This is an UPDATED post tracking the expiration dates of several CLEP exams that we saw approaching their expiration dates this year. One exam did not get a revision (German) but I can now confirm that 3 CLEPS have undergone changes resulting in new exam versions and College Math lost 3 credits!
| Exam | CLEP Number | Old Version Date Range | New Version Date Range | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biology | CLEP-0018 | 07/01/2001 -03/31/2023 | 04/01/2023 -03/31/2029 | 6 |
| College Algebra | CLEP-0013 | 01/1/2007-03/31/2023 | 04/01/2023-03/31/2029 | 3 |
| College Mathematics | CLEP-0004 | 03/01/2015- 04/30/2023 (6 college credits) | 05/01/2023-04/30/29 (3 college credits) | 3 |
What is ACE Evaluation?
ACE (American Council on Education) is a third party credit evaluator that evaluates all types of learning that happens outside of a college.
Many companies use ACE to evaluate their courses or credit by exam. When a course or exam is evaluated by ACE for college credit, it only holds that evaluation for a period of time (usually 3 years). At the end of that period, the company must seek to have their courses or exam renewed.
Without ACE evaluation, the likelihood of the course or exam being worth college credit is nearly ZERO.
Why do I care?
When a course or exam expires, one of 3 things will happen.
- The course or exam may be discontinued.
- The course or exam may be revised.
- The course or exam will be renewed for another 3 years.
The Most Important Thing
We can’t know which of the 3 things will happen until after it does. It is important, however, that consumers are aware of these dates. If a course or exam is discontinued, you must have finished it before the discontinuation date for it to be worth college credit. If a course or exam is revised, the scope of the content may change or even the credit value. If a course is renewed, you can continue on business as usual.
What Usually Happens
Usually, a course or exam is renewed and any possible gap in the date range is back-dated by ACE to cover the students who may have completed a course or exam during the gap. In companies that have been around for a very long time, renewal usually happens and the consumer is none the wiser.
Don’t Panic, But Be Aware
ACE evaluations always expire. Every course or exam that receives an ACE evaluation (CLEP, AP, DSST, Studycom, Sophia, Saylor Academy, Straighterline, ALEKS, etc.) are “worth” college credit because of this ACE evaluation. As such, any company in the business of selling college credit products will be HIGHLY MOTIVATED to make sure the course or exam gets renewed.
I hope it’s not too big of a change for the bio exam. My son is using an AP book to study for the CLEP version of the test. Hoping this will work out.