One of my favorite strategies to teach is showing parents how to turn their regular homeschool curriculum into an honors-level course that can also earn potential college credit. It’s simpler than you think—and it’s exactly how thousands of HS4CC families do it every year!
Since I first wrote Homeschooling for College Credit back in 2012, I’ve been teaching a method I call “layering,” which takes good CLEP prep and layers it into your regular homeschool program. This method WORKS! (If you have my book, it’s Chapter 5)
Start with a Solid Curriculum
Before we talk about CLEP, let’s be clear: your teen needs to learn the subject. While CLEP advertises “Get College Credit for What You Already Know” the truth is that no one knows enough to pass a CLEP without first learning it. Where or how you learn it doesn’t matter- unlike a dual enrollment class that grades your teen on learning according to a specific textbook, CLEP is a general exam on a subject that is specifically textbook-agnostic, meaning you could (and should) use multiple resources.
That means you use a curriculum that fits your family—textbook, video, online, whatever works. It could be Apologia Biology, Teaching Textbooks Precalculus, Khan Academy U.S. History, or a secular PDF you bought off Etsy. The brand doesn’t matter. The quality of learning does. You’ll want your student to do homework, reading, watching, critical thinking, researching, etc. Think of it as bringing CLEP into your curriculum and making it better.
Now Let’s Talk CLEP Prep
While you could have your teen prep for a subject he already knows (your home is bilingual, he could probably take the Spanish test today) 99% of you will need your student to learn the information first. Underscore that they are going to attempt to test out of a college course, so they have to do well at the high school level and be motivated to go deeper.
As they are learning the subject, you can layer in CLEP exam preparation. Think of CLEP prep as “teaching to the test” and giving you just the facts. CLEP prep is memorizing dates, names, events, etc. That includes:
- A brand-specific study guide (REA CLEP guides are excellent)
- Crash Course videos, Sparksnotes, “For Dummies” books all are excellent
- Practice exams (Peterson’s, official College Board app)
- A free Modern States pre course to get the exam voucher.
PRO TIP: The Modern States prep course units can be completed alongside the matching chapters of your high school curriculum.
The Perfect Layers
Layer 1: The Official CLEP Blueprint
Before you even start your course, take 10 minutes to read the official CLEP exam description from the College Board. This gives you the exam topics, structure, and weighting. It’s free, and it’s your cheat sheet for what the test will expect later.
📌 Parent tip: Download the CLEP Official Study Guide or get the app. No need to memorize anything now—just keep the outline handy as you build the course.
Layer 2: A Full High School Curriculum
This is your core. Choose a curriculum that teaches the subject well. It can be religious or secular, online or printed, new or used. It just needs to be complete.
✅ Some favorite curriculum brands used by HS4CC families:
- Apologia, BJU Press, Abeka
- Notgrass, The Good and the Beautiful, MasterBooks
- Teaching Textbooks, Saxon, Mr. D Math
- Khan Academy, Time4Learning, Compass Classroom
- Oak Meadow, Easy Peasy, Study.com
- The Great Courses, Outschool, EdX, Coursera
Your teen should do the full course—reading, writing, projects, tests. When they finish, you award 1.0 high school credit on their transcript.
PRO TIP: I like to award “honors” credit for any subject my student has also studied for the CLEP, AP, or DSST exam. This added work bumps a regular college prep course up into the honors category when you do it like I’m teaching you in this post.
Layer 3: Add Multimedia for Richer Learning
This is where you go beyond the textbook. Bring in visual, auditory, or interactive materials that reinforce the subject and deepen understanding.
🎥 Ideas:
- Crash Course (YouTube)
- Relevant Netflix documentaries
- TED-Ed videos
- The Great Courses Plus lectures
- Lab kits or virtual labs (for science courses)
This layer keeps your teen engaged and helps them connect the dots between what they’re learning and how it might appear on the CLEP exam.
Layer 4: Enroll in Modern States (and earn a voucher)
Now that your teen understands the subject, it’s time to start reviewing for the CLEP. Modern States offers a free online CLEP prep course. After your teen completes the quizzes with 70% or better, they’ll receive a voucher that pays for the exam and remote proctoring.
📝 Important: This is not curriculum. It’s prep. Think of it as a crash review before the test.
💡 Each teen needs their own Modern States account, and their name must match their CLEP registration exactly.
Layer 5: Take Practice Tests
Before your teen sits for the real exam, have them complete at least 2–3 full-length practice tests. This builds stamina and gives you a clear read on readiness.
🎯 Look for scores of 60% or better before testing.
📘 Where to find good practice tests:
- The CLEP Official Study Guide (comes with 1 test per subject)
- REA CLEP books (usually 2–3 tests per book)
- Peterson’s CLEP (monthly subscription; 3 full tests per subject)
Avoid reusing the same test multiple times—your teen may remember answers instead of mastering the content.
🌟 Honors-Level Tip
If your student completes all five layers, you can confidently label the course as Honors on their high school transcript.
🧾 Transcript entry example:
Course Title: Psychology (Honors)
Credit: 1.0 High School Credit
Note: Student completed a full high school curriculum, supplemental study, and CLEP exam preparation.
Whether they pass the CLEP or not, they’ve done honors-level work.
To help you layer your own curriculum with solid CLEP-prep, I’ve created a 38-page workbook for you – free to download and print. Just fill in the blanks and go!
