There are two CLEP exams every homeschool student should take before graduating high school. These two exams are within reach for most of your high school seniors and they can do this NOW (probably) without studying or added cost. These two exams generate 6 potential college credits.
The last few months of homeschool can feel like a race to the finish line—but before you close the books for good, I want you to consider picking up two solid CLEP exams that are well within reach for most high school seniors.
- Analyzing and Interpreting Literature
- College Mathematics
Together, these two exams can earn your teen 6 potential college credits, and with a Modern States voucher, they won’t cost you a dime.
Even if you don’t think your teen will use the credits at their first-choice college, take them anyway. Colleges change. Plans change. Life changes. These CLEP scores are good for 10 years. Your teen might need them later, even years later.
How do I know?
Because my oldest son used credits he earned in high school to finish a second degree at age 30. We really didn’t think any of his unused credit from high school was still usable, but it was! And it was a nice ten-thousand-dollar surprise. And that’s what I want you to do: bank the credit.
Analyzing and Interpreting Literature CLEP
This is one of the most passable CLEP exams out there for students who read fluently and have the stamina to read hard literature for 90 minutes. No intense new study required—it’s about reading comprehension and literary analysis, not memorizing authors and dates. If your teen can read and understand any unabridged classic, can remember a few vocabulary words, and is skilled at understanding deep meaning, they can pass this exam.
It includes:
- Reading poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction
- Interpreting tone, theme, and point of view
- Understanding figurative language and literary devices
- Making inferences from context
- Literature vocabulary (foreshadow, haiku, alliteration, satire, etc.)
If your teen has completed a college-prep high school English or Literature course and does a fair amount of reading, they’re probably already prepared.
College Mathematics CLEP
If your teen has completed Algebra 2 or higher, this exam is very doable. It covers general math topics that are typically taught in liberal arts math courses, not advanced algebra or calculus.
It includes:
- Sets and logic
- Probability and statistics
- Number operations
- Basic Geometry
- Personal finance
- Data analysis
Many non-STEM majors in college require a course like this, and this exam can often fulfill that requirement. Since the course topics aren’t perfectly aligned to high school math, your teen will have to be sure they learn any topics they weren’t previously exposed to, but a student who has completed Algebra 2 can learn these new skills quickly.
How to Do It for Free
Sign your teen up for the corresponding Modern States CLEP prep course (online and free). After passing the quizzes with a 70% or better, they’ll earn a voucher that pays for:
- The CLEP exam
- The proctoring fee (remote is free automatically, in-person will be reimbursed)
Yes, that means these exams can be completely free.
This is low-hanging fruit. These two exams are worth picking up now, while you’re still in homeschool mode.
Even if those credits don’t transfer right away, they may show up later in ways you never imagined. (Just ask my son.)
Plan one exam in fall, one in spring—or knock both out in the summer. But put these two on your short list.
This is how you close out homeschool for the win!
