CLEP Social Sciences and History

Have questions about the CLEP Social Sciences and History exam? Click below to find the answers you need.

++tableTop tableTop++ ++tableRow ++tableItem Getting Ready tableItem++ ++tableItem Taking the Exam tableItem++ ++tableItem After the Exam tableItem++ tableRow++ ++tableRow ++tableItem

++questionWhat is the CLEP Test?question++

++questionWhat CLEP exams are available?question++

++questionAre CLEP exams worth it?question++

++questionIs the CLEP history exam hard?question++

++questionHow can I pass the CLEP?question++ tableItem++ ++tableItem

++questionWhat’s on the CLEP Social Sciences and History Exam?question++

++questionHow is social studies related to history?question++

++questionHow is the CLEP Social Sciences and History Exam Administered?question++

++questionCan you take a CLEP test online?question++ tableItem++ ++tableItem

++questionHow is the CLEP Social Sciences and History Exam Scored?question++

++questionHow does CLEP show up on a transcript?question++

++questionDoes CLEP affect your GPA?question++

++questionWhat is a passing score on the CLEP?question++

++questionWhat happens if you fail a CLEP?

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++answerWhat is the CLEP Test?

The College-Level Examination Program, or CLEP, assesses college-level knowledge and allows students to demonstrate they have proficiency in a subject and bypass the coursework.

Anyone can take the CLEP, but it is designed specifically for people who have had experiences that have allowed them to obtain substantial expertise outside of the classroom: students who have been homeschooled or undertaken extensive independent study, students who studied outside of the United States, adults returning to school after being the workforce, and members of the military.answer++

++answerWhat CLEP exams are available?

The CLEP offers standardized tests in 36 subjects.answer++

++answerAre CLEP exams worth it?

Typically, colleges will offer three credits for an exam, but some schools offer more (depending on the test), and some may offer only an exemption from the requirement, but no credit towards graduation. If credits are given, they are added to your transcript just like credits from your coursework would be. CLEP credits carry the same weight as any other earned credits.answer++

++answerIs the CLEP history exam hard?

Candidates are expected to demonstrate thorough conceptual knowledge, not related to a specific undergraduate course, but that which could be found in any introductory course in each of the focus areas. The CLEP Social Sciences and History exam is designed for non-history or social science majors.

You will have 90 minutes to answer 120 multiple-choice questions, including unscored pre-test questions.

++tableTitle PART I: History – 40% of Exam tableTitle++ ++tableRow ++tableItem Content Area tableItem++++tableItem Topics tableItem++++tableItem Percentage tableItem++ tableRow++ ++tableRow ++tableItem United States History tableItem++ ++tableItem The colonial period, the American Revolution, the early republic

Civil War and Reconstruction

Industrialization, the Progressive Era

World War I, the 1920s

The Great Depression and the New Deal

World War II

The 1950s, the Cold War, social conflict—the 1960s and 1970s

The late twentieth century, the early twenty-first century tableItem++ ++tableItem 13 – 15% tableItem++ tableRow++ ++tableRow ++tableItem Western Civilization tableItem++ ++tableItemAncient Western Asia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome

Medieval Europe

Modern Europe, including its expansion and outposts throughout the world

Europe’s imperial contraction and new economic and political formstableItem++ ++tableItem 13 – 15% tableItem++ tableRow++ ++tableRow ++tableItem World History tableItem++ ++tableItemPrehistory to present of: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America

Focus on global themes and interactionstableItem++ ++tableItem 13 – 15% tableItem++ tableRow++

++tableTitle PART II: Social Sciences – 60% of Exam tableTitle++ ++tableRow ++tableItem Content Area tableItem++++tableItem Topics tableItem++++tableItem Percentage tableItem++ tableRow++ ++tableRow ++tableItem Economics tableItem++ ++tableItemEconomic measurements

International trade

Major theorists and schools

Monetary and fiscal policy

Product markets

Resource markets

Scarcity, choice, and costtableItem++ ++tableItem 20% tableItem++ tableRow++ ++tableRow ++tableItem Geography tableItem++ ++tableItemKey geographic skills

Cultural geography

Physical geography

Population

Regional geography

Rural and urban land use

Spatial interaction tableItem++ ++tableItem 20% tableItem++ tableRow++ ++tableRow ++tableItem Government/Political Science tableItem++ ++tableItemComparative politics

International relations

Methods

United States

Civil rights and liberties

Constitution and its interpretation

Institutions

Parties, interest groups, and media

Voting and political behaviortableItem++ ++tableItem 20% tableItem++ tableRow++ answer++

++answer How can I pass the CLEP?

The best way to get your CLEP is to study. Accepted, Inc., offers a CLEP practice test with purchase of our CLEP social sciences and history study guide. Take a practice CLEP test to find out what concepts you need to review.answer++

++answerWhat’s on the CLEP Social Sciences and History Exam?

The CLEP Social Sciences and History exam gauges college-level content knowledge in history economics, political science, and geography. It also assesses important social science skills, including interpretation, analysis, and application of abstractions.answer++

++answer How is social studies related to history?

PART I: HISTORY

The history section focuses on a general knowledge of each historical category. Test-takers are expected to demonstrate an understanding of the chronology and context of historical events. Test-takers should also be able to understand history through various lenses: political, diplomatic, social, economic, intellectual, and cultural. Expect depth of knowledge to correlate with the length of the timeframe covered.

So, for world history, the breadth of content is extensive: essentially all of the world’s continents from pre-history to present. These questions generally will not require a significant depth of knowledge. The United States history questions, however, only cover about 400 years of history in one specific place. Because the breadth is so much narrower, greater depth of knowledge is expected.

PART II: SOCIAL SCIENCES

In each of the three social science sections, test-takers are expected to demonstrate both mastery of key concepts and of skills specific to the social science. For example, in economics not only should you be able to identify the major economic theories and apply them to real world circumstances, you also be able to properly use basic economic measures.

In geography, map, table, and chart reading are of particular importance, in addition to understanding measures and theories of population growth and economic development, land use, and the relationship between people and the land.

The government and political science questions can be organized into two types: those specific to the American system of government and those looking at government from an international or comparative perspective. Methods of analyzing and interpreting data especially important in these questions.answer++

++answerHow is the CLEP Social Sciences and History Exam Administered?

The CLEP Social Sciences and History exam is a computer-based test offered at over 1700 locations worldwide.answer++

++answerCan you take a CLEP test online?

CLEP exams are offered only at testing centers. There are four different types of test centers:

• Open test centers will test any student who has registered and paid the fee.

• Limited test centers are located at universities and colleges and will only test admitted or enrolled students.

• On-base test centers are located in military installations and only test eligible service members and civilians with authorized access to the installation.

• Fully funded test centers are also only for military service members, eligible civilians, and their spouses. These centers test DANTES-funded test-takers who are exempt from the administrative fee.

You must contact the test center directly to make a reservation to take the exam. Check with the College Board for more information on test centers.

You will need to print your registration ticket from your online account and bring it, along with your identification, to the testing site on test day. Some test centers will require other forms or documentation, so check with your test center in advance. Test centers may also require administrative fees in addition to the registration fee for the exam itself. No pens, pencils, erasers, printed or written materials, electronic devices or calculators are allowed. You also may not bring any kind of bag or wear headwear (unless for religious purposes). You may take the test once every three months. Please note that DANTES does not fund retesting.answer++

++answerHow is the CLEP Social Sciences and History Exam Scored?

Your CLEP exam is scored immediately upon completion. Before you see your scores, you will choose whether you want them reported. You must make this choice before you have seen your score. Once you have seen your score, you cannot choose to have it cancelled.answer++

++answerHow does CLEP show up on a transcript?

Your CLEP scores will automatically be added to your CLEP transcript. When you register, you can pre-select the college or employer you would like to receive your scores. If you are taking the exam before you have enrolled in school, you can request your CLEP transcript when you are ready. The first transcript request is free regardless of when it is requested.answer++

++answerDoes CLEP affect your GPA?

CLEP scores only determine if you receive course credit.answer++

++answerWhat is a passing score on the CLEP?

Each multiple-choice question is worth one raw point. The total number of questions you answer correctly is added up to obtain your raw score. The raw score is then scaled to a score between 20 and 80. Minimum passing scores vary by institution, so check with your college or university.

There is no guessing penalty on the CLEP test, so you should always guess if you do not know the answer to a question.answer++

++answerWhat happens if you fail a CLEP?

If a student passes the exam, they earn college credit without having to take a single class. If a student fails, they do not get college credit for a class.

Approximately 2900 colleges and universities in the United States grant CLEP credit. Each college or university determines which exams to accept and sets their own passing score for each exam. Typically these range from 50 to 60 out of 80 points. Each college also decides how much credit an exam is worth.answer++