This is for those who might doubt the Power of the Pretest:
1. For those who have the tendency to--shall we say--overstudy.
I know what it feels like: you've been studying for days or weeks, beating your brains out over your textbook, trying to absorb algorithms, lists, functions, processes, rules, etc. You've finished the book, you've read over your notes, and you're still not sure you're ready.
This is where the pretest comes in.
The pretest is a God-send and a lifesaver, and whenever I study for a CLEP or DANTES that doesn't have one (these are fairly few and far between) I get horribly nervous. The preliminary test can be a fantastic tool to decide if you're really ready to take the real thing or not.
Sometimes I'm so unsure of myself that I don't even want to take the pretest until I've burned all the information possible into my brain. If you've ever been like that, don't be! Just take the pretest, even if you're not confident. A personal example: I was studying for the Natural Sciences CLEP (science = not my thing) and even after reading two books was feeling very shaky on my knowledge of chemistry. I took the test, was terrified the whole time, and ended up with a 63!
2. For those who have the tendency to--shall we say--understudy.
I have a friend who has this nasty little tendency, and the shame is that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. He took the American Literature CLEP and failed--with a 49. One more point and he could have passed! If he had taken a pretest he might have seen that he could pass that CLEP with only a few more hours of study, but he ended up failing by a hairsbreadth.
Don't make his mistake! You don't have to study your brains out, but at least take the pretest to get a realistic idea of your chances of passing. My friend will have to wait 6 months before taking American Literature again. 6 months of waiting or a couple hours on a pretest? You choose.
Find lots of free pretests here:
Happy CLEPing!
