Not everyone wants to spend four years in college or university. Some people either by choice or necessity need to finish their college degree as fast as possible and start working to bring in money. That obviously is not the case for all people of course and nor should it be. Those who can afford it and desire to enjoy their college’s years should by all means do so if they choose.

But for those who are watching every penny or who are paying for your own education the sooner you graduate the sooner you can start earning money with a new job. How do you go about graduating from college quicker? One option is to complete CLEP exams accepted by colleges as credit. CLEP stands for College-Level Examination Program® and gives people an opportunity to receive college credit from material already understood or known by the person if they successfully complete one of several different exams.

This means you can test out some classes quicker by passing the exam. The more of these you do, the less classes you have to pay for (save you money) and the quicker you can graduate (do not need to spend a semester in each class).

Now each university is different and may or may not accept CLEP tests as credit for a college course. Therefore you should check to makesure first of all if your college accepts CLEP and then see which classes you may be able to test out of and not need to complete.

Here are some examples of CLEP Test areas:

• American Literature
• Biology
• Freshman Composition
• Educational Psychology
• College Algebra
• Western Civilization II
• Information Systems and Computer Applications

It may be assumed that someone who is going to take a CLEP test already has a good or decent understanding of the material the test will cover. That does not mean however that person should sit for the test without preparing. It would be very wise to prepare. For preparation it would also be smart to buy some decent CLEP study guides to help you in getting ready to sit for the test.

Therefore keep in mind while doing a college major search that when you speak with a counselor to ask about using CLEP to test out of some courses. If it is possible then you may want to take advantage of it. This could knock off several courses for you.