The College-Level Examination Program® (CLEP®) is a computer-based prior-learning assessment that allows examinees the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of knowledge and skills necessary to earn postsecondary course credit in higher education. Currently, there are 33 exams in five subject areas: composition and literature, world languages,…

This report discusses the criterion-related and construct validity of the College-Level Examination Program's General Examinations primarily in terms of research studies conducted at institutions of higher education. While most of the research provides support for the validity of the examinations as measures of academic achievement in college, the…

The claim that using the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) English General Examinations in lieu of regular English composition courses contributes to lowering of the quality of higher education was investigated by determining whether the level of achievement in the CLEP English Examination was related either to the frequency in which…

Two studies investigated the effects of earning college credits for freshman year courses--as a result of performance on the College Level Examination Program's (CLEP) General Examinations--on later academic success. These are multiple choice tests of English composition, social science, natural science, humanities, and mathematics. Both studies…

The College-Level Examination Program® (CLEP®) consists of a battery of 34 tests covering courses in which entering college students often enroll. CLEP exams are tools that help accredited colleges and universities provide course requirement exemptions to students who have gained outside-the-classroom knowledge of certain subjects. Students may…

The use and validity of the tests of General Educational Development and the College-Level Examination Program, two measures by which adults with nontraditional educational backgrounds can demonstrate their previous educational achievement, are discussed. (AG)