Homeschool: How to prepare for CLEP tests – Western Civilization part 2

Note: This post is one in a series on how we prepared our homeschooled children to take various College Level Examination Program tests. The introductory post for this series explains why we take these tests, what parts of the preparation worked for us, and what parts of the preparation did not work.

This exam, in terms of preparation, was very similar to the CLEP Western Civilization I exam and the U.S. History exams. You can read more about her preparation methods at that link. She used both note cards and a heavily annotated timeline to help her study. The CLEP Western Civilization II (REA): 1648 to the Present book helped a lot, but she one thing that was a little disconcerting was that, even though she got very high scores on the REA practice tests, she got a B on the actual test. She thought this might have been due to the fact that the “theme” of the test was a little different than what was in the REA book. Still, she felt like she would have been able to get an A level score if she had a little more time. All in all, she was satisfied with both the book and her preparation.

Results: Kelly took the Western Civilization II test when she was 15. According to the REA preparation book criteria, she would have gotten a grade of a high B in the class. She received college credit for a one semester course for her score on this test.