure to submit a request as soon as possible. Extended testing time is a commonly allowed accommodation.
- After learning the “content” of a subject, dedicate a couple of weeks to exam prep.
- Practice tests are the best way to assess readiness for an exam. The three resources above will all include practice tests. If your teen can do better than 65% on several full length timed practice tests, he’s ready to go!
Just for Fun: Sample Questions
These sample questions are copied from the Official Free Exam Guides (linked above) and are representative of the types of questions you’ll encounter – not the actual questions.
SAMPLE QUESTION
Which of the following most characterized the First Great Awakening?
A. The spread of religious evangelicalism
B. An emphasis on Christian humanism
C. The revival of the Calvinist concept of predestination
D. A stress on strengthening the authority of traditional churches
E. A rising secularization of American society
SAMPLE QUESTION
The United States Supreme Court made which of the following rulings in Dred Scott v. Sandford?
A. African Americans had the right to sue in federal courts.
B. Public facilities could be segregated by race if equality of service was maintained.
C. African Americans were not citizens of the United States.
D. Newly admitted states should vote on the legality of slavery.
E. Local governments had to provide schools for African American students.
SAMPLE QUESTION
A genre of popular entertainment that frequently provided an outlet for expressing fears about the Cold War in the 1950s was
A. the Western
B. science fiction
C. rock and roll
D. the variety show
E. musical theater
SAMPLE QUESTION
Populists in the nineteenth century opposed railroad companies’ practice of
A. charging higher rates for farmers than for grain elevator owners
B. lobbying Congress to nationalize the telegraph network
C. purchasing equipment and raw materials overseas
D. employing African American porters on railcars
E. hiring rural workers to maintain the railroads
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