Student loan debt is getting crazy.

Talk to nearly anyone with student debt and I bet they will tell you they wish they did things differently so as to have minimized their debt load.

I can’t tell you how to get rid of it all, but I can help get you through college faster and with lower debt.

How? Test out of classes by CLEP (College Level Examination Program), and by DSST if you have a facility near you.

If your college accepts them, you can take enough of these tests to basically skip at least freshman year. This provides you a HUGE opportunity cost benefit. Not only do you only have to pay for 3 years of undergrad studies, but you could also be out in the workforce earning money and experience one year earlier.

Such a large head start must be hard, right? Not really, no. I have taken 17 of these tests so far, passing all of them, and most have been within the last 30 days (next two pics for proof).

16 are worth 3 credits each, one was worth 6. That’s 54 college credits.

CLEPs

CLEP scores range from 20-80, with a passing grade being 50 for most tests. Your school can require a higher grade, however. College CLEPs are all lower-level exams. CLEPs cost $87 plus testing fee.

Check out the CLEP site for a list of all exams they offer: https://clep.collegeboard.org/exams

Search schools that accept CLEP exams: https://clep.collegeboard.org/school-policy-search

DSST

Another popular college-level exam system are DSSTs. Since these started for military personnel only, they are accepted by fewer universities but you can still get credit for them at over 1,500 schools. Most DSSTs are lower-level but there are a few upper-level exams available. DSSTs cost $85 plus testing fee.

Here is the site listing all the available DSSTs: https://www.getcollegecredit.com/exam_fact_sheets/

Here is where you can search for schools that accept DSSTs: http://www.getcollegecredit.com/search/

Modern States

Remember how I said you can do this for free? If you are in the military then these tests are free the first time you take one.

Not in the military? No sweat. Modern States has teamed up with Harvard and MIT to offer 10,000 free CLEP exam vouchers. All you have to do is sign up and complete the course for the subject you wish to test for. Once you have completed the entire lesson, you can apply for a voucher to get the CLEP for free. You will have to pay the testing facility fee upfront, but you can send them a picture of the receipt for reimbursement.

More info here: https://modernstates.org/freshman-year-free/

Resources

I am going to list a few of the free resources I have used to study for my tests.

• Introductory Sociology: “Crash Course Sociology” https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8dPuuaLjXtMJ-AfB_7J1538YKWkZAnGA

• Introductory Psychology: “Crash Course Psychology” https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8dPuuaLjXtOPRKzVLY0jJY-uHOH9KVU6

• Micro & Macro Economics: “ACDC Leadership” https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCQEbqDL8i40d83Au55lYMQ

• Mathematics: “Professor Leonard” https://www.youtube.com/user/professorleonard57

• Financial Accounting: This awesome secret sauce formula https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXZM57mN8U8

as well as Tony Bell https://www.youtube.com/user/TRUTonyBell

• Remember, check with your school of choice to see if they accept these credits or not. I see schools that accept just a few, or schools that cap the amount they will accept into your degree program.

• The “Big 3” schools (all regionally accredited) that accept the most CLEPs and DSSTs (as well as brick & mortar credits) are:
  Charter Oak State College: https://www.charteroak.edu/
  Thomas Edison State College: https://www.tesu.edu/
  Excelsior College: https://www.excelsior.edu/

The whole of human knowledge is at your fingertips, you can learn anything you wish. Now you can apply that knowledge for credit. There are no age limitations for these exams, so go on and get you some!