9 Easiest CLEP Exams Ranked
The easiest CLEP exams are a good way to get your feet wet before moving on to more difficult CLEP exams. Or perhaps you just need to take care of a few elective credits so you can save money and graduate when you want to. In any case, we’re here to help you by ranking the 10 easiest CLEP exams.
Our methodology includes looking at military pass rates, as military members can take CLEP tests for free and are therefore more likely to try them cold turkey. We also browsed CLEP communities like this subreddit to get a feel for the general consensus on easy exams.
As a disclaimer, you should also consider you own academic strengths in deciding what tests to take. If you know the history of the world inside and out, consider taking some CLEP history exams. If you can solve complex equations in your sleep, take some math-related CLEP exams. You get the point, so let’s hop in and rank the the top ten!
9. Principles of Management
While this is recognized as an easier exam, most students will still need to find a study resource and prepare for a couple weeks, as not all of the tested concepts are intuitive. It covers topics commonly taught in an introduction to business class, with a focus on human resources and operations.
8. Principles of Marketing
Perhaps slightly easier than Management, this test will still require a couple weeks of study for most students. It’s always a good idea to take a practice test to see whether you’re ready. It covers the content of a one-semester marketing course.
7. Social Studies and History
This exam encompasses a wide variety of subjects at an introductory level, such as “United States history, Western civilization, world history, economics, geography, and political science.” Because of the variety, it’s a better test for those who already have a strong base in these subjects, or who are willing to put in more study hours before the test.
6. College Mathematics
Put your own math skills into the equation of whether to take this test, but the College Mathematics course had a high military pass rate of 65% in 2020. This is the most basic of the math CLEP exams, covering Algebra and Functions (20%), Financial Mathematics (20%), Data Analysis and Statistics (15%), Logic and Sets (15%), Counting and Probability (10%), Geometry (10%), and Numbers (10%). Bet you didn’t expect to see numbers covered on this exam, eh?
5. Introductory Sociology
Widely recommended as one of the easier CLEP exams, this is still one you should spend a few days studying for. The concepts are likely to be less familiar from high school than say, math. However, once you study enough to familiarize yourself with the terms, the test itself is fairly intuitive. Sociology had a solid military pass rate of 64% in 2020.
4. Information Systems and Computer Applications
You don’t have to be an aspiring hacker to do just fine on the Information Systems CLEP. A basic knowledge of word processors, spreadsheets, the internet, viruses, and basic programming concepts will get you far. If you have a decent understanding of how computers work, this should be one of the first exams you consider. The 2020 military pass rate was 65%.
3. Spanish, French, or German
Becoming fluent in a language isn’t easy, but getting credit for a language you already speak is! Let’s be clear here, if you haven’t studied one of these languages, you won’t pass these CLEP exams. But if you have studied Spanish, French, or German, you can get a whopping 6 credit hours for passing the level one exam, and another 9 for passing the second! If you’re unsure about your language skills, you can take a practice test to experience the exam’s difficulty level.
2. College Composition / College Composition Modular
Can you string together a cohesive sentence or two? If so, you should consider taking College Composition or the College Composition Modular. The modular version has no essays but 100 questions, while the main version has 50 questions and two essays. The military pass rates were an impressive 81% for the modular and 74% for the essay version, which are actually higher than our top-ranked CLEP exam.
1. Analyzing and Interpreting Literature
The SAT reading comprehension section is a good gauge of how you will do on the Analyzing and Interpreting Literature CLEP exam. If you can read at a decent speed and understand what you just read, you can likely pass this test with a day or two of study. Best yet, it provides a full 6 hours of college credit! The military pass rate for this exam was 71% in 2020.
Developing reading speed and comprehension takes time, but if you’ve already put in that time, why not get rewarded with an almost effortless 6 hours of credit?
We hope you’ve enjoyed our ranking of the easiest CLEP exams. We’ve also ranked the easiest DSST (DANTES) exams for even more credits, or you can check out our scholarships page for more great ways to save tuition money. Now get out there and earn those sweet college credits!