1648 to the Present
Is your high school student following a dual-credit path and earning both high school and college credits at the same time?
When my son was still in middle school, my husband discovered a dual-credit study plan and suggested we follow this particular path in high school. Neither my son nor I objected to the thought and so the summer before he entered high school at the age of fourteen, he dove into History of the United States I CLEP. [You can read more about this exam and our experience with it in How to Take History of the United States I CLEP Exam for FREE.] As the exam proved to be a success, he opted to continue with other exams during his high school years.
When taking Western Civilization II (a month before turning 16), he already had five other exams under his belt. If you have read any of our other articles about my son’s extensive preparation for CLEP exams, you may be surprised to learn that he didn’t actually follow the same study path for Western Civilization II as he did for the other exams. He told me, “Mom, I got this. I know what the exams are about, and I am going to shorten my preparation for this one.” He chose only a couple of study sources, learned everything in six weeks and did well at his exam.
Let me share with you a little bit more about this CLEP exam and assure you that your child can also do well and succeed.
Is Western Civilization II CLEP Exam Hard?
This exam is officially given point four 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. Therefore, it is not recommended to take this exam as one of the first ones your student attempts.
What Is the Passing Rate for Western Civilization I 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) 48% 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 37% in 2019 gives us a clearer idea of the difficulty of the exam.
What Does This Exam Include?
Following are a few particulars:
- This exam covers the material one would find in the second semester of a two semester college course in Western Civilization.
- This exam’s questions deal with European history from the mid-17th century through the post-Second World War period including political, economic, and cultural developments such as scientific thought, the Enlightenment, the French and Industrial Revolutions, and the First and Second World Wars.
How Long Is the Western Civilization II CLEP Exam?
This exam consists of 120 multiple-choice questions which have to be answered within 90 minutes. You will receive 3 college credits for this exam and 0.5 credits for a high school course.
How to Prepare for Western Civilization II 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 15. As mentioned above, he didn’t spend as much time in preparation nor did he cover as much material as with the other exams. Following are the steps he took:
- 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:
- You must watch their training videos and read their study materials.
- You must pass all their practice tests.
The Modern States course gave him a general overview of the areas required for passing this exam. However, we highly recommend adding other study materials to these. Even though my son enjoyed the lectures, they were not sufficient to make him fully prepared for the exam. Nevertheless, the FREE CLEP VOUCHER is worth adding these study materials to your list.
- We purchased one month of instantcert.com membership in order to get more preparation practice, which proved to be invaluable.
Which Materials Should I Use to Prepare for Western Civilization II CLEP Exam?
The actual preparation for the exam and the resources used depend on your overall goal. When having your high schooler take CLEP exams (as opposed to a college student), you always have to ask yourself a few questions:
- What is my primary goal with regards to this exam?
- Is my goal to ensure that my student achieves as many college credits as possible during their high school years in order to give them a head start in the work force?
- Is my goal to ensure that my student has a solid foundation of the subject for life?
Please note that both of these options are very viable. We are learning that not all subjects are a must for life but certainly helpful when added to the number of college credits.
- How much practice does my child need for this particular exam?
- Will I pay for the exam myself or will I opt for free Modern States voucher?
- How many CLEP exams has my student already taken and how confident are they in their preparation?
After considering your goals, you will be able to determine which study materials to use in preparation for Western Civilization II CLEP Exam.
Note: If your student hasn’t taken at least several of CLEP exams yet, I highly recommend using REA’s CLEP Western Civilization II study book. It not only includes excellent study materials (as do other REA’s CLEP books) but also two complete practice tests. These give your student a real “feel” of the exam including its timeframe. My son found out there were questions in his actual exam that he never studied for, however, they would have been included in REA’s study book.
How Much Does It Cost to Take Western Civilization I 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 Western Civilization II CLEP Exam. Even though this exam does not fall into a category of the easy ones, it is possible to pass it with diligent preparation.
