Ancient Near East to 1648
Do you wonder whether Western Civilization I CLEP Exam would be suitable for your high schooler to take? If your student is following a dual-credit path and earning college credits while still in high school, this may be one of the earlier exams for them to take.
Is Western Civilization I CLEP Exam Hard?
This exam is officially given point three difficulty on a scale of 1-5 (one being the easiest and five being the hardest). Even if history is not your student’s favorite subject, with some decent preparation, they will be able to pass this CLEP.
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) 68% 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 45% 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 first semester of a two semester college course in Western Civilization.
- This exam’s questions deal with the civilizations of Ancient Greece, Rome and the Near East; the Middle Ages; the Renaissance and the Reformation; and Early Modern Europe.
How Long Does Western Civilization I CLEP Exam Take?
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 I 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. Following are the steps he took:
- He studied World History Detective by The Critical Thinking Co. in the first semester of his 10th grade. This ensured that his world history knowledge was not learned only for an exam purposes but more deeply absorbed, which was our aim in high school.
- He took an online course at Modern States and received the following:
- FREE video and test preparation.
- FREE online test questions similar to those in the actual test but different from the REA’s study book (see below).
- 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.
- We purchased one month of InstantCert membership in order to get more practice, which proved to be invaluable.
- We purchased REA’s official CLEP Western Civilization I study book. It is easily available online for as little as $4. We found it to be invaluable for the following reasons:
- It includes 2 full-length practice exams accompanied by detailed explanation of why the particular answer is correct while the other ones are not.
- The practice exams give the student an excellent pre-official test experience of how it “feels” to take the actual test. They also provide specific information about the areas the student still needs to focus on.
Please note that we used REA’s study book for the test purposes ONLY. Because of our experience with other CLEP exams, my son didn’t need to review more study material. However, if you read How to Take History of the United States I CLEP Exam for FREE, you will notice that we did read through that particular REA’s book in preparation for the exam. The more experience with taking the CLEP exams your student acquires, the easier the preparation becomes.
Which Materials Should I Use to Prepare for Western Civilization I 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?
After considering your goals, you will be able to determine which study materials to use in preparation for Western Civilization I CLEP Exam.
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 the information in this article has helped you to make your own decisions concerning Western Civilization I CLEP Exam. Whatever means of study you choose to follow, rest assured that the exam is very doable when diligent preparation is applied.
Did your son pass the CLEP test and would you recommend World History Detective by The Critical Thinking Co. as a book to study for the CLEP test or was it the other things your son did that helped more in passing?
Hello Tish,
Sorry for my belated response to your question about the Western Civilization I CLEP Exam.
To make my answer simple, I have to say that I had my son do way beyond what was needed for this CLEP. (He didn’t do as much for other CLEPs though.)
First, I wanted him to have a good foundation of the subject for which World History Detective was perfect. He really enjoyed the curriculum.
After he acquired the “high school knowledge,” he did all the other test preparations as indicated on our website – Modern States, Instacert, and REA. And yes, he did very well and passed with flying colors.
However, even though I would recommend all these resources and am glad we did them, only one or two are really necessary for passing. I like the REA books a lot for all the CLEP exams. They are very comprehensive and provide you with complete practice tests. We didn’t find the Modern States sufficient enough to get the students fully ready for the CLEP, but they provided us with the actual exam for free. And, for those children who need more practice, Instacert is excellent.
I personally took the Western Civilization I CLEP shortly after my son did as I wanted to know how it feels to go through these exams. I was hoping it would give me more insight into my son’s studies. I used REA combined with Instacert and did well.
To sum it all up, if you are looking for your child just to pass the exam, I would recommend REA and Instacert. If you are looking for something deeper for high school studies, World History Detective is a very good resource.
I have to admit that even though it is not difficult to pass this particular exam, it is quite challenging to pass it well. So don’t get discouraged if your child does not achieve the highest score.
I trust I have managed to answer your question. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you.
Kind regards,
Pavlina Davis
Tools 4 Schools at Home