“Testing in” vs “Testing out”

One saves you time and money, the other saves neither. Can you tell the difference?

Last year, I asked a college admissions employee at my local college if the high school equivalency exam they use (HiSET) can also be worth college credit when a student scores very high. I asked this because some colleges do award college credit for this exam, but it’s not super-common. I’m always on the lookout for hidden gems to write about.

Her answer surprised me.

“Yes! The student can test into English 101.”

No, I think she misunderstood my question. I didn’t ask if the student can “test into” English, I wanted to know if they could receive college credit (test out) for a high score, so I rephrased it, “Does a student get credit in English 101 if they score well on the HiSET exam?”

“Yes! They won’t have to take any of the remedial classes.”

Huh? We went around a few more times until I was sure she understood my question and I was sure I understood her answer. I took out the word “test” and asked “does a student get to bypass English 101 if they pass the HiSET exam with a high score?”

“Oh….. No. But they won’t have to take remedial English.”

Ok, now we are speaking the same language. The student’s score does not allow them to test “out” of English 101, rather it allows them to test “into” English 101.

When a college admissions employee easily mixes up the differences between these two important concepts, I know for sure this topic deserves a blog post!

Testing Out

Testing out has serious financial and time benefits! At over 80% of colleges, you can test out of introductory classes using a standardized exam brands like Advanced Placement (AP), CLEP, DSST, and several others. When you test out, the college awards credit in the class and you get to skip it… and the registration, and the tuition, and the fees, and the textbook cost, and the homework!

Since CLEP is currently FREE to anyone with a voucher from Modern States, it’s currently my favorite way to stockpile college credit that you can use later.

CLEP exams are accepted in some amount at most colleges, and in many cases, your community college may allow you to use CLEP for as much as 75% of an associate’s degree!

Don’t rely on your college to tell you how to test out of a class – they have zero incentive. You’ll have to look this up for yourself.

Testing In

Testing into a class is only an advantage when you’re facing a developmental class, otherwise, “testing in” doesn’t save you time or money. It simply allows you to enroll. As an example, let’s say your college requires a placement test score of X before you can demonstrate readiness and enroll in English 101. In that case, hitting the target score means you won’t have to take developmental or pre-English classes before you get permission to register. Since developmental and pre-English classes usually cost full price and don’t count toward a degree, you’ll want to avoid these classes whenever possible.

Using Test out to Test in

On occasion, you can use a test-out option to test into a higher level class. As an example, perhaps a high score on the Biology CLEP exam will allow your student to bypass the Introduction to Biology prerequisite course normally needed for a more advanced course like Anatomy & Physiology. Whether or not the college awards credit takes a back-seat to the advantage of getting to register directly into the needed class. In this case the advantage is both time and money. You save time (a full semester) by skipping the prerequisite, and you save money because you don’t have to pay full tuition for the prerequisite.

Advanced Standing

Colleges that forbid testing out of classes may occasionally award “advanced standing” for a student with a high test score in a subject. Advanced standing isn’t a time or money saver, but it can give your teen access to classes they might not otherwise have access to. As an example, suppose your teen’s university requires every student to take 2 years of a foreign language for a bachelor’s degree. Most students will take that language as a 1 & 2 sequence (French 1 & 2, Spanish 1 & 2, etc.). A student who scored well on an AP or CLEP exam won’t be exempt from the degree requirement, but they may qualify for taking a higher sequence (French 3 & 4, Spanish 3 & 4, etc.). Some colleges even allow access into honors programs or graduate level courses based on advanced standing.

Recommendation

Stockpile college credit by exam. Since Homeschooling for College Credit teaches resourceful high school planning, the best plan is the one that gets your teen to their goal! If you know your teen’s goal (target college / target major) planning is easier, but if this goal isn’t yet formed, the safe bet is to bring college credit into your homeschool where it makes sense. Don’t worry TODAY about whether or not your teen’s credit by exam will be used in one way or another. If your teen is studying French, take the French AP or CLEP exam! If your teen studies history, take the history exams. How and where they get to use these exams can be worked out later. There is simply no down side to stocking up on this kind of credit!