CLEP_® Information

CLEP--College Level Examination Program

You can receive credit for what you already know by earning qualifying scores on any one or more of the 34 CLEP_® examinations. More than 2,900 colleges and universities in the United States will recognize your comprehensive subject knowledge through independent or prior study, cultural pursuits or special interests, or internships or professional development.

• Shorten the time it takes to get a degree. Depending on your college's CLEP policy, satisfactory scores on CLEP exams can earn you at least 30 college credits--a whole year's worth of full-time study!
• Reduce proficiency requirements. Demonstrate your ability on college math or language with CLEP.
• Be a part-time student with full-time credits. Even if you work full-time you can graduate in record time.
• The total cost of a CLEP exam is $100. Optional essays can be taken for just $30 more.

For more information go to the official CLEP website at http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/about.html

Make CLEP Work for You!

Each college or university sets its own CLEP policy regarding how much credit will be granted and for which courses. For information about credit through CLEP at Paradise Valley Community College or any of the Maricopa Community Colleges, see the section on Credit for Prior Learning in the common pages of the catalog. Click here to find colleges granting CLEP credit. For schools outside the Maricopa Community College District, contact your college's admissions office, test center, or academic advisor and ask the following questions:

• Does your college recognize CLEP examinations in the subjects you want?
• What score do you need to get credit for the equivalent course?
• Does earning that credit allow you to skip one or more introductory courses?
• Are there additional requirements before credit is granted?

CLEP examinations are computer-based and 90 minutes in length, with the exception of College Composition, which is 120 minutes in length. The CLEP Official Study Guide is available to help you prepare for the exams. There are also downloadable CLEP Individual Study Guides for each subject. You can also download a free CLEP Sampler to practice taking the tests on the computer. Other free resources can be found at http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/prep_r.html. Download the free brochure, Information for Candidates, for information about CLEP along with the registration form and instructions for completing it, or download the registration form by itself.

Education Portal offers free online self-paced courses to help prepare for some of the CLEP exams. They also offer a $1000 award for the first 10 students each month who pass certain CLEP exams by watching Education Portal's free online lessons. Go to https://remilon.wufoo.com/forms/educationportalcom-1000-clep-award/ for details and to apply.

Varsity Tutor offers practice tests, flashcards, and a "question of the day" at http://www.varsitytutors.com/practice-tests.

Taking the CLEP at Paradise Valley Community College

CLEP examinations are offered at Paradise Valley Community College Monday through Friday during our walk-in testing hours. Pre-registration is not necessary. You must arrive at least two and a half hours before the end of the walk-in testing period (3 hours if taking College Composition). This allows time for checking in, paying fees, filling out demographic information, completing the test, printing the unoffical score report, and transmitting test results to ETS after all testing is completed for the day. CLEP testing is not available at PVCC during the week before classes start or the first week of any semester, or during the last week of any semester or finals week. Days and times may vary during holidays or semester breaks. Call the Assessment Center at 602-787-7050 for current hours or additional information, or check our web calendar for details.

Examinees must present two forms of current identification in order to be admitted for a CLEP exam. Your primary ID must be valid and government-issued and include your name, signature, and a recognizable photograph. The ID must be an original document, photocopied documents are not acceptable. The secondary form of ID must include your name and have a photo and/or signature. Secondary ID documents may not be used to resolve last name discrepancies. A credit card, with or without photo, an employer ID, or a Social Security Card are no longer accepted as secondary ID. All funded military candidates must present a current military ID and a second form of government-issued photo ID. If you fail to present appropriate ID, you will not be tested.

Acceptable forms of primary identification include:

• Current passport with name, photograph, and signature
• Valid driver's license with name, photograph, and signature
• State or Province ID issued by the motor vehicle agency with name, photograph, and signature
• National ID
• A tribal ID card
• A naturalization card or certificate of citizenship
• If the student is a minor and unable to provide a primary government issued ID, the the College Board ID Form may be used for the primary ID. This form must include a recognizable photo, and the school or notary seal must overlap the photo. The student must sign the ID form in the presence of the school official or notary. The student will sign the form again at the test center. This form is valid only in United States test centers. It must be dated and is good for only one year.

Acceptable forms of secondary identification include:

• A current student ID
• A military ID (Common Access Card)
• Any unused ID from the primary list above

The total cost of the exam is $100, $80 payable to CLEP and $20 to PVCC. If taking an optional essay there is an additional $30 fee . $10 of this fee is paid at the time the essay exam is ordered and the remaining $20 administration fee is paid at the time the essay is administered. These essays must be ordered in advance from ETS and may take up to 2 weeks to arrive. You may pay the CLEP fee by credit card (preferred payment method) or check or money order on the day of the exam. Cash cannot be accepted as payment is forwarded directly to CLEP. Do not combine fees for multiple tests even if they are to be taken on the same day. Make each check or money order payable to College-Level Examination Program. The separate administration fee of $20 for each exam may be paid by cash, credit/debit card, or check or money order payable to Paradise Valley Community College.

What Students Cannot Bring

Items prohibited on CLEP test day

Students or Examinees may not bring the following items with them into the testing room or access them during the examination:

• Any device capable of recording audio, photographic or video content, or capable of viewing or playing back such content
• Any other unauthorized testing aids
• Calculators (a calculator function is built into the software for some exams)
• Candidate-provided keyboards
• Cellular phones, pagers, smart phones, beepers, walkie-talkies, PDAs, or wireless communication devices (for example, BlackBerries, iPads, or BlueTooth ear buds)
• Dictionaries, books, pamphlets, or reference materials
• Digital cameras
• Digital watches (wrist or pocket), alarm watches, or wristwatch cameras
• Flash/thumb drives or any other portable electronic devices
• Food, beverage, or tobacco products
• Hats (unless worn as a religious requirement)
• Hoodies
• Listening devices such as radios, media players with or without headphones, or recorders
• Mechanical pencils or any type of pen or highlighter (standard pencils will be provided)
• Non-medical electronic devices
• Notes or papers of any kind (scratch paper will be provided)
• Slide rules, protractors, compasses, or rulers
• Weapons or firearms

Small lockers for personal items such as purses and cell phones are available on a first-come basis. There is no storage available for large items such as rolling carts or bags, musical instruments, portfolios, skateboards, etc. Please leave these behind as we cannot assume responsibility for your personal belongings.

Any candidate found to be in possession of or using prohibited items during the exam will be dismissed. All such incidents will be reported to Educational Testing Services (ETS) which provides CLEP test administration.