Over-studying?

[anar579]

Originally Posted by Sammy

I generally recommend instantcert to give a good accurate outline of the exams. So study instantcert well. I always recommend at least one additional study source. For clep, I recommend the CollegeBoard CLEP official Studya guide. Take the practice exam to evaluate where you are in your study process. For DSST, I recommend the fact sheets from thier web site which usually has a 10 question practice. Then I also highly recommend the Petersons practice exams.
http://www.guidancenet.com/guidancen...=3519&tab=clep
http://www.petersons.com/airforce/cl....asp?sponsor=8
http://www.petersons.com/airforce/cl....asp?sponsor=8
http://www.petersons.com/airforce/pd...ests&sponsor=8
Like I say, I always recommended one extra source besides instantcert but obviously it is not required unless you want to kick someones butt like I did with Snazzlefrag in statistics...but then again he kicked my tail in Socialogy with less study time and materials. So there is no absolute right answer. BTW, you usually end up with about the same exam results as you do with the practice exams.

Great suggestion Sammy. I find that taking the practice exams helps me gauge if I know enough to get the score I want/need. It's a helpful way to avoid that over-studying, or even inadequate studying. Sometimes I find myself going over something I already know, but that I'm not sure I know... does that make sense? When I take a mock exam, and apply my knowledge, I'm able to tell that I truly have learned something. And going over those wrong answers is sooo helpful. When you get an answer wrong, and then have that "Oh, I get it!" moment when you see the correct answer, really makes it stick.

OK, I'll stop rambling now.

[yutzyj]

Originally Posted by anar579

Great suggestion Sammy. I find that taking the practice exams helps me gauge if I know enough to get the score I want/need. It's a helpful way to avoid that over-studying, or even inadequate studying. Sometimes I find myself going over something I already know, but that I'm not sure I know... does that make sense? When I take a mock exam, and apply my knowledge, I'm able to tell that I truly have learned something. And going over those wrong answers is sooo helpful. When you get an answer wrong, and then have that "Oh, I get it!" moment when you see the correct answer, really makes it stick.

OK, I'll stop rambling now.

ana and sammy are right on. i forgot to mention taking the practice tests. they are a good indicator to know if you are ready. you don't need to come close to getting 100%. i think i've read on this site that 50% should give you a pass. that would be a little close for me because i don't like to be sweating it out when i take the real clep exam and wondering if i passed when i am finishing up. can anyone post what they think would be a good score to get on the practice tests, i'm not sure if the 50% is correct.

[snazzlefrag]

Originally Posted by yutzyj

ana and sammy are right on. i forgot to mention taking the practice tests. they are a good indicator to know if you are ready. you don't need to come close to getting 100%. i think i've read on this site that 50% should give you a pass. that would be a little close for me because i don't like to be sweating it out when i take the real clep exam and wondering if i passed when i am finishing up. can anyone post what they think would be a good score to get on the practice tests, i'm not sure if the 50% is correct.

yutzyj,

In GENERAL, we need to aim to get more than HALF of all questions correct to get a pass on each exam. This is just a general rule of thumb though. Nobody knows the EXACT raw score needed to pass each exam (it varies...CLEP has their own formulas).

If you are scoring higher than 50% on the mock exams, you are probably going to score in the passing range on the real exam.

However, this rule of thumb does not take into account the EXACT formula for each exam (some may require 46% correct...others may require 54% correct etc.). It also does not allow for exam-day nerves, variance between the mock questions and the real exam questions, or even just plain old luck of the draw.

As a result, I personally like to get my score into the 60s or above on the mock exams. This allows me plenty of "comfort zone" to do a little worse on the real exam (for whatever reasons) and still pass.

If you are scoring very close to 50% on the mocks, it is advisable to study a bit more. If you are scoring in the 60s or 70s, you should have no problem passing the real thing (barring any unforeseen circumstances).

Hope that helps,
Snazzlefrag

[anar579]

I agree, 50% might be cutting it a little close, especially on an exam you can't afford to fail. I try to get 60% and above if the exam is pass/fail, and even higher than that when the exam carries a letter grade.

[swthing64]

Sammy,

Thanks for the valuable information!! I went on the first link you posted (guidance net?) which took me to the Peterson's site. I went to the Microeconomics section and proceeded to do the second exam. I'm assuming all three exams (80 questions) are the same content and not chunked into three different Microeconomics sections of material? Anyhow, at the end I checked my score and only got a 48. This was also with me referring to my book a few times. The Peterson mock test was really hard!! I felt comfortable with just using my textbook and IC as study tools but this Peterson mock test is scaring me. I know I 'only' need a 50 to pass but after I took the mock test, I really felt like a dummy. And...I've been studying pretty diligently. It's just a heck of a lot of content to absorb. Is the Peterson's exam pretty try to the actual CLEP? Why is the IC so much easier than the Peterson's?

[Cold_navy]

To be honest with you, the Peterson's Test on right on par with how the CLEPS are. 48 is an awsome score for a first practice test! Just remember to relax, use the processes of elimination, and don't second guess yourself. Your gut feeling is often the most correct answer. I'll keep my fingers crossed for ya!


GOOD LUCK
Scott

[snazzlefrag]

My experience is that the Peterson mock exams are similar....but more difficult than the real exams. I think it has to do with the way they word their questions, and the way they word their answer options.

I invariably score lower on the Peterson mocks than I do when I take the actual CLEP exam.

However, they are useful in evaluating your progress since you can take each of the three exams at different stages of your studies. In addition, since they provide explanations for each answer, you can pick up useful pointers by reviewing the mock exams after you have taken them.

Also, each exam covers all the material in the subject (rather than three different sections).

As Cold Navy mentioned, 48 is great for your first mock. You are already very close to the 50% mark. But you should continue to study and hopefully your mock scores will improve.

Hope that helps,
Snazzlefrag

[anar579]

I had planned to take the Microeconomics exam today, but last night while doing the mock test from the official CLEP study guide, I didn't feel confident enough. So today I'm heading to the library to study what's really bothering me... the long term and short term differences in cost, revenue, and profit. And those graphs with like 5 lines in them, they're making me crazy!

Anyway, I took one Peterson's exam, and scored 73%, which is good and enough to pass, but I want to get a 60 for my A. I'm definitely taking this tomorrow, because if I go through the weekend with all this I might go insane (I'm even dreaming microeconomics)!

[swthing64]

Thanks to everyone for the words of encouragement. I still have one week before my exam next Friday so I should have sufficient time to go over the IC and Peterson's sites more.

Anar579 - I know what you mean about the charts with all those lines!! I need to study those more. Which Peterson's exam did you score a 73% (good job by the way!!)? I did the second one. Actually, I started the first one last night but had too many distractions at home and had to cancel it.

I've been dreaming Micro as well!!! It's a lot of material to cover!!

Let us know how you do tomorrow and good luck!!!

[anar579]

Originally Posted by swthing64

Thanks to everyone for the words of encouragement. I still have one week before my exam next Friday so I should have sufficient time to go over the IC and Peterson's sites more.

Anar579 - I know what you mean about the charts with all those lines!! I need to study those more. Which Peterson's exam did you score a 73% (good job by the way!!)? I did the second one. Actually, I started the first one last night but had too many distractions at home and had to cancel it.

I've been dreaming Micro as well!!! It's a lot of material to cover!!

Let us know how you do tomorrow and good luck!!!

I took Test 1. I actually have the printed form and took it in the library, so no distractions. It's easy to find something else to do when you're taking these! After a while my head gets sore.