Graduating from college in four years may sound easy, but it isn’t for most students. Only 41 percent of all college students will graduate within four years. For those who work while pursuing their degree, the numbers drop to just 20%.
Not only is the graduation success rate low, but the costs of pursuing a degree can add up. The longer it takes you to complete your college courses, the less likely you will graduate — and the more debt you’ll rack up. One out of four students drop out before finishing college, and most say the biggest hurdle is money. For those who stick it out and finish in five or six years, many either have unnecessarily drained their parents’ bank accounts or ended up with loads more student loan debt.
Graduating on time and saving money is probably your biggest concern as a college student, and that’s where testing out of classes through Credit by Exam can come in handy.
What is Credit by Exam?
Probably one of the best-kept secrets, Credit by Exam, is a process that allows you to earn credits for a college course by passing one exam on the subject. But it’s not like a regular exam you’ll take in a classroom. With Credit by Examination (CBE), you must demonstrate prior knowledge of a subject by taking—and passing—the course exam(s).
There are different types of Credit by Exam examinations, including CLEP, ECE (Excelsior College Exams), and DSST. These college-level course replacement exams typically run between $80 – $100 each. Considering that the average 3-credit college course costs more than $1,700, testing out of exams can save you a lot of money.
With Credit by Exam, you’ll reduce how much in total you pay for college, and keep more money in your pocket. Plus, you get the added benefit of reducing the time it takes to graduate. Studying for these exams isn’t the easiest task and requires discipline, but that’s where test prep can help. Folks have used test prep for decades. LSAT, MCAT, SAT, ACT… few if any students just take these exams without leveraging test prep guidance from a trusted source. So if you’re looking for guidance on how to prepare for a Credit by Exam test, look no further than Smarter with Achieve. We help you prepare for these exams by offering guidance, support, and accountability through live instruction.
What is Smarter with Achieve?
Let’s start with what we’re not. We’re not another school asking you for an unrealistic time commitment. Instead, we work with you to find the best plan possible to test out of college courses, so that you can earn your degree sooner. Smarter with Achieve is an exam guidance company, which means we help you study to pass CLEP, ECE, and DSST exams. Although we’re not a school, we can help you pass exams for college credits that are accepted at over 3,000 accredited college institutions.
In the same way that people rely on test prep solutions for LSAT, MCAT, or SAT, you can do the same for Credit by Exam. Smarter is the test prep company that provides turn key guidance on how to pass college-level replacement exams.
Why do I need test prep? Can’t I just study at home?
While some students can successfully study for their exams at home and pass the first time, that’s not the case for most. Did you know that students who do not pass their Credit by Exam test have to wait six (6) months before retaking it? Why take that chance? You want to be as prepared as possible for each exam.
There is also the issue of not knowing what to study. How can you be sure the material you’re using is the right one? Just because you found a textbook with the same name as the CLEP exam or an online course that claims to prepare you doesn’t mean that the material will match the questions on your CLEP test.
And that’s what’s so cool about Smarter. We help you pass your exams with confidence with trained instructors, live classes, and up-to-date material.
What’s in it for me?
What could you possibly gain by testing out of college courses? Well, a lot.
- You get to save thousands of dollars.
- You can test out of boring general ed courses.
- You can use the extra time to focus on the subjects you care about.
- You get more time for yourself.
- You graduate faster.
- You can start your career earlier.
- You can start earning money sooner.
- Less debt = less stress after graduation plus more time during college to focus on the fun stuff.
Go Farther with Smarter
Smarter with Achieve provides a smart way to finish college faster through our credit by exam test prep solutions. Chat with us today. We’ll walk you through the smart way to earn college credits.