Understanding the Introductory Psychology CLEP Test

Many baccalaureate degrees, such as education, psychology, and nursing, require that students complete an introductory level general psychology course. This course is typically a three hour course, meaning that students will spend three hours in the classroom each week during a normal semester. In addition to being present during lectures each week, students will be expected to complete work outside of class such as writing and research assignments and studying for tests and quizzes. Between commuting or walking to class, attending class, and completing required work outside of class, a three hour introductory psychology course can be quite time consuming. Many students may not know that their college or university may allow them to take a standardized test, known as a CLEP exam, instead of having to take their introductory level psychology course.
CLEP (College Level Examination Program) allows students to earn credits through demonstrating college level knowledge on standardized exams in subjects such as social sciences, science, mathematics, business, foreign language, and history. Over 2,900 colleges and universities grant credits to students who earn qualifying CLEP test scores. With each exam costing only $72 to take (plus a small administration fee), CLEP can provide an inexpensive way to earn college credits. In addition, because students can often prepare for these exams in as little as a few days or a few weeks and take the test on their own schedule, CLEP can provide significant time savings. Even students who have little or no background knowledge of psychology can quickly prepare for the Introductory Psychology CLEP exam. Students interested in taking the Introductory Psychology CLEP test should first understand the structure of the test and the subject matter that will be covered.
Each of the 95 questions on the Introductory Psychology CLEP test is multiple choice; in addition, the examinee is given 90 minutes to complete the CLEP. ACE, The American Council on Education, recommends that colleges and universities accepting CLEP exams to grant three semester credit hours for a student who achieves a score of 50 or higher on the Introductory Psychology CLEP test. In order to prepare to take this exam, students must first find out what material and topics they need to study in order to gain the knowledge level required to obtain a qualifying score. The Introductory Psychology CLEP test covers the following thirteen different topics: history, approaches, and methods; states of consciousness; learning; cognition; biological bases of behavior; sensation and perception; motivation and emotion; social psychology; statistics, tests, and measurement; psychological disorders and health; treatment of psychological disorders; developmental psychology; personality. Examinees must have a thorough knowledge of these topics including theories, terminology, and core principles. In addition to knowing theories, principles, and terminology associated with the 13 topics, the examinee must possess comprehension, analytical, and evaluation skills and be able to apply knowledge of the topics to various situations and problems. Students can use a variety of CLEP prep methods to study for the Introductory Psychology CLEP test, including CLEP study guides, college psychology textbooks, or online study programs.