WHAT’S ON IT
The Principles of Marketing exam covers material that is usually taught in a one-semester introductory course in marketing. Such a course is usually known as Basic Marketing, Introduction to Marketing, Fundamentals of Marketing, Marketing, or Marketing Principles. The exam is concerned with the role of marketing in society and within a firm, understanding consumer and organizational markets, marketing strategy planning, the marketing mix, marketing institutions, and other selected topics, such as international marketing, ethics, marketing research, services, and not-for-profit marketing.
NUMBER OF CREDITS
This exam can provide 3 college credits. It can serve as 1 high school credit (1 year). See Locating College CLEP Lists and College CLEP Policies to help you learn about about credits your target college may accept. See CLEP on the High School Transcript for ideas on how to record these credits.
NUMBER OF QUESTIONS
There are approximately 100 multiple choice questions to be answered in 90 minutes.
PASSING SCORE
This exam is pass/fail. A passing score is 50. Read CLEP Exam Scoring.
DIFFICULTY RATING
The Principles of Marketing CLEP along with the Principles of Management CLEP are rated as the easiest CLEP exams available. They are ranked as a 1 out of 5 with 5 being the most difficult on websites that rank these exams. See CLEP Difficulty Ranking based on our experiences as middle school and high school test takers.
WHEN TO TAKE
Since this exam does not take much preparation, it can be taken anytime in high school. It contains psychology concepts, so taking it after the Introductory Psychology CLEP makes sense. See Which CLEP When: How We Tracked from Middle School to Graduation.
STUDY PLAN
My daughter took the Principles of Marketing CLEP after two weeks of study. See CLEP Prep Study Plans.
RESOURCES
InstantCert provided the facts to pass this CLEP. My daughter researched the facts found within these study questions and created additional study pages. She spent about four hours a day researching and studying. To determine test readiness, she took a practice test from the CLEP Official Study Guide available at the public library. See my post on Determining CLEP Exam Readiness.
FINAL PREPARATION
See CLEP Prep Boot Camp: The Final Weeks.
WHAT THIS CLEP PAIRS WITH
The material needed to prepare for the Principles of Management pairs well with the Introductory Psychology CLEP. It also pairs well with the material needed to prepare for the Introductory Sociology CLEP. This exam is one of five easier exams that overlap. Read 15 Credit CLEP Package.
HOW TO USE THESE CREDITS AT COLLEGE
These credits were accepted at our community college. They may or may not be accepted at all four-year colleges. If your state has an articulation agreement like North Carolina does, earning an associate’s degree at a community college allows CLEP credits normally not accepted by a four-year state school to transfer. Read CLEP Credits and NC’s Articulation Agreement.
If a student is planning on a business major, it’s probably best to take an actual college marketing class to build a strong base at their school.
PLACING CREDIT ON THE HIGH SCHOOL TRANSCRIPT
After studying for and taking this exam, a student can confidently place one credit on the high school transcript. The credit can serve as a business elective. It can also be used to complement a student’s personal business endeavor. The value of these credits along with the ease of gaining them make this exam a tempting endeavor. Passing this exam has the additional value of hushing up the homeschool skeptics in your life – which may actually be your student.
Read CLEP on the High School Transcript for ideas on how to record these credits. For ideas on how to determine a letter grade for the material studied read Determining Grades for CLEP Courses. Finally, if you need help on how to calculate a credit read Transcripts: How to Calculate Course Credits.
My experience with CLEP testing. 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.
Musing: a period of reflection or thought. As such this post reflects my thoughts, opinions, and experiences on the topic. The choice to home school and the methods you choose are yours to determine.