Macroeconomics questions

[LuBee]

I've looked over previous posts about the Macroeconomics CLEP and I read mixed opinions about it's difficulty.

For those who found it difficult, was it because the content was a surprise, or because it is math oriented, or something else?

For those that did well on the test what did you attribute that to?

Were there questions where you had to read graphs? Did you have to know the abbrevations, like AD, SAS, etc... ?

Right now I am starting off with InstantCert and I plan on looking at some of the other sites that were recommended in this forum. But as I'm reading the IC flashcards I feel like a lot of the material and concepts are new to me and the info keeps popping out of my brain. Has anyone had this feeling with economics and did you eventually grab ahold of the concepts presented in the IC cards?

I know that these are a lot of questions, but I would be grateful for any help.

[ShotoJuku]

Originally Posted by LuBee

I've looked over previous posts about the Macroeconomics CLEP and I read mixed opinions about it's difficulty.

For those who found it difficult, was it because the content was a surprise, or because it is math oriented, or something else? Some of what you stated and also basic unfamiliarization of the topic - but it grows on you.

For those that did well on the test what did you attribute that to? Study and the Standard Deviant tapes!!!

Were there questions where you had to read graphs? Did you have to know the abbrevations, like AD, SAS, etc... ? Yes to both.

................

[yutzyj]

Originally Posted by LuBee

Right now I am starting off with InstantCert and I plan on looking at some of the other sites that were recommended in this forum. But as I'm reading the IC flashcards I feel like a lot of the material and concepts are new to me and the info keeps popping out of my brain. Has anyone had this feeling with economics and did you eventually grab ahold of the concepts presented in the IC cards?

Hi LuBee-
For me, eventually it just clicked. Then I kept reviewing until I felt I really understood everything. I understand about the information that keeps popping out of your brain. Just keep at it and eventually it begins to stick. Good luck!

[LuBee]

Thank you Brian and Dawn. You have both encouraged me that this is doable.

[ridin8ude]

Hey all,
I wanted to remain a lurker for awhile on this board but couldnt resist posting a hopefully helpful reply. (I only learned about CLEP/Instantcert about 3 weeks ago, plus I'm currently living in Malaysia)

Lubee,
I don't see that you mentioned when you were taking your exam.

Short answer, understand the basics and fundamentals, and you should do fine.

I actually took both Macro and Micro economics today.
My biggest fears were the math/equation portions as my math totally sucks.
Personally I found Microeconomics a bit easier than Macroeconomics as with Micro I was able to rely alot on common sense to help me e.g. we all participate intimately with micro econ in our daily lives without consciously thinking about it

To study I found the Barron's Ez101 Study keys to be perfect (I also browsed cliffs quick review of econ but found it to be a bit too light on content). They were short, concise, to the point, and exactly what I needed to understand the concepts. They also broke down equations into very basic easy to understand problems...
(I knew nothing formal about econ before last weekend)

Once I read each book in a few hours (about 150 pages each) I started looking at the Instantcert questions.

All told, I spent maybe 3-4 days studying.
I passed both exams with mid-60 scores.
These are graded if you are getting an Excelsior degree, so I was aiming for anything above 62.

Out of about 80 questions on the Macro exam, less than 10 were equations or heavily math involved. (maybe even only 6-7)
The rest were basics of Macroeconomics which I think instantcert covered perfectly. (know about MPC, Multiplier's, shifts in demand/supply curves, alot of questions about monopoly, oligopoly, competitive monopoly, fiscal policy)

Feel free to PM me if you want more specific feedback or have questions

[LuBee]

Hi Ridin8ude,

Congratulations on passing Micro and Macro! Two in a day - that is great!

Thank you for your helpful reply. I haven't taken the Macro test as yet. I decided to postpone it for a while and take some other tests first. Like Here's to Your Health, which I am taking tomorrow. In January I am taking a TECEP (from Thomas Edison State) - Psychology of Women. I took the practice test on this one on the college's website and it seems very doable for me since I already learned a lot of the material through studying Intro to Psych and Human Growth and Dev.

[ridin8ude]

LuBee,
I've sent you a PM with my thoughts.

But for the benefit of all I thought I'd post a bit here.

First of all, Snazzlefrag seems to be DA man when it comes to reviewing exams. His review of Macro is here http://www.instantcertonline.com/for...omics#post6509

Also, in my experience for this exam I was not as confident as I would have liked to have been. My test center even cancelled my exam and I had to take it 4 days later.
I felt I couldn't learn more in the 4 days, so didn't study further, but on the 3rd day felt nervous and nearly postponed my test by a week.

I'm glad I stuck with my test date and got it over with. Postponing would have been easier, but a waste of my time. Sticking with it was a tough decision, but paid off nicely.

My take on difficulty of this exam is based on ones goal for the score (P/A):
50 P-Score is easily attainable
62 A-Score for Excelsior is a bit tougher, but with a little work should also be fairly easy to reach