CLEP EXAMS ARE PASS/FAIL
The College Board Colleges sets a passing score of 50 on most CLEP exams as equivalency for college. Foreign language exams use a scale different. Colleges generally follow the standard set by the College Board. Some colleges, however, require higher scores on certain exams.
I think it’s safe to say that a score of 50 (based on a raw score) out of approximately 90 questions makes these exams very tempting to try. A few exams have 120 questions.
THE FINAL CLEP SCORE COMBINES TWO SCORES
The first is a raw score which provides a point for every question answered correctly. Points are not subtracted for incorrect answers or skipped questions. Then the exam is scored using a scaled score to account for differences between the various copies of the exam. Some versions might have more difficult questions than another; scaling accounts for these differences. The two scores are used to create a final score.
RESEARCH THE TARGET SCHOOL
Learn the CLEP policies of a few schools your child might be interested in. Find out which CLEP credits they accept and if their scores line up with those of the College Board. Also check to see if the college grants partial credit (i.e., grants less credit than the College Board standard).
Some colleges have additional policies regarding CLEP credits. To figure out how to research college CLEP policies read College CLEP Policies and Locating College CLEP Lists.
My experience with CLEPs. I have coached my kids and their friends through 16 different CLEP exams over a period of 9 years. Collectively, they have passed 39 CLEP exams and earned over 159 college credits. I’m still coaching my younger son through his CLEP journey. My high school graduates have received full-ride merit scholarships.