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The College-Level Examination Program, or CLEP, provides students of any age with the opportunity to demonstrate college-level achievement through a program of exams in undergraduate college courses. Nearly 3,000 colleges grant credit and/or advanced standing for CLEP exams.
CLEP is a nationally recognized standardized form of testing. Two types of CLEP exams are offered: general exams and specific subject exams. CLEP exams are only recommended for students with advanced knowledge in subject fields not usually acquired in typical high school.
Through CLEP testing, you may be awarded credit for equivalent Inver Hills classes in composition and literature, social sciences, math and science, world languages, and business. See the CLEP Exam Credit Equivalency Chart for a grid showing courses, minimum scores, credits awarded and Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) requirements.
Credits earned through CLEP exams are not counted as resident credits at Inver Hills and may not be used to satisfy the resident credit requirement for graduation. Inver Hills has a residency requirement of 20 Inver Hills credits or nine Inver Hills credits and 11 credits from another Minnesota State institution. Because of this requirement, Inver Hills will accept a maximum of 40 credits from other sources, including CLEP, for an associate degree.
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The Testing Center administers CLEP exams on:
Hours are subject to change during summer and term breaks.
The Testing Center is located in the College Center next to the Information Desk. Free parking is available in the College Center lot or the College Road West or East lots.
Please contact the testing center for an appointment.
There are two options to take a CLEP test:
Register for a College Board account at Get Started with CLEP and pay for your CLEP exam.
After receiving your ticket ID, call us at 651-450-3650 to reserve a test date and time.
Please have your ticket ID number from CLEP available when you call.
Charges for the exams include:
You will pay the CLEP fee to College Board online at the point of registration and the $20 service in exact change or check when you arrive to test. Make check payable to Inver Hills Community College.
For a student who registers for a CLEP test and fails to show or reschedules on three consecutive appointments, they will either need to wait two weeks to reschedule the test at a time convenient for the assessment testing center as well as the student, or they can pay an additional $10 fee to reschedule the examination if it is to occur within the two-week window following the third scheduled, but missed, appointment.
The original cost for the course examination itself will remain valid and a student will not be reassessed the CLEP course-specific fee.
You may take up to two exams in a session. Each exam is approximately 90 minutes in length. You should set aside two hours for each exam, including check-in and registration. A separate ticket ID must be provided for each exam.
Although CLEP is a national testing program, the number of credits you receive for a passing score depends on the school where you report the scores. You will be unable to earn CLEP credit in subject areas where credit has already been earned at an accredited institution.
Before registering for CLEP exams, check with your transfer school registrar to assure that the credits earned from your CLEP scores will be accepted.
Equivalent courses and required scores for Inver Hills are listed on the CLEP Credit Composite Reporting Form.
Official test scores will be displayed on the computer screen after you complete your test. The test administrator will print the score for you. If an essay exam is taken, you will not be able to obtain the essay score the day the exam is taken. CLEP will update your score on your CLEP account when it is available.
You can request that an official transcript of your score be sent to a college or university when you pay for your exam. The College Board will mail the report directly to the designated institution within four to six weeks. If available, an unofficial score report will be sent over to enrollment after testing. The college will process and add the score to your academic report within 1 to 2 weeks of receiving the official results. After the exam day, you can have an official transcript sent to the institution of your choice by using the transcript order form at the bottom of your score printout. CLEP charges a $20 fee for this service.
Books on CLEP exams with sample questions are available in public libraries and area bookstores. You can also purchase downloadable versions through the College Board Store.
If you have a learning or physical disability that would prevent you being able to test under standard testing conditions for a CLEP examination, you can request accommodations at your preferred testing center. If testing with Inver Hills Community College, please contact us 7-10 business day prior to your preferred test date in order to make the necessary arrangements and to submit proper documentation for approval of Accommodations. Testing Centers can approve the following accommodations:
If these accommodations do not meet your needs, contact CLEP Services for information about the other nonstandard options before registering through CLEP My Account:
Bring your government-issue photo ID; you will not be allowed to take the exam without one.
Park in the College Center lot or the College Road West or East lots.
Go to the Testing Center in the College Center next to the Welcome Desk.
You should arrive early for your exam appointment.
If you decide to quit the exam voluntarily, you will not receive an exam fee refund. You must wait three months before retesting in the same subject.
You are not allowed to use calculators, cell phones or pagers during your exam. You may not chew gum or bring books, papers, purses, or other materials to the exam room. Lockers are provided. The college is not responsible for personal items.
“As an adult returning to college after 30 years, there are many classes I have taken already but the course definition or the credits transferred don't match my new school's requirements. Because of this I decided CLEP was a great way to get those credits instead of investing time and money onto an entire course. I studied and managed to get three classes worth of credit on my first attempts! For me it was practical, financially beneficial, and much easier.”
"Study using many of the online resources given for CLEP, and also check out some of the YouTube “Taking the CLEP allowed me to demonstrate my knowledge of a required subject to earn credits quickly and (relatively) easily! It was a great way to let me focus my attention and resources on other classes, allowing me to get my degree sooner. Highly recommended! "
“Study using many of the online resources given for CLEP, and also check out some of the YouTube options for college courses. In particular the "Crash Course" Series is great. Even with lots of studying I still felt unsure if I passed each time I took a test. Taking them seriously is important.”
“I purchased the official CLEP study guide and found it to be really helpful, especially the practice questions.”