Our military receive DANTES funding that pays for their CLEP exams. As a result, each fiscal year they publish the pass rates for each CLEP exam! Hot off the press….
Pass rates are not published for the population of everyone taking a CLEP exam.
The College Board doesn’t share pass rates for CLEP (they do for Advanced Placement) but since the military takes the time to produce a report each year, it is considered the “go to” for pass rates. These reports have been used for decades to rank level of difficulty of exams, but in reality, only represent a small sample of those who took a CLEP exam in 2020.
The pass rates represent a sample, or segment, of the total population that took CLEP exams in 2020.
FY2020 CLEP Military Pass Rate
Who is counted in the report?
- Service Members: Military personnel, to include active duty, Guard and Reserve components, U.S. Coast Guard, and USCG Reserve members must have and maintain a valid government-issued Common Access Card (CAC) to be eligible for DANTES funding.
- U.S. Coast Guard Spouses: Spouses of active duty and Reserve Coast Guard members must have and maintain the Uniformed Services Identification and Privilege Card, DD Form 1173 to be eligible for DANTES funding.
- Air Force Civil Service employees: Non-contract US Air Force civilian employees are eligible for DANTES-sponsored CLEP testing, but must test at on-base or fully-funded test centers.
Keep in Mind
- Everyone counted in this sample is an adult. (presume a high school graduate or equivalent)
- Exams that were not popular last year can have a heavy skew. In other words, a very high or very low pass rate may simply be the result of just a few student’s attempts and their results.
- All “pass” scores are based on the ACE-recommended score
- A tester’s experience, prior knowledge, and test taking ability all play a role in how difficult the exam is for them to take.
| PASS RATE 2020 | CLEP Exam |
|---|---|
| 80% | College Composition Modular (no essay) |
| 80% | Spanish with Writing |
| 80% | Spanish Language |
| 70% | Analyzing & Interpreting Literature |
| 70% | College Composition (essay requirement) |
| 70% | Social Sciences & History |
| 67% | College Math |
| 64% | Human Growth & Development |
| 63% | Introductory Sociology |
| 63% | Introductory Business Law |
| 63% | Natural Sciences |
| 61% | Information Systems & Computer Applications |
| 54% | Biology |
| 54% | German Language |
| 53% | American Government |
| 52% | English Literature |
| 51% | Humanities |
| 50% | Western Civilization II |
| 49% | Precalculus |
| 47% | History of the United States I |
| 47% | Calculus |
| 46% | French Language |
| 44% | Western Civilization I |
| 44% | Principles of Marketing |
| 43% | History of the United States II |
| 38% | Introductory Psychology |
| 37% | Introduction Educational Psychology |
| 36% | Principles of Macroeconomics |
| 36% | American Literature |
| 33% | Principles of Microeconomics |
| 32% | Chemistry |
| 26% | College Algebra |
| 21% | Financial Accounting |
Parent Question: How do I find when and where CLEP tests are administered?
Perfect newbie question! You can take your CLEP at home or at an approved testing center. Approved testing centers use their own business hours, so “when” is up to those hours. It’s an on demand test, so you’ll schedule it within your family’s schedule and the testing center’s hours. The at-home remote option can be…
Homeschool Subjects & CLEP Depth
CLEP is a fantastic addition to any homeschool program. For parents that want to plan a lot of inexpensive (free) college credit into their teen’s high school program, you’ll want to understand the depth of knowledge needed of various exams. CLEP exams can be sorted into 2 depth piles: individual subjects or cumulative subjects: Knowing the…
Parent Question: How do you start a CLEP plan when you don’t know where your child will be going to college yet?
There are two schools of thought on how to do this. I’ll explain both and give my recommendation as to which is the better option. There are two schools of thought when it comes to racking up a lot of CLEP credit. I have to preface my answer by saying I’ve paid close attention to…
Take a CLEP for free!
Taking a CLEP Exam Using Modern States – STEP by STEP instructions Modern States offers free, online classes to help you prepare for CLEP exams. When you complete a course through Modern States you will receive a free voucher for the exam. Here are the steps: Create an account at http://www.modernstates.org . Choose a class from…
