This CLEP exam is difficult but can be passed even in high school.
Is your high school student “clepping” their college exams? If your answer is yes, I am sure they will soon be considering one of the science CLEPs and biology may be one of them. Let me share with you our experiences with this exam.
Is Biology CLEP Exam Hard?
This exam is officially given a four point difficulty on a scale of 1-5 (one being the easiest and five being the hardest), which makes it one of the more difficult exams to pass. We highly recommend that your students studies hard in preparation for Biology CLEP. However, not all is memorization work. If you can understand the underlying principles of Biology, many questions can be deducted.
What Is the Passing Rate for Biology CLEP Exam?
The exam answers are transferred to a scaled score. In order to pass the exam, the score of 50 must be achieved, which is equivalent of receiving C in a similar college course. (The maximum score is 80.)
In 2017 (the latest possible statistics available at the time of writing this article) 60% of civilian students taking this CLEP test achieved a passing score.
However, in order to better understand the actual difficulty of the exam, we have to examine the military passing rate. As military personnel get an opportunity to take CLEP exams for free, not all of them prepare for the tests properly thus altering the overall military passing rates. Therefore, looking at the military passing rate of 39% in 2019 gives us a clearer idea of the difficulty of the exam.
What Does This Exam Include?
Following are a few particulars:
- Molecular and Cellular Biology (33%): Chemical composition of organisms, cells, enzymes, energy transformations, cell division, chemical nature of the gene.
- Organismal Biology (34%): Structure and function in plants, plant reproduction and development, structure and function in animals, animal reproduction and development, principles of heredity.
- Population Biology (33%): Principles of ecology, principles of evolution, principles of behavior, social biology.
How Long Is the Biology CLEP Exam?
This exam consists of 115 multiple-choice questions which have to be answered within 90 minutes. You will receive 3 college credits for this exam and 1 credit for a high school course.
How to Prepare for Biology CLEP Exam?
There are many ways to study for this exam and the best option for you personally will depend on both your student’s learning style and your budget. However, let me share with you how my son studied for this CLEP at the age of 16. Following are the steps he took:
- He attended a two-semester co-op biology class with a professional science teacher. This proved to be the best option for his high school biology. Even though the class was not focused on taking a CLEP exam, it gave him an excellent foundation in biology.
- He took an online course at ModernStates.org and received the following:
- FREE video and test preparation materials.
- FREE online test questions similar to those in the actual test.
- FREE CLEP exam voucher.
- REIMBURSEMENT for the college test center fee.
Please note that Modern States have very specific conditions under which you can receive their FREE voucher:
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- You must watch their training videos and read their study materials.
- You must pass all their practice tests.
3. We purchased one month of InstantCert.com membership in order to get more preparation practice, which proved to be invaluable.
How Much Does It Cost to Take Biology CLEP Exam?
Depending on how you decide to sign up for the exam, your expenses may look similar to the following two scenarios:
Option 1: You choose to pay for the exam yourself:
- CLEP exam registration fee: $89
- College testing center fee: $25 to $40 (Depending on which college you choose to take the exam at.)
Option 2: You choose to enroll in Modern States: $0 (Modern States reimburses you even for the testing center fee.)
I trust you have found the information in this article helpful in making your own decisions concerning Biology CLEP Exam. This exam is not easy but it is possible to pass it with diligent preparation.
