WHAT’S ON THIS EXAM
The History of the United States I: Early Colonization to 1877 exam covers material that is usually taught in the first semester of a two-semester course in United States history. The examination covers the period of United States history from early European colonization to the end of Reconstruction, with the majority of the questions on the period of 1790–1877. In the part covering the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, emphasis is placed on the English colonies. The exam includes a small number of questions on the Americas before 1500.
NUMBER OF QUESTIONS
There are approximately 120 questions to be answered in 90 minutes.
NUMBER OF COLLEGE CREDITS
This exam can earn student 3 college credits and 1 high school credit. See Locating College CLEP Lists and College CLEP Policies to help you learn about the CLEP exams your target college may accept.
PASSING SCORE
This exam is pass/fail. A passing score is 50. Read CLEP Exam Scoring.
DIFFICULTY RATING
The US History I CLEP is ranked 2 out of 5 with 5 being the most difficult on websites that rank these exams. So it’s on the easier side. See CLEP Difficulty Ranking based on our experiences as middle and high school test takers.
TYPES OF QUESTIONS
Besides knowing basic history facts, the US History I CLEP exam requires knowledge of maps of the time period. Know what country claimed what area and when. Students should review the major speeches and political literature and try to determine who wrote them based on topic and style.
Political cartoons are also fair game. Students should understand the political message behind them. I attempted to look up political cartoons for every president and every major business or political event. In fact, I created a Power Point teaching set using cartoons, maps, facts, images, and quotes.
GRADE STUDIED
My students have studied and taken this exam between the 7th and 10th grades. See Which CLEP When: How We Tracked from Middle School to Graduation.
TURNING HISTORY I INTO A FULL HIGH SCHOOL COURSE
You can create a one-year high school course using a college textbook. Divide the chapters over 32 – 36 weeks. Create a flashcard set of the important facts on Quizlet each week. If you have no time or interest in making flashcards, sets can be found on Quizlet (mine listed below). Boxed AP flashcards can be helpful too. Consult a CLEP study guide to help you determine which facts are important. Create weekly tests using the flashcard facts or facts from the textbook. Include some multiple-choice questions so your student can get more savvy with them. These tests can be a source of graded material. Reinforce learning using YouTube videos for main topics. For extra enrichment, assign a project that fits the interests of your child. Consider studying parallel American literature works to enrich the learning experience and prepare for the American Literature CLEP too.
USING THESE CREDITS 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 an honors history credit.
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 Determine Course Credits.
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 college to transfer. Read CLEP Credits and NC’s Articulation Agreement.
STUDY PLANS WE USED
We used two different approaches for this exam. My first child attempted this exam after completing a year of Bob Jones US History 11th Grade. It was not complete enough to give her a passing score, however. She then worked through the US History I REA study guide and Instantcert online questions and passed the CLEP with a 67. What a difference! It was one of her highest CLEP scores.
After this experience, I decided to use a college textbook for my son. My older daughter had just completed a US History I course at the community college and used Give Me Liberty! Volume 1 by Eric Foner. The book looked excellent, so I used it for my son.
I decided to have my son do the two-year plan. He began learning the material in the 7th grade because the first part of this study is taught in middle school. We completed the study in the 8th grade. He and his friend passed the CLEP with handsome scores in June following the 8th grade. From my experiences, I trust that this course can be completed in one year for 8th – 10th graders and condensed into a semester for motivated older students with or without a previous US history course. See CLEP Prep: Different Study Plans and Sample CLEP Year.
RESOURCES THAT WE USED
We read through the popular college level book Give Me Liberty!: An American History Volume 1 Brief Edition by Eric Foner together. The chapters were spread out over the school year(s). See book review.
I made flashcards on Quizlet using facts from the textbook and the REA CLEP Prep Guide for US History I. For the final boot camp review, we used Instantcert online questions. Below is a list of resources that were helpful to prepare for this exam.
- College textbook (Give Me Liberty!: An American History Volume 1 Brief Edition by Eric Foner)
- REA CLEP History of the United States I (provides practice tests, facts for flashcards, final review)
- CLEP Official Study Guide (provides 1 practice test) (available at public library)
- Instantcert online review questions (provides final review and additional facts)
- Cliff’s Notes provides an excellent review of US History I
- John Green Crash Course YouTube videos (provide entertaining and memorable summaries)
- Quizlet (provides facts to memorize) (see my 1800 + facts under creator DocPaula)
- Political cartoons (they appear on the exam)
- Maps (know who owned the US territories when as well as state lines)
- Timelines (especially political party evolution)
FINAL PREP FOR THE CLEP EXAM
After we completed the textbook, the “boot camp” portion of study began. That involved reviewing all the Quizlet flashcards first and then taking a practice test to find out where my students stood. For this exam, I signed up for a month of Instantcert online review questions because the score on the first CLEP practice test did not meet my comfort level. After reviewing the Instantcert facts, I had my students take three additional practice CLEP tests. The additional Instantcert facts and review were enough to produce better scores on the practice tests.
See my posts on CLEP Prep Boot Camp: The Final Weeks and Determining CLEP Exam Readiness to know what practice test scores your student should be getting.
OUR RESULTS
My daughter, who failed this exam the first time using only a high school course, ended up passing after using a CLEP study guide and Instantcert review. She ended up with a 67 in the tenth grade, which is a high score for this exam. My son and his friend passed this exam with a 65 and 63 after the 8th grade school year. While my son began studying the information in the 7th grade, his friend wanted to join him in the 8th grade. I had my son sit through the first chapters again while his friend learned anew. The important thing to note here is that his friend passed this exam after only one year of study in the 8th grade.
WHAT THIS EXAM PAIRS WITH
The US History I exam can work well in tandem with the American Literature CLEP.
USING THESE CREDITS AT COLLEGE
These credits were accepted at our community college. They were accepted at all four-year colleges my daughters applied to as well. History CLEP credits seem to be readily accepted at four-year colleges. My daughters were required to take a different history course at their college first to “unlock” these CLEP credits. It wasn’t too bad because they could take a history course that fit their particular majors. For example, my older daughter, an English major, took history of the Renaissance and the Middle Ages which ended up shaping her writing interests and PhD area of study.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS ON THIS EXAM
I did not appreciate studying history in school. The only history I took in college was art history. But I am so thankful that I studied this subject with my kids. The large amount of work I pumped into this course helped me appreciate and admire the sacrifice that people made to build our country and Constitution. Having a solid base of understanding helps us decipher fact from fiction in current news articles.
I am especially thankful that my kids had the opportunity to start with a solid base. Hopefully they will hold strong to what they learned despite current efforts to rewrite our history and the Constitution. Because of this course of study, my 14 year-old son requested that we tackle History of the United States II CLEP exam together. We did just that and had a rewarding experience. Read how he passed History of the United States II CLEP Exam.
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.