CLEP and DSST prep materials from Study.com -- my REVIEW

I have mentioned before that my children are hoping to earn some college credit before they attend college by taking a few CLEP exams. The topics they have studied in their homeschool learning have prepared them quite in-depth in some subjects, so they would like to maximize that learning by using it to help them earn college credit for a very low cost, by taking CLEP tests. In light of this, we were so happy to be given the chance to review some CLEP prep and DSST prep programs through Study.com!

Before I go any further--are you familiar with CLEP exams or DSST exams? The CLEP is the College-Level Examination Program®, which is basically an exam that seeks to test a student on representative information such as they would learn in a college course. There are thirty-three of these exams, ranging from history to literature, to some maths, to foreign languages, and more. When a student takes one of these exams, they get a score. Colleges publish their CLEP policies and show the minimum score a student needs to be granted credit. If a student reaches or exceeds that score, they are then given credit for that course...actual college credits, not just a prerequisite waiver or something! So for a fraction of the cost of taking a college class, a student can test out of a course and earn college credits for it as well! The DSST is similar, but is for eligible folks taking similar tests through the Department of Defense.

Okay, all of that was important background information!! Let me get to the product we got to try, the CLEP prep and DSST prep programs through Study.com.. If you or your student are looking to take a CLEP or DSST exam, the resources in Study.com will help make sure you or they know the material they need to for the exams. The website is extremely easy to navigate, and a learner can jump right in.

The first thing to do is to find the course which you'd like to review/learn (easily accessible through the search bar or side menus.)  For many of the courses, before beginning the learning segment, there is a placement test to evaluate what you already know so that you don't focus on material you already have down.



                       

From there, you can see an overview of the topics and chapters you need to work on. Now, you don't just have to go study that material on your own--there is actually a learning course, complete with short video lectures (great for both auditory and visual learners!), with quizzes following each segment. The lectures/videos are very easy to follow along with, and there is a transcript which accompanies the videos.  Something that is a really neat option to use is the note-taking box, which allows you to jot down notes about what you are learning the video. This is great as another method of processing what you are learning  and for reminding you of the points you had wanted to highlight.

(I really like this note-taking space, I think this is something that sets this program apart!)

At the end of the courses there are practice tests which will further help you gauge your readiness to take the actual exam. There are also flashcard sets which help you review in yet another way.

 

The interface is super easy to use, and you are able to navigate directly where you want to go.


Your courses and progress are saved and you can easily resume courses you have begun.

My high school daughter and son have been working on the History of the United States 1 course. I think they were surprised about how low they scored on the placement test-- so they were eager to use the study.com materials :) and jumped right in.

Here's what my daughter had to say about it: "Study.com has fun, short videos that are easy to understand. Each video lesson is followed by a short quiz covering topics from the video. It is really helpful and easy to learn from. I really enjoyed it and learned a lot from it! I like having the quizzes right after each lesson, cause it makes it easier to remember what you learned. Once you finish a lesson, you have the options to reply, move on, or take a quiz. This is really helpful! The lessons also cover important information in a fun, easy manner."

I would also like to point out that there are way more courses available on study.com--we are also planning to utilize the ACT and SAT prep courses, and I have started taking an Introductory calculus class!

OH my goodness, I almost forgot to tell you about one of my favorite aspect of study.com--they also have an app!! You can download the study.com app and use your same login information and use the site on your phone or other device! This is so convenient!!! My family has been able to use it much more, thanks to the app:)

 


I bet that you have already guessed that I really like and recommend this product!  If your student is interested in saving money by taking a CLEP test or DSST exam, please check out this prep program! I think you will find it an invaluable help. To read some more reviews of it, please click the link below!