One way of the best ways of testing out is by taking a CLEP test. CLEP tests cover a lot of the courses that you may be required to take early on in college. Most colleges will give you full credit for the class if you pass the CLEP exam.

These CLEP tests are usually geared towards a single semester class, and you can take them at over 1400 colleges and universities in the USA, making them available to most who are interested.

Before taking a CLEP test, you should first check whether or not your college will accept credit for that exam. You can visit the College Board website to search for your institution and see whether or not you can earn credit by passing a CLEP exam, or you can talk with your institution directly. Over 2900 colleges and universities will give you credit, but how that credit is determined, the score you must achieve and other items can vary from school to school.

A good place to look for your college’s policy on CLEP is in it’s general catalog. If you look for a “credit by examination” heading, you will likely find the information you need. You should also be able to find out how much credit you can earn and what the minimum score needed to earn that credit is.

Currently, there are CLEP tests available for the following categories:

American Literature
Analyzing and Interpreting Literature
English Composition
English Literature
Freshman College Composition
Humanities

French Language (Levels 1 and 2)
German Language (Levels 1 and 2)
Spanish Language (Levels 1 and 2)

American Government
Human Growth and Development
Introduction to Educational Psychology
Introductory Psychology
Introductory Sociology
Principles of Macroeconomics
Principles of Microeconomics
Social Sciences and History
History of the United States I: Early Colonization to 1877
History of the United States II: 1865 to the Present
Western Civilization I: Ancient Near East to 1648
Western Civilization II: 1648 to the Present

Biology
Calculus
Chemistry
College Algebra
College Mathematics
Natural Sciences
Precalculus

Financial Accounting
Introductory Business Law
Information Systems and Computer Applications
Principles of Management
Principles of Marketing

Be sure to do your homework before taking any CLEP test. Make sure you will get credit for the test from your college or institution. Also, be sure to study well for the exam, you will not be able to repeat your CLEP test for six months if you do not pass on the first try!