Tests You Need To Take For An Online Education
Bryan Wong

Defined Tag: Successful Education.

When pursuing an online degree, you likely want to complete
it as quickly as possible, being that you have other
demands and responsibilities in your life, including
providing an income for yourself at least, if not also
for your family. 

One way to speed up the process of earning your online
degree is by taking equivalency tests.  These tests
allow you to complete your online degree efficiently
and affordably.  They will require some studying, but
many colleges will grant credit and/or advanced standing
for successful completion of equivalency exams.

The three most common equivalency tests according to
OnlineDegreeReviews.org are the following tests:

1. The College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) - This test
provides students of any age with the opportunity to
demonstrate college-level achievement through a program
of exams in undergraduate college courses.

You can gain college credit for what you already know via
independent study, noncredit adult courses, and/or
professional development.

You can save considerable money as the CLEP costs just $60,
much less than hundreds or thousands for an online course.

If you're just a few credits short of earning that degree,
CLEPs could make all the difference in obtaining that degree.

CLEPs are available in 34 college-level introductory
subjects. 

Over 2,900 colleges grant undergraduate credit for CLEP,
between 3-12 college credits for each CLEP exam taken.

Over 1,300 colleges administer the exam.

The test is administered on computer and is available
all year-long.  They are timed and 90 minutes long.  With
the exception of the English Composition with Essay section,
all the rest of the exam is composed of multiple-choice
questions, though the mathematics section can also have
some fill-in-the-blank type questions.

All CLEP exams are scored on a scale of 20 to 80; you
need to score 50+ (equivalent to a C grade) in order
to earn the credit.

2. The DANTES Subject Standarized Tests (DSST) - These
tests enable people to use their knowledge acquired outside
the classroom to accomplish their educational and professional
goals. 

The current cost of these tests is $70 each and subject tests
include such diverse subjects from business and math to health
and social sciences to the humanities. 

These tests are currently accepted or administered at over 1,900
colleges and universities nationwide and are approved by the
American Council on Education (ACE.)

3. Excelsior College Examinations - These exams allow you to
complete your degree efficiently and affordably, earn the
credit you need for promotion or certification, and demonstrate
what you know for college admission or placement.  They are
accepted by Excelsior College and other universities around
the nation. 

Subject Tests include subjects in the arts and sciences,
business, education, and nursing.  Overall, there are 40 different
subject tests to choose from.  Many of these tests offer upper-level
credit to those who score well enough on them.  To take these tests,
you need to go to your nearby Pearson Professional Centers, which
are open up to six days a week.  The tests are multiple-choice.

Some universities will also have their own type of equivalent tests,
specifically for those students who have been out of school for a
while, to better determine what level a person is at in regards to
placement in college courses.

Occasionally, some universities will require you to take the
Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) if you never have before.  This test
consists of a Reasoning Test that has three main components: a
Critical Reading section, a Mathematics section, and a Writing
section.

There are also SAT Subject Tests, which fall into five general
subject categories:  English, History & Social Studies, Mathematics,
Science, and Foreign Languages.  These are not always required by
colleges, but can give them a better idea of how advanced you are
in your education and where you should be placed in regards to your
courses.

For those applying to graduate school, the Graduate Record
Examinations (GRE) are usually prerequisites as the university
will use these in part to help determine your qualifications for
graduate study.

There are two types of GRE:  A general reasoning test and subject
tests. 

The GRE General Test measures verbal reasoning, quantitative
reasoning, critical thinking, and analytical writing skills that
have been acquired over a long period of time and that are not
related to any specific field of study.  This test is being
administered on computers in most areas of the world, whereas
a few places still use a paper-based version of the test.  It
is administered year-round.

The GRE Subject Tests gauge undergraduate achievement in these
eight disciplines:

Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology
Biology
Chemistry
Computer Science
Literature in English
Mathematics
Physics
Psychology

These are intended for students who have majored in or have
extensive background in that specific area.  They are administered
in November, December, and April at paper-based test centers
worldwide.

Knowing what tests you either need to take or should take should
help you enter the online degree program you want and even reduce
the amount of time it takes for you to earn that degree.