As a student at Rock Valley college, you need 64 credits to graduate in two years. Rock Valley offers a program that could help you knock some of those credits away.
The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) is a national program that allows students to earn college credit by taking an exam. There are 34 different exams students can take. The tests are computer-based, and about 90 minutes long.
Rock Valley College offers CLEP testing all year. RVC has been ranked in the top 100 test centers in the last 5-8 years.
Middle school, high school, and college students, as well as working adults, military, veterans, and professionals seeking to continue their college education are welcome to take a CLEP exam. The main requirement is that the person has to be 13 years and older.
Testing Specialist Sonia Medrano says, “Whether you are just entering college and hoping to accelerate your studies, a part-time student concerned with the fastest route to a degree, or a working adult thinking about beginning or resuming college, CLEP can help you.”
Taking the CLEP exam can save money because instead of taking a $375 dollar class which only gets you 3 credits, you can take the CLEP exam at the price of $95, which can be up to 14 credits.
However, if you are planning on transferring to a different school, it is recommended that you check with those schools to make sure they accept CLEP. There are a few universities which do not accept CLEP credits
A student at RVC Kristina Beltran, “ I would say that one of the reasons why I’m taking CLEP is to get ahead with my credits. I also saw it as a good opportunity because you are able to get ahead with a test that will take a couple of hours, rather than a class that will last a couple of weeks. It’s also beneficial because the test is only around 100 bucks compared to a class where you would be spending more time on books and the class itself. I decided to do this because it would be financially beneficial and it would save me a ton of time as well.”
Sonia says there are ways to prepare for the test. The College Board website has practice and study information Earn College Credit with CLEP – CLEP | College Board. Modern States is a free website with CLEP preparation content, Home – Modern States.
If you are interested in taking CLEP or want to learn more about it you can contact the Testing Center on the RVC website (Website: College Level Examination Program).
The Testing Center is located in the Student Center on the ground floor.
There are also specific dates CLEP testing is conducted.
Upcoming dates include: April 2, 2025, from 4 pm to 6 pm and April 23, 2025, from 3 pm to 5 pm.
CLEP testing is every month, so keep an eye out in the calendar for the upcoming dates.
(Website: Calendar)
