While this posting only applies to my fellow military members here in the St. Louis area, I believe it will prove extremely useful.
Since I am finally getting around to finishing my degree (I've never put much stock in a degree, but if someone wants to pay for me to get one, well...why not) I have been looking for ways expedite things while also saving money (even if it's not directly my money I'm saving). CLEP/DANTES tests are far and away the most efficient way to get college credit for courses that would be a waste of your time to sit through. As a member of the US armed forces (active duty, reserve, guard) a person can take CLEP and DANTES tests at no out of pocket cost. I have long known that this was possible, but no one seemed to know how to go about actually doing so. After a bit of investigation, I have all that you need to get on your way to obtaining that magic piece of paper.
- Determine which CLEP exams you wish to take. I will take a CLEP for all of my needed GenEd credits (Humanities, English, History, Science/Math, Social Sciences) in cases where I don't already have college credits that apply.
- Study for the exams. If you log in to NKO and click on the Education tab, you can download study guides for every CLEP exam offered. They also offer DANTES guides, practice tests, and information on credit transfers. You should find everything here that you need to prepare for the exam.
- To actually schedule and sit for the exam, call the John at the Scott Air Force Base Education Office @ 618-256-3327. John was extremely friendly and helpful when I spoke with him. They offer CLEP exams on Mondays and Wednesdays at 10am as well as Fridays at 1:30pm. It costs you nothing to take the exams, but you are limited to 2 exams per month.
- If you have access to a computer on a .mil domain, you can also go to the AMC web-site for a listing of CLEPS offered at Scott (note that not all CLEPs are offered at all locations). Once at the web site, you need to click on the following chain of links: Air Wing/375th Mission Support/Mission Support Squadron/Education and from there you should be able to find the CLEP listings.
- As an aside, our Navy College Office (NCO) is out of Great Lakes. NCOs are assigned by UIC (ours is 87129 -- Corrected: Thanks to PO Hargrove for the correct UIC).
I hope that others find this useful in furthering their education.
Addendum:
The following was contributed by Derek "Two-Owies" Barnett --
In the Kansas City, KS area, the closest location would be Ft. Leavenworth's Education Center. They can be reached at 913-684-2496 or at web-education@leavenworth.army.mil. Also, just to point out that there is no penalty for not passing a CLEP/DANTES examination, aside from not getting the credit. If you do not pass, then you are able to take that specific examination again in six months (unless the rules have changed in the 2 to 3 years its been since I've taken my last one). Therefore, it is possible to take one on a "pre-test" level with no prior studying without fear of retribution; if you pass, then great but if not, then you have six months to study. While I would not necessarily recommend this method it proved effective when I was active duty (and there was not a two per month minimum imposed at my duty station). So if you are pressed for time and you know a good deal about the test you are considering, then what I've said is something to think about. Lastly, what Egon said about looking at your program and what you need before taking a test should be emphasized. Many colleges/universities only accept a certain number of credits awarded by CLEP/DANTES examinations. So if there are six classes you need to take that can be satisfied with CLEP/DANTES tests (for a total of 18 credits) but your college only accepts 15 credits transferred in from CLEP/DANTES, then you will probably have to take one of these classes. Make sure you check into not only which credits you need but also your university's credit transfer policies. Anyways, that just my two cents. Enjoy!
-Derek
