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Testing Out of Classes for College Credit

This is typically called credit by exam. That may be a useful search term.

I took college equivalent math classes from 8th through 11th grade. I qualified for a college level math honor society in 11th grade because of it, then took no math my senior year because I had completed everything normally offered and the only option I had was a specially credited "zero hour" class offered to me and two other students who qualified. 

This would have required me to come in an hour before school usually started in order to participate. I have serious health problems that weren't yet properly diagnosed and was already missing the maximum number of days I could miss without being automatically failed for it, so that wasn't going to happen. 

I started college and my first quarter enrolled in Calculus because it was the next class offered after all the college level math I already had. Having not done math in fifteen months, I was in over my head and withdrew from the class.

I already knew more college level math than many people with Bachelor's degrees and was being told I needed TWO more classes to graduate. This made me feel burned for having tried so hard to prep for college.

More than a decade later, I tested out of Algebra and took Statistics, ending up with a 107 for the class after they curved the grade for everyone else.

If you live in a remote area or have a demanding job or already took that class in high school, testing out of classes where you already confidently know the material may be a way to get a leg up on completing a degree. It can help reduce the demands on both your time and your budget because the tests are typically a lot less expensive than a comparable college class.

The Three Types of Tests for Credit

General Info

Earning College Credit by Exam: Types and Process

Military

If you are in the military or a military dependent, you may be able to find an educational center on base that will proctor you.

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