Anyone here ever tried to CLEP college calc 1?

[acemcmac]

I'm getting murdered in this class and I have until the end of the week to decide if I want to ride it out and probably fail or if I want to drop it and try to figure out another way to get through it. I'm wondering if attending lecture and doing an independant study of calc and then taking the CLEP test once or twice might not be a better way to get through this. I've already put off this class as long as I can and I'm looking for any way around the GPA slaughter possible...

any suggestions?

 

[Semidevil]

I've taken college algerbra, and tried to clep out of pre-calc so I can get to calc 1. I took the clep like 3 times and failed all 3 times.


If you want to try to clep out of something, you need to pretty know how to do EVERY SINGLE problem in the book. With pre-calc, there were a lot of sin and cos, but with the calc, I'm pretty sure they are gonna put a bunch of story problems, theory problems, and complicated problems, so you need to know it very very well.

usually, in a class, the teacher might skip some section that might be revelent to clep.......so...up to you.

but good luck!

 

[acemcmac]

how well did you think you knew the material?

My problem with calc is that I look back to the tests... like this neat 34 right here... and I can slowly churn through it to learn from my mistakes.... but its still a thirty freaking four.... no amount of learning from my mistakes will help me pass this class!

 

[dabuddha]

If you're struggling in the class, how do you plan on passing a CLEP exam?

 

[GtPrOjEcTX]

ouch... I loved calc 1 (and calc 2 and calc 3) in college...

 

[acemcmac]

Originally posted by: dabuddha
If you're struggling in the class, how do you plan on passing a CLEP exam?

Hard work? I have absolutley no idea... I have always been teh suck at math. Ironic that all meaningful computer degrees are math based, no? Yet I need to get this CS degree if I ever want to work with networks... so.... Only a transfer to information technology will save me from Calc 2....

I dunno... :frown:

 

[GtPrOjEcTX]

hard work should have got you through the class in the first place and you wouldn't be in this situation.

 

[acemcmac]

Originally posted by: GtPrOjEcTX
hard work should have got you through the class in the first place and you wouldn't be in this situation.

easy for you to say. Math has never come to me easily and the last time I have had to do mathematical memorization was my times tables in 3rd grade... ask me what 12 x 7 is.... :roll:

with 8 hours a day, 4 days a week between class and studying, im still getting owned... I dont get it....

 

[cchen]

whats CLEP?

could you try dropping it and taking it at a community college?

 

[Semidevil]

Originally posted by: acemcmac
how well did you think you knew the material?

My problem with calc is that I look back to the tests... like this neat 34 right here... and I can slowly churn through it to learn from my mistakes.... but its still a thirty freaking four.... no amount of learning from my mistakes will help me pass this class!

with me (2 years ago), I studied for like 4-5 months, and I could have sworn I could have done every single problem in the book. But when the test came, it gave me all sort of curve balls that rely on certain concepts and manipulating them in a certain way which the book obviously didn't cover.....the last time I took it, I was 4 points from getting into calc I.......


so it sucked. But if you insist, study hard and give it a shot. You never know....but like the last poster said, the best way is probably to take it at a community college...easier and cheaper.

 

[acemcmac]

It's official. Talked to the prof and, without even looking at his records he singled out my performance... told me that I needed a slower paced class so that I would have more time to brush up on my trig. He even suggested an independant sudy, so I guess CLEP it is....

info on clep.... in PDF: http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/student/testing/clep/calculus.pdf

Basically CLEP is offered by the College Board, same company that runs SAT's and AP testing. It's the only standardized exemption testing program for post secondary schooling. Almost all but the most highend colleges will usually let you CLEP up to 30-35 credits of 100 level classes, so long as they have something to correspond to....

 

[Goosemaster]

if you would have paid me for the trip(gas and food) I would have driven up their at least once to help you out.

Some of my freinds still go to Drexel in phili, and we could hang out.

Take it from me..calc is well....interesting....

I failed calc I about 3-4 timespersonally, because I wasn't taking it SERIOUSLY AT ALL. I finally buckled down and studied, and got a b. in calc II I just got a B and hopefully in calc III I will get an A.

Of course, not everyone can have it as easy as I did when I finally "buckled down."


If you still want, you could pay me for gas and food, and we could make a day or a weekend out of it.


I tutor about 8hrs a week for free and also work for a tutoring co. for about $40/hr cost to the customer just so you know


In this (special ) case helping you would just be an excuse to see my firends.


Help me with gas money (from Wash D.C) and I'll go on a weekend

 

[Goosemaster]

BTW..do NOT bother with a CLEP test. If you are failing a simple calc I class(relative to CLEP) the CLEP WILL BE SUICIDE.


Also, if you are taking an Engineering based calc, take a busines calc or liberal arts calc(if there is such a thing ) first so you can ease into it.


That is as close to bullsh!t as you will get when it comes to calc

 

[acemcmac]

lol... I appreciate the offer, but I'm surrounded by people who both want to and are helping me. It's all of traditional Calc 1 in a 5 week class that's killing me.... I feel that I know the concepts well enough, I just keep getting killed by the need to regurgitate trig functions (that I last dealt with 2 years ago) to solve questions on tests about new material that we just learned yesterday....

Regardless of my ability to stay caught up with the class, just that surprise trig on the mid term a few days ago destroyed my ability to pass that class. and yes... that's a midterm less than two weeks into the class....

Goosemaster, do you really think it would be impossible to pass the Calc CLEP with several weeks of uninterrupted independant studying with the professor's help to just answer questions once a week? I've heard really mixed things about CLEP's.... but that *is* the tentative plan....

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: acemcmac
lol... I appreciate the offer, but I'm surrounded by people who both want to and are helping me. It's all of traditional Calc 1 in a 5 week class that's killing me.... I feel that I know the concepts well enough, I just keep getting killed by the need to regurgitate trig functions (that I last dealt with 2 years ago) to solve questions on tests about new material that we just learned yesterday....

Regardless of my ability to stay caught up with the class, just that surprise trig on the mid term a few days ago destroyed my ability to pass that class. and yes... that's a midterm less than two weeks into the class....

Goosemaster, do you really think it would be impossible to pass the Calc CLEP with several weeks of uninterrupted independant studying with the professor's help to just answer questions once a week? I've heard really mixed things about CLEP's.... but that *is* the tentative plan....

YEAh, it would quite impossible. Calc classes usually tend to focus on the major....calc for engineers focus'es on trig and defining and understanding 2diemnsional and 3dimensional graphs and series, while I have noticed the business calc focuses mostly on real-life or commododity staistical analysis .


teh CLEP is like hell on earth...I would prolly fail it(prolly not but It would not be 'fun' exactly )


Like everyone said, just because it is a test vs a "whole class," do not make the mistake of underestimating it. Making the mistake of overestimating its difficulity and the faculties it requires, however, would be worth your while.

 

[Anubis]

whats CLEP?

i took calc 1,2,3,

3 was easier then 2

 

[Raiden256]

Calc 1 and 2 in my Junior year of HS: Really fun / interesting.

Calc 2 again in engineering school, just to brush up: mildly interesting, if a little boring

Calc 3 in engineering school: HOLY CRAP! Hours staring a the board trying to wrap my brain around the geometry!

 

[S4M33R]

I would take your professor's advice. If you need to change your next semester courses then thats what you have to do, but from what I understand CLEP is going to be even harder than AP Calc test for high school students. Or you can try taking it over the regular semester so you have more time to study.