CLEP FAQs

Harper College offers all CLEP tests (those with essays need prior arrangement made in the Testing Office). Students that wish to use CLEP for credit at Harper must reference the College's CLEP Scoring Criteria page. If you are a Harper student planning on transferring to a four-year college, contact the school(s) you are interested in to determine policies on awarding transfer credit for CLEP examinations. Do not assume your credit will automatically transfer. If you are unsure about your background in a subject, see The Official Handbook for the CLEP Examinations for an overview of the material covered in each test. Study guides can also be found online at www.collegeboard.org/clep

You should take the exam when you are fully prepared. In order to retake a CLEP exam, you must wait at least three months between attempts. The three month retake policy is strictly enforced by CLEP.

If you are planning on using the results of the CLEP exam for course registration at Harper College, please note that the process of receiving official results from CLEP, and posting the credit to your account can take several weeks to complete. You will receive an unofficial score report for most CLEP exams as soon as you finish, but credit cannot be awarded until CLEP sends the official report to the College.

CLEP testing is offered Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 8:30am as well as Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at 4:00 by appointment only (limited seating).  Most CLEP tests are 90 minutes and a maximum of two tests per day is allowed.

The amount of credit Harper College grants for each CLEP test is listed on the CLEP Scoring Criteria page.

At Harper College, no more than one-half the requirements for certificate programs may be earned through credit by examination. However, 42 credit hours is the maximum that can be applied toward graduation.

If you score high enough to earn credit, you will receive credit with no grade. Pass or fail, CLEP credit is not figured into your grade point average (GPA). If you do not score high enough, nothing is logged on your college transcript indicating failure.

The CLEP test is a computer-based exam.

CLEP tests are designed for people who feel they are already knowledgeable in a specific subject. If you need credit in a subject in order to graduate, but have no previous experience or knowledge of the subject, it is generally not recommended you try to teach yourself enough "from scratch" to pass a CLEP test. You are better off taking the course you need.

If you have experience or knowledge in a subject area and would like to "brush up" a bit before taking a CLEP test, you should first consult The Official Handbook for the CLEP Examinations as well as the study guides on-line. This book gives you an outline of the content of each CLEP test and suggestions for texts and review materials. The Harper College bookstore may carry this publication. Various commercial publishers also sell CLEP study guides. We cannot recommend which of these are best. Before spending your money, check your local library.

Some CLEP exams will allow the use of a calculator; however, the calculator is built into the exam software. Students may NOT use any external calculators. If you request it, scratch paper can be provided by the Testing Center

If you've read all the attached information carefully, but still have a question, call the Harper College Assessment and Testing Center, Building A, Room A148, 847.925.6541. We'll be happy to try and help you. If your question concerns the policies of another school or institution, you should contact that institution directly.