Microeconomic CLEP result and a few questions

[swthing64]

Well, after studying very hard for almost 4 weeks, I took the Micro CLEP today and got a 48. This is my second CLEP (passed the Business Law one last December with a 53). I thought I studied harder for the Micro than the BL CLEP and felt pretty confident going through the test but...two points away from passing. UGH!!!

As mentioned in a previous post, I used a college Micro textbook and took a bunch of notes based on the CLEP outline for this subject. I also started using IC last week and as of last night, was averaging 86% across all six segments. I also did Peterson's last week, scored a 46% on average for all three tests, but reviewed those that I answered incorrectly and it all seemed to come together. Needless to say, I was VERY bummed when I saw the 48 pop up on the screen. The test coordinator praised my score saying that most people who go into CLEP exams already have a background in that particular subject and for me to go in completely dry and get a 48 was something to be proud of. She made me feel a little better but...still....it's disappointing and I will retake it in six months if I don't burn my notes before then.

I am scheduled to take the Macro CLEP on June 16 and have a bunch of questions. Perhaps someone can help me to get over the edge of the 50 I need to pass.

1. If you've taken a CLEP, did you have background in the subject of the exam? If not, what tools/studying methods did you find to help you pass? I've noticed some people only use IC and get scores around 60. Is this with NO background in that subject??

2. I've heard the Macro CLEP is easier than the Micro. I'd like to study as I did with the Micro (reading through a textbook, taking notes, IC and perhaps Peterson's) but I'm not sure if that's enough. I'm not sure what more I can do to get over the 50 mark.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. My company only pays for 75% of my schooling up to a max of $2,000 per year. By passing these CLEPs, I am saving myself a good deal of money and, of course, time.

I was looking forward to disengaging Micro from my head after this exam but the only thing I know now is that my demand for a margarita is high and the supply may exceed one.

[tampalizard]

Hello swthing64,

Sorry for your disappointment...I know it is difficult. See what other people suggest but this is my take on it. I had no background in economics before the CLEP. Not even in high school. (I went way back in the stone age when the graduation requirement was "Problems of the American Democracy"...now its economics.) I used only the IC materials. This was one of my first CLEPS so I did spend a good deal of time, comparatively at least, studying the economics material on IC. I did not look at anything else and I managed to pass. Since then, I have tried to use IC in combination with other methods of study for different CLEPS and, for me, I got more confused if I tried to use too many materials. I am one of the only people you will find here that advocates for using only one study source (putting all your eggs in one proverbial basket) but most use two or three sources at the most. Either way...don't give up. Have a Margarita for me too!

[Back2School]

Well I'm taking the macro economics on Monday morning. I've been getting low 60's on the Peterson's. I've prepared by reading a text book on the subject, the MacroEconomics clep preparation guide from the passyourclass people (I'm not that impressed -lots of typos), Petersons and of course InstantCert.

I plan to study for 3-4 hours on Sat and Sun and feel like I should pass.

This will be my first CLEP. I will let you know how I do and see if I can give you some pointers when I get my results.

[swthing64]

Originally Posted by tampalizard

Hello swthing64,

Sorry for your disappointment...I know it is difficult. See what other people suggest but this is my take on it. I had no background in economics before the CLEP. Not even in high school. (I went way back in the stone age when the graduation requirement was "Problems of the American Democracy"...now its economics.) I used only the IC materials. This was one of my first CLEPS so I did spend a good deal of time, comparatively at least, studying the economics material on IC. I did not look at anything else and I managed to pass. Since then, I have tried to use IC in combination with other methods of study for different CLEPS and, for me, I got more confused if I tried to use too many materials. I am one of the only people you will find here that advocates for using only one study source (putting all your eggs in one proverbial basket) but most use two or three sources at the most. Either way...don't give up. Have a Margarita for me too!

See, that's the thing - as much as I like IC, I don't see how, if I used that exclusively, that I would've even received a 48. My textbook, and a bunch of economics web pages, helped me to decipher the information more. I often felt that I over-studied for this exam and that's more of a reason why I'm so disappointed with my score. Maybe I'm beating myself up too much but I really, really don't want to re-take the Macro one as well so I need to figure out what I can do, that I did differently with Micro, that will help me to pass. It's frustrating indeed.

[swthing64]

Originally Posted by Back2School

Well I'm taking the macro economics on Monday morning. I've been getting low 60's on the Peterson's. I've prepared by reading a text book on the subject, the MacroEconomics clep preparation guide from the passyourclass people (I'm not that impressed -lots of typos), Petersons and of course InstantCert.

I plan to study for 3-4 hours on Sat and Sun and feel like I should pass.

This will be my first CLEP. I will let you know how I do and see if I can give you some pointers when I get my results.

That's great, thank you! Let me know how you do and best of luck!!!!

[yutzyj]

Originally Posted by swthing64

Well, after studying very hard for almost 4 weeks, I took the Micro CLEP today and got a 48. This is my second CLEP (passed the Business Law one last December with a 53). I thought I studied harder for the Micro than the BL CLEP and felt pretty confident going through the test but...two points away from passing. UGH!!!

As mentioned in a previous post, I used a college Micro textbook and took a bunch of notes based on the CLEP outline for this subject. I also started using IC last week and as of last night, was averaging 86% across all six segments. I also did Peterson's last week, scored a 46% on average for all three tests, but reviewed those that I answered incorrectly and it all seemed to come together. Needless to say, I was VERY bummed when I saw the 48 pop up on the screen. The test coordinator praised my score saying that most people who go into CLEP exams already have a background in that particular subject and for me to go in completely dry and get a 48 was something to be proud of. She made me feel a little better but...still....it's disappointing and I will retake it in six months if I don't burn my notes before then.

I am scheduled to take the Macro CLEP on June 16 and have a bunch of questions. Perhaps someone can help me to get over the edge of the 50 I need to pass.

1. If you've taken a CLEP, did you have background in the subject of the exam? If not, what tools/studying methods did you find to help you pass? I've noticed some people only use IC and get scores around 60. Is this with NO background in that subject??

2. I've heard the Macro CLEP is easier than the Micro. I'd like to study as I did with the Micro (reading through a textbook, taking notes, IC and perhaps Peterson's) but I'm not sure if that's enough. I'm not sure what more I can do to get over the 50 mark.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. My company only pays for 75% of my schooling up to a max of $2,000 per year. By passing these CLEPs, I am saving myself a good deal of money and, of course, time.

I was looking forward to disengaging Micro from my head after this exam but the only thing I know now is that my demand for a margarita is high and the supply may exceed one.

swthing64-
you were very close, almost there! don't burn your notes yet, save them for the bonfire after you graduate, they'll help toast those marshmallows. i've taken both macro and micro, as you can see in previous threads. i think it would be harder to take micro first. i think that ic does a better job of explaining macro. there are many more flashcards with macro. then, when i got to micro, things were easier to understand. in answer to your first question, i have no background in economics, but i am somewhat good at math and algebra (the graphs might have come a little easier for me than some people). in answer to your second question, i'm not so sure that macro is easier than micro, but my score was lower for micro, so there must be some truth in that. i think that once you start macro, things will fall into place easier than you think. in six months, if you decide to take micro again, the studying will go easier. good luck.

[snazzlefrag]

Originally Posted by swthing64

See, that's the thing - as much as I like IC, I don't see how, if I used that exclusively, that I would've even received a 48. My textbook, and a bunch of economics web pages, helped me to decipher the information more. I often felt that I over-studied for this exam and that's more of a reason why I'm so disappointed with my score. Maybe I'm beating myself up too much but I really, really don't want to re-take the Macro one as well so I need to figure out what I can do, that I did differently with Micro, that will help me to pass. It's frustrating indeed.

swthing,

Sorry to hear about your exam score today. I know you studied hard for this one.

I am wondering whether studying the text book was overkill. These exams only test on the basic principles. It would be impossible for them to cover every possible thing that every possible textbook or every possible college professor teaches on this subject. Instead, CLEPs break down each subject into the absolute central core of knowledge that EVERY student should know, regardless of which school they attend, or who their professor was, or which textbook they used.

Perhaps you might do better if you focus in on the core principles ONLY (a la Instantcert). If you know the basics inside and out, I really think you would do better than if you know a LITTLE bit about everything...."Less is more" so to speak!

It's much easier to truly "master" 100 core concepts, than to try and grasp 1500 concepts that may, or may not even be on the exam. That's why I think people tend to do well using Instantcert...it narrows the information down to a very manageable central core of knowledge that you will need to know to pass each exam, and it doesn't overwhelm your senses with lots of superfluous information you won't necessarily need.

Just my two cents.

Best of luck on your next exam swthing,
Snazzlefrag

[cupatee]

Hi Everyone:
I'm a newbie and so please don't yell at me if I'm not doing things right.

I've taken 3 clep tests in the last 6 weeks - Macroeconomics, Microeconomics and Intro to Comp and received 70+ on all of them. What I noticed when reviewing the posts is that many note that they took an exam near the time that they scored 70%, 60% - I think I saw someone who was at @ ~48% 2 days before the test. My rule - I would never sit for an exam if I could not get at least an 85% on the last practice exam.

I suppose it all comes down to how comfortable you are "not knowing". Some students are not bothered by this - call it confidence, bravado, fill in the blank. Others (include me in this group!) can't sleep knowing that I'm going to take a test on which I don't know 20 - 52% of the material. Maybe it's my accounting background - you know the penny variance could be made up of 1 million and -999,999? Maybe that 20%, especially since I do not have the benefit of a professor who I could "read", is really 35%, or maybe that 20% consists of the weighted questions that count for much more than what I think I don't know.

Bottom line - think about what kind of student you are (were). Did you pass your exams fast and loose or were you more confident and successful when you knew most of the material.

My two cents (or 50 cents based on word count!)

Tracy

ps - I really enjoy reading your posts!

[Kiwi Lover]

Originally Posted by cupatee

Hi Everyone:
I'm a newbie and so please don't yell at me if I'm not doing things right.

I've taken 3 clep tests in the last 6 weeks - Macroeconomics, Microeconomics and Intro to Comp and received 70+ on all of them. What I noticed when reviewing the posts is that many note that they took an exam near the time that they scored 70%, 60% - I think I saw someone who was at @ ~48% 2 days before the test. My rule - I would never sit for an exam if I could not get at least an 85% on the last practice exam.

I suppose it all comes down to how comfortable you are "not knowing". Some students are not bothered by this - call it confidence, bravado, fill in the blank. Others (include me in this group!) can't sleep knowing that I'm going to take a test on which I don't know 20 - 52% of the material. Maybe it's my accounting background - you know the penny variance could be made up of 1 million and -999,999? Maybe that 20%, especially since I do not have the benefit of a professor who I could "read", is really 35%, or maybe that 20% consists of the weighted questions that count for much more than what I think I don't know.

Bottom line - think about what kind of student you are (were). Did you pass your exams fast and loose or were you more confident and successful when you knew most of the material.

My two cents (or 50 cents based on word count!)

Tracy

ps - I really enjoy reading your posts!

Welcome aboard Tracy! Your comments are always welcome here - thanks for your input.

If you have any tips for studying for the Microeconomics test, I'm all ears! I'm scheduled to take that one on July 10th; I just took the Macro test on June 5th and was very pleased with the results. Anyway, do you remember some of the areas they focused on more than others in the Micro test? Anything you can relate back to us would really be appreciated!

Thanks, and welcome once again.

[snazzlefrag]

Originally Posted by cupatee

Hi Everyone:
I'm a newbie and so please don't yell at me if I'm not doing things right.

You IDIOT! You're not doing things right, dammit!


Oh sorry! You said "don't yell at me"...I read it wrong! My mistake. Let me leave and come back in again. We'll do it right this time....

Welcome to the group cupatee (great name),

This is a great place for sharing ideas, opinions, experiences. But there is really no such thing as "not doing things right", as long as you are passing your exams.

You'll see it said time and again throughout the board, what works for one person may not work for someone else. What matters most is what works for YOU!

If you spend five days praying and fasting...and it enables you to pass your exam, that is 'doing things right'.

If you read a book from the back page to the front while standing on your head...and it enables you to pass your exam, that is 'doing things right'.

If you hide away in a Himalayan monastery for five months...and it enables you to pass your exam, that is 'doing things right'.

If you....you get the idea!


...and YOU are obviously doing things right. Congratulations on your first three CLEP scores.

Once again, welcome to the board.
It will be great having you around,
Snazzlefrag